It’s still 80 degrees where I’m at, but I’m ready for cooler temps, holiday decorations and peppermint flavored coffee drinks. The craving hit so strong – I whipped up a quick batch of peppermint syrup and then started mixing up all my favorite peppermint drinks, like this classic iced peppermint mocha.
If you’re new to making your own coffeehouse drinks at home, you’ll be amazed at just how easy it is. There are a lot of ways to substitute things using equipment and ingredients you have on hand, too. Plus, if you’re not down for making your own syrups, you can pick them up for less than you might think.
Let’s take a look at what you’ll need to recreate your favorite peppermint mocha at house. This one is very similar to the Starbucks one, so if you are a fan of their holiday drinks, you’re going to love this one.
Iced Peppermint Mocha Ingredients:
- Peppermint Syrup: The star of the show here, no doubt. I made my own using just 3 ingredients. See the full recipe here. You can also buy your syrup and they are usually less than $10. Peppermint is different than mint, though, so make sure you get peppermint. While mint is still good, it has a slightly different flavor. I used 2 tablespoons in mine and that was perfect for me. You can make it sweeter or less sweet based on your preferences.
- Dark Chocolate Syrup: Love my dark chocolate syrup. This one is the beeeessssst. Also, I like to put it in the glass first, then add the espresso shots and stir it together. The espresso shots melt the chocolate and it cools it all down so that when I add ice, it doesn’t melt the ice. I also used the dark chocolate sauce as the drizzle.
- Espresso Shots: I used a double espresso Nespresso pod. You can use any espresso or even make shots with instant espresso. The hot coffee melts the caramel and white chocolate sauces. If you make this with cold coffee, it won’t dissolve the sauces and will actually harden them a bit, so it’ll have a very different taste and texture. You could brew strong, hot coffee and use that instead of espresso shots, too. If you do that, brew 8oz of hot, strong coffee. I use my Nespresso Vertuoline machine to make espresso and it makes it so easy.
- Milk of Choice: I used unsweetened oatmilk. Use whatever works for you here. If you don’t make a request at Starbucks, they traditionally use 2% milk. If you like the way their coffees taste, you can use that as your milk.
- Whipped Cream: I used a sweet whipped cream in place of sweet cream to make it faster. You can swap this out for whatever you like. I’ve tried unsweetened whip, coconutmilk whip, almondmilk whip, and homemade whip.
- Ice: Yaaaaasss. Ice, ice, baby. I do not brew the coffee over ice, because it melts it and waters it down too much. I brew my espresso into an espresso cup, so that it cools a bit before adding it to the sauces to melt them. By the time you are adding the ice, it’s cooled enough where it won’t melt the ice as quickly.
- Crushed Peppermint Candies: I crushed round peppermint candies, but you can buy pre-crushed peppermints closer to the holidays. This is just for garnish, so you can skip it if you don’t have any on hand.
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How To Make an Iced Peppermint Mocha: Step-by-Step
Let’s walk through how to put this beautiful drink together. I even made you a video to show you the steps and how easy it is. I like to have everything ready before I get started, otherwise you can sometimes run into things like the espresso cooling down before it melts the chocolate, etc.
In this video, I start by making the peppermint syrup, but then after I make the coffee, so you can see the entire process. In real time, it all took me about 15 minutes and now that I have the syrup, I can make a drink in just a couple minutes.
Step-by-Step Directions:
- Start by adding 2 tbsp. chocolate sauce to glass
- Add 1-2 tbsp. peppermint syrup to glass, I usually like 1 tbsp, but if you like it super pepperminty, add 2.
- Add 2 espresso shots and stir
- Add 1 cup of ice
- Add 1/2 cup – 1 cup of milk of choice, based on your preference for milk/coffee ratio. I like 3/4 cup.
- Add whip
- Add toppings
- Enjoy!
So easy, friends. And, as you sip, ask yourself what how you could tweak the recipe to get it just right for you. Less sweet? Cut the chocolate in half. Stronger? Use 1/2 cup coffee. Less strong? Add 1 cup of milk next time. Etc.
Answering Your Questions:
CAN I USE ANOTHER MILK BESIDES OATMILK?
Yup, use whatever you have and like in your coffee.
HOW MUCH CAFFEINE IS IN THE ICED PEPPERMINT MOCHA?
You’ll have caffeine from the espresso or type of coffee that you use. Typically, one shot of espresso has around 75mg of caffeine. Check out this post for more information on how much caffeine is in the coffee type you drink.
IS THE ICED PEPPERMINT MOCHA SWEET?
This drink is on the sweeter side, but you can customize it to your sweetness preference by increasing or decreasing the amount of chocolate sauce and peppermint syrup.
CAN I USE A DIFFERENT CHOCOLATE SAUCE?
Yes, use what you have, even if that is Hersheys! You just want the chocolate flavor. You can make it even more chocolatey by using chocolate milk instead.
CAN THE ICED PEPPERMINT MOCHA BE MADE KETO OR LOW CALORIE?
Yes, you can reduce the calories, carbs and sugars by switching the milk for heavy cream and using sugar-free sauces instead. Opt for a heavy cream foam instead of whipped cream as most canned whipped creams are sweetened.
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I hope this inspires you to start whipping up peppermint flavored drinks. Come back soon for my iced peppermint white mocha! Yum!
Get roasted,
A
