Unicorn Frappuccino {Starbucks Copycat}

This Starbucks Unicorn Frappuccino copycat swirls a pink sweet mango base with a sour blue drizzle for a magical drink you can make at home even when it's long gone from the Starbucks menu.

Jump to:

• 🦄 What is the Unicorn Frappuccino?
• 🩷 Why this recipe works
• 🗒 Ingredients
• 🥤 Recipe tips
• 🎉 Variations
• 🌈 More fun Frappuccino recipes
• 📖 Recipe
• 💬 Comments

The Unicorn Frappuccino first came to Starbucks in 2017 as a limited release drink. It hasn't been back since, aside from limited small pours at 2026's Coachella festival.

However, the bright magenta and blue drink is making its return to the Starbucks menu for one weekend only in August 2026 (15-16). Customers who have always wanted to try the somewhat divisive drink are excited, but if you can't make it to the coffee shop that weekend?

I've got a Unicorn Frappuccino copycat recipe for you here! While the drink has been known as a pain in the "you know what" for baristas to make, it's actually pretty easy to make at home.

And just as photogenic and Instagram ready!

🦄 What is the Unicorn Frappuccino?

You know the Starbucks Unicorn Frappuccino is super fun looking and a bit of a "unicorn" in that it was only available to order for 5 days in 2017. But what are the actual ingredients and what is the flavor like?

According to Starbucks, the drink is "a sweet and tart blend of creamy mango flavors, tangy blue drizzle, whipped cream, and pink and blue topping."

The drink starts off sweet and pink, but when you stir the blue swirls into it, it turns sour and purple. So fun!

So, why did it disappear from the menu after a 5-day release? Well, it was infamously annoying for baristas to make and stores often ran short on ingredients as it requires a few that aren't in their regular menu drinks.

Luckily, a super delicious version is easy to make at home!

🩷 Why this recipe works

Has sweet mango and sour blue raspberry flavors: the pink Frappuccino base is made with mango syrup (with a little vanilla syrup, too) to make it nice and fruity and sweet. And the blue swirl is made with blue raspberry extract and some citric acid for a fruity sour punch.

Can be made with natural colors: I use blue spirulina powder to get the vibrant blue swirl and, like Starbucks, the pink is made with dragonfruit/pink pitaya powder. However, I did use a couple drops of pink food coloring, too, since I wanted my base super vibrant. You can skip the food coloring if you want to keep the drink natural.

Xanthan gum makes this more Frappuccino-y than other copycats: I highly recommend buying some xanthan gum if you will be making Frappuccinos regularly. It helps keep the drink from separating and thickens it without changing the taste at all. Without it, your drink will likely be more icy than frothy. You can use cornstarch as a substitute if you want.

🗒 Ingredients

Here's everything you need to make my copycat Unicorn Frappuccino (be sure to view the recipe card at the bottom of this post for ingredient amounts and full recipe instructions):

For the Frappuccino base:

• Whole milk
• Mango syrup: store-bought or homemade.
• Vanilla syrup: you can buy or make your own. If you don't feel like doing either, you can replace with an additional 1 tablespoon mango syrup.
• Dragonfruit powder AKA pink pitaya powder
• Xanthan gum: optional for thickening Frappuccino; you can substitute with cornstarch, but use a little bit more
• Ice
• Pink food coloring: optional for more vibrant magenta color
• Whipped cream: for topping
• Pink sanding sugar and blue sanding sugar: for topping

And for the sour blue drizzle:

• White mocha sauce OR white chocolate
• Heavy cream: only if you're using white chocolate
• Blue spirulina powder
• Citric acid
• Blue raspberry extract

🥤 Recipe tips

• I recommend making the blue drizzle first because once you blend up the Frappuccino you'll want to pour it right into the glass while it's nice and frothy.

• I've made the sour blue drizzle with both melted white chocolate (with heavy cream) and white mocha sauce and both work well. The white chocolate makes for a bit of a more vibrant blue (since the mocha sauce has a yellow-ish tint to it), but it's also a bit harder to stir into the drink as it tends to harden to the cup's sides.

