Skip to Content

Starbucks Mocha Syrup Recipe (Copycat)

Starbucks Mocha Syrup Recipe (Copycat)

Chocolate and coffee go so beautifully together; chocolate gives a deep, rich flavor while coffee gives just enough acid to help cut through the sweet richness and enhancing it at the same time.

Is it any wonder why mocha is one of the most popular coffee flavors?

Speaking of mocha, we love the Starbucks version of mocha syrup.

It’s a delicious blend of rich, sweet chocolate with the perfect amount of coffee kick.

If you love mocha syrup as well, you should do yourself a favor and learn how to make a copycat mocha syrup recipe at home!

We have found that this mocha syrup recipe works great in a cold brew over ice, iced lattes, and cold drinks in general, but it will work fine in hot drinks also. 

What’s the difference between mocha syrup and mocha sauce?

While people tend to use mocha syrup and sauce interchangeably, there is a difference when it comes to the consistency and use of these two ingredients.

Syrups are thinner and more liquid compared to sauces and are more suited for use in cold drinks because it blends into the drink better.

If you add a sauce to a cold drink, it will most likely clump at the bottom of the glass.

Sauces, while more concentrated in flavor, are more suited for hot drinks because the heat will disperse the sauce into the liquid.

They are also used to add more “body” to a drink.

How to store mocha syrup?

To store mocha syrup, allow the syrup to cool to room temperature before transferring to container.

The container must be made from a non-porous substance such as glass so that it does not get stained from the dark syrup.

Non-porous substances will also prevent the syrup from leaching into the glass and leaving the smell or scent of the syrup.

Personally, we love using Mason jars to store mocha syrup because they are airtight, easy to use, and they look pretty!

How long does mocha syrup last?

Homemade mocha syrup will last up to 1 week in the fridge when stored in an airtight container.

Our CookingChew Cooking Tips:

  1. Use dark cocoa powder! Keep in mind that mocha is a syrup that has strong flavors, so you want to use a chocolate that can stand up to the strong flavor of the coffee.
  2. Use unsweetened cocoa powder. Sweetened cocoa powder already contains sugar/sweeteners, so if you add the recommended amount of sugar in the recipe, you might end up making the syrup too sweet and sickly. You can always add a little bit more sugar afterwards if you want to make it sweeter.

Starbucks Mocha Syrup Copycat

If you love decadent drinks and desserts, a tablespoon or two of this luscious syrup will do the trick!

It brings together the best of two worlds: rich chocolate and strong coffee.

Mix it in with your favorite coffee, tea, or use it as a topping on ice cream.

Do I Need to Use Decaf Coffee?

In this recipe, we used decaf coffee to control the amount of caffeine in the syrup.

Remember, cocoa also contains caffeine!

Why Do I Need to Use Imitation Vanilla Extract?

Imitation vanilla extract has a stronger vanilla flavor compared to pure vanilla extract.

Mocha syrup has strong flavors because of the coffee and cocoa so you want a vanilla flavor that can stand up to those flavors.

If you use pure vanilla extract, you will need to use more in order to get the vanilla flavor to be noticeable.

Make sure that you keep the consistency somewhat loose.

You want a pourable syrup, instead of a sauce that you need to spoon out!

Starbucks Mocha Syrup Recipe (Copycat)

Starbucks Mocha Syrup Recipe (Copycat)

Yield: 1 cup
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 20 minutes

Starbucks Mocha Syrup Copycat Recipe – If you love mocha syrup as well, you should do yourself a favor and learn how to make a copycat mocha syrup at home!

Ingredients

  • 1 c. decaf coffee strongly brewed
  • 1 c. dark cocoa powder
  • 1 c. of sugar
  • ¼ t. of salt
  • 1 T. imitation vanilla extract

Instructions

  1. In a large bowl, whisk together decaf coffee, dark cocoa powder, sugar, and salt until sugar and salt have dissolved slightly.
  2. Place saucepan on stove. Add decaf coffee mixture.
  3. Boil until mixture starts to thicken, stirring continuously, around 10 minutes.
  4. Once mixture begins to thicken and cocoa, sugar, and salt have dissolved completely, remove from heat.
  5. Allow syrup to cool to room temperature.
  6. Transfer to serving containers and use as desired.

Notes

Equipment:

  • Saucepan
  • Large bowl
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 1 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 1147Total Fat: 8gSaturated Fat: 0gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 0gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 594mgCarbohydrates: 251gFiber: 16gSugar: 202gProtein: 16g

Did you make this recipe?

Please leave a comment on the blog or share a photo on Pinterest

Amanda

Saturday 19th of August 2023

I love this recipe. I am a big of a coffee-caffeine aholic so I actually use espresso for my coffee. I have found most coffee lovers like myself love my mocha sauce. Those who aren’t a big coffee fan, well…. they make some really awesome faces when they just give the sauce a try. 😂

Cheryl

Wednesday 5th of July 2023

Love this mocha syrup and use it in my coffee every day (since I’m not really a coffee grown-up ☺️); also yummy as an ice cream or other dessert topping. One clarifying question … I don’t see in the instructions when to add the vanilla. In your experience, is there an optimal time for that step?

Elise

Sunday 5th of December 2021

There are so many ads on this website, I can’t see the instructions. I’ve tried browsing, skipping, rotating my screen, etc. it’s just not working. Ingredients look good, giving it a try. But would be more helpful if I could read what’s going on. Thanks!

Ryan

Friday 13th of January 2023

@Elise, Just install Ad Block Plus and your issues will be gone! I don't see a single ad on the whole page. The sides are blank white spaces, no doubt would have been filled with obnoxious ads.

Ingrid

Thursday 7th of October 2021

Thank you! I just did and work perfectly! Drink in a Starbucks cup gets more the nice feeling of the foam coming from the little hole! For the foam, I used Bialetti “milk pan”, I don’t know the name of it in English. Love it!!!

Trent

Friday 7th of May 2021

This is perfect but 10 min boiling will result in something as solid as fudge, which while still delicious by the spoon, is tough to stir into a drink! I'd take it off the heat just short of the consistency you want it to be since it'll thicken as it cools. Otherwise making another batch right now!

Rob

Thursday 25th of November 2021

@Trent, Yep. I did this first time for 10 mins and turned out too thick. Second time it boiled for 5 mins and it was much better.

Skip to Recipe