How To Make a Copycat McDonald's Mocha Frappe Recipe at Home
Use this simple recipe to make a homemade version of your own McDonald's Mocha Frappe and easily create a delicious cold coffee drink at home.
If you're a coffee drinker you probably already have all of the ingredients you need on hand.
This easy mocha frappe recipe is an inexpensive alternative to costly store-bought drinks and is a great way to say good morning and experience your favorite coffee without having to get our of your pajamas!
The full recipe with instructions are available in the recipe card at the bottom of this post. You can find helpful tips and tricks within the blog post itself.
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A pre-made iced mocha Frappuccino is delicious but the cost can add up if you get them often.
In light of being in the "often" category, I wanted to create my own recipe for the next time the urge to have one hit.
This recipe is the closest I've found to the real thing.
An almost perfect duplicate that I like to call my Copycat McDonald's frappe recipe
I've also included an easy swap to make this a caramel frappe and if you enjoy coffee house copycat recipes you'll want to try this Iced Lemon Pound Cake that's better than Starbucks! And, I've also heard that this recipe is very similar to a Starbucks Frappuccino, so give it a try if that's your preferred mocha Frappuccino.
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📋Ingredients
This is an overview of the instructions. The full recipe and instructions as well as nutritional information can be found in the recipe card at the bottom of the page.
- ground coffee
- sugar
- chocolate sauce (syrup)
- milk
- half and half
- coffee ice cubes
- whipped cream
☕Can instant coffee be used?
Yes, you can swap out instant coffee for freshly brewed coffee.
If you're looking for a deeper and stronger coffee flavor, you could also use instant espresso coffee.
If using regular coffee you can make it via your normal method. I like to use my Keurig or Ninja (this model is my absolute favorite) and make a few large coffees. I notice I get the best flavor right after descaling my Keurig.
📋 McDonald's Mocha Frappe Recipe
- Brew fresh coffee and allow it to cool.
- Set aside 1 ½ cups of the cooled coffee for the frappe and freeze the remaining coffee in ice cube trays.
- After allowing the coffee cubes to freeze, place them into a blender.
- Add chilled coffee, sugar, chocolate syrup, milk, and half and half.
- Pulse and blend just long enough to combine all the ingredients.
- Evenly divide between 3 glasses. Add whipped cream and a drizzle of chocolate syrup. Serve!
Notes:
*I find it easier to make the coffee the night before and freeze the ice cubes so that I can have a frappe the next day.
📖 Variations
- My sons prefer almond milk and that can easily be substituted for the regular milk in this recipe as can soy milk or whole milk.
- Different flavors - you can use caramel, hazelnut, dark chocolate or any other syrups or coffee flavors you prefer in place of the chocolate syrup. Some of my favorite flavored syrups are those from Torani or Ghirardelli.
- Let your imagination run wild! Try coffee shop syrups available at your grocery store, shaved chocolate toppings, jimmies, and any other fun toppings you desire.
💭 Top tips
- You can use my cold brew coffee recipe if you prefer! It's delicious and will allow you to skip adding the milk and half and half in step 4.
- There is only one real trick to getting the flavor and texture of a delicious mocha frappe and that is to use coffee to make the ice cubes.
- Coffee ice cubes are used in place of regular ice cubes so that the taste of the frappe isn't watered down.
If you LOVE the flavor of coffee and espresso, you may enjoy these other recipes!
If you love this recipe please give it a 5 star rating. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
📖 Recipe
Copycat McDonald's Mocha Frappe Recipe
Ingredients
- 3 cups brewed coffee
- ¼ cup sugar
- ¼ cup chocolate syrup
- 1 ½ cups milk
- ½ cup half and half
- 3 tablespoon whipped cream
- 3 tablespoon chocolate syrup
Instructions
- Set aside 1 ½ cups of coffee for the frappe and freeze the remaining coffee in ice cube trays. I find it easier to make the coffee the night before and freeze the ice cubes so that I can have this the next day.
- Place ice cubes into blender.
- Add chilled coffee, sugar, chocolate syrup, milk, and half and half.
- Pulse and blend just long enough to combine all the ingredients.
- Evenly divide between 3 glasses. Add whipped cream, drizzle with chocolate and serve!
Notes
As with any of my recipes, calorie counts and nutritional information varies greatly depending on which products you choose to use when cooking this dish.
Nutrition
You May Also Like:
- How To Make an Iced Lemon Pound Cake That's Better Than Starbucks
- Crock-Pot Ribs with Dr. Pepper Barbecue Sauce
- Grilled Texas-Style Flank Steak
This is so good and tastes like the real thing, and, I love that it's cheaper.
the instruction dont go with the amount when you adjust the severing size. I only want to do 1 serving but it says to freeze 1 1/2 cup i only brew one cup of coffee
Hi Danielle,
The original 1x recipe makes three servings so that's why it doesn't take the amount down to just 1 serving. 🙂
I went ahead and broke down the recipe for just 1 serving using 1 cup of coffee. If you want the ice cubes made from coffee, you can use some of the 1 cup OR you can make a second cup and keep the ice cubes on hand.
