McDonald’s frappes are a popular frozen blended coffee drink offered at McDonald’s restaurants. Frappes are made by blending together coffee, milk, sugar, and ice to create a thick, frosty beverage. But what exactly goes into making a McDonald’s frappe? Here we’ll take a closer look at the ingredients that give these icy coffee drinks their signature taste and texture.
The Base Ingredients
There are three main ingredients that form the base of every McDonald’s frappe:
- Coffee
- Milk
- Sugar
Let’s examine each of these core components:
Coffee
Coffee provides the signature roasted flavor in a McDonald’s frappe. McDonald’s uses a coffee concentrate in their frappes rather than brewing individual cups of coffee. The concentrate allows them to mix large batches efficiently while maintaining a consistent coffee taste.
The type of coffee concentrate used can vary between locations, but it’s often a commercial brand designed for use in blended coffee drinks. The coffee concentrate contains brewed coffee that has been concentrated down to a thick liquid through methods like freeze concentration or spray drying.
Milk
Milk gives frappes their creamy texture and adds a mellow, dairy flavor. McDonald’s uses fat-free (skim) milk in their frozen blended coffees. Skim milk provides the same rich, velvety mouthfeel as higher fat milks with fewer calories.
Some McDonald’s locations allow customers to request different types of milk in their frappes, such as low fat (1%), reduced fat (2%), or whole milk. However, skim milk is standard unless otherwise requested.
Sugar
Sugar sweetens up the coffee flavor and balances out the bitterness. McDonald’s adds both granulated white sugar as well as a sugar syrup to their frappe recipe. The sugar syrup helps prevent the drink from tasting icy or crystallized when blended with the coffee and milk.
The amount of sugar can vary based on frappe flavor and size. On average, a small McDonald’s frappe contains around 50 grams of sugar.
Flavorings
In addition to the three base ingredients, different flavorings get added to give McDonald’s frappes their distinct tastes. Let’s look at some of the main frappe flavors on the McDonald’s menu and what goes into each one.
Mocha Frappe
The mocha frappe consists of the coffee, milk, and sugar base plus mocha syrup and chocolate drizzle.
The mocha syrup adds a chocolaty flavor derived from cocoa. The chocolate drizzle around the inside edges of the cup gives you chocolate pieces throughout the drink.
Caramel Frappe
Caramel frappes contain the coffee, milk, and sugar base mixed with caramel syrup for a sweet, buttery flavor. They get topped with caramel drizzle around the inside of the cup.
Strawberry Frappe
Strawberry frappes get their name from the strawberry syrup used to flavor the blended drink. They also typically feature strawberry drizzle around the cup edges.
Vanilla Frappe
Vanilla frappes contain vanilla syrup mixed into the coffee, milk, and sugar base. Vanilla is a popular frappe flavor because it’s creamy and subtly sweet.
Thickness and Texture
The thickness and texture of a McDonald’s frappe comes down to two key factors:
- Ice
- Thickening powder
Ice
Blending the ingredients together with ice is what gives frappes their signature thick, frozen texture. McDonald’s frappes use shaved ice that blends more smoothly than ice cubes.
The amount of ice added affects the consistency. More ice makes a thicker drink, while less ice results in a thinner, icier frappe.
Thickening Powder
While ice gives frappes their frozen texture, thickening powders are also added to improve the body and consistency. Different types of starch-based thickeners, like xanthan gum or guar gum, are commonly used.
The thickening powder keeps the frappe from separating and allows it to maintain its thick, milkshake-like texture even as the ice melts.
Whipped Cream
What’s a frappe without the puffy crown of whipped cream on top? McDonald’s tops their frappes with a generous swirl of fluffy whipped cream.
The whipped cream adds a final touch of creamy sweetness. It’s made fresh in each McDonald’s location by whipping liquid cream until it takes on a light, airy texture.
The whipped cream adds around 2-3 grams of fat per serving and provides a smooth, creamy finish to balance the icy coffee drink.
