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Home » Recipes » Drinks » Iced Coffee Frappé

Iced Coffee Frappé

Published: May 6, 2024 · Modified: May 6, 2024 · This post may contain affiliate links · This blog generates income via ads.

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This impressive looking layered iced coffee frappé is ridiculously easy to make! The ingredients are incredibly simple and this drink can be whipped up in just a couple of minutes! All you need is coffee and water and a jar and a glass with ice and milk! If you love iced coffee, you're going to love this!

What Is A Coffee Frappé?

Not to be confused with the famous Starbucks Frappuccino® which is cappuccino and ice blended together, this type of coffee frappé originated in Greece where, as the story goes, a Nescafé employee did not have any hot water to make himself an instant coffee. So he came up with this idea of combining instant coffee granules and water in a bottle and shaking it and the rest, as they say, is history!

Ingredients

A measuring cup containing water, a measuring cup containing white milk, and white round dish containing brown coffee granules.
  • Instant coffee granules
  • Water
  • Ice Cubes
  • Milk (or your choice of non-dairy milk)
  • Sugar or sweetener (if desired)

Instructions

Close-up of a hand holding a white dish pouring brown coffee granules into a glass bottle.

Add water to a jar. Add the instant coffee granules. Secure the lid onto the jar.

A hand holding a jar containing bubbly brown liquid.

Shake the jar for about a minute to dissolve the instant coffee.

A hand holding a glass jar containing bubbly light brown foam.

Shake vigorously to get a lot of foam.

Close-up of a brown liquid being poured into a glass mug containing white milk and ice cubes.

Add the milk to a serving glass. Add enough ice cubes to fill about half the glass, making sure the ice level is higher than the milk. Give the coffee one last shake in the jar before slowly pouring it into the serving glass.

Hint: To get the three layers (milk, coffee, and foam), pour the coffee slowly into the glass and try to aim the pour directly over an ice cube versus directly into the milk. Otherwise, two layers is okay, too!

Light brown foam being poured from a glass jar into a glass mug containing white milk and brown coffee.

Variations

  • Use brewed coffee - Substitute the water and instant coffee with the same amount of brewed coffee and shake as normal. Note that it will not foam as much and the foam will not last as long as using instant coffee granules.
  • Mocha - in addition to (or instead of) sugar, add a tablespoon of hot chocolate mix to the jar and shake it with the coffee (not cocoa for baking).
  • Dairy-free - Replace the milk with your favorite non-dairy milk.
  • Skip the milk - Make it a 2-layer drink with just the coffee and foam
  • Cold, but ice-free - Add ice cubes to the jar with the coffee shake them together. This will chill the coffee down super fast! Then strain the coffee into your glass without the ice cubes. This works easily with a cocktail shaker.

Some coffee frappé recipes call for the coffee, water, and milk to be shaken all together. However, I found that you don't get as nice a foam if you add the milk, so I prefer to shake only the coffee and water. If you've had a different experience with shaking with milk, let me know in the comments below!

I also prefer using simple syrup to sweeten the coffee after it has been poured into the glass versus adding sugar to the jar to shake with the coffee. I can control the sweetness better with the simple syrup, and I do not have to worry about any granulated sugar not being dissolved in the shaking process.

Equipment

All you need is a jar with a lid that seals well so that you don't lose any coffee while you're shaking it.

As for serving glasses, this recipe makes enough to fit a 16oz. glass.

FAQ

Can I do this with brewed coffee?

Yes! Instead of water and instant coffee, use the equivalent amount of espresso or brewed coffee and shake! You will still get the foam, but not as much.

Can I make this with dairy-free milk?

Yes! Substitute the milk in the recipe with your favorite non-dairy milk.

Can I add sugar to the jar?

Yes! Add the sugar (or your preferred sweetener) to the jar before shaking to sweeten the drink. Shake for a good minute to make sure the sugar is completely dissolved.

Can I add the milk to the jar to shake together with the coffee?

You can, but you will not get the same frothy foam.

Top down view of a glass mug containing a metal straw and bubbly light brown foam.

Other Recipes You Might Like

Looking for more refreshing drink recipes? Give these a try!

  • Cold-Brewed Coffee
  • Easy Iced Milk Tea
  • Cold-Brewed Coffee Ice Cubes
  • Iced Matcha Tea Latte

Recipes To Enjoy With Your Coffee Frappé

You really can't beat the combination of chocolate with coffee, and here are some of my favorite chocolate recipes to pair with the iced coffee:

  • Creamy Crustless Cheesecake
  • Gluten-Free Blueberry Coffee Cake
  • Flourless Chocolate Cake
  • Super Moist Gluten-Free Banana Bread
A glass mug containing iced coffee frappe.

