Frappuccino drinkers seem to get a lot of unsolicited hate — mostly revolving around the idea that they’re drinking milkshakes, and not coffee. And while one could argue that this is actually why people enjoy them, the stronger point would be that they’re technically correct. Starbucks’ Frappuccinos do, in fact, contain coffee: specifically, a unique, powdered coffee that Starbucks calls its Frappuccino Roast. The specially blended instant coffee powder is added to the blender along with any of the sauces, syrups, milks, and ice that your specific drink flavor calls for, and topped with the optional whipped cream, to create what is famously known as the Starbucks Frappuccino.
With a grande Frappuccino — or, in non-Starbucks cup language, a 16 oz serving — containing about 100 mg of caffeine, which is about the equivalent of a cup of coffee, the Frappuccino Roast delivers just as much coffee flavor and energy as any other drink. It just gets diluted by the additional ingredients, which is something that a lot of people like about them. If you do enjoy more coffee flavor, you can always ask for extra pumps of the Frappuccino Roast in your Frappuccino. Just know, if you’re sensitive to caffeine, that will also increase the caffeine content. Some people also ask for cold brew blended in too.
Even though Frappuccinos might be stereotyped as coffee drinks for non-coffee drinkers, there are flavors that coffee lovers can appreciate. The Espresso Frappuccino actually includes a shot of espresso, while the Coffee Frappuccino is, essentially, just frozen coffee.
Making at-home Frappuccinos is easy with Starbucks instant coffee
While you can’t purchase Starbucks’ Frappuccino Roast specifically, Starbucks does sell variations of its other roasts in instant-coffee for, including its dark, medium, and blonde roasts. With them, you can easily recreate Starbucks’s Frappuccino recipes at home. On its own, Starbucks’ Frappuccino Roast is described as tasting strong and bold. Knowing that, Starbucks Dark Roast instant coffee is likely the variety you’ll want to pick up from the store. However, if you prefer the lighter flavors of the medium and blonde Roasts, those are also perfectly fine options as well.
A standard size Frappuccino from Starbucks comes with two, three, or four pumps of the Frappuccino roast, depending on the size. As mentioned, you can add as many or as few as you like to your drink — and that’s equally as true when you’re using instant coffee to make your own Frappuccino from home. The same thing goes for the variety of milk and any flavor additions that you choose to make, with the option to choose from any plant-based or non-dairy milk you might have on hand.
As long as you’re sticking to a 1:1:1 ratio of ice and coffee, milk, and sweeteners and syrups, you can’t really get it wrong. Simply measure ½ a tablespoon for every pump of instant coffee that would usually go into a Frappuccino — equalling 1, 1½, or 2 tablespoons depending on the size — and add it to your blender along with the rest of the ingredients, and blend.
