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Copycat Caramel Crunch Frappuccino Recipe

This caramel crunch frappuccino is a refreshing sweet treat for an afternoon pick-me-up or whenever you crave an icy coffeehouse beverage from home.

Enjoy a blend of buttery caramel flavor, hints of vanilla, coffee, and milk. Top it off with whipped cream, a caramel drizzle, and a sweet crunch to make it even more irresistible. Not only does this drink taste amazing, but it looks impressive too!

See how you can easily become your own barista and skip a trip through the drive-thru.

Two glasses of a caramel crunch coffee drink.

Copycat Caramel Crunch Frappuccino at Home!

A regular caramel frappuccino is just fine, but sometimes I want that extra crunch! My local Starbucks usually has fun toppings or add-ins that are challenging to replicate at home. I figured out a good chip substitute with the java chip frappé, so now lets get that crunch going!

Caramel Ribbon Crunch Frappé Ingredients

Here’s what you need to make this drink. Measurements are in the recipe card.

  • Ice
  • Coffee
  • Milk
  • Caramel ice cream sauce
  • Whipped topping
  • White sugar
  • Water

How to make the caramel crunch frappé

For the crunch, add parchment paper to a baking sheet and set aside.

Add the sugar and water to a saucepan and heat over medium-high heat.

Pouring sugar into water in a sauce pan.

Stir constantly until the sugar is dissolved and a dark amber color.

Stirring sugar and water in a sauce pan.

Watch the mixture carefully as it’s easy to burn it.

Gently pour the mixture onto your prepared baking sheet.

Burnt sugar on a baking sheet.

Set aside to harden. Once it’s hard, break it apart. I did this by picking up the piece and dropping it back onto the pan.

Pieces of heated up sugar on a baking sheet.

Place the pieces into a resealable sandwich bag and crush them into even smaller pieces with a rolling pin.

Pieces of sugar crunch in a sandwich bag.

Sprinkle on top of your drinks.

Pouring caramel into a blender with ice and coffee.

For the drink, add ice, cold coffee, milk, and caramel sauce to a blender and blend well.

Blended coffee drink in the blender.

Pour into two glasses and top with whipped cream and caramel crunch.

Whipped cream on top of caramel crunch drinks.

You can also add a caramel drizzle if you choose!

Serve immediately.

Top of caramel crunch drinks with crunch and whipped topping.

Sit back and enjoy your homemade caramel ribbon crunch frappuccino as a sweet and refreshing drink on hot day or whenever you want!

Caramel Crunch Recipe Notes and FAQ

Stock up on the crunch topping.

If you want to make a bigger batch of the crunch topping, feel free to do so. That will help shave off a little time if you want to make this drink more often. Store it in an airtight container and keep at room temperature.

Overhead image of a caramel crunch frappuccino on a board with blue straws.

Watch the sugar mixture while heating.

It’s important to constantly stir and watch the sugar mixture while heating. Don’t step away from it at all. As you can see, this crunch we have here is even a little burnt! It ended up being okay, but you can see how easy it is to burn with a few seconds of overheating.

Caramel drink with whipped topping and sugar crunch with blue straw.

Can I use something else for the topping?

If you don’t want to mess with heating the sugar, I get it! You can try toffee bits or caramel chips to give you a bit of crunch without the fuss. Another idea (that I haven’t tried yet) would be to crush up some butterscotch hard candies and sprinkle it on top! Just be careful when sipping through a straw. If you don’t crush up the candy enough, it could quickly become a choking hazard!

Yield: 2 drinks

Caramel Ribbon Crunch Frappuccino

Top of caramel crunch drinks with crunch and whipped topping.

Make your own caramel crunch frappe from home!

Prep Time 10 minutes
Total Time 10 minutes

Ingredients

Caramel Frappuccino

  • 2 cups ice
  • 1 cup coffee, cold
  • 1 cup milk
  • 1/3 cup caramel ice cream sauce, plus extra for topping
  • whipped topping

Caramel Crunch

  • 1/2 cup white sugar
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons water

Instructions

Caramel Frappuccino Directions: 

  1. Add ice, coffee, milk, and 1/3 cup caramel sauce to a blender and blend well.
  2. Pour into 2 glasses and top with whipped topping and caramel crunch. Serve immediately. 

Caramel Crunch Directions: 

  1. Add parchment paper to a baking sheet and set aside. 
  2. Add sugar and water to a saucepan and heat over medium-high heat, stirring constantly until sugar is dissolved and a dark amber color.
  3. Gently pour onto prepared baking sheet. Set aside to harden.
  4. When hard, break apart. I did this by picking up the piece and dropping it back onto the pan.
  5. Scoop the pieces into a resealable sandwich bag and crush into smaller pieces with a rolling pin. Sprinkle on top of the drinks. 

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Nutrition Information:

Yield:

2

Serving Size:

1

Amount Per Serving: Calories: 385Total Fat: 8gSaturated Fat: 5gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 26mgSodium: 408mgCarbohydrates: 73gFiber: 1gSugar: 65gProtein: 7g

Nutrition facts are an estimate only.

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Drink with caramel crunch and whipped cream on top.

Let me know if you try this caramel ribbon crunch frappuccino recipe!

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