You probably have already have the ingredients necessary to make this iced coffee frappé, so there's no reason not to try it! If you love iced coffee, you're going to love how quick and easy this drink is to make and how awesome it looks!

~ Lisa.

Iced Coffee Frappé

This impressive looking layered iced coffee frappé is ridiculously easy to make! The ingredients are incredibly simple and this drink can be whipped up in just a couple of minutes! All you need is coffee and water and a jar and a glass with ice and milk! If you love iced coffee, you're going to love this!
5 from 4 votes
Print Pin Rate
Prep Time: 5 minutes minutes
Cook Time: 0 minutes minutes
Total Time: 5 minutes minutes
Makes: 1 16 oz. glass

Ingredients

  • 1 tablespoon instant coffee granules
  • ¾ cup room temperature water
  • ⅓ cup milk
  • Ice cubes
  • Sweetener of choice (optional)

Instructions

  • In a canning jar (or any similar jar with a good seal), add the water and instant coffee granules. If using a sweetener, add it as well.
  • Seal the jar securely and shake vigorously for about a minute to dissolve the coffee and to generate a thick foam.
  • Add milk to a drinking glass. Add the ice cubes.
  • Give the jar one more quick shake before slowly pouring the coffee into the glass.

Notes

  • A mason or canning type jar is a perfect jar to use since the seals on the lid are quite good. A cocktail shaker also works.
  • You can substitute he instant coffee and water with an equivalent amount of brewed coffee, but it will not foam as much.
  • Depending on the size of your drinking glass, you may need to play with the proportions of ice, milk, and coffee.
  • Add the ice to the serving glass after the milk so the ice cubes don't melt from the milk being poured over them.
  • Add enough ice so it is higher than the level of the milk in the glass.
  • If using granulated sugar to sweeten, add it to the jar and shake it with the coffee to dissolve the crystals. Shake for a minute or more.
  • Shaking the coffee with water and milk will not produce as much, if any, foam.
  • Evaporated milk makes for a slightly richer coffee. Just make sure it is chilled.
  • Substitute the milk with your favorite non-dairy milk if you are dairy-free.
Have you made this recipe?Leave a comment below and share a photo on Instagram! Be sure to mention @dayinthekitchen!

** This post was originally published on July 8th, 2019 and republished May 6th, 2024 with a new name, updated recipe, new photos, and new writing.

You Might Also Like:

  • Cold-Brewed Tea
  • Homemade Lemonade
  • Tea Affogato
  • How To Make Simple Syrup

Comments

    5 from 4 votes

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  1. Jason says

    May 10, 2023 at 8:55 pm

    5 stars
    Literally obsessed with how it's easy and delicious. been my go to morning drink! (with a little brown sugar simple syrup)

    Reply
    • Lisa says

      May 11, 2023 at 8:35 am

      Hi Jason! Thanks so much for making the recipe...so glad you like and that you've been starting your days with it!

      Reply
  2. Sabrina says

    July 11, 2019 at 7:40 am

    5 stars
    Yum! So easy, delicious and refreshing. This is wonderful and also a much needed caffeine boost when kids are home alllll summer, thanks!

    Reply
    • Lisa says

      July 11, 2019 at 12:57 pm

      Thanks, Sabrina! Caffeine is definitely a good thing over a summer break when the kids are home!

      Reply
  3. Jessica says

    July 10, 2019 at 11:23 pm

    5 stars
    I love iced coffee and the simplicity of this recipe! Perfect for summer afternoons 🙂

    Reply
    • Lisa says

      July 11, 2019 at 7:33 am

      Absolutely! We've been enjoying these quite often with the warm weather!

      Reply
  4. Julia says

    July 10, 2019 at 4:56 am

    5 stars
    I absolutely love iced coffee in the summer and this one looks fantastic!!!

    Reply
    • Lisa says

      July 10, 2019 at 9:36 pm

      Me, too, Julia! Thanks!

      Reply

Hey, I'm Lisa!

Welcome to A Day in the Kitchen! This is your one stop shop for easy gluten-free recipes for baking and cooking, as well as traditional home-cooked Chinese dishes! Whether you want to try gluten-free baking, are feeling nostalgic for Chinese dishes you had as a kid, or you simply want easy meal ideas, I've got you covered! It's always a great day to cook!

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