Red Velvet Frappuccino

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This red velvet frappuccino is a delicious Starbucks copycat coffee recipe! Save time and money by making this chocolate raspberry frappuccino at home with just a few simple ingredients.

Learning how to make your favorite Starbucks drinks at home is absolutely worth the effort. 

Some of my other favorite Starbucks copycat recipes include this Starbucks pistachio latte, this Starbucks peppermint syrup (for peppermint lattes), and this Starbucks iced chai tea latte. 

For other unique iced coffee drinks, try this caramel iced coffee or this oreo iced coffee.

Jump to:

• Why You’ll Love This Recipe
• What Is A Starbucks Red Velvet Drink?
• Ingredients & Substitutions
• How To Make A Red Velvet Frappuccino
• Topping Suggestions
• Expert Tips
• Recipe FAQs
• 📖 Recipe

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• It saves money — Starbucks drinks are expensive! Save time and money by making this drink at home whenever you have the craving for it. 
• Homemade syrup — This homemade version includes a unique recipe for a chocolate raspberry & vanilla syrup made with basic ingredients. So there is no need to buy any fancy syrups! It is like a combination of a raspberry simple syrup, chocolate simple syrup and a vanilla simple syrup. 
• Decadent — This frappuccino is a great holiday treat, whether it’s for Valentine’s day or Christmas time. Top it off with whipped cream, sprinkles and red velvet cake crumbles for an indulgent dessert drink.

What Is A Starbucks Red Velvet Drink?

Starbucks’ red velvet drink is a frappuccino style drink made with a combination of mocha sauce, raspberry and vanilla syrup, milk and coffee or espresso.

There are lots of ways to customize this drink when you are making it or ordering it in the store, but its defining characteristic is the chocolate raspberry vanilla syrup that makes this drink taste like dessert and gives it its slight reddish color.

Ingredients & Substitutions

• Raspberries: Raspberries are used to make the raspberry chocolate syrup. Both fresh and frozen raspberries work equally well for this recipe. 
• Milk: Use regular 2% milk, or whatever type of milk you prefer. For a vegan or dairy-free option, use almond milk or oat milk. 
• Espresso: Use freshly brewed, high quality espresso. Add one or two shots of espresso, depending on how strong you would like your frappuccino to be. If you don’t have espresso, you can replace it with very strongly brewed coffee. 
• Sugar: Granulated sugar is used to make the red velvet syrup. You can use brown sugar as a substitute, but it will add a slightly sweeter, caramel flavor.  
• Water: Water gives the red velvet syrup the right consistency. 
• Cocoa Powder: Use whatever type of cocoa powder you have on hand. This is used to make the chocolate raspberry syrup. 
• Vanilla Bean & Vanilla Extract: A vanilla bean and vanilla extract add a hint of vanilla flavor to the coffee syrup.

How To Make A Red Velvet Frappuccino

Step 1: Heat the raspberries, sugar, water, cocoa powder and vanilla bean together in a saucepan. 

Step 2: Stir occasionally, and continue to heat for 10 minutes until the sugar has fully dissolved. 

Step 3: Remove the syrup from the stove and strain out the raspberry chunks and vanilla bean. Stir in the vanilla extract.

Step 4: Add the milk, red velvet syrup, espresso and a large handful of ice to a blender. Blend well until smooth.

Topping Suggestions

Get creative with your toppings for this frappuccino. This drink is basically a dessert, so don’t hold back! Here are some suggestions:

• Whipped cream — Use store bought whipped cream or make your own homemade whipped cream, like this brown sugar whipped cream. 
• Chocolate sauce — Drizzle some chocolate sauce on top or around the sides of the glass. My favorite is this chocolate sauce recipe. 
• Raspberry syrup — If you are looking to add an extra raspberry kick, add in some of this raspberry simple syrup. 
• Red Velvet Cake Crumbs — Crumble up some red velvet cake crumbs (or any cake crumbs) and put them on top of your drink, or blend them into the drink itself. 
• Mini Chocolate Chips — Add some mini chocolate chips or chocolate shavings on top of the whipped cream.
• Sprinkles— If you are making this drink for Christmas, use a combination of red and green sprinkles. If you are making this frappuccino for Valentine’s Day, use some red and pink sprinkles.

Expert Tips

• Add a few drops of red food coloring. If you want to emphasize the red color in this frappuccino, add in a few drops of red coloring before blending the drink. 
• Store leftover syrup. This recipe will make extra red velvet syrup. Let leftovers fully cool to room temperature, then store them in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 10 days. 
• Customize your drink. The best part about making this frappuccino at home is that you can customize it to your liking. Adjust how much syrup, milk and espresso you add to get your perfect drink. 
• Leave out the espresso. If you want a drink that kids can have, leave out the espresso. Kids will love this holiday treat!

Recipe FAQs

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📖 Recipe