The Santa Claus Frappuccino is the perfect secret menu drink to order from Starbucks during the holiday season. But it's also so easy to make a copycat version at home. The Vanilla Bean Frappuccino is layered with strawberry puree and topped with whipped cream and seasonal sprinkles!

Head-on view of a red and white Santa Claus Frappuccino Starbucks copycat with recipe title at top.

You know how much I love a good Starbucks secret menu item! And even better when that menu item is easy to order (I don't love having to list of a million ingredients and modifications for a barista to make my drink), seasonal, and delicious.

This Santa Claus Frappuccino is a really simple Starbucks secret menu drink. But it's also super festive and tastes absolutely delicious.

And now you can easily make it at home with this copycat recipe!

🤫 What is the Starbucks secret menu?

The secret menu isn't an official Starbucks menu. It's actually just various drink concoctions customers have come up with that are possible to make with Starbucks ingredients.

For a list of the various drinks you can order that aren't on the actual menu, check out this secret menu. The Pink Drink was one of the most ordered secret menu drinks that eventually became a regular menu item!

It's important to note that baristas may not know secret menu drinks by name, so you need to order them by the ingredients. So, don't go to Starbucks and ask for a Santa Claus Frappuccino as the barista may look at you like you're crazy. Ask for it by listing the ingredients you want them to use.

🎅 What is the Santa Claus Frappuccino?

So, how exactly would you order a Santa Claus Frappuccino at Starbucks? You just need to ask for a Vanilla Bean Creme Frappuccino with strawberry puree layered on the bottom and in the middle. With whipped cream and red sprinkles on top.

And now that you know how to order it, you also know how to make a copycat version at home!

❤️ Why you'll love this recipe

If you like matching your drinks to the seasons, this is such a fun drink to order during the holidays.

But you don't have to celebrate Christmas and it doesn't have to be December for you to order a Santa Claus Frappuccino.

The vanilla and strawberry flavor combination is absolutely delicious and the layered look is always so pretty.

I also like this Starbucks secret menu item because it's easy to order AND easy to make at home!

🗒 Ingredients

The Santa Claus Frappuccino is made up of two parts: Vanilla Bean Frappuccino and strawberry puree.

Both are easy to make completely from scratch, but there are also lots of options for store-bought substitutes.

Here's everything you need (please see recipe card at bottom of this post for ingredient amounts and full instructions):

Whole milk
Heavy cream
Vanilla syrup: You can either use store-bought vanilla syrup or use my recipe to make your own
Xanthan gum: this acts as a thickening agent in the Frappuccino, but can be replaced with cornstarch if needed
Ice
Strawberry puree: You can either use store-bought strawberry puree or use the recipe I share to make your own
Whipped cream: for topping
Holiday sprinkles: for topping

If you want to make your own vanilla syrup, here's what you need:

Water
Granulated sugar
Vanilla bean (can substitute with vanilla paste or extract)

And if you want to make your own strawberry puree, here's what you need:

Strawberries (fresh or frozen and thawed)
Granulated sugar
Water

🍓 How to make strawberry puree

I recommend making the strawberry puree first, cleaning out your blender, and then making the Vanilla Bean Frappuccino.

The puree is super easy to make!

Just put stemmed and hulled strawberries in a blender with granulated sugar and water.

Process until pureed.

Pour into a bowl and clean out your blender.

🍦 How to make Vanilla Bean Frappuccino

Lots of copycat Vanilla Bean Frappuccino recipes are made with vanilla ice cream and while this is an easy shortcut, I wanted to make my Frappuccino as close to Starbucks version as I could.

According to their website, the Vanilla Bean Creme Frappuccino consists of ice, milk, cream, Frappuccino syrup, and vanilla powder.

The Frappuccino syrup is basically a simple syrup base that Starbucks uses in all their Frappuccinos... It has xanthan gum in it, which is a thickening agent that makes the drinks creamy and frothy.

Instead of making a separate syrup, I use vanilla syrup in my Frappuccino, along with some xanthan gum. If you can't find xanthan gum, you can substitute it with cornstarch.

If you want to make your own vanilla syrup, you can use my recipe here (it's also in the recipe card at the bottom of this post).

Just add the milk, cream, vanilla syrup, xanthan gum, and ice to your blender.

Ice, milk, and vanilla syrup in blender.

And process until smooth and frothy.

Now pour about ½ the strawberry puree into a large cup.

Strawberry puree at the bottom of a Starbucks cup.

