Keto Frappuccino
Published June 5, 2021 • Updated February 27, 2026
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I make this keto frappuccino all summer long instead of spending $6 at Starbucks. Coffee ice cubes keep it thick, and the whole thing comes together in five minutes.
The day I looked up how much sugar is in a Starbucks mocha frappuccino, I stopped ordering them. I started making my own keto mocha frappuccino at home, and at 0.6 grams of net carbs per serving, it wasn’t even close. The taste is just as good (I’d argue better, but I’m biased).
The thing that makes this recipe work is the coffee ice cubes. Regular ice melts and waters everything down within minutes. Coffee ice cubes keep every sip as strong as the first. I brew a full pot, pour half into ice cube trays, and refrigerate the rest. By the time the cubes are frozen, the coffee is cold and ready to blend.
The base is simple: brewed coffee, coconut milk (or any unsweetened nut milk), heavy cream, monk fruit sweetener, and cocoa powder. I use unsweetened cocoa powder for that deep mocha flavor without adding carbs. Everything goes into a blender for about 30 seconds. If you like your drinks thicker, toss in a few extra coffee ice cubes.
If you’re into keto coffee drinks, I have a whole collection. My keto cold brew coffee is what I reach for on mornings when I want something no-fuss. The keto caramel macchiato scratches a different itch (more dessert-y), and my keto dalgona coffee is the one that always gets comments on Instagram.
For a non-coffee frozen treat, my sugar free frozen hot chocolate uses the same blending technique and hits that same thick, frosty texture. I make both on rotation all summer.
One thing I noticed after making this dozens of times: the sweetener matters more than you’d think in a frozen drink. Granular sweeteners like straight erythritol can turn gritty once they hit the ice. I switched to a powdered monk fruit blend and the texture difference was immediate. Smooth, no graininess, just clean sweetness.
Reader Cynthia adds protein powder to hers (chocolate for her husband, vanilla for herself) and says it holds up great. I’ve tried it with collagen peptides too, and they dissolve completely without changing the flavor. If you want extra protein, that’s a solid add.
I top mine with a generous pile of whipped cream. Coconut whipped cream works if you’re keeping it dairy-free. Either way, drink it before the whipped cream melts into the coffee, which honestly is its own kind of good.
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Ingredients
3 cups brewed coffee, divided -
1/2 cup coconut milk or other nut milk
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1/4 cup heavy whipping cream or coconut cream
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2 tablespoons monkfruit blend sweetener
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2 tablespoons 100% unsweetened cocoa powder
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whipped cream or coconut whipped cream, optional
Step by Step Instructions
Step by Step Instructions
Make coffee ice
Pour 1 cup coffee into an ice cube mold and freeze to make coffee ice. Place remaining coffee in the fridge to cool.
Blend
Add cold coffee, coffee ice cubes, ½ cup ice, nut milk, heavy cream, sweetener, and cocoa powder to a blender. Blend 30 seconds or until smooth.
Do you want whip with that
Pour into your glass and top with whipped cream.
Nutrition disclaimer
The nutrition information provided is an estimate and is for informational purposes only. I am a Doctor of Pharmacy (Pharm.D.); however, this content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always consult your physician or other qualified health provider before making any lifestyle changes or beginning a new nutrition program.
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Get My Macros + Recipes →Frequently Asked Questions
How do I order a keto version at Starbucks?
I've done this a few times when I'm traveling and can't make my own. I ask for an unsweetened iced coffee with extra ice, a sugar-free vanilla syrup, and a splash of heavy cream, then ask them to blend it. Skip the frappuccino base (that's where all the sugar lives). It's not on the menu, but I've never had a barista refuse.
What sweetener works best in a frozen drink?
I've tested a few, and powdered or liquid sweeteners work best. Granular erythritol turns gritty when it hits the ice. I use a powdered monk fruit blend and the texture stays completely smooth. Allulose is another one I've had good luck with because it dissolves cleanly even at cold temperatures.
Can I add protein powder or collagen?
My reader Cynthia does this regularly. She uses chocolate protein powder for her husband and vanilla for herself. I've tried collagen peptides and they dissolve completely without changing the flavor or texture. If you go with a flavored protein powder, I'd cut back on the cocoa powder a bit so it doesn't get too intense.
What blender do you recommend?
I use a Ninja and it handles this perfectly. A Vitamix or BlendTec will give you an even smoother result, but my Ninja gets the job done in 30 seconds. The key is having enough liquid so everything moves freely. If it stalls, I add a splash more coconut milk rather than pushing it.
Can I freeze leftovers instead of refrigerating?
I've frozen it for up to a month and re-blended before serving. It holds up well. I just pour leftovers into a freezer-safe container, and when I'm ready, I pop the frozen block into the blender with a splash of coffee or milk. It comes out just as thick as a fresh batch.
Does xanthan gum help keep it from separating?
My reader Maria suggested adding 1/8 teaspoon of xanthan gum, and she was right. It keeps the drink from separating once it sits for a few minutes. I don't always add it (I usually drink mine fast enough), but if you're making a batch for the family or want it to hold while you finish something, it makes a real difference.
