Easy Frappe Recipe

Prep Time 5 minutes
Total Time 5 minutes
Servings 1 serving

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This easy Frappe recipe is made with instant coffee, water, sugar and milk, and served over ice to keep your thirst quenched all summer long!

See the step by step recipe video down in the recipe card.

tall glass of blended frappe with instant coffee in the background

Summer is officially here, and between beach days, camping trips, bonfires, and all the late nights, I’ll be squeezing in a lot of this easy Frappe recipe to keep me going!

I’ve been making these easy Frappes for many, many years now, and it’s given me time to fine tune our preferences!

The good thing about this recipe is that it’s easy to adjust to your tastes, and use more or less coffee, more or less milk, and more or less sugar so that it is just the way you want it.

If you don’t have a blender but still want a delicious iced coffee drink, this Cold Brew Coffee and this Caramel Frappuccino are two more favorites here! And if you don’t want to leave the kids out (or the non-coffee drinkers), this Frozen Hot Chocolate is the perfect sweet treat for summer.

What is a frappe?

A frappe (technically, frappé) is a slightly creamy, slightly sweet iced coffee drink made with just a few ingredients, originally created by a Nescafe representative in Greece.

Traditionally, a frappe is made by combining instant coffee, water, sugar and milk in a shaker and shaking until cold and frothy, then serving over ice.

You can choose the shaken method, if you want a frothy iced coffee drink that isn’t blended with ice.

I find the crushed ice very refreshing on a hot day, so that’s how we do it most often!

In the recipe and in the video, I’ll show you both ways, so you can pick what you prefer.

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What’s the difference between a Frappe and a Frappuccino?

There isn’t much.

A Frappuccino is a Starbuck’s trademarked name for essentially the same beverage, although the Starbuck’s drink is always blended with ice and not shaken.

A Starbuck’s Frappuccino can also be coffee-based, or not. Their Creme Frappuccinos come in a wide variety of non-coffee flavors, like Strawberry Creme, Vanilla Bean Creme, and Double Chocolatey Chip.

How to make a coffee Frappe:

  1. Place all ingredients in blender, and blend!
  2. Pour it into a glass and enjoy!

That’s really all there is to it, although it’s important to taste and adjust the sweetness, creaminess, and coffee-ness to your preferences.

coffee frappe in glass with straw and foam on top

I find the blended frappes turn out lighter in color because the ice dilutes the coffee a little bit more.

I also tend to get a little more foam when I use the blender!

OR:

  1. Place the ingredients, except for the ice, in a shaker or jar
  2. Shake until frothy and serve over ice.
close up image of foam on coffee frappe

The shaken method is really convenient for days you don’t want to whip out the blender!

It turns out a little darker in color usually because the ice doesn’t get incorporated into the drink, but it is just as delicious.

Ingredients and variations:

This easy Frappe recipe is really just a base to get you going! While it’s the perfect treat to keep you going, there are so many fun ways to mix things up that we rarely have the same thing twice!

Here are a few fun add ins to spark your creativity:

  • Swap the sugar for brown sugar and cinnamon
  • Swap the sugar for honey or maple syrup for a naturally sweetened drink
  • Swap the instant coffee for decaf if you can’t handle a lot of caffeine
  • Add a ½ teaspoon of mint extract and a tablespoon of chocolate syrup
  • Add a generous scoop of Dulce de Leche in place of the sugar for a rich and caramel-y treat
  • Add in some hot chocolate powder for a Mocha frappe (more on that below!)
tall glass of shaken coffee frappe with instant coffee in the background

How to make a Caramel Frappe:

Adding caramel syrup to your frappe is a quick way to get that Caramel Frappe flavor with little extra work!

  1. Add instant coffee, water, ice, milk or cream and some caramel syrup to a blender, shaker or glass jar and blend or shake until cold and frothy.
  2. Serve with whipped cream and a drizzle of caramel syrup, not optional! 😉

How to make a Mocha Frappe:

To make this recipe a Mocha Frappe, we just have to add some chocolate. There are a few ways we can do this, but hot chocolate mix or chocolate syrup are our best options! For a sugar-free chocolate addition, you can add some unsweetened cocoa powder.

More cold summer drink recipes!

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Easy Frappe Recipe

5 from 3 votes
This easy Frappe recipe is made with instant coffee, water, sugar and milk, and served over ice to keep your thirst quenched all summer long!
Prep Time 5 minutes
Total Time 5 minutes
Cuisine American, canadian, Greek
Course Drinks
Servings 1 serving
Calories 62cal

Ingredients

  • 3/4 cup cold water
  • 1-2 tablespoons cream** (or milk, dairy free milk, more or less depending on your tastes)
  • 3 teaspoons granulated sugar (or to taste)
  • 1-2 teaspoons instant coffee granules (or instant espresso powder)
  • 8 ice cubes (about 1 cup)

Instructions

Blender method:

  • Place all ingredients in the blender and blend until smooth and frothy.
  • Adjust flavor to your tastes and pour into a glass and serve (the froth will rise to the top as it sits).

Shaken method

  • Add water, cream, sugar and coffee to a 500ml jar and shake until coffee is dissolved and mixture is frothy.
  • Pour over ice and serve (the froth will rise to the top as it sits).

Notes

*This recipe is easily customized to your tastes. If you like a stronger coffee, add more coffee. If you like a sweeter coffee, add more sugar. If you like creamier coffee, add more cream.
**I use heavy cream if I have it, but any milk or cream will work. The higher fat content, the richer and creamier the coffee will be.

Nutrition Information

Calories: 62cal | Carbohydrates: 13g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 3mg | Sodium: 22mg | Potassium: 36mg | Sugar: 12g | Vitamin A: 15IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 10mg | Iron: 1mg
Keywords frappe, iced coffee

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Meet Ashley

My name is Ashley Fehr and I love creating easy meals my family loves. I also like to do things my way, which means improvising and breaking the rules when necessary. Here you will find creative twists on old favorites and some of my favorite family recipes, passed down from generations!

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Comments

  1. Jenna says

    What is your favorite instant coffee to use. I’ve been looking for a really good one I like but haven’t found one yet.

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