Fill the cup up to the halfway point with Vanilla Bean Frappuccino, add another layer of strawberry puree, and fill the remainder of the cup with Frappuccino.

Top with whipped cream, holiday sprinkles, and a straw.

And you're ready to sip on your Santa Claus Frappuccino... Just like the ones you can order off the secret menu at Starbucks!

Santa Claus Frappuccino with whipped cream and red and green sprinkles.

This seasonal drink is so fun for both adults and kids.

While this recipe makes about 1 grande drink, you can certainly divide it into a couple smaller drinks, especially if you're serving to kids.

Vanilla and strawberry isn't necessarily a holiday flavor combination, but the colors are spot-on for Christmas and, in my opinion, it's a flavor combination that's always a winner no matter the time of year.

Overhead view of a Santa Claus Frappuccino with whipped cream and red and green sprinkles with ornament in background.

🍨 Can I use vanilla ice cream for Vanilla Frappuccino?

You can, but it will be more like a vanilla milkshake than a Frappuccino. Which is totally fine and still absolutely delicious!

I recommend blending together vanilla ice cream, milk, and ice. You can add some extra vanilla extract for more powerful vanilla flavor and you can leave out the xanthan gum since the ice cream should make the drink thick and frothy.

🧊 Can I use frozen strawberries for puree?

Yes! I just recommend thawing the strawberries before blending them into a puree, otherwise you'll have more of a slush than a puree.

☕️ More winter Starbucks copycat recipes

I love making copycat Starbucks drinks year-round, but some of them are extra special during the cold months and the holiday season. Here are some of my favorite winter drinks. But be sure to check out all my Starbucks copycat recipes!

Head-on view of a red and white Santa Claus Frappuccino Starbucks copycat with ornaments next to it.

📖 Recipe

Red and white Santa Claus Frappuccino in a Starbucks cup.

Santa Claus Frappuccino {Starbucks Copycat}

5 from 1 vote

Print Pin Rate

Course: Drink

Cuisine: American

Keyword: Christmas Drinks, Frappuccino Recipe, Starbucks Copycat

Makes: Frappuccino

Author: Sues

Ingredients

¾ cup whole milk
¼ cup heavy cream
3 tablespoon vanilla syrup (store-bought or recipe below)
½ teaspoon xanthan gum
1 cup ice
½ cup strawberry puree (store-bought or recipe below)
Whipped cream, for topping
Holiday sprinkles, for topping

Vanilla Syrup

1 cup water
1 cup granulated sugar
1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise (see notes for substituting with vanilla paste or extract)

Strawberry Puree

1 cup hulled strawberries (about 8 large strawberries)
½ tablespoon granulated sugar
1 ½ tablespoon water

Instructions

Add milk, cream, vanilla syrup, xanthan gum, and ice to a blender and process until smooth and frothy.
Add about half of the strawberry puree to the bottom of a large cup. Pour about half of the Vanilla Frappuccino mixture over the puree. Add the rest of the puree. And fill up the rest of the cup with remaining Frappuccino mixture.
Top with whipped cream and sprinkles.

Vanilla Syrup

Put water and sugar in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil. Lower heat and let mixture simmer for about 10 minutes until sugar is completely dissolved and mixture has thickened a bit.
Pour syrup into a heat-proof jar or container. Scrape out some of the seeds from the sliced open vanilla pod with a sharp knife and add them and the vanilla bean into the syrup.
Place syrup in fridge and let steep for at least 6 hours* Syrup will thicken more as it cools. If you want a more intense vanilla flavor, you can leave the bean in after 6 hours.
When vanilla syrup is stored in an airtight container in the fridge, it should stay good for about a month. One batch of syrup should make about 6 Frappuccinos.

Strawberry Puree

Put all ingredients in a blender and process until smooth. Pour puree into a bowl or glass. Keep refrigerated until ready to use.

Notes

Vanilla Syrup:

If you don't have a vanilla bean for the syrup, you can easily substitute vanilla paste. You'll likely need about 2 teaspoons, but look on the container to see what the brand recommends using in place of a vanilla bean.
I don't think the vanilla flavor is quite as good when using vanilla extract in the syrup, but you can use that if it's what you have on hand. I recommend stirring in about a Tablespoon of the extract into the saucepan right when you remove it from the heat.

*If you are in a rush and don't want to wait 6 hours for vanilla syrup to infuse, let it cool and shake jar vigorously to infuse vanilla flavor faster. Taste before using.