Lavender Frappuccino Recipe (Starbucks Copycat)
This Lavender frappuccino recipe is a refreshing and delicious way to enjoy a classic Starbucks drink at home. Made with a cream base, vanilla and lavender syrup, then topped with whipped cream for an extra special treat. This Frappuccino is perfect for summertime sipping or as an afternoon pick-me-up.
I love the light floral flavor of lavender and after trying Starbuck’s lavender frappuccino, I knew I had to make my own copycat recipe. It took some trials, but I’m so happy with the outcome of this healthier version and I think you’ll love it too.
Table of Contents
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- This cold and creamy Frappuccino is a great way to cool off on hot summer days.
- It’s economical! There’s no need to spend a lot of extra money at coffee shops when you can make this refreshing drink at home.
- This Frappuccino is customizable to suit your preference. Love that earthy lavender flavor? Add a extra boost of lavender powder. Prefer sugar-free beverages? Here I give you sugar-free syrup options.
- The sweet and cream bases complement the floral flavors giving this drink the perfect balance.
If you love lavender drinks, then you will want to make this Lavender Syrup recipe and keep it stocked. You can add lavender simple syrups this lavender frappuccino recipe in addition to coffees, cocktails, desserts and so much more.
Ingredients Needed
To make the coffee house favorite you will need a few simple ingredients. Pick up these ingredients on your next trip to the grocery store so that you can enjoy this simple treat with your family.
- milk of your choice. You have a lot of choices here. If you are keto, you can use cream in place of milk. I like to keep this beverage dairy-free with unsweetened coconut milk. Make your beverage with almond milk, oat milk or soy.
- ice
- vanilla syrup – I love to keep this stocked in the refrigerator. My preference is to use a sugar alternative like monk fruit and allulose.
- lavender syrup – homemade is the best! For this recipe, I like to steep the lavender longer to infuse the flavor of the lavender buds for a deep floral flavor.
- culinary organic lavender – use this to make your lavender syrup and to add to your beverage for an extra boost of the flavor. On the other hand, if you prefer a light floral flavor, you can skip the extra lavender and just use the lavender syrup.
- Maqui berry powder – this is used to add the color purple to the drink. Maqui doesn’t affect the flavor of this drink, and is considered a “superfruit” with several health benefits (Healthline). You can also use blue spirulina or butterfly pea powder.
- xanthan gum – this ingredient stabilizes the ingredients so the ice doesn’t separate from the milk.
- whipped cream – add for an extra special treat!
How to Make This Lavender Frappuccino Recipe
Making this homemade frappuccino recipe is simple. Just follow these step-by-step instructions or find the full instructions in the recipe card at the bottom of this post. I promise after your first sip of this recipe, you will want to make it over and over again.
Step 1: Make the syrups and grind the lavender into powder
I recommend making the lavender syrup and vanilla syrup in advance so the simple syrup has time to cool. For the best flavor, I recommend grinding the lavender yourself. Place lavender buds in a spice grinder or clean coffee grinder. Pulse until ground into a powder.
Step 2: Add the ingredients to a blender
Add ice, milk, vanilla and lavender syrup, ground lavender, coloring of your choice, and xanthan gum (if using) in a blender. Pulse the blender until the ingredients and the ice is crushed.
Step 3: Garnish and serve
Pour in a cup and top with whipped cream.
What To Serve With This Beverage
This beverage is refreshing and delicious all on its own. However, you can also pair it with your favorite sweet treat like this Low Sugar Zucchini Bread. Or you can even enjoy it after a summertime meal like this Grilled Rib Eye Steak recipe.
What’s in Starbuck’s Lavender Powder?
I studied (stalked!) the Starbuck barista’s steps to create my own lavender frappuccino recipe and noticed that the barista added lavender powder. Of course, I had to see where I could get this ingredient for ease of making this recipe.
However, once I learned about the LAVENDER POWDER ingredients – [sugar, salt, natural lavender flavor, color from fruit and vegetable juice concentrate (carrot and black currant), soybean oil] (Starbucks) I decided I would not recreate the powder Starbucks uses.
I don’t want more sugar, salt, or any soybean oil in my beverage. This led me to use lavender syrup, and a pretty purple natural food additive without any unnecessary ingredients. There are a lot of options and I mention my favorite natural food coloring above. In addition, real lavender is used and ground to a powder consistency for a boost of the florals.
Nethertheless, if you still want a a ready-made lavender powder, check out the brand Blume. They have a lavender powder blend that might be worth trying, but it’s a little pricy.
