Homemade Starbucks Caramel Ribbon Crunch Frappuccino Recipe

Whether the weather is warm outside or warm inside while your heater combats the colder season’s chilly temperatures, nothing quite cools you down like a caramel ribbon crunch frappuccino. 

Going to Starbucks every time you crave the sweet, frozen caramel bomb can get expensive. The good news is you can make a Caramel Ribbon Crunch Frappuccino right from home! Keep reading to learn how.  

What Is the Caramel Ribbon Crunch Frappuccino at Starbucks? 

A proprietary blend of coffee, milk, ice, and flavors, many flavors of Frappuccinos have paraded their way on and off the Starbucks menu.

The Caramel Frappuccino is a classic, but in 2013, Starbucks upped the ante and released the Caramel Ribbon Crunch Frappuccino. 

The Caramel Ribbon Crunch Frappuccino includes a rich dark caramel sauce. Whipped cream and caramel sauce are squeezed into the bottom of the cup, and the top features whipped cream, caramel drizzle, and caramel crunch topping. 

It is a decadent frozen drink for anyone serious about caramel. The coffee-free Caramel Ribbon Crunch Creme Frappuccino is available for those who don’t drink coffee or caffeine. 

Curious about how Frappuccinos compare to other similar drinks? Discover the differences in our detailed exploration of Frappuccino vs frappe.

How to Make Starbucks Caramel Ribbon Crunch Frappuccino at Home?

Here is everything you need to know to make and customize your Caramel Ribbon Crunch Frappuccino at home. 

Ingredients

While the Caramel Ribbon Crunch requires several ingredients, many you probably already have or can quickly whip up with ingredients on hand. 

Coffee

The baristas at Starbucks use a proprietary Frappuccino Roast as the coffee base to make the Frappuccinos. To get a similar effect at home, you have a few options. Just one thing, since this drink is quite sweet so you need more coffee for a stronger coffee flavor.

Pull a double shot of your favorite espresso for the frappuccino. You could also use a Moka pot or any other brewing method to brew a very strong coffee. For best results, refrigerate or let your coffee cool to room temperature. 

Alternatively, you could use instant coffee or a store-bought cold brew concentrate. 

Flavorings

Starbucks uses its dark caramel sauce as the flavoring in the Caramel Ribbon Crunch Frappuccino and its traditional caramel sauce for the drizzle. You can also find sugar-free caramel sauce in the grocery store or through online retailers. 

You can make caramel sauce at home with sugar and water. To approximate the dark caramel sauce use brown sugar instead of regular granulated sugar, and add butter for additional richness.

Milk

Starbucks makes their Frappuccinos using whole milk. Whole milk ensures a creamy, full-bodied texture. 

You can substitute it with any other milk. The thinner the milk, the more “watery” the drink will seem. The coffee will also come through stronger with thin milk like nonfat or almond milk. 

Topping

Top the caramel ribbon crunch with whipped cream, caramel sauce, and chopped-up crunchy caramel candies. 

Use store-bought whipped cream in a can, or whip up your own with one cup of heavy whipping cream, two tablespoons of sugar, and ½ a teaspoon of vanilla. 

If you have a lighter and a darker caramel sauce, use the lighter sauce to draw a spiral of drizzle over the whipped cream. 

Top with crushed-up caramel candies, toffee bits, chocolate chips or caramel crumb topping available at the grocery store, cake decorating store, or online retailers such as Amazon. 

Equipment

To make a Caramel Ribbon Crunch Frappuccino at home, you will need to have a blender to break the ice. You will also need an espresso machine, Moka pot, or other brewing equipment. Finally, this icy caramel coffee frappe is often served in a tall glass.

Step-by-step Instructions:

Step 1: Prepare espresso

Starbucks uses concentrated coffee for its frappuccinos. At home, you can substitute this for a double shot of espresso, or a double shot’s worth of strong brewed coffee or cold brew concentrate. Let cool. Pour in a blender.

For the Caramel Ribbon Crunch Creme Frappuccino, omit this step. 

Step 2: Add whole milk

Add whole milk or your milk of choice to the blender. You will need about 2 parts milk to one part espresso. 

Step 3: Add dark caramel 

Add around a tablespoon of dark caramel sauce. You can add more if it isn’t sweet or caramelly enough. 

Step 4: Add ice

Crushed ice will blend more easily, but any kind of ice will work. 

Step 5: Add simple syrup

To further sweeten the drink and to help with the smooth texture add simple syrup to the blender. This can also be made simply with sugar and hot water. 

Step 6: Blend everything in the blender

Blend until smooth. 

Step 7: Add whipped cream to the bottom of the tall glass. Spoon about a tablespoon of the remaining caramel sauce on top of the whipped cream. 

Step 8: Pour the blended drink into a cup. 

Step 9: Top the beverage with whipped cream, caramel drizzle, and caramel crunch topping.

How To Make Caramel Crunch Topping?

To make caramel crunch topping the easy way, purchase some of your favorite caramel hard candies, such as Werther’s. These can be smashed or crushed, and then sprinkled on top of the whipped cream. 

For the homemade method:

1. Put a sheet of parchment paper on a pan. 
2. Add ½ cup sugar and 1½ tablespoons water to a saucepan over medium-high heat, cooking until sugar is dissolved and the mixture turns dark amber. 
3. Pour mixture on parchment. Cool. 
4. When hardened, break into pieces. Put into a ziplock bag and crush with a rolling pin for smaller pieces. 

How To Make Caramel Sauce at Home?

To make delicious dark caramel sauce at home:

1. Add 1 cup of brown sugar, ½ cup of half and half, 4 tablespoons of butter, and a pinch of salt to a saucepan over medium-high heat. Whisk gently, until the mixture thickens, around five to seven minutes. 
2. Add a tablespoon of vanilla and cook for one additional minute. 
3. Take off the heat and pour into a jar or container and allow to cool. 

To make the caramel drizzle topping at home: 

1. Add ½ cup sugar and 1½ tablespoons water to a saucepan over medium-high heat. 
2. Once it turns a deep amber, whisk in 2 tablespoons of heavy cream.
3. Add a teaspoon of vanilla. Pull off the heat. Cool before serving. 

Conclusion

The Starbucks Caramel Ribbon Crunch Frappuccino is the ultimate frozen coffee drink for the caramel lover. 

Whether you make your own whipped cream, caramel sauce, and caramel crunch topping or purchase them from the store, this Caramel Ribbon Crunch Frappuccino recipe is an easy and delicious way to enjoy your frappuccino whenever you want it without having to leave home!