The Santa Claus Frappuccino is the perfect secret menu drink to order from Starbucks during the holiday season. But it’s also so easy to make a copycat version at home. The Vanilla Bean Frappuccino is layered with strawberry puree and topped with whipped cream and seasonal sprinkles!
You know how much I love a good Starbucks secret menu item! And even better when that menu item is easy to order (I don’t love having to list of a million ingredients and modifications for a barista to make my drink), seasonal, and delicious.
You are watching: Santa Claus Frappuccino {Starbucks Copycat}
This Santa Claus Frappuccino is a really simple Starbucks secret menu drink. But it’s also super festive and tastes absolutely delicious.
And now you can easily make it at home with this copycat recipe!
🤫 What is the Starbucks secret menu?
The secret menu isn’t an official Starbucks menu. It’s actually just various drink concoctions customers have come up with that are possible to make with Starbucks ingredients.
For a list of the various drinks you can order that aren’t on the actual menu, check out this secret menu. The Pink Drink was one of the most ordered secret menu drinks that eventually became a regular menu item!
It’s important to note that baristas may not know secret menu drinks by name, so you need to order them by the ingredients. So, don’t go to Starbucks and ask for a Santa Claus Frappuccino as the barista may look at you like you’re crazy. Ask for it by listing the ingredients you want them to use.
🎅 What is the Santa Claus Frappuccino?
So, how exactly would you order a Santa Claus Frappuccino at Starbucks? You just need to ask for a Vanilla Bean Creme Frappuccino with strawberry puree layered on the bottom and in the middle. With whipped cream and red sprinkles on top.
And now that you know how to order it, you also know how to make a copycat version at home!
❤️ Why you’ll love this recipe
If you like matching your drinks to the seasons, this is such a fun drink to order during the holidays.
But you don’t have to celebrate Christmas and it doesn’t have to be December for you to order a Santa Claus Frappuccino.
The vanilla and strawberry flavor combination is absolutely delicious and the layered look is always so pretty.
I also like this Starbucks secret menu item because it’s easy to order AND easy to make at home!
🗒 Ingredients
The Santa Claus Frappuccino is made up of two parts: Vanilla Bean Frappuccino and strawberry puree.
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Both are easy to make completely from scratch, but there are also lots of options for store-bought substitutes.
Here’s everything you need (please see recipe card at bottom of this post for ingredient amounts and full instructions):
- Whole milk
- Havy cream
- Vanilla syrup: You can either use store-bought vanilla syrup or use my recipe to make your own
- Xanthan gum: this acts as a thickening agent in the Frappuccino, but can be replaced with cornstarch if needed
- Ice
- Strawberry puree: You can either use store-bought strawberry puree or use the recipe I share to make your own
- Whipped cream: for topping
- Holiday sprinkles: for topping
If you want to make your own vanilla syrup, here’s what you need:
- Water
- Granulated sugar
- Vanilla bean (can substitute with vanilla paste or extract)
And if you want to make your own strawberry puree, here’s what you need:
- Strawberries (fresh or frozen and thawed)
- Granulated sugar
- Water
🍓 How to make strawberry puree
I recommend making the strawberry puree first, cleaning out your blender, and then making the Vanilla Bean Frappuccino.
The puree is super easy to make!
Just put stemmed and hulled strawberries in a blender with granulated sugar and water.
Process until pureed.
Pour into a bowl and clean out your blender.
🍦 How to make Vanilla Bean Frappuccino
Lots of copycat Vanilla Bean Frappuccino recipes are made with vanilla ice cream and while this is an easy shortcut, I wanted to make my Frappuccino as close to Starbucks version as I could.
According to their website, the Vanilla Bean Creme Frappuccino consists of ice, milk, cream, Frappuccino syrup, and vanilla powder.
The Frappuccino syrup is basically a simple syrup base that Starbucks uses in all their Frappuccinos… It has xanthan gum in it, which is a thickening agent that makes the drinks creamy and frothy.
Instead of making a separate syrup, I use vanilla syrup in my Frappuccino, along with some xanthan gum. If you can’t find xanthan gum, you can substitute it with cornstarch.
If you want to make your own vanilla syrup, you can use my recipe here (it’s also in the recipe card at the bottom of this post).
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Just add the milk, cream, vanilla syrup, xanthan gum, and ice to your blender.
And process until smooth and frothy.
Now pour about ½ the strawberry puree into a large cup.
Fill the cup up to the halfway point with Vanilla Bean Frappuccino, add another layer of strawberry puree, and fill the remainder of the cup with Frappuccino.
Top with whipped cream, holiday sprinkles, and a straw.
And you’re ready to sip on your Santa Claus Frappuccino… Just like the ones you can order off the secret menu at Starbucks!
This seasonal drink is so fun for both adults and kids.
While this recipe makes about 1 grande drink, you can certainly divide it into a couple smaller drinks, especially if you’re serving to kids.
Vanilla and strawberry isn’t necessarily a holiday flavor combination, but the colors are spot-on for Christmas and, in my opinion, it’s a flavor combination that’s always a winner no matter the time of year.
🍨 Can I use vanilla ice cream for Vanilla Frappuccino?
You can, but it will be more like a vanilla milkshake than a Frappuccino. Which is totally fine and still absolutely delicious!
I recommend blending together vanilla ice cream, milk, and ice. You can add some extra vanilla extract for more powerful vanilla flavor and you can leave out the xanthan gum since the ice cream should make the drink thick and frothy.
🧊 Can I use frozen strawberries for puree?
Yes! I just recommend thawing the strawberries before blending them into a puree, otherwise you’ll have more of a slush than a puree.
☕️ More winter Starbucks copycat recipes
I love making copycat Starbucks drinks year-round, but some of them are extra special during the cold months and the holiday season. Here are some of my favorite winter drinks. But be sure to check out all my Starbucks copycat recipes!
- Iced Sugar Cookie Almond Milk Latte
- Taylor Swift’s Starbucks Drink (nonfat caramel latte)
- Apple Crisp Macchiato
- Iced Apple Crisp Oat Milk Macchiato
- Pistachio Latte
- Pumpkin Cream Cold Brew
- Iced White Chocolate Mocha
📖 Recipe
Source: https://gardencourte.com
Categories: Recipe