I still remember the first time I walked into a coffee shop as a complete newbie and feeling totally dumbfounded as to what to order.
My choice in the colder months was hot chocolate – obviously. But once summer hit, I ventured into blended frozen drink territory.
Enter: my love for the frappuccino.
I don’t order frappuccinos anymore at coffee shops. As I’ve said before, they have enough calories and sugar to sink a boat and I’m honestly more into almond milk lattes and straight up drip coffee these days. But every once in a while, when a craving for something cold and indulgent strikes, this is the first thing I reach for. And I can make it way more healthy (and dairy free) at home.
This Cold Brew Caramel Frappuccino is adapted from one of the very first recipes on the blog – my Cold Brew Mocha Frappe. Almond milk ice cubes create a creamy base, cold brew coffee injects a jet-fuel surge of caffeine and bold coffee flavor, and dates puréed into caramel add a sweet caramel finish.
That’s right. Just 3 ingredients, 1 blender, and 5 minutes (minus prep for ice cubes and coffee) to make this dreamy, creamy homemade frappuccino.
While your cold brew coffee is doing its thing, make your date caramel. See my in-depth tutorial here that also includes 1,000,000 ideas for how to use it.
In short, make it, love it, always have it on hand. End of story.
When your almond milk ice cubes are completely frozen, add them to a blender with your cold brew coffee and blend into creamy, dreamy bliss.
Then add as much date caramel as you’d like to sweeten things up and infuse caramel flavor into the mix. Mmm, I’ll take three, please.
You guys are going to LOVE this drink! It’s:
Creamy
Chilled
Perfectly Sweet
Caramel-infused
Bold in coffee flavor
Simple
Quick
& Seriously delicious
Make this frappuccino for a special morning treat before work. Do what you gotta do to get through the work day – no judgment here. Or, save this as a special treat for lazy weekend mornings (especially when summer is at its peak).
If you make this recipe, let us know what you think! Leave a comment and rate it – it’s so helpful to us and other readers. And while you’re at it, take a picture and tag it #minimalistbaker on Instagram so we can see what you come up with. Cheers, friends!
Servings 2
Prevent your screen from going dark
COLD BREW COFFEE
- 2 cups coarsely ground dark coffee (I recommend French roast)
- 4 cups filtered water
DATE CARAMEL
- 15 pitted dates (15 dates equals ~200 g // if not sticky and moist, see notes)
- 3-6 Tbsp hot water
FRAPPUCCINO
- 16 standard-size almond milk ice cubes
- 2 cups cold brew coffee
- 3-5 Tbsp date caramel
-
The night before, pour almond milk into a standard ice cube tray and freeze. You should have about 16 ice cubes (as original recipe is written // adjust if altering batch size).
-
The night before also make your cold brew coffee by coarsely grinding dark roast coffee beans. Add to a mixing bowl and cover with filtered water, then cover with plastic wrap and set in the refrigerator to brew.
-
The next day, strain cold brew through a coffee filter – I used our Chemex with these filters.
-
While your coffee is straining, make date caramel by adding 15-20 pitted dates (amount as original recipe is written // adjust if altering batch size) to a food processor or blender (in my experience, a food processor works best to get a creamy texture without much water).
-
Pulse/mix on low until small bits remain, then stream in hot water while the blender is on until a paste is made. You will need to scrape down the sides and encourage it along periodically. Only add enough water to form a paste – too much and it will be too liquidy. Set aside.
-
To make 2 frappuccinos, (amounts as original recipe is written // adjust if altering batch size) add all 16 ice cubes and 2 cups (480 ml) cold brew coffee to a blender and blend on high until puréed and smooth (see photo).
-
Add date caramel 1 Tbsp at a time and blend. Taste and adjust flavor as needed, adding more date caramel to sweeten. I found 3 or 4 Tbsp to be the perfect amount (amount as original recipe is written // adjust if altering batch size). NOTE: you will have leftover date caramel, which can be stored covered in the refrigerator for 1-2 weeks.
-
Divide between tall serving glasses and top with coconut whipped cream (optional). Best when fresh, though leftovers can be kept in the refrigerator for a few hours, or in the freezer for a few days.
*Prep time reflects time for freezing ice cubes and preparing cold brew coffee.
*Inspired by / adapted from my 3-ingredient Cold Brew Mocha Frappe.
Serving: 1 serving Calories: 113 Carbohydrates: 20 g Protein: 1.9 g Fat: 3.1 g Trans Fat: 0 g Cholesterol: 0 mg Sodium: 185 mg Fiber: 3 g Sugar: 16 g
