Now that the Starbucks Unicorn Frappucino is officially a thing, the Internet has been freaking TF out. But like all good things, this mystical creation is limited edition. (Of course.) It doubles as the perfect excuse to learn how to make a DIY Unicorn Frappuccino, because life is too short for boring drinks.
But first, what is the Unicorn Frappuccino? Unless you have been living under a rock, it has probably been flooding your news feeds. This vibrant beverage is made of mango-flavored pink-purple crème Frappuccino with swirls of sour blue syrup. It is also topped with whipped cream, pink and blue sprinkles, and probably some real life unicorn dust. Basically, this baby is a color-changing, flavor-changing, Instagram-worthy beverage.
Making the limited-edition Unicorn Frappuccino at home is easy. The only catch is that it will not have the same flavors, because let’s face it – who has sugary syrups laying around at home? OK, so maybe you can just buy them. But in the interest of keeping things simple, you can use good ol’ fruits and ice cream. This option is also ideal if you are not into the idea of sour Frappuccinos.
The best part? You can even customize it to your health needs. Use dairy-free ice cream and milk made of coconut, soy, or almond. Then make frozen banana ice cream blended with blueberries. Your magic, your rules.
Ingredients:
- Vanilla ice cream (1/4 cup and 1/2 cup)
- Milk of your choice (1/4 cup and 1/2 cup)
- Strawberries
- 2 cups ice
- Whipped cream
- Sugar
- Blue and red food coloring
To make this drink dairy-free, use coconut, almond, or soy ice cream and milk.
1. Separate the sugar into two separate containers. Add a few drops of blue food coloring to one, and red to the other.
2. Mix well.
If you want to ditch the food coloring all together, skip Steps 1 and 2.
3. Chop up 2 to 3 large strawberries.
4. In a blender, combine 1/4 cup ice cream, 1/2 cup milk, 1 cup ice, and the chopped strawberries. If you'd like, add a few drops of red coloring to create a more saturated shade of pink.
5. Blend until the mixture is smooth in consistency. Set aside in the freezer.
6. Add 1/2 cup ice cream, 1/4 cup milk, 1 cup ice, and blue food coloring. Note that you're using more ice cream and less milk for this part. This will help thicken up the consistency of the blue portion, since you're not using fruits.
However, if you want to skip the food coloring, use blueberries or blackberries. Keep in mind that this will create a purple shade, but it'll still look pretty as heck.
7. Blend until smooth.
8. Grab a pint glass, mason jar, or mug. Make sure it's clear, so you can see the mystical goodness. Pour half of the strawberry mixture into the cup. Follow up with some blue, then top off with more strawberry.
9. Use a straw to swirl the colors together. Top off with whipped cream and colored sugar.
Heads up, though. The colors are going to quickly mesh together in this one, since it calls for ice cream and milk instead of ice and syrup. So you'll want to get this on the 'gram ASAP.
Either way, it's an awesome trade-off for not having to buy syrup or leave your house. Also, it's so freakin' fun to make. How magical is that?