The ingredients for the Blume blue lavender latte blend are made with organic; coconut milk powder (coconut milk, tapioca maltodextrin), coconut sugar, ground lavender, and blue spirulina. If this was sugar-free, I would have grabbed it.
Substitutions and Additions
Are you looking for some swaps to customize this drink to suit your taste buds? Here are a few of my favorite tried and true swaps for this recipe.
- This is caffeine-free, but if you want to add some caffeine add a shot or two of cold brew to your drink for a little extra flavor or try this Lavender Latte instead.
- If you don’t want to make the lavender syrup, you can substitute 1-2 teaspoons of the ground lavender. Taste with one teaspoon first, then add more to suite your tastebuds.
- Feel free to use any type of milk that you enjoy. You can use almond milk or oat milk to make this if you prefer a non-dairy option.
- The pretty lavender color in this drink comes from Maqui berry powder. You could also use butterfly pea powder or blue spirulina powder – all these powders are used to bring out the lavender color in the drink with an added nutritional boost. You could use food coloring, but that option would not be my first choice. Remember that red and blue make purple. The amount will depend on the shade of purple you want.
How To Store
This drink is best made fresh. However, if you are using homemade vanilla and lavender syrup you can make that up to one week ahead of time and store it in the fridge. You can also grind the lavender into powder in advance and store that in a spice jar in a cool dark place until you are ready to use it.
Sandra’s Pro Tips
Here are a few tips that you can use to ensure that this homemade lavender frappuccino turns out perfectly for you when you make it.
- I’ve found that a high-powdered blender such as a Ninja or a Vitamix will do the best job at crushing the ice cubes so that you have a smooth frappe.
- If you don’t have a high-powered blender, I suggest using small ice pebbles or crushed ice instead of whole cubes to make blending easier.
- Pick organic lavender that is free from pesticides. I also purchase “ultra” or “extra grade” lavender which is packaged with more buds and less of the green (brown when dried) stems.
- If you want a stronger lavender flavor feel free to add more ground lavender to your Frappuccino.
- Pictured is Frappuccino made with unsweetened coconut/almond milk from Califia Farms. You will find this milk in the refrigerator section of your grocery store.
- Xanthan gum doesn’t have a flavor and is only used for the thickening of all the ingredients, so you could leave it out if you will enjoy the drink right away.
FAQs
Do you have questions about this recipe? Here are the answers to the most commonly asked questions for this recipe:
A homemade lavender frappuccino has a creamy and slightly sweet taste with hints of floral notes from the lavender.
This recipe makes one large serving or two small ones.
No, this recipe does not contain any caffeine. However, you can add a shot of espresso or coffee to make it a caffeinated drink if desired.
Culinary lavender is cultivated from English lavender, which is milder than lavender that is often used in soaps and perfumes.
Other Delicious Lavender Recipes You May Enjoy
- Lavender Latte – hints of floral flavors in your coffee. Enjoy hot or over ice.
- Honey Lavender Scones – spring brunch idea! The light floral flavor paired with honey is delightful.
- Lavender Creme Puffs – a classic recipe with a unique spring-like spin.
Lavender Frappuccino Recipe (Starbucks Copycat)
Equipment
- blender
- Measuring cup and spoons
- Glass for serving This will make one large 16 ounce beverage
- Spice grinder
Ingredients
- 1 cup coconut milk, unsweetened
- 2 cups ice
- 2 Tablespoons Vanilla Syrup
- 2 Tablespoons Lavender Syrup add more for more flavor if desired
- 1 teaspoon lavender buds, ground for extra flavor
- 1/4 teaspoon maqui berry powder for color
- 1/4 teaspoon xanthan gum (optional) for thickening
- whipped cream (optional) but highly recommended
Instructions
- Prepare lavender syrup in advance and let cool.
- Place lavender buds in a spice grinder or clean coffee grinder. Pulse until ground into a powder.
- Add ice, milk, vanilla syrup, ground lavender, purple powder (maqui berry powder), and xanathan gum (if using) in a blender.
- Pulse blender until the ingredients is blended and the ice is crushed.
- Pour in a cup and top with whipped cream.
Notes
- 1 cup whole milk
- 2 tablespoons vanilla syrup
- 2 tablespoons lavender syrup
- 1 tsp lavender powder
- 2 cups ice
- 1/4 teaspoon xanthan gum
- 1/4 teaspoon maqui berry powder
Nutrition
Disclaimer
Please note that the nutritional information provided are guidelines and may vary based on the brand of products used. For your specific nutritional goals use My Fitness Pal or Verywell Fit recipe calculators. All content within this site is not intended as medical diagnosis or treatment and should not be considered a substitute for professional medical expertise.
