Starbucks Iced White Chocolate Mocha Copycat Recipe- a quick and easy 5-ingredient recipe that helps you save money and time (no more driving to and queueing at coffee shops!) It also tastes just like the original- creamy, rich and delicious!
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All those Starbucks drinks add up in cost, and with inflation running rampant in 2022, why not make your own Starbucks iced white mocha at home? It's quick, easy, uses 4 simple ingredients, tastes just as good and saves you from having to nip out to the coffee shop. Not to mention, it's a fraction of the cost! (For more money saving cooking tips, click here.)
Even a person who doesn't like to eat white chocolate- or is not a coffee fan- will find it hard to say no to this white chocolate Mocha recipe, as the sweetness of the white chocolate goes so well with the bitterness of the coffee. It's the perfect pick me up for a slow afternoon or a hot summer day!
Note: You can make it even if you don't have an espresso maker at home.
Ingredients
You only need 4 simple ingredients:
- Espresso
- Substitute: extra strong coffee (you can even use instant coffee)or instant espresso powder if you don't have an espresso machine to make espresso shots
- You can even get Starbucks Dark Roast Expresso beans from their coffee shops or certain grocery stores if you want to get the flavour right down to a T.
- Tip: Dissolve the coffee powder in warm milk instead of water for a stronger flavor
- Milk
- I like whole milk but Starbucks actually uses 2% milk
- For a skinny white chocolate mocha, you can use skim milk but, honestly, fat is a flavour carrier so I don't recommend it (taste-wise)!
- White chocolate syrup
- Ghiradelli has a great one or you can make your own white chocolate sauce by melting white chocolate bars or chunks. (See FAQ for more on the best way to melt white chocolate for your homemade white chocolate sauce.)
- Ice
- To prevent your drink from being diluted by melted ice, you can make coffee ice cubes. (Simply freeze coffee in your ice cube tray.)
- Optional: Whipped cream
- Starbucks whipped cream has a tinge of vanilla- you can make it at home using heavy cream and vanilla syrup. If you prefer less fuss, use shop bought whipped cream- it won't be exactly the same as what you get in-store but it's close enough
How to serve
Sprinkle white chocolate shavings on top of your drink to impress your guests with your food presentation skills!
Note: White chocolate goes really well with macadamia, so a side of macadamia cookie wouldn't go amiss with this iced coffee drink. If you're not a nut fan, try 1 of these Asian cookie recipes!
Tips
- If you want to make a healthier version of this copycat Starbucks mocha with white chocolate, you can use a plant-based milk, such as oat milk or almond milk, and skip the whipped cream topping.
- Since there are only 4 ingredients, if you use low-quality ones, it'll show in the taste.
- Make sure you use good-quality white chocolate- skip the cheap white chocolate chips that taste like plastic and don't melt well!- for the white mocha sauce!
- Use a tall glass (instead of a wide one) so that you have more surface area to splash the white chocolate drizzle all over the cup before adding the shot of espresso.
- Starbucks even sells reusable cups that have markings to guide you on how much of each ingredient to add.
Variations
Once you know how to make iced white chocolate mocha, the possibilities are endless! You can:
- Add a little bit of peppermint to your mocha latte- you usually have to wait for the holiday season to get this at Starbucks, but now you can make it whenever you want at home!
- Sprinkle cinnamon and nutmeg powder on the whipped cream, if you're feeling festive!
- Add booze- a shot of Baileys, kahlua or rum make this an even more delicious drink
- Drizzle some caramel on the sides of the glass and over the whipped cream (a TikTok fave.) For a vegan caramel drink, why not try this gula melaka caramel?
- Use Dark Chocolate instead of white in this iced mocha and you get Starbucks Caffe Mocha!
- If reducing your caffeine intake, use decaffeinated espresso!
FAQ
The traditional way is to use indirect heat i.e. a double boiler as white chocolate burns easily. You need to use a white chocolate bar or chunks, not chips, as chocolate chips contain stabilisers which prevent smooth melting (you'll end up with lumps and clumps in your white chocolate sauce.) Also remember to keep stirring, without getting any water on the chocolate. (If you don't have a double boiler, you can DIY your own: place a heat-proof bowl (with the chocolate inside) on top of a small saucepan of boiling water, ensuring that the base of the bowl is above the surface of the water, so that the boiling water never touches the bowl.) An easier way is to melt it in the microwave- microwave for 20 seconds, remove and stir, then repeat till the white chocolate mocha sauce is completely melted.
Sad to say, white chocolate isn't the healthiest food- in fact, it usually has more calories than regular chocolate.
Other Starbuck copycat drinks
Starbucks Iced White Chocolate Mocha Copycat Recipe
Equipment
- Espresso machine, optional
- Microwave, optional Substitute: bain marie (i.e. a heat-proof bowl and a pot)
- Starbucks reusable cup, optional I don't have one but if you do, the black lines on the sides of the cup are markings to show you how much ingredients to add. (The ice is always added last.)
Ingredients
- 2 shots Espresso Substitute: 2 ounces of strong dark coffee. Starbucks Dark Roast Espresso beans are available at many grocery stores and is what they use in-house for this drink.
- 1 Cup Warm milk or water Starbucks uses 2% Milk but I like full-fat milk myself. Substitute: oat milk or almond milk
- 3 Tablespoons white chocolate chunks Don't use chocolate chips as the stabilisers inside them prevent the chocolate from melting properly. Substitute: shop bought white chocolate sauce. Use a good one such as Ghiradelli's.
- ½ Cup Ice
- Optional: a spritz of whipped cream mixed with a tinge of vanilla flavouring
Instructions
- Brew the espresso or strong dark coffee (Some coffee makers have a Concentrated Brew function.). If you don't have an expresso machine, you can use instant espresso powder- dissolving it in warm milk instead of water creates a stronger taste.
- If not using shop-bought white chocolate sauce, melt your white chocolate chunks in the microwave, blitzing it for 20 seconds at a time, then stirring, till all melted. Alternatively, you can melt it slowly by double boiling in a Bain Marie, ensuring no water enters the bowl (Where you place the chocolate in a bowl that is set on top of a boiling pot of water- note that the bottom of the bowl should be above the water and not immersed in it!)
- Drizzle the white chocolate mocha sauce on the sides of the glass.
- Pour in the freshly made espresso, then the milk. If using a Starbucks reusable cup, add the milk till it hits the top black line.
- Stir then add the ice.
- Top with whipped cream and more white chocolate syrup (optional.) You can also sprinkle some white chocolate curls on top.
Notes
- Tall iced white chocolate mocha: 3 pumps of white chocolate sauce and 1 espresso
- Grande: 4 pumps of sauce and 2 espressos
- Venti: 6 pumps and 3 espressos
Carina says
This looks so creamy and good! Am on a budget so must try this instead of heading to Starbucks all the time!