• Either add the white mocha sauce to a bowl or add the melted white chocolate to a bowl and just stir in blue spirulina powder, citric acid, and blue raspberry extract. Try it and marvel at the sweet and sour fruity flavor!

• If you taste it and think it needs to be a bit more sour, add a little more citric acid. It's a potent ingredient, so take care to add just a tiny amount at a time.

• Use a spoon to drizzle the sour blue mixture around the sides of your cup. If you prefer, you can put the drizzle in a pastry bag or a squeeze bottle, but I think it's just as easy to do with a spoon.

• 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.

• The Frapp has both mango syrup and vanilla syrup in it. If you don't have or want to make vanilla syrup, you can replace with an extra tablespoon of mango syrup. If you want to make your own, you can use my vanilla syrup recipe.

• I use 2 teaspoon of dragonfruit (AKA pink pitaya) powder in my Frappuccino base and while it makes a pretty pink, i wanted a more vibrant magenta without adding more dragonfruit flavor, so I also add in a couple drops of pink food coloring.

• When you pour the pink base into your blue swirled up, make sure to do so slowly down the center. If you pour too fast or off to the side, you will smear the blue lines instead of keeping the clean two-tone look.

• I top the drink with whipped cream and pink and blue (sour) sanding sugar. If you don't have sanding sugars and don't want to buy any, you can simply top with a bit of blue spirulina powder and dragonfruit powder.

• Serve the Unicorn Frappuccino right away. Like any frappuccino, it's best in the first few minutes before the whipped cream gets weepy and ice starts to separate and pretty layers blur together.

Is this the prettiest Frappuccino ever? I think so!

I can see why it's not Starbucks' baristas' favorite drink to make, but I'm pretty pleased with how easy it is to make at home.

And absolutely thrilled it has all the sweet and sour fruity flavor. It's such a fun one!!

If you stir the blue swirls into the pink drink, the pink will turn a purplish color (I didn't take a photo of mine because in the process of stirring, I collapsed the whipped cream!).

🎉 Variations

I love how my Unicorn Frappuccino copycat recipe is pretty true to the original. But one of the great things about making Starbucks' drinks at home is that you can make them any way you want. Here are some ideas for how you can make this one:

• Make it dairy-free: swap the whole milk for oat or coconut milk and use a dairy-free white chocolate for the drizzle.
• Swap the mango syrup: strawberry syrup or raspberry syrup in place of the mango gives you a slightly different berry flavor and a more naturally pink base, so you might not even need the food coloring.
• Make it sugar-free: use sugar-free mango syrup and sugar-free vanilla syrup and a sugar-free white chocolate for the drizzle to lighten it up without losing the flavor.
• Skip the blue swirl: if you want the flavor, but don't care about the look, just blend a little citric acid and blue raspberry extract into the Frappuccino base.
• Make it extra sour: you can make a double batch of the blue sour drizzle for even more sour flavor. Or you can simply add a bit more citric acid into the drizzle.
• Turn the Frappuccino into popsicles: blend the base (skip or reduce the ice), swirl the blue drizzle through the molds, and freeze. It's such a fun summertime treat for kids.
• Make a party batch: scale everything up and blend in rounds, then set out bowls of whipped cream and both sanding sugars so everyone can top their own. This would be so fun for a unicorn-themed birthday.
• Make the drinks more unicorn-themed: add unicorn straws and unicorn sprinkles for even more on-theme fun.

🌈 More fun Frappuccino recipes

If you're looking for fun Starbucks drinks, Frappuccinos are often the way to go! Here are my most fun Frappuccino copycat recipes:

And be sure to check out my huge collection of Starbucks copycat recipes!

The Unicorn Frappuccino may only appear on the Starbucks menu once in a blue (spirulina) moon, but now you can whip up your own any time you want.

I'm so excited with how this sweet and sour copycat came out and am thrilled you can make it at home for your family and friends, too!

Make it for a kid's party, a sweet and sour throwback craving, or just because your afternoon needs a little more magic ✨

📖 Recipe