3-Minute Skinny Peppermint Mocha

Starbucks! They know me!

ElfSource

I tend to stay away for the most part during the warmer months.. (which, let’s be real, is 97% of the time in Tucson.) I can make my own coffee at home, and save for the occasional iced green tea lemonade, it’s rare that I’ll hit up the SB drive thru. That is, until the winter months roll around. I’m in line before you can finish saying “soy pumpkin spice latte.”

I’m a sucker. At least I own it, though? (right?)

“Hi! Is Livi in the car?!” 

“Yep, she’s back there!”

“The usual?”

Busted. 

Starbucks iced peppermint mocha

I’ve been on a major soy peppermint mocha kick.

It tastes like dessert, is a perfect afternoon jolt, and while I don’t *love* soy milk, it’s still a lovely treat.

At the same time, it’s also $4, which adds up.

For Dine-In December, I was determined to make something I could enjoy at home with almond milk instead of soy.

Winner:

homemade peppermint mocha

It takes about 3 minutes to put together and is a fierce competitor to its drive-thru cousin. Peppermint extract gives it all the flavor, minus the calories and sugar from a syrup.

skinny peppermint mocha

Hope you enjoy!

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Skinny Peppermint Mocha

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Ingredients

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  • 1 tbsp chocolate chips
  • 2 tbsp vanilla creamer of choice
  • 6 drops liquid vanilla Stevia
  • 7 drops peppermint extract (or to taste)
  • 8 oz fresh, strong coffee

Instructions

  1. 1. Put the chocolate chips in the bottom of a mug. Top with creamer, Stevia and peppermint extract.
  2. 2. Pour fresh coffee on top and whisk with a fork until the chocolate chips have melted.

skinny peppermint mocha ingredients

ingredients in a mug

coffee

Bottoms up! 😉

xoxo

Gina

Are you a coffee drinker? What’s your “usual?”

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46 Comments

  1. Marguerite Miller on December 18, 2012 at 11:01 am

    Can’t wait to try it! I will throw it all into the Vitamix to make it extra frothy though!! I used to make my own white chocolate latte’s this way! You used 1 tbsp white choc chips, a little vanilla extract, 1 tsp instant coffee granules and 1 cup piping hot milk! Blend in the Vitamix and enjoy!! I did however put on 10 pounds in 2 months doing this every day! So now it is a once in a while treat!! I will definitely be adding or experimenting with a few drops of peppermint extract now too!!

  2. Sarah @ Yogi in Action on December 18, 2012 at 11:02 am

    I love Elf! My favourite Christmas movie! My sister and I will randomly text each other quotes from the movie. “I like smiling. Smiling’s my favourite.”

    I love coffee! It makes me happy to have a big cup in the morning. Right now I’m going through a big kick of coffee with eggnog. Delicious 🙂 I only ever go to Starbucks when they have the spiced pumpkin latte, the rest of the year, I prefer local coffee shops.

  3. Ashley @ My Food 'N' Fitness Diaries on December 18, 2012 at 11:10 am

    Mmmm sounds tasty! I LOVE coffee. I, too, try to stay away from Starbucks… It can be an expensive habit. My “usual” is a medium roast coffee with about a half tablespoon heavy whipping cream (SO good!) and a couple drops of vanilla stevia.

  4. Hayley @ Running on Pumpkin on December 18, 2012 at 11:13 am

    Yum. I will definitely try this out. I love peppermint mochas too! My favorite is a white chocolate peppermint mocha with extra whipped cream 🙂

  5. Kerry @ Totes My Oats on December 18, 2012 at 11:18 am

    Thanks for this! I love holiday drinks from Starbucks but the dinero adds up! I’m a coffee drinker but I just prefer regular coffee with milk… no sweetener or anything. But, this time of year I love a sweet pick-me-up treat in the afternoon. 🙂

  6. Brittany on December 18, 2012 at 11:19 am

    I love when place know me! I go to a little convenience store near my work for lunch at least twice a week. They make the best sandwiches. Every time I go in they say “Ruben panini?” They even know that I don’t like tomatoes and know the bread I like! I love it! I love how they know Livi too! We have people who know my dog so we walk by the store and they go “hi Lexi!” So cute!

  7. Jacqueline on December 18, 2012 at 11:19 am

    I LOVE coffee! Proud Starbucks gold card member right here. I know, it’s a sickness. Ha!
    My usual is a decaf tall Starbucks double shot with classic & soy. It’s like an Americano without the water.

  8. Abby @ Change of Pace on December 18, 2012 at 11:23 am

    That sounds delicious, if I liked coffee!
    I never frequent coffee shops since I don’t like coffee, tea, or any hybrids of those drinks. But around Christmas, one coffee shop makes the most delicious candy cane hot chocolate. I can’t stay away!

  9. Emily on December 18, 2012 at 11:23 am

    my usual is a grande two pump soy vanilla latte! i’m obsessed!

  10. Jessica @ Busy Living Healthy on December 18, 2012 at 11:25 am

    I love that this has few ingredients. I’m a sucker for the peppermint mochas 🙂

  11. Molly@This Life Is Sparkling on December 18, 2012 at 11:33 am

    I am such a Starbucks addict, and get soy peppermint white mochas waaaay more then I should. This looks so good though! I think I may need to go make on right now… 😉

  12. Michelle @ Eat Move Balance on December 18, 2012 at 12:00 pm

    I’ve been swinging by Starbucks and getting an Americano with one pump of sugar-free cinnamon dolce. It’s just enough to make the drink “special” without going overboard. 🙂

  13. Stellina @ My Yogurt Addiction on December 18, 2012 at 12:18 pm

    Yum! Peppermint and mocha is one of my favorite combo’s! Starbucks is awesome, but I can get sick of it real fast!

