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This post is sponsored by Javy Coffee. However, all opinions expressed are my own.
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What’s your go-to order at the coffee shop? For me, for as long as I can remember, it’s a Cafe Mocha.
While I love taking advantage of seasonal options such as Pumpkin Spice Lattes or indulging in the dessert drinks such as a good Mocha Cookie Crumble Frappuccino (yes, mocha!), I always go back to my simple mocha. I think it’s hard for any coffee shop to mess this drink up, though I’ll admit I do have my preferences for which places serve the best mocha coffees! I love comparing! A cafe mocha latte to me is like me comparing pizzas and butter chickens at different restaurants!
A mocha coffee a hot drink, similar to a hot chocolate but with the coffee. Conversely, a mocha is like a latte with the touch of chocolate! Apparently, the mocha cafe was one of the original specialty drinks on the menu. I see why! For me, it’s stood the test of time in that I always want to get back to relive my favourite drink. I’ve become so obsessed that it became a mission to perfect it at home!
This has honestly been one of the hardest recipes for me to get right! I’ve really tried hundreds of variations to make it just the way I like it! I’ve driven my wife, my sister, and Instagram nuts showing all these mochas (by the way, if you want glimpses of my cooking adventures, then I recommend you follow me there! I also include recipe sneak peaks so you really get the inside scoop!), and I make one nearly every day at this point. I’m sure you’re going to love seeing how to make cafe mocha better than Starbucks right in your home!
This mocha coffee recipe is great because you won’t need a coffee maker or hot chocolate mix! Just whip out a sauce pan (or your microwave!) and get your milk warm, and look for some simple pantry staple ingredients! You can make this in no time, and the results will be excellent!
Be sure to watch the video so you can follow along with the homemade cafe mocha recipe - I always find that with cooking it’s more tangible to watch instead of reading alone! Subscribe to me on YouTube if you haven’t yet so you’re notified when the videos go live - I’m currently uploading a new recipe every Monday and Friday along with on the blog!
Tips for the Best Homemade Cafe Mocha Recipe!
- Make sure to stir the milk occasionally to ensure it does not burn while coming up to a simmer.
- Keep a close eye once the milk is simmering to ensure it does not boil over, lower the heat once simmering.
- If using my homemade chocolate mocha syrup, warm in the microwave for few seconds before topping.
- Use an icing bag to create awesome designs for the whipped cream topping.
Ingredients for Homemade Cafe Mocha
Let’s review the ingredients we’ll need for our better than Starbucks Homemade Cafe Mocha recipe! Remember, the FULL PRINTABLE RECIPE CARD with all ingredient quantities is at the bottom of this post! You can easily scale this recipe to make as much syrup as you’d like!
- Your choice of milk: Starbucks will use 2% milk in their standard recipe, and that’s what I’ll be using here. If you want, you can use full fat milk or a lower fat milk. In fact, you can use a dairy-free milk. However, keep in mind that tastes and textures will be different. If you want a richer and creamier mocha, then For best results, I would use 2% milk, but you can change it up based on your dietary preferences. Let me know what works for you in the comments!
- Instant Coffee or Liquid Coffee Concentrate: I’ll be show how to make a mocha with instant coffee today. I’m using a liquid coffee concentrate (psst! Click that link for a 15% off discount!) that was sent to me by Javy Coffee. Thank you very much Javy for sending me this product, I’m absolutely hooked! Javy is quite literally instant coffee in liquid form. All you gotta do is add a bit to water and voila! Coffee without brewing! This stuff is pretty strong, but it’s so much fun to use for cooking or just to make some coffee shop-quality lattes at home! You can adjust the amount of coffee concentrate you’d like depending on how strong of a coffee flavour you want in your syrup. Of course, if you don’t have coffee concentrate, you can also use instant coffee or espresso powder for this recipe. I’m actually using half liquid concentrate and half instant coffee in this mocha coffee, so if you don’t have the liquid concentrate, just use all regular instant coffee!
- Cocoa powder: Basic cocoa powder works just fine here, use whatever cocoa powder is in your pantry.
- Your choice of sweetener: I’m using simple table sugar for this recipe. I’ve tried with every sweetener under the sun: honey, agave syrup, maple syrup… Use whatever you feel like, but table sugar is accessible to everyone and easy to scale, which is why I’ve used it here! We’re combining sweetener and cocoa powder so that you don’t need to use a pre-made hot cocoa mix!
- Whipped cream: Whenever I’m asked “Do you want whipped cream on top?” I’ve never said no! I love my cream, so of course I’m going to use it here! I’m using my Homemade Whipped Creamrecipe to garnish the mocha, but if you don’t feel like making it then feel free to use an aerosol can for your whipped cream. You’ll step up your game from the coffee shop by making your own though, so I definitely recommend it! You can easily make it in a stand mixer!
- Chocolate syrup: Again, I’m taking things up a notch by using my own Chocolate Mocha Syrup that will be free of any artificial flavours or preservatives from a store-bought one! You’ll taste rich chocolate in every sip! However, if you don’t feel like making it, then go ahead and use your favourite store-bought one.
