Black Cat Frappuccino {Starbucks Copycat}

The Black Cat Frappuccino is Starbucks' new Halloween drink, a chocolate cake Frappuccino topped with whipped cream and cat ears. This copycat version is made with a homemade chocolate cake powder that gives the drink that black cat color and a flavor that tastes like chocolate cake batter!

Jump to:

• 🖤 Why this recipe works
• 🗒️ Ingredients
• 🐈‍⬛ Recipe tips
• 🎉 Variations on recipe
• 🧋 More limited Frappuccino drink recipes
• 🙋‍♀️ FAQ
• 📖 Recipe
• 💬 Comments

The Black Cat Frappuccino is the new Halloween 2026 drink at Starbucks and I have a feeling it's going to be a huge hit!

It's a chocolate cake-flavored crème Frappuccino (which means no coffee is involved) topped with whipped cream and adorable little chocolate cat ears. It tastes kind of like eating chocolate cake batter right out of the bowl and is a delightfully spooky color (with no artificial dye used!).

It's available at Starbucks for a limited time only, but with my easy copycat recipe, you can make it at home any time you want.

Oh, and I should mention that they're promotng it with Salem the Cat from Sabrina the Teenage Witch, which is obviously going to be a hit with all my fellow Millennials!

🖤 Why this recipe works

It uses a homemade chocolate cake powder: just like the Starbucks drink, the flavor comes from a powder blended into the Frappuccino. It's made with simple ingredients and can be stored in an airtight container for quite a while.

Black cocoa powder makes the drink dark and moody: I use both black cocoa powder and dutch-process cocoa powder in the drink, but it's the dark powder that gives the drink its color. I was worried I'd have to use black food coloring, but this worked perfectly!

It tastes like chocolate cake batter: the Frappuccino literally tastes like you're eating chocolate cake or brownie batter out of the bowl. But a frosty version!

It's an easy drink to make: once you have your powder made, you basically just mix it with milk, vanilla syrup, and ice in the blender.

🗒️ Ingredients

Here's everything you need to make the Black Cat Frappuccino at home (be sure to check out the recipe card at the bottom of the post for ingredient amounts and full recipe instructions):

• Whole milk
• Chocolate cake powder: I share my recipe for this below
• Vanilla syrup: store-bought or using my homemade vanilla syrup recipe.
• Xanthan powder: this is for thickening the Frappuccino. You can substitute with cornstarch, but use a little bit more
• Ice
• Whipped cream: for topping
• Cat sprinkles: for topping. I couldn't find a good edible cat ear topping like Starbucks uses, so I opted for cute cat sprinkles instead.

Here's what you need for the chocolate cake powder:

• Black cocoa powder: this is the key to getting that black cat color without any artificial dye.
• Dutch-process cocoa powder: the black cocoa gives the Frappuccino its dark color, while Dutch-process cocoa powder adds rich chocolate flavor (black cocoa on its own tastes more like an Oreo than chocolate cake)
• Confectioners' sugar
• Blue spirulina powder: this is an optional ingredient that makes the color a little more "midnight" purple than pure black. You may already have it if you've ever made my copycat Blue Coconut Refresher or Unicorn Frappuccino.
• Salt

🐈‍⬛ Recipe tips

• Whisk the chocolate cake powder ingredients together really well. Cocoa powder tends to get clump, so be sure to whisk until everything is evenly combined. If you still see lumps, you can sift the mixture.

• Use confectioners' sugar instead of granulated. It dissolves easily in cold milk, so you're Frappuccino won't be gritty.

• I like to store my chocolate cake powder in a mason jar, but you can use any airtight container. It should keep fresh at room temperature for at least 3 months and one batch can make 5-6 Black Cat Frappuccinos.

• Your Frappuccino will be best if all your ingredients are very cold. That means letting your syrup chill and using milk and cream right out of the fridge.

• Blend your Frappuccino longer than you think you need to; for a good 30 to 45 seconds so the xanthan gum can do its thing and you get that signature thick texture.

• Pour the Frappuccino mixture into your cup, making sure there's a little bit of room left for the whipped cream.

• And top off with whipped cream and the edible cat decorations of your choice. Like I mentioned, I use little cat sprinkles, but you could make your own chocolate cat ears if you want!

OK, I love this and have to say there's never been a drink at Starbucks like it!

The Black Cat Frappuccino comes out so dark and dramatic and it really does taste like chocolate cake batter. Like really, really. It's rich and chocolatey with a sweet vanilla finish.

I know the Black Cat Frappuccino is limited time only at Starbucks, but I wonder if they'll plan to keep that chocolate cake powder around after the Halloween season. It could make for all kinds of fabulous drinks.

🎉 Variations on recipe

You can't make any adjustments to this special Frappuccino in-store, but when you make it at home, you can do anything you want to it! Here are some ideas:

• This is a créme Frappuccino, but you can add a shot of espresso or ¼ cup strongly brewed coffee for a caffeinated version at home.
• Blend in 1 ½ tablespoon mini chocolate chips for extra chocolate flecks.
• Swap the vanilla syrup for my Toffee Nut Syrup or Caramel Syrup.
• Drizzle mocha sauce inside the cup before pouring in the Frappuccino for extra rich chocolate flavor.
• For a dairy-free version, use oat milk or almond milk with dairy-free whipped cream. Note that swapping milks may result in a Frappuccino that's not quite as thick and frothy as one made with whole milk.
• Swap the whipped cream for Vanilla Sweet Cream cold foam.
• Top with crushed chocolate cookies for a cookies and cream twist.
• Add a few drops of peppermint extract for a mint chocolate version.
• Blend in a scoop of vanilla ice cream for a thicker, milkshake-style drink.
• Stir 1-2 tablespoon of the chocolate cake powder into hot milk for a spooky hot chocolate.

🧋 More limited Frappuccino drink recipes

While all Starbucks limited-time drink releases are exciting, there's something extra fun about the Frappuccino drinks! Even though you can't get them at the coffee shop anymore, you can still make these favorites at home:

If you love this dark chocolate Frappuccino, you may also want to try my Mocha Cookie Crumble Frappuccino. It uses mocha sauce instead of chocolate cake powder, but is absolutely delicious.

And for a fun matching breakfast item during the holiday season, make these Halloween cinnamon rolls!

🙋‍♀️ FAQ

I'm so excited about this Black Cat Frappuccino and am even more excited it's so easy to make at home.

It's dark, chocolatey and tastes just like chocolate cake batter. It couldn't be more fun for Halloween and I have a feeling it's going to be a huge hit both during the Halloween season and beyond.

If you make it, I'd love to hear what you think. Leave a comment and a star rating below!

📖 Recipe