Make your own delicious and festive Peppermint Mocha recipe with this easy recipe inspired by the Starbucks holiday favourite!
The holiday season is here and that means it’s also peppermint season! If you love peppermint flavored treats, than you are going to love this Starbucks Peppermint Mocha Recipe.
Rich, chocolatey and perfectly minty, this Peppermint Mocha recipe hits all the notes you want in this favorite drink.
There’s no need to visit the coffee shops this Christmas season and spend a fortune when you can make as many of your own peppermint mocha drinks as your heart desires in the comfort of your own home at only a fraction of the cost!
But did you know just how easy it is to make a cup at home? This easy recipe uses simple ingredients you likely already have on hand too. And you don’t have to be left disappointed by the short seasonal drink season at Starbucks when you can whip up your own delicious Starbucks Peppermint Mocha recipe all year round at home.
So what are we waiting for? Let’s make the perfect drink to enjoy this festive season!
Ingredients in this Starbucks Peppermint Mocha Recipe
Just a handful of ingredients are needed to make this season drink at home. You will need:
- Peppermint syrup: You can use a store-bought or homemade Peppermint Syrup. I use a homemade version that is so easy to make with just 3 ingredients. I included instructions in the recipe card at the end of this post. Visit my Peppermint Syrup Recipe post to see all the other uses for peppermint syrup- you are going to want to keep lots on hand!
- Espresso or strong brewed coffee: If you have an espresso machine at home, that’s awesome! If like me, you do not, you can either use instant coffee (I have an instant espresso powder that comes in handy for recipes like these) or you can just brew very strong coffee in your coffee machine.
- Milk: You can use any type of milk like whole milk, 2% or similar. A full fat milk will get you the closest to a classic Starbucks Peppermint Mocha recipe but I like to lighten things up by using a milk with less fat. If you wish to make this a vegan peppermint mocha recipe, you can use a non-dairy milk like coconut milk, oat milk, or unsweetened almond milk for this recipe.
- Chocolate chips
Optional Toppings for this Festive Drink:
You can enjoy this hot beverage as it is, but why not dress it up for extra festive cheer! Some great toppings include:
- whipped cream
- crushed candy cane
- candy canes
- shaved chocolate
- mini chocolate chips
- chocolate syrup or chocolate sauce (to drizzle on top)
How to make this recipe
- Prep the peppermint coffee base: Add the peppermint syrup* and the hot coffee or espresso to a mug. Stir together.
- Heat the milk: In a small saucepan over medium heat, add the milk and chocolate chips. Whisk until the chocolate chips dissolve and the milk is warmed through.
- Mix it all: Pour the warm milk into the mug and stir. Taste and adjust the amount of syrup in this recipe and add more syrup to suit your taste, if desired.
- Garnish: Top the peppermint mocha with whip cream and candy cane (or your own favorite toppings), if desired. Enjoy.
Tips for Making the Best Peppermint Mocha:
- Adjust the ingredients to your liking. The best part about making this recipe at home is that you can actually adjust each ingredient to find what you prefer the best. Want this drink to be extra pepperminty, add more of the peppermint syrup. Want a stronger coffee flavor, add more coffee or brew it stronger.
- Use strong coffee. Traditional Starbucks drinks use espresso. If you do not have espresso, you can replace it with a strong-brewed coffee instead. Ideally, you want a strong brew to replicate the flavor of the espresso-based drink.
- Make it caffeine-free. If you are like me, then drinking a cup of coffee before bedtime is enough to keep me tossing and turning all night. If you are making this later in the day, you can use decaf coffee. For a kid-friendly version you can omit the coffee altogether and just serve it as a peppermint hot chocolate.
- Make lots of homemade Peppermint Syrup. I love to keep this homemade simple syrup on hand so we can make these peppermint mochas (and other drinks like peppermint lattes and peppermint hot chocolates) whenever we want. The syrup keeps for 1-2 weeks in the fridge.
- Make a vegan version for vegan guests. If you are vegan or want to share this recipe with a vegan or dairy-free friend, you can make easy adjustments to this recipe to do that. Simply use a non-dairy milk and use vegan chocolate chips.
- Garnish for the best drink. I love the garnishes on the peppermint mocha. Whip cream is hands-down my favorite but adding crushed candy canes and even a candy cane directly in the cup is a second favorite. The candy cane also ups the peppermint flavor as it begins to melt into the hot beverage.
I hope you enjoy this delicious treat as much as we do in our home! Happy holidays!
-Cathy
You may also like these other Starbucks copycat recipes:
Gingerbread Latte Recipe
Homemade Pumpkin Cream Cold Brew Coffee
Caramel Frappuccino Copycat Recipe
Easy Cinnamon Simple Syrup
Cinnamon Dolce Latte
Peppermint Mocha Recipe
Ingredients
For the Peppermint Syrup (makes enough for 6-8 drinks):
- 1/2 cup water
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract
To make 1 peppermint mocha:
- 2 tablespoons peppermint syrup*
- 1/3 cup strong-brewed coffee or espresso
- 1/2 cup milk
- 3 tablespoons chocolate chips
Toppings (optional):
- whipped cream optional, to garnish
- crushed candy cane optional. to garnish
- candy cane optional, to garnish
Instructions
To make the peppermint syrup:
- In a small saucepan over medium heat, add all of the syrup ingredients except the peppermint extract. Simmer together for about 5 minutes, whisking often until the sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat and whisk in the peppermint extract. Let it cool.
To make 1 peppermint mocha recipe:
- Add the peppermint syrup* and the hot coffee or espresso to a mug. Stir together.
- In a saucepan over medium heat, add the milk and chocolate chips. Whisk until the chocolate chips dissolve and the milk is warmed through. Pour the milk into the mug and stir. Taste and adjust by adding more syrup to suit your taste, if desired.
- Top the peppermint mocha with whip cream and candy cane, if desired. Enjoy.
Notes
- Adjust the amount of peppermint syrup to suit your preferences.
- Note: nutritional information is an estimation and does not include the optional toppings.
Note: Metric ingredient measurements are provided as a courtesy using a third-party calculator and are rounded to the nearest unit. The recipes provided on this site have not been tested with metric measurements and their accuracy cannot be verified.
Nutrition
The nutritional information provided is based on third-party calculations and is an estimate only. Accurate nutritional facts will vary based on the particular brands used, portion sizes, measurement accuracy and more.