Can I use instant coffee instead of brewed?
I've tried it and it works fine. I mix 2-3 tablespoons of instant coffee with a cup of hot water, let it cool, then follow the recipe from there. You can freeze the instant coffee mixture into ice cubes the same way. The flavor is a little different from brewed, but it still makes a good drink.
Swapped the coconut milk for unsweetened almond milk and added a splash of vanilla extract, and it came out tasting more like the Starbucks vanilla version I used to get. The coffee ice cube trick is what finally stopped it from going watery on me, which was my whole issue with blended coffee recipes before this one.
Almond milk with vanilla gets you closer to that lighter Starbucks flavor. Coconut pulls it tropical, which I like, but it's a different drink. And yeah, skip the coffee ice cubes once and it's immediately obvious why they matter.
Thought the coffee ice cubes were extra hassle until I skipped them once and got brown watery milk. Turns out this beats my usual Starbucks order, which I wasn't expecting to admit.
Been making this pretty much every week since March. Started with oat milk but switched to coconut milk after the second batch (oat milk made it too sweet, threw off the bitterness balance). The coffee ice cubes are the thing everyone should know going in, regular ice just dilutes it. I add an extra tablespoon of cocoa powder and it comes out closer to a mocha, which is where I wanted it.
My daughter watched me blend this and asked if I ordered delivery from Starbucks (she's 9 and very suspicious of anything homemade that looks that good). The coffee ice cube trick for keeping it thick without getting watery kind of blew my mind a little.
I've made this probably a dozen times since last summer and finally dialed in the coffee ice cube ratio that works for me. Strong brew, freeze it overnight. Never waters down. Already made my first batch of the season this week.
Tried four other keto frapp recipes and every single one goes watery halfway through. The coffee ice cubes here actually fix it. Nothing waters down when it melts.
My 12-year-old has been demanding Starbucks every weekend all spring, so I made her try this instead. She took one sip and immediately asked for another. The coffee ice cube trick is freaking genius and now she thinks I figured out some secret.
Ha, don't tell her it's just frozen coffee. My kids have been 'impressed' by this for three summers now.
Third time making this and I finally dialed it in. I started using all coffee ice cubes instead of the half-and-half mix, and the flavor is noticeably more concentrated without being watery at the end. The coconut milk was my swap from batch one since I had it on hand, and between that and the full coffee ice it drinks more like something you'd pay $6 for than anything I've made at home. Already have another tray in the freezer for tomorrow.
Full coffee ice is how I make it now too. Takes a few batches to commit, but the concentration difference is real.
The coffee ice cube thing changed my afternoons. Dumping brewed coffee into a mold instead of regular ice felt minor, but the thickness difference isn't. Full tray stays frozen now so I can throw one together in five minutes any afternoon. Only note: pulled the monkfruit back to 1.5 tablespoons and that's where I want it.
1.5 is a solid call. The cocoa adds bitterness so the full 2 can tip it sweet depending on the beans you're using.
Made a big batch for friends Saturday and spent the whole afternoon explaining the coffee ice cube trick.
Haha yeah, the coffee ice thing always takes a minute to land but then they all want to go home and make a tray.
I've made at least four different keto frappuccino recipes trying to solve the same problem: regular ice melts and you end up with coffee-flavored water halfway through. The coffee ice cube method here is the obvious fix I somehow never thought of. The texture holds from first sip to last, and the cocoa powder gives it a depth the other versions were missing. I'd push the sweetener up a touch next time, but this is the closest any of them have gotten.
Switch to powdered if you're not already. Granular erythritol hits the ice and goes gritty, caps out before you get where you want. Powdered monk fruit you can push all the way up.
The coffee ice cube idea is genuinely smart and I wasn't expecting to love this in February, but here we are. It blended up thick without any watery dilution, which every other blended coffee recipe I've tried manages to botch. My only real note: the cocoa feels a little light if you want it properly mocha-forward. Two tablespoons gets you a hint of chocolate but I doubled it on my second batch and that's the version I'm sticking with. Still, as written, this is good enough that I'm already planning summer around it.
Four tablespoons is where it actually reads as mocha. Two just disappears into the coffee. February convert is high praise for a summer drink.
I've tried probably six keto frappuccino recipes this year and was ready to give up on the texture. The coffee ice cubes fixed it. Made this three times in two weeks, and I keep thinking about how I used to spend $6 at Starbucks for something worse. The cocoa powder does something the other recipes couldn't.
Six recipes and still kept going. The cocoa powder isn't just flavor, it changes the whole body of the drink. Most versions skip it entirely.
This is so delicious! Using coffee for ice cubes is brilliant. I've never ever had a Starbucks Frap so I can't compare it. I do add some protein powder to it, chocolate for hubby and vanilla for me. Thank you for developing this recipe!
Cynthia, you're literally in the FAQ on this recipe now because of this. Chocolate for him, vanilla for you, I had to include it.
This is so perfectly delicious and helps keep me on track with this newfound way of eating with less or no sugar. Thank you so much.
The Starbucks version has close to 50g of sugar. Makes this one feel a lot less like a sacrifice.