Here is the 1 serving breakdown:
1 cup brewed coffee
4 tsp sugar
4 tsp chocolate syrup
1/2 cup milk
8 tsp half and half OR (2 tablespoons and 2 teaspoons)
Garnish with whipped cream and chocolate syrup if desired
I hope that helped!
What if I mix the sugar, milk, and chocolate before I chill the coffee? I want to simplify how many steps I need to do while I am half asleep:-)
Hi Val, That's such a great idea, and yes, it will work!
I’m a McDonald’s Mocha Frappe addict. I saved a few of their large Frappe glasses and lids. I made your recipe and split into 3 jars. After i blended the ice in it was exactly the size of the large glass and I forgot I made it.
Thank you so much for letting me know you like it, Bill! I appreciate you taking the time to share your results and thoughts.
Could I make this recipe in a magic bullet?
Hello Yvette, I believe you can but it depends on the model you have. I did some research and there are models that will crush ice with the proper blade so I would recommend you check the manual that came with your particular model just to be on the safe side. I hope that helps. mb
I was wondering if this would work with pre-mixed mocha coffee.
Hi Haley. I've never tried it with pre-mixed mocha coffee but I think it would work! Maybe try it with 1/2 of the full recipe just to check it out. If it works, I would love to know! xo
I love this recipe! I am having a problem though. I can't seem to get the icy consistency that McDonald's has. Mine is more like a shake. Any ideas?
Hi Elizabeth, I would add a few more coffee ice cubes, 2 or 3, and see if that improves the consistency for you. xo
Nirvana!
Your comment made me so happy! I'm glad you like the recipe. xo
Tried this recipe today and used hersheys chocolate syrup. It tasted like a hersheys chocolate frappe not mocha. It was good just not what I was hoping for. How are you getting a mocha flavor? What chocolate syrup do you use?
Hi Gawoni, I use Hershey's chocolate syrup as well. The term mocha usually refers to anything that has the combined flavor of coffee and chocolate. If you would prefer more of a coffee (less chocolate flavor) you could consider using stronger coffee or sprinkling the drink with an espresso powder. I hope that helps.
What do you suggest for replacement for sugar?
Hi Lori, I haven't tried it in this recipe but when I bake I like to use Swerve Granular in place of regular sugar. It doesn't have a weird aftertaste and it's zero calories and zero sugar. I buy mine at Walmart. I hope that helps.
I changed a few ingredients just to make it Keto friendly. I used almond milk of course, sugar free chocolate syrup, Splenda instead of sugar and coconut milk in place of the half and half. It was amazing.
Sounds delicious! Thank you so much for letting me know how it turned out and the changes that you made. ❤️
Sure, I could hold McDonalds liable for introducing me to the mocha frappe. Yes, I could recognize my own culpability for my mocha frappe habit. But I am choosing to blame you, my Fabulous Frappe Queen, because you have made having a daily mocha frappe such an easy and so very affordable possibility for me.
No longer do I have to drive to McDonalds worrying that the frappe machines will be broken when I get there. I will now look at my bank account proudly as the frappe purchases quickly disappear from my monthly statements. And while I will miss saying good morning to Cheryl and Mahogany most days at my McDonalds, the payoff to finding your recipe and not having to change out of my jammies and slippers to drink the deliciousness is priceless to me!
Thank you for a perfect recipe!
Hi, Lisa! Thank you so much for the awesome comment. I can't tell you HOW much I appreciate you taking the time to leave it. <3
What brand of coffee do you use to make your Mocha frappes?
HI Shelley. I use whatever I have on hand but my favorites to use are McCafe Premium Roast Medium or Dunkin Donuts Original Blend Medium Roast. I hope that helps!
This recipe looks delicious and easy to make at home! I can't wait to try it out and enjoy the taste of a McDonald's Mocha Frappe in the comfort of my own kitchen.
You nailed it! Thank you for the recipe without additives that they use in their ingredients. It’s great!
As someone whose never been big on coffee but has recently gained a huge obsession with McDonald’s mocha frappes, and a lot of times they don’t want to make them (Starbucks isn’t the same 🥲)
This recipe is SPOT on, I can easily say I won’t be going to McDonalds everyday anymore 😋
Thank you so much for letting me know and I am very happy that you like it!
This Copycat McDonald's Mocha Frappe recipe looks amazing! I can't wait to try it at home. Do you think it would work with a dairy-free milk option? Thanks for sharing!
Hello! I'm not sure if it would work with a dairy-free milk option but I would imagine that if the texture of the milk were the same it should be fine. I would give it a try with maybe a smaller portion of the recipe and then go from there.
This Copycat McDonald's Mocha Frappe recipe looks amazing! I can't wait to try making it at home. Thanks for sharing such a delicious treat!