- Vanilla extract: This is optional. I didn’t use it here because there’s already vanilla in the whipped cream. If you’re not topping your mocha with whipped cream - or you’re a huge vanilla lover! - then feel free to add a drop or two of vanilla extract into your mocha! I just didn’t want the vanilla flavour to overpower the chocolate flavour!
How to Make Homemade Cafe Mocha
- Add milk to a saucepan and bring to a simmer. Stir/whisk occasionally to ensure the milk doesn't burn at the bottom.
- Add instant coffee/espresso powder, cocoa powder and Javy coffee if using. Mix well using a whisk until combined.
- Add sweetener of choice and taste to adjust sweetness. Once the mocha is warmed through, serve immediately
- Top with whipped cream and chocolate sauce.
The Microwave Method for Homemade Cafe Mocha
You may be asking if you can make this in the microwave! You sure can, and this is actually how I usually make it! It is quite faster, but I think it actually dirties more dishes, so that’s a downside! But here’s how I do it in the microwave:
- Add the milk in a microwave safe container and warm for 2:30 to 4:00 minutes or until hot.
- In the meanwhile, add instant coffee/espresso powder, cocoa powder, Javy coffee and sweetener of choice in cups.
- Pour a couple tablespoons of milk in each cup and mix well to combine. Pour the remaining milk to fill the cup and top with whipped cream and chocolate sauce.
Frequently Asked Questions About Making a Homemade Cafe Mocha
Can I make this an iced mocha?▼
You could, but to be honest I’ve never tried! I’ve only made it this way - hot! Hot mochas are my favourite, though I do enjoy the iced mochas in the summertime! Unfortunately, summertime doesn’t last long here in Canada, so I’ve got more of a bias and fondness toward the hot mochas!
I could definitely try out an iced mocha recipe in the future! Be sure to comment below if you’d be interested in an iced mocha recipe!
Can I make this Homemade Cafe Mocha Using Brewed Coffee?▼
Of course! The whole point of this recipe was to make a mocha without a coffee machine, which is why we’re using instant coffee. If you’ve got brewed coffee ready to go, simply follow the same steps as above except reduce the amount of milk by half and use brewed coffee instead.
Is there caffeine in a mocha?▼
Yes, there will be caffeine in the Javy liquid coffee concentrate and instant coffee or espresso powder. If you want to avoid caffeine, then skip the liquid coffee concentrate and use a decaf instant coffee. I was having way too many of these and my sleep schedule was getting messed up, so I changed up my instant coffee for a decaf one! Made all the difference without sacrificing taste!
Can I use chocolate chips to make the Homemade Cafe Mocha?▼
I’ve tried this before with my mochas! Sure, you can add molten chocolate chips instead of the chocolate sauce. You can either melt your chocolate chips by themselves in the microwave, or add some cream with the chocolate sauce along with Javy coffee for a quick microwave chocolate sauce.
Can I Make a Mocha Ahead of Time?▼
I would recommend you serve your mocha immediately for the best taste! But confession time here - I’ll make my mochas and leave it sitting for hours ‘cause I’ve forgotten to sip it! It’s still okay even cold! If you slowly sipped it and it cooled down, you could refresh your mocha by adding some milk and throwing it in the microwave till it warms up again! Not optimal, but a solution!
Can I Make this Mocha Vegan?▼
Technically I don’t see why not!
- For instance, use a plant-based milk instead of dairy milk, as mentioned above.
- Additionally, if you’re going to top with whipped cream, find a vegan whipped cream. I like coconut whipped cream, that’s so good!
- You would also want to make sure that your chocolate syrup is vegan, so make sure that it doesn’t contain heavy cream and non-vegan chocolate!
Again, I can’t tell you how it would taste, but if you try a vegan-fied version of this recipe, then let me know what you did and how it tasted!
Homemade Cafe Variations
This is a recipe for the classic Mocha that you’ll order from Starbucks! I know that there are other mocha variations, and I have tried them at the coffee shop, but I just love the classic so much! Here are some ideas to switch things up!
- Spiked Mocha Latte: Make this mocha “adult” by adding Baileys Irish Cream, whiskey, or vodka to your mocha!
- Salted Caramel Mocha Latte: Use half chocolate syrup and half caramel sauce! You could even do Whiskey Caramel Saucefor an adult version!
- Pumpkin Spice Mocha: Throw in a sprinkle of pumpkin spice into the pan when you are adding your instant coffee. You can also add a dash for garnish over the whipped cream if you’re using it.
- Cinnamon Mocha Latte: Similar to the pumpkin spice variation, add throw in a sprinkle of cinnamon when the coffee is being added to the pan. Serve with cinnamon sticks on top of the whipped cream!
- Peppermint Mocha: Add in peppermint extract or crush a candy cane into the saucepan! When serving, top with your whipped cream, and garnish with extra pieces of crushed candy cane.
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