Does starbucks peppermint mocha have coffee in it

Too busy to drive to Starbucks this Christmas season, or do you just want a coffee that’s free from unhealthy ingredients? The answer: make your own peppermint mocha at home with real food ingredients, and enjoy the Christmas flavors that you’re craving.

If you love Starbucks’ Christmas coffees, check out my copycat recipes for eggnog latte and gingerbread latte.

Jump to:

• Ingredients
• How to Make
• Recipe FAQs
• Expert Tips
• Recipe
• Comments

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Ingredients

Fortunately, it doesn’t take any fancy ingredients to make your own peppermint syrup and chocolate milk for this copycat Starbucks peppermint mocha! Let’s discuss each key ingredient.

• Peppermint Syrup: This is a simple syrup made from water and granulated sugar with real peppermint extract added for flavor.
• Chocolate Milk: I used a combination of chocolate chips and cocoa powder for lots of chocolatey goodness, and a mixture of milk and cream for creaminess.
• Espresso: Use freshly brewed espresso. If you don’t have an espresso machine, use moka pot coffee (affiliate) instead.

How to Make

1. Let’s start by making the peppermint syrup. Whisk the sugar and water over medium heat until the sugar is completely dissolved. Remove from the heat, let it cool for 1 minute, and whisk in the extract.
2. To make the chocolate milk, sift the cocoa powder into the same small pot, then gradually whisk in the cream. Whisk in the milk. Heat the mixture over medium heat until it just begins to steam, then dump in the chocolate chips and whisk until smooth.

3. Pour the mixture into the blender and blend for 60 seconds, until well mixed and frothy.

4. Pour 3 tablespoons of the mint syrup, ¼ cup of the chocolate milk, ⅔ cup of coffee, and ⅔ cup of milk into a glass and stir well. Garnish with whipped cream, chocolate shavings, and a peppermint stick. Enjoy while it’s still hot!

Recipe FAQs

Expert Tips

• Make it ahead. You can make the syrup and chocolate milk ahead of time and refrigerate them for up to 5-7 days.
• Use full-fat milk for the best taste.
• Blend the chocolate milk for 60 seconds to ensure that it’s frothy and evenly mixed.
• Make sure that the coffee is freshly brewed. Coffee that’s over 20 minutes old isn’t fresh anymore.
• Eating healthy? Use coconut milk instead of dairy, substitute the sugar, or skip the whipped cream decoration.
• Iced version? Make the recipe as written, but make sure the ingredients are chilled. Froth cold milk to pour on top for cold foam.
• Frappuccino? Pour the drink into a blender and add 1 cup of crushed ice and ⅛ teaspoon of xanthan gum to emulsify. Blend until smooth.

Other Starbucks Copycat Drinks You’ll Love

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Recipe

This post was originally published on November 15, 2017 and was updated on September 2, 2019. It was republished on November 20, 2021 with reformatted content and updated FAQs.

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