Vitamix Frappuccinos (as good as Starbucks)!
There are two secrets to making Starbucks-tasting Frappuccinos.
- A Vitamix
- Xanthan gum
Both of these come with some sticker shock. But, being a Vitamix owner, you can appreciate investing in something that lasts a long time.
The formula for making these Frappuccinos is pretty simple.
The real question is what took us so long to make these?
As I’m typing, I’m seeing xanthan gum as a microcosm for getting a Vitamix. We hesitated for so long but feel silly for doing so.
Onward!
These Frappuccinos Will Get You Out of Bed!
Legendary American television writer and producer Norman Lear loved to say the following about coffee: “I went to bed every night excited about the coffee I was going to have in the morning.”
These frappuccinos, for us, do just that.
These are fun and exciting to make. And wake you up!
And being that they’re a frozen drink, us making them means winter is behind us. Sunshine!
Our spin on the classic Frappuccino
Frappuccinos from Starbucks are delicious. But they’re also loaded with syrups made from you cannot pronounce.
So we simplified and tried to keep it whole-food, plant based:
- Dates (instead of sugar)
- Nut milk (instead of whole dairy milk)
- Cocoa powder (instead of a chocolate syrup)
Not sure if xanthan gum is technically allowed for a strict WFPB diet. But without it, your frapps are going to be far less homogeneous.
Video tutorial!
Recipe

Frappuccinos!
A vegan and (mostly) whole-food, plant-based take on Starbucks' Frappuccinos!
Ingredients:
- coffee - 1/2 cup, cold, strongly brewed
- nut milk - 1/2 cup (almond, cashew, hemp, soy, whatever you like)
- coconut milk - 1 Tablespoon
- vanilla - 1 teaspoon
- xanthan gum - 1/8 teaspoon
- salt - a pinch
- dates - 2, pitted (plus or minus one to taste)
- ice - 1 cup (heaping)
- (optional) cocoa powder - 1 Tablespoon (for MOCHA frapp!)
- (optional) coconut - 1/2 cup toasted or as-is (for COCONUT frapp!)
Instructions:
- Add ingredients in order listed.
- Blend for 30 seconds on highest speed your Vitamix will do
- Enjoy!
Useful tips for Frappuccinos!
Other variations:
Mocha frappuccinos: add a tablespoon of cocoa powder!
Toasted coconut frappuccinos: add some toasted coconut! (If it’s unsweetened, you’ll want to add a bit more sweetness to cut some of the coconut’s bitterness)
Container size questions:
We made the single-size, 12-oz recipe in a low-profile 64 ounce container. (No need to double up!)
Advice on tweaking this for a Pumpkin Spice frappuccino? It’s almost September
I make my coffee drinks every day with my protein powder and almond milk.
Taste like a frappe
This is really good, my 16 year old grandson likes to buy the Starbucks ones but he tells me this is even better.
THIS IS SO FREAKING GOOD !!!!!!!!
How do you make the cold brew coffee? I don’t have a coffee machine or anything fancy! I have the vitamix though!
Just brew your coffee the way you usually do, make it stronger by using more coffee in the same amount of water. After it’s brewed, put it on the refrigerator and when it’s cold you have poor mans cold brew coffee.
This was awesome… I did use a little too much Xanthan Gum, but it was still amazing. I went the Coconut and Cocoa with Stevia for sweetness (I have no dates – Still single)
This is delicious!! I was looking for a vegan Frappuccino recipe that didn’t use sugar and used a vitamix, and this was perfect! I didn’t have xanthan gum, but it still worked, just separates. Thank you for creating this recipe!!
So glad you liked it! Nice website too–looks like you might like this video for picky eaters?