Caramel Frappuccino (Starbucks Copycat)

Author: Jee Choe

A delicious Starbucks copycat recipe, made just like the original!

5 from 11 votes

Prep Time 5

Total Time 5

Course Drinks

Yield serving (16 ounces)

Whisk heavy cream and vanilla syrup to make whipped cream. Set aside.
Use a handheld milk frother to make whipped cream in seconds. The longer you whisk, the stiffer the whipped cream. It should take about 30 seconds to get peaks.
Blend milk, caramel sauce, homemade Frappuccino base syrup, instant coffee, and ice until smooth.
Put ingredients into the blender in the order listed.
Start the blender on low, then turn it up to high speed. Use a tamper tool to make sure the ice gets blended evenly.
Pour Caramel Frappuccino into a cup. Top drink with whipped cream and caramel drizzle.
Serve immediately.

The homemade Frappuccino base syrup recipe is the star of this recipe since it's what creates that smooth texture. Make a batch of this first.
Homemade Frappuccino base syrup is made of sugar, water, and xanthan gum (the secret to creating the Frappuccino texture). If you don’t want to use the base syrup, you can add simple syrup instead to match the sweetness but you won't get the same texture.
Frappuccinos are made with whole milk but you can use any milk you like.
The vanilla syrup in the recipe is used in the whipped cream, just like Starbucks, but you can take it out and replace it with 2 teaspoons of sugar.
The longer you whisk the heavy cream, the stiffer it'll get. It should take less than a minute, using a handheld milk frother, to get soft peaks. Spoon the whipped cream on top of your drink.
You can make a caffeine-free Caramel Frappuccino by taking out the instant coffee in the recipe.