How to Make Strawberry Frappuccino

Learn how to make a strawberry frappuccino at home with my simple recipe!

Whether you’re looking to save a bit of money on your coffee shop bill, or you’d like to be able to control the ingredients that go into your favorite drink, this Strawberry Frappuccino recipe is for you!

In this post I’ll walk you through the instructions step-by-step, and give some helpful tips along the way.

Okay, let’s dive in!

Video Tutorial

If you prefer to learn by watching a demonstration, hit play on the video above!

Starbucks Taste Test

When I first tried the Starbucks strawberry frappuccino, I was surprised by the texture. It’s a pretty even mix of creamy and fresh. It’s definitely more “icy” than a strawberry milkshake, but more creamy than a slushy. I actually quite like it.

One thing that impressed me was the bright, fresh strawberry flavor. So I knew I needed to figure out how to recreate that taste in my homemade version.

Ingredient Notes

Here are the 7 ingredients you’ll need:

• Milk: Starbucks uses whole milk for their Strawberry frappuccino, and that’s what I recommend for an at-home recreation. I tried this with a little cream as well, but it was actually a bit too rich.
• Ice: Since this frappuccino doesn’t contain any ice cream, it relies on ice to thicken it and make it icy cold. The amount you need will depend on the size of your ice cubes: if they’re on the larger size, opt for the larger amount.
• Sugar: Starbucks uses their crème frappuccino syrup to sweeten their version of this drink, but sugar is a great substitute, especially if you include the next ingredient:
• Xanthan Gum: Xanthan gum is an emulsifier and a thickening agent. This is the secret ingredient in Starbucks’ frappuccino syrup that helps to keep their blended drinks from separating as they sit. It’s not necessary for flavor, but if you’re planning on making a lot of frappuccinos at home, you might want to try it out for the best results! Some grocery stores carry it, but you may need to source it online.
• Salt: Starbucks’ Frappuccino syrup also contains salt – have you ever noticed how their Frappuccinos taste a little salty? So don’t skip this for the most authentic flavor!
• Strawberry Puree: Starbucks uses their ”Strawberry Puree Sauce” (which contains 7 ingredients), but you can substitute my Homemade Starbucks Strawberry Puree for a more natural option. I don’t recommend substituting a store-bought strawberry syrup since it contains a lot more sugar, and your drink could quickly become sickeningly sweet.
• Lemon Juice: Like I mentioned above, the Starbucks strawberry cream Frappuccino has quite a bright, fresh flavor. After my initial test of this recipe I felt like it needed a little extra oomph, so I added some lemon juice to the strawberry puree, and that did the trick!

Step-by-Step Instructions:

If you haven’t already, you’ll want to make the strawberry puree. Make sure to check out my Homemade Starbucks Strawberry Puree for the recipe!

Quick tip: You can make extra strawberry puree and freeze it so you can enjoy this drink even when strawberry season is over. Valentine’s Day, anyone?

Then you’ll want to add a little extra sugar and some lemon juice to the puree and give it a really good stir.

Take a tablespoon of the strawberry puree and drizzle it down the sides and bottom of your cup.

I recommend a 16 to 20 oz cup for this recipe. I used a Libbey Classic Can Glass here.

Then you’ll simply add the rest of the puree and the remaining ingredients to a blender, and blend until completely smooth.

A high speed blender is definitely nice, but you can totally do this with a regular blender as well. You may find that you need to stop the blender and give the mixture a stir if any air pockets form.

Serving

Pour the blended strawberry Frappuccino over the strawberry puree in the cup.

Look at that lovely texture!

You can stop there and serve the strawberry frappe as-is, or you can make some whipped cream to go on top!

Of course you could use canned whipped cream to make this super easy, but it’s also pretty easy to make a small amount of whipped cream at home if you own a handheld milk frother.

Simply place heavy whipping cream, sugar, and little vanilla extract in a small glass or measuring cup, and whisk with the milk frother until thickened to your liking (soft peaks is nice).

Dollop on top of the Frappuccino, and enjoy!

Substitutions:

• I have not personally tried it, but I’m sure this would work with a plant-based milk. The flavor of course will vary depending which type of dairy free milk you use, but the texture should be similar.
• If you prefer to use maple syrup or honey to sweeten your drinks, I’m sure those would be great substitutes. Simple syrup or even vanilla syrup would work as well.
• I’d like to use this base recipe but substitute other fruit purees such as blueberry, peach, raspberry, etc.
• I have not tried it, but if you prefer a really creamy strawberry frappuccino, you could experiment with using vanilla syrup instead of ice (the Starbucks version doesn’t contain vanilla, so keep that in mind).

What is in a Starbucks strawberry Frappuccino?

The Starbucks Strawberry Crème Frappuccino® Blended Beverage is made from ice, milk, crème frappuccino syrup, strawberry puree sauce, whipped cream, and classic syrup.

Here’s the full list of ingredients: ice, milk, crème frappuccino syrup, (sugar, water, natural flavor, salt, xanthan gum, potassium sorbate, citric acid], strawberry puree sauce (strawberry puree, white grape juice concentrate, water, fruit and vegetable juice for color, natural flavors, xanthan gum, citric acid), whipped cream (cream (cream, mono and dyglycerides, carageenan), vanilla syrup (sugar, water, natural flavors, potassium sorbate, citric acid)), classic syrup [sugar, water, natural flavors, potassium sorbate, citric acid)

NOTE: The Crème line of Starbucks Frappuccinos doesn’t contain caffeine, so if you see “Crème” in the name at Starbucks, you know it’s kid friendly.

Price Comparison: Starbucks vs. Homemade

A Grande Starbucks Strawberry Creme Frappuccino will run you $5.95 before taxes and tips. It will be closer to $7 when all is said and done.

My homemade version, which is a bit larger than a Starbucks Grande, will only set you back $1.73 if you use the same quality of ingredients as Starbucks.

Of course if you choose organic ingredients the cost will be higher, but it will still be a savings over Starbucks’ non-organic version!

Sugar Content Comparison:

A Grande Starbucks Strawberry Frappuccino contains 51 grams of sugar. My homemade version contains 38 grams of sugar, or 13 grams less than Starbucks.

More Starbucks Frappuccino Recipes:

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