Why a Frappuccino Is Not an Iced Latte
The Frappuccino was born in 1995 and it has never used fresh espresso by default. The coffee is Frappuccino Roast, an instant-style concentrate mixed with water, which blends smoothly and does not melt the ice. That is why a Grande Coffee Frappuccino Blended Beverage carries 95 mg of caffeine, under a Grande latte, despite tasting strongly of coffee. Add a shot and it becomes an Espresso Frappuccino.
The base syrup holds the drink together; without it the blend separates. It is sweetened, which is why even the plain coffee build carries 45 g of sugar. Whipped cream is standard on every build except the plain coffee one.
The Eight Coffee Frappuccinos
Coffee Frappuccino
The Coffee Frappuccino Blended Beverage is coffee, milk, ice and base with no whip: 230 calories, 3 g of fat, $6.05 for a Grande. The lightest and cheapest Frappuccino Starbucks makes.
- Why choose it: a blended coffee for under 250 calories.
- Best for: anyone who wants the texture without the dessert.
Caramel Frappuccino
The Caramel Frappuccino Blended Beverage adds caramel syrup, whipped cream and caramel drizzle. 380 calories, 54 g of sugar, $6.55. The most ordered Frappuccino year round.
- Nutrition tip: no whip and no drizzle brings it close to the plain coffee build.
Mocha Frappuccino
The Mocha Frappuccino Blended Beverage uses mocha sauce for a chocolate coffee blend. 370 calories and the most caffeine in the section at 100 mg because the cocoa adds to the coffee.
- Why choose it: the strongest coffee taste of the flavored builds.
Mocha Cookie Crumble Frappuccino
The Mocha Cookie Crumble Frappuccino Blended Beverage layers mocha sauce, Frappuccino chips, whipped cream and cookie crumble. It is the heaviest drink here at 480 calories and 24 g of fat in a Grande, and a Venti is 590.
- Best for: a dessert, split between two people.
Caramel Ribbon Crunch Frappuccino
The Caramel Ribbon Crunch Frappuccino Blended Beverage is the caramel Frappuccino with dark caramel sauce, whipped cream and a crunchy caramel topping. 470 calories and 60 g of sugar, the most sugar in the section.
- Nutrition tip: the topping is the difference from the regular caramel; skip it and save the most.
The Seasonal Three
The Pumpkin Spice Frappuccino Blended Beverage (420 calories, fall), the Horchata Frappuccino Blended Beverage (400, summer) and the Pistachio Frappuccino Blended Beverage (380, winter) rotate through the year at $6.95 for a Grande. The pumpkin one carries the most sugar of the three at 65 g.
- Why choose them: the seasonal latte flavors in a blended cup with far less caffeine.
Coffee Frappuccino Sugar and Calories by Size
| Item | Tall | Grande | Venti |
|---|---|---|---|
| Coffee Frappuccino Blended Beverage | 160 cal | 230 cal | 310 cal |
| Mocha Frappuccino Blended Beverage | 250 cal | 370 cal | 470 cal |
| Pistachio Frappuccino Blended Beverage | 270 cal | 380 cal | 420 cal |
| Caramel Frappuccino Blended Beverage | 260 cal | 380 cal | 470 cal |
| Horchata Frappuccino Blended Beverage | 270 cal | 400 cal | 470 cal |
| Pumpkin Spice Frappuccino Blended Beverage | 290 cal | 420 cal | 510 cal |
| Caramel Ribbon Crunch Frappuccino Blended Beverage | 330 cal | 470 cal | 570 cal |
| Mocha Cookie Crumble Frappuccino Blended Beverage | 350 cal | 480 cal | 590 cal |
A Frappuccino has no Short and no Trenta. The Venti is a 24 oz cold cup and the jump from Grande is steep because the base, the sauce and the milk all scale while the whipped cream stays fixed.
Coffee Frappuccino vs Crème Frappuccino vs Iced Mocha
The Vanilla Bean Crème Frappuccino Blended Beverage is the same drink with no coffee, 380 calories and 0 mg of caffeine, which is why it is the kids' Frappuccino. The Iced Caffè Mocha is fresh espresso, milk and mocha sauce over ice at 350 calories and 175 mg, less sugar and more coffee than the Mocha Frappuccino.
If caffeine is the point, the iced mocha or a Frappuccino with an added shot. If texture is the point, the Frappuccino. If it is for a child, the crème.
| Item | Calories | Sugar | Caffeine |
|---|---|---|---|
| Coffee Frappuccino Blended Beverage | 230 | 45g | 95 mg |
| Mocha Frappuccino Blended Beverage | 370 | 51g | 100 mg |
| Pistachio Frappuccino Blended Beverage | 380 | 55g | 90 mg |
| Caramel Frappuccino Blended Beverage | 380 | 54g | 90 mg |
Lighter Frappuccino Orders
- No whip: the first move on every build but the plain coffee, worth roughly 80 to 120 calories.
- Light base: fewer pumps of the Frappuccino base syrup; the drink is a little less sweet and less smooth.
- Nonfat or almond milk: trims the fat, and almond keeps it dairy light apart from the whip.
- Add a shot instead of asking for extra coffee base; the espresso adds caffeine for 5 calories.
- Tall: 260 calories for a caramel against 470 for the Venti.
- Skip the drizzle and toppings on the crunch and cookie builds.
Coffee Frappuccinos declare none declared beyond dairy; the Frappuccino chips contain soy and the pistachio build contains pistachio flavor. Blenders are shared across every Frappuccino, including the nut and chocolate ones.