Nutrition Information
Now let’s take a look at the nutrition facts for a typical small McDonald’s frappe:
Small (12 fl oz) McDonald’s Frappe Nutrition Facts
| Nutrient | Amount |
|---|---|
| Calories | 270 |
| Total Fat | 4.5g |
| Saturated Fat | 3g |
| Trans Fat | 0g |
| Cholesterol | 15mg |
| Sodium | 140mg |
| Total Carbohydrates | 51g |
| Dietary Fiber | 0g |
| Sugars | 51g |
| Protein | 5g |
As you can see, frappes are high in sugar with 51g per small serving. They also provide 270 calories with minimal fiber, protein, vitamins, or minerals.
Ingredients by Frappe Flavor
While all McDonald’s frappes contain the same base ingredients, the specific flavorings change depending on the variety. Here’s a breakdown of the ingredients typically found in each frappe flavor on the McDonald’s menu:
Mocha Frappe
- Coffee
- Milk
- Sugar
- Mocha syrup
- Chocolate drizzle
- Ice
- Whipped cream
Caramel Frappe
- Coffee
- Milk
- Sugar
- Caramel syrup
- Caramel drizzle
- Ice
- Whipped cream
Strawberry Frappe
- Coffee
- Milk
- Sugar
- Strawberry syrup
- Strawberry drizzle
- Ice
- Whipped cream
Vanilla Frappe
- Coffee
- Milk
- Sugar
- Vanilla syrup
- Ice
- Whipped cream
Hidden Ingredients
In addition to the main ingredients listed, there are a few other components that may be inside a McDonald’s frappe that are not directly advertised.
Here are some hidden ingredients that could be in your frappe:
- Preservatives – Used to maintain freshness and prevent spoilage of the syrups.
- Natural and artificial flavors – Help replicate the flavors of mocha, caramel, strawberry, etc.
- Coloring agents – Maintain the right hue for flavored syrups.
- Stabilizers and emulsifiers – Keep ingredients blended evenly and prevent separation.
- Coffee extracts – Used along with coffee concentrate to enhance and balance the coffee taste.
Keep in mind that McDonald’s frequently tweaks their frappe recipes, so the specific ingredients used can vary. Check their website for the most up-to-date nutrition data and ingredient information for the frappe flavor you’re ordering.
Making Your Own McDonald’s Frappe
Want to get your McDonald’s frappe fix at home? Here’s a simple recipe to make a mocha frappe with ingredients you likely have on hand:
Homemade Mocha Frappe Recipe
- 2 cups (16 oz) cold coffee
- 1 cup (8 oz) skim milk
- 1/4 cup chocolate syrup
- 1/4 cup white sugar
- 1 cup ice
- Whipped cream (optional)
- Chocolate drizzle (optional)
- Brew a pot of coffee and chill in the refrigerator until completely cold.
- Add the coffee, milk, chocolate syrup and sugar to a blender.
- Blend on high for about 30 seconds until thoroughly mixed and frothy.
- Add ice and blend again for 1 minute until thick and icy like a frappe.
- Pour into a glass and top with whipped cream and chocolate drizzle if desired.
- Enjoy your homemade mocha frappe!
You can use this basic recipe as a template and substitute the chocolate syrup for caramel, strawberry or vanilla syrups. Blend up a batch for an icy coffee treat made your way!
Conclusion
McDonald’s frappes may seem simple on the surface, but they’re carefully engineered to deliver that perfect sweet coffeehouse-style flavor. While the core ingredients of coffee, milk, sugar and ice remain consistent, additional flavorings, syrups and toppings differentiate the popular menu offerings.
Customizing your frappe with selections like whipped cream, drizzle and dairy alternatives allows you to craft your ideal Iced blended McCafé drink. So next time you pop through the McDonald’s drive-thru, you can have confidence knowing exactly what’s going into your favorite coffee cooler.