Starbucks Copycat Twix Frappuccino Recipe
Today we are making the secret menu Starbucks Copycat Twix Frappuccino Recipe! This chocolate bar frappuccino is inspired by the famous Twix candy bar – possibly the world’s best candy bar. This favorite candy bar made of a crunchy biscuit base, a sweet and sticky caramel layer and a smooth, velvety chocolate coating. The combination of chocolate, caramel and coffee in this frappuccino is sweet, yet made with less sugar than the traditional Starbucks drink has. It’s dairy-free, gluten-free, soy-free, nut-free, a lot healthier (and budget-friendly) to make it at home and will leave your sweet tooth feeling satisfied.
One of the things that sets the Twix chocolate bar apart is its distinctive texture. The biscuit is crunchy, the caramel is sticky and the chocolate is very smooth on top. The contrast makes biting into this chocolate bar even more exciting! So given the popularity of this chocolate bar, it’s no wonder that it ended up on the secret menu. Or even that you’ll find tons of recipes recreating these bars at home!
The secret menu isn’t something you exactly order off of, but it provides you with the information on what to order to make your drink taste like that specific flavor. For example, the secret menu for the Starbucks Twix Frappuccino says to ask for a caramel frappuccino as the base drink, which contains three pumps of caramel syrup. Then you add two pumps of hazelnut syrup, java chips and extra caramel, a mocha drizzle and whipped cream on top!
Be ready for the Starbucks baristas to give you the glare while you try to order all that on a busy morning with tons of people in line behind you. (Ahem … not like I actually did that …)
Customizable & Flavorful
Chocolate, caramel and coffee in one go?! Sign me up! This drink is creamy and indulgent, making you feel like you just ordered a super decadent drink at a coffee shop. When in fact, you made it at home, in your kitchen, customized to your liking! Making copycat drinks at home is so much fun because you can add more or less of the ingredients you enjoy to make it a custom drink.
Like instead of using java chips, here you use chocolate chips pulsed into the mixture to mimic the crunchy factor in Twix bars! You can add an extra-thick caramel drizzle, or add melted chocolate into the frappuccino for a more chocolate flavor as well. The customizations are endless!
You can find the full recipe card with instructions at the end of the post. Keep scrolling to get there or click the Jump to Recipe button at the top of the page!
Why You’ll Love This Starbucks Copycat Twix Frappuccino Recipe
Secret Menu Drink: This caramel mocha flavored drink isn’t available right on the official menu when you walk into a Starbucks, or when you check the app. It’s actually on the Starbucks secret menu! Starbucks has a not-so-secret, secret menu. This is where you’ll find off-menu items and wacky drink combinations, ranging from frappuccino flavors of banana split, cotton candy, snickers, or the baby yoda frappuccino, ferrero rocher frappuccino, cotton candy frappuccino, butterbeer frappuccino and more!
Budget-Friendly: Buying this delicious drink at Starbucks is going to cost between $5-6 USD for a grande size, which is quite pricey! But also factoring in the amount of customizations you have to make, from adding different drizzles and extra pump of this or that syrup into the drink, it’s bound to get expensive. It’s more cost-efficient to buy the ingredients required and make this drink at home.
Since the ingredients are quite common (like oat milk, coconut sugar for the caramel or chocolate chips) you can use them in other recipes as well. For example, use the bag of coconut sugar as a sweetener in your coffee, or the carton of oat milk as a milk alternative in a latte!
Substitutions: Frappuccino
Maple Syrup: The homemade version of this drink uses a lot less sugar than in the Starbucks version. Pure maple syrup (not pancake syrup) provides the sweetener for this recipe. You can also use another sweetener of choice. Xylitol, brown sugar, agave nectar or any liquid or dry sweetener will work. For example, monk fruit sugar can work as a keto sweetener for those who prefer something low carb. Note that using brown sugar will not be a refined sugar-free option.
Oat Milk: Substitute with any other neutral non-dairy milk of choice. Almond milk, cashew milk, full-fat canned coconut milk, soy milk or other plant-based milks may work. Oat milk has a sweet and nutty flavor, which is enjoyable in this drink.
Black Coffee: You can use cold brew coffee, instant coffee, a shot of espresso mixed with water or any version of strong coffee.
Vanilla Extract: For best results, pure vanilla extract, without added artificial colors and dyes (like caramel color). You can use artificial vanilla flavor as well. However, it may come off as more bitter and not as smooth or sweet as the pure version.
Substitutions: Toppings & Add-Ins
Chocolate Chips: Use semisweet chocolate for this recipe, as dark chocolate will have an underlying bitter flavor that won’t work as well here. You can use vegan semisweet chocolate chips or a chopped semisweet chocolate bar. Check the ingredient label to make sure it doesn’t contain any milk products like milk fat or milk powder, so it would be vegan.
Whipped Cream: Gay Lea brand makes delicious coconut cream based whip. This can be found next to the regular aerosol cans of whipped cream in the grocery store. For a non-coconut-base, ReddiWhip makes an almond based whip instead. There may be other brands providing soy-based whip instead of a nut-based one as well, depending on where you live.
Starbucks Copycat Twix Frappuccino Recipe Notes
- For the caramel sauce, use half of the caramel recipe from this macchiato.
- For a more chocolate-y taste, add 1-2 tbsp of melted semisweet chocolate chips into the mixture. Then blend it once more to incorporate.
More Starbucks Drinks You’ll Love
Chocolate Hazelnut Frappuccino
If you make this Starbucks Copycat Twix Frappuccino Recipe, then leave a comment and star rating! Don’t forget to tag your photos @peanut_palate on Instagram. Enjoy!
Starbucks Copycat Twix Frappuccino Recipe
Equipment
- High Speed Blender
- Small Saucepan for the caramel
- Microwave-Safe Bowl for the chocolate
Ingredients
For the Frappuccino
- ⅓ cup black coffee
- 1 cup oat milk ice cubes
- ⅓ cup oat milk chilled
- 1 tbsp vegan caramel sauce recipe linked under notes above
- ¼ tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tbsp vegan semisweet chocolate chips
- pinch pink salt
- pure maple syrup as needed
For the Insides and Topping
- 1 tbsp vegan semisweet chocolate chips melted, for the inside of the glass
- 1 tbsp vegan semisweet chocolate chips melted, for the topping
- ½ tbsp vegan caramel sauce for the inside of the glass
- ½ tbsp vegan caramel sauce for the topping
- vegan whipped cream for the topping
Instructions
- Before beginning, prepare the vegan caramel sauce as linked above in the recipe notes.
- Blend together all ingredients for the frappuccino, except the extra maple syrup and chocolate chips, in a high-speed blender until a frappuccino consistency forms.
- Add the chocolate chips and run the blender for a few seconds, just enough to break them up into tiny, crunchy bits. These will act similar to java chips.
- Taste test the mixture and add pure maple syrup or another sweetener as desired.
- In a microwave-safe bowl, melt the chocolate chips for 15 seconds at a time, stirring in between until melted.
- Use a fork to smear ½ tbsp of the caramel and 1 tbsp of the melted chocolate to the insides of the cup.
- Pour the mixture into a tall glass.
- Top with vegan whipped cream, the remaining 1 tbsp melted chocolate and ½ tbsp caramel sauce. Enjoy!
