How do I make a frappuccino less watery?
I'm trying to recreate a Starbucks caramel coffee frappuccino, but it's coming out awfully watery. I've watched them make it and here is what they do, as far as I can tell:
- half fill the blender container with ice
- pour milk on up to half the level of the ice
- add some (hard to see how much exactly) coffee from a tank labelled "frap", which I assume is just regular cooled coffee
- add some squirts of caramel syrup
- blend.
Yum, delicious. But when I do this, I get a very watery result which is not thick and creamy like theirs. How can I improve it?
Best Answer
Aside from ingredients, you should also consider the blender. I don't know what brand of blenders Starbucks uses, but they're clearly something that's a) heavy duty and b) high speed. Blending the drink at very high speed may result in much smaller bits of ice and a drink that seems smoother than what you can produce with a consumer blender.
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How do you make a frappuccino not watery?
So, if you feel like your frappuccinos are turning out to be too watery, try putting less milk and more syrup in....How do you make a frappuccino thicker?
Xanthan gum, a common food additive, is the key to getting that thick, satisfying consistency. I tried making a Frappuccino without xanthan gum and it came out too icy. The coffee also quickly separated from the ice. Both golden syrup and xanthan gum are sold in the baking section of most grocery stores.What does Starbucks use to thicken drinks?
Xanthan gum powder is the secret ingredient that's in every Starbucks Frappuccino. It's a common food additive that's used to thicken and prevents ingredients from separating, like ice cream, salad dressing, yogurt, and spreads.How do you keep a frappe from separating?
XANTHAN GUM This Frappuccino Base is added to bind the coffee, milk, and ice together, creating a smooth consistency and keeping it from separating. The good news is that xanthan gum does just that. It is a harmless food additive that is used in many foods, cosmetics, medicines, etc.Making Starbucks Drinks At Home | But Better
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Answer 2
Aha, the article and comments on this site: http://www.squawkfox.com/2011/06/16/frappuccino-recipe/ suggest using double-strength coffee and (the secret ingredient) adding a pinch of xanthan gum. I might have to see if I can get that anywhere!
Answer 3
I agree that they probably use a thickener. Xanthan is a thickener which is commonly used in processed food, and you can try it. (Don't bother searching for it in supermarkets, I get it over Amazon marketplace). But for a better mouthfeel and aroma performance, I would explore a starch-thickened variant first. Adding a very small amount of starch slurry to the just-brewed coffee and waiting for it to blubb should do the trick, but you have to see if the coffee doesn't get bitter due to the prolonged heating; if it does, you will probably need a two-step process.
Answer 4
Xanthan gum gives good results.
Here is a recipe from Squawkfox
> Frappuccino ingredients: makes 2.5 cups (590 mL)
>
> 1 cup double-strength Starbucks coffee
> OR 3/4 cup fresh espresso (cold)
> 3/4 cup milk (low fat, 2%, whole or whatever)
> 3 tablespoons granulated sugar (or to taste)
> 2 cups ice
> Pinch of xanthan gum OR 1 teaspoon dry pectin (keeps Frapp from separating)
Put all in a blender and blend.
Answer 5
2 tablespoons of a non-flavored pudding powder works fantastically. I actually think that Starbucks might use that (a friend who works at Starbucks told me to try using the pudding powder).
Answer 6
I was able to recreate pretty closely a coffee frappacino light by making strong coffee ice cubes and blending in my lowly Oster using Land O Lakes nonfat half and half. It just took a lot longer than their 10 seconds in their Belndtec blender but it tastes pretty close and is delicious.
Answer 7
Starbucks actually uses a coffee/cream base for their frappes to make them blend smoothly. It tastes really sweet though.
Answer 8
I have made good frappes using vanilla ice cream for half of the milk. I add 3 tablespoons of Hershey's Dark Cocoa for the chocolate. A little maple syrup adds sweetness. Add coffee and ice and blend away! Chocolate ice cream might work as well. I use a Ninja 900 for the blender.
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