Make your own McDonald’s Mocha Frappe at home with this easy copycat recipe! It’s the perfect cold coffee drink for Spring and Summer, and many readers have reported they like it better than the original drive-thru version!
This Mocha Frappe copycat recipe is great for an afternoon pick-me-up, and SO delicious! We love love making our own versions of restaurant favorites at home… like this Copycat Wendy’s Frosty, and Classic Shamrock Shake. This is one of my Copycat Recipes you’ll definitely want to keep on hand!
MOCHA FRAPPE RECIPE
Overpaying for a coffee drink is SO a thing of the past. This incredibly easy to make copycat mocha frappe tastes better than the original!!
I have a slight, okay, fairly decently sized addiction to McDonald’s Mocha Frappe’s. They. Are. SO. Good!! There’s one thing I don’t like though… they can be pricey!
A cheapskate at heart, I just can’t justify spending $4 each time I get a craving… so I went on a mission to find out how to make them at home.
They’re so frothy, so icy, so creamy, and SOOOO full of chocolate and coffee flavor!
HOW TO MAKE
- Brew coffee and let cool. Alternatively you could use cold leftover coffee!
- Pour into clean ice cube trays and freeze. This is great to do ahead of time, so you don’t have to wait when you want a frappe!
- Add frozen coffee cubes, milk, syrup and sugar to blender. Blend until the coffee ice cubes are broken down and the mixture is the texture you’re looking for.
- Pour into glasses and garnish. Garnishing is optional, but if you want that classic McDonald’s look, you’ll want to add whipped cream, and a drizzle of chocolate syrup.
- I usually get a little “extra” and add some chocolate shavings and sometimes garnish with a sprig of fresh mint if I have some. You totally don’t have to do this lol.
ADDITIONAL COOKING TIPS
There’s a secret to getting that perfect flavor/frozen texture… and I’ll share it with you.
Frozen. Coffee.
Oh yes, that’s right. Just brew up some of your favorite coffee (or even decaf if you prefer), and let it cool to room temperature. Pour the cooled coffee into ice cube trays and pop them in the freezer until frozen.
So you might be wondering, “why can’t I just use regular coffee and add ice cubes??“. Well, in short, you can lol. But as the ice melts, it will water down your drink 🙁 Boo!! So by freezing the coffee into ice cubes, you get the frozen component to make it nice and icy, but without diluting your drink!
VARIATIONS OF THIS RECIPE
- DAIRY – I created this recipe using almond milk, since that’s what I had on hand at the time. However, I’ve since tested this recipe using soy milk, regular dairy milk, and half and half (a US dairy product of half milk and half cream).
- REDUCED SUGAR – Several readers have asked if this recipe could be made using sugar-free or reduced sugar products. And yes, it certainly can! Sugar-free chocolate syrup is a great alternative for regular syrup. And sugar alternatives can be used in place of the granulated sugar. Alternately, the granulated sugar can be omitted… it’s really a matter of taste and how sweet you like things.
- OTHER FLAVORS – If you’d like, other flavors of syrups can be used in place of the plain chocolate. Torani makes some great syrups, as does Ghirardelli. My favorites are caramel, and a salted chocolate caramel syrup!
- The mint is really nice as a garnish, but you could add some peppermint extract to make this a festive holiday peppermint mocha drink!
MAKING MOCHA FRAPPES AHEAD OF TIME
Since this is a frozen drink, this is a recipe that’s truly best made right before serving.
However you can do the first part of this recipe ahead of time. Brew the coffee and let cool (or use leftover cooled coffee). Pour into ice cube trays and freeze until frozen solid. Add the cubes to a freezer bag and freeze for up to 2 months.
STORAGE
Leftovers can be placed in to a freezer-safe container and frozen for up to a month. Thaw before drinking.
SPECIAL EQUIPMENT FOR THIS RECIPE
- Blender – This is the blender I usually use when I make this recipe… it’s got great power and doesn’t break the bank.
- Torani Syrups – you may be able to find these in your grocery store, I just wanted to show you all the options.
- Ghirardelli Syrups – not as many varieties as Torani, but great flavor.
BE SURE TO SCROLL DOWN TO CHECK OUT OTHER READERS’ COMMENTS FOR TIPS AND REVIEWS.
AND DON’T FORGET, IF YOU’VE MADE THIS RECIPE, LEAVE A COMMENT AND PLEASE GIVE IT A STAR RATING LETTING ME KNOW HOW YOU ENJOYED IT!
Recipe originally published in 2016, and has been updated in 2020 with additional information
Did you make this? Be sure to leave a review below and tag me @the_chunky_chef on Facebook and Instagram!
Ingredients
- 2 cups cold coffee
- 2 cups unsweetened almond milk (or regular dairy milk)
- 3 1/2 Tbsp chocolate syrup
- 3 1/2 Tbsp granulated sugar
- Whipped cream for garnish
- Extra chocolate syrup for garnish
- Chocolate bar shaved, for garnish
Instructions
- Brew coffee and let cool to almost room temperature.
- Carefully pour coffee into ice cube trays and freeze.
- Add frozen coffee cubes, almond milk, chocolate syrup and sugar to blender.
- Blend until desired texture is reached.
- Top with whipped cream, a drizzle of chocolate syrup and shaved chocolate if you'd like.
Want to save this recipe for later? Click the heart in the bottom right corner to save to your own recipe box!
Chef Tips
Video
Nutrition Disclaimer
The Chunky Chef is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories can vary quite a bit depending on which brands were used.
Buck says
Terrific recipe! Thank you! I’ve tried it now varying different chocolate syrups and can’t quite match McDonalds yet! This is good on its own, but I would like to keep playing and see if I can find that matching ingredient! I’m told Dutch cocoa might be a better match, so that’s next!
Melbourne Lee Stevens says
We love it!!
Cameron K says
Just made this recipe and OMG it’s a perfect copycat! I did use a bit less sugar but I prefer my drink a bit more chocolatey. My vitamix made this easily, but I agree that you need a powerful blender for this
Cindy B says
I found you on a Pinterest search. Your Pinterest page needs work. You have multiple posts of the same recipes…for every recipe you posted. You need categories to make it easy for people to find your recipes. Very frustrating. I like your recipes, but looking through your Pinterest board gave me a headache. Please, please, please work on it so you can have more followers!
The Chunky Chef says
Hi Cindy, that’s actually an industry standard, to give people the option to pin the pin style they like most. But thanks for the advice, glad you found me. You’ll find things are very organized here on the site, as Pinterest is just a visual search engine to direct people back here for the recipe.
Bill Schell says
I happened to really like her recipe page. And the recipes even more. Most of the copy-cat ones are better than the originals. So that being said, why don’t you MYOFB, nobody’s twisting your arm here and there are hundreds of other recipe sites out there ! Take your pick, Karen 🙄
Kiki says
Thanks mom. How about learn how to use Pinterest and recipe blogs.