  14. Staci on December 18, 2012 at 12:18 pm

    I love this!!! Will definitely have to make this when I go home for lunch today!!!!

  15. Amanda @ .running with spoons. on December 18, 2012 at 12:20 pm

    Hi there, my name is Amanda and I’m a Starbucks addict. I’m seriously in there every day, but in my defense… we only get about 4 months of warm weather up here, and a girl’s gotta do whatever it takes to keep warm, right? 😉

  16. Averie @ Averie Cooks on December 18, 2012 at 12:22 pm

    Any time I can make a Starbucks or specialty-coffee shop drink at home, I am so happy. The time (and money!) savings and of course, homemade is always the best. If I didn’t make all my coffee at home, I’d go into debt 🙂

  17. Jess on December 18, 2012 at 12:44 pm

    I love experimenting with Coffee flavours. I can make a really awesome vanilla latte! Your peppermint mocha sounds great!

  18. Lauryn @ Caffeine, Cuddles & Cardio on December 18, 2012 at 12:54 pm

    So funny, I just did a post on how I made home-made peppermint mocha creamer! Probably not as healthy as yours, but home-made and without chemicals. Yum! 😉

  19. Julianna @ Julianna Bananna on December 18, 2012 at 12:58 pm

    this looks so good! i just made myself a homemade pumpkin spice latte this morning so now i definitely want to try my hand at a peppermint mocha!

  20. AK on December 18, 2012 at 12:59 pm

    You said in your post that you wanted to make a copycat at home with almond milk….but there’s isn’t almond milk at all in the recipe.

  21. Karla @ myhighonlife on December 18, 2012 at 1:10 pm

    I am making this ASAP. My wallet {and waist!} is on a diet but I adore Starbucks and their holiday drinks. Thanks for creating such a tasty alternative 🙂

  22. Beks on December 18, 2012 at 1:21 pm

    At Starbucks, it’s usually a skinny caramel macchiato. Love that it’s not too sweet. At home, I’ve discovered the wonder of the French Press. I’m loving that thing. 🙂

  23. Cher @ Weddicted on December 18, 2012 at 1:35 pm

    My usual is just a regular ol’ coffee with a bit of almond milk. At Starbucks, I usually opt for a grande non-fat latte with 2 peppermint pumps (no matter the season!)

  24. Ali @ Peaches and Football on December 18, 2012 at 1:37 pm

    I make these at home with stevia and peppermint extract too! It’s deliciously “Christmas-y”. Starbucks addictions get pricey very, very quickly and I had switched over to McDonald’s peppermint mochas for a while (they are good too, but don’t have a variety of milk options the way SB does).

    I’ve also mixed a bit of eggnog in and that’s really good. You don’t need any sweetener. If I have a little coconut milk left over from a recipe sometimes I’ll chill it and whip it into “whipped cream” and top some coffee up with that too.

  25. Kaylee on December 18, 2012 at 2:03 pm

    I have a Starbucks problem for sure. I’m always so tired, esp. in the mornings, and there’s one right beside my office (they know me there). It’s so expensive though, I can’t believe how much money comes out of my account each month for lattes! I always order a soy vanilla latte, or a soy caramel latte. This year was the 1st time pumpkin came over to the UK and I pretty much leapt for joy!

    Oddly enough I can’t stand straight up coffee. But I’m going to start making my own variations soon to save my money!

  26. Katie @ Balanced RD on December 18, 2012 at 2:09 pm

    That looks delicious! I am definitely addicted to coffee. I blame my addiction on the fact that I was a barista for 5 years 🙂 I always just order iced coffee…so I have been trying my best to make it at home most days of the week. I usually cheat on Fridays though!!

  27. Heather on December 18, 2012 at 2:20 pm

    I have a pretty serious Starbucks addiction…unsweetened iced coffee with a bit of soy. I make it at home sometimes, but I’m usually too impatient to make my own cold-brew (and I’m sloppy with my straining and end up with grounds in the pitcher anyway). But it helps that our town doesn’t have a Starbucks drive-through, so I only get my fix during our weekly Target expedition 🙂

  28. Abby on December 18, 2012 at 2:29 pm

    I only let myself have Starbucks once a week, I feel that having to get up for work at 5:30 on a Saturday justifies not making my own coffee haha. This however sounds amazing! Do you think it would work just s well If I used plain almond milk instead of creamer? We never use creamer so don’t have any around.

  29. Melodie on December 18, 2012 at 2:38 pm

    that’s one of my favorite starbucks drinks! i’ll have to give your version a try! thanks.

  30. Brooke @ Running In Heels on December 18, 2012 at 2:43 pm

    omg i make this all the time!! so weird that you use chocolate chips too 🙂

  31. Brittany on December 18, 2012 at 3:03 pm

    I just bought a kuerig (spelling?) if you don’t have one, get one! It will change your life! I make a chai latte every morning and all I need to do is push a button. It’s amazing for a coffee addict like myself!

  32. Sara @ fitcupcaker on December 18, 2012 at 3:08 pm

    Wow If I drank coffee, I would def make that.. Maybe I could try a version with tea 🙂 Thanks

  33. Lisa on December 18, 2012 at 3:26 pm

    Grande no room americano! Always! I’m actually at Starbucks everyday, it’s slightly obsessive. I need an espresso maker…

  34. Fitsouffle on December 18, 2012 at 4:51 pm

    My husband is a coffee drinker, my go to is herbal teas or Vanilla Chai by Oregon Chai. You can get a box of 8 ct for $5.29 and grande chai at Starbucks is almost $3 dollars.

  35. Beth on December 18, 2012 at 5:45 pm

    What a great idea, thanks! What are the little pieces in your iced starbucks drink? Peppermint? I’ve never had it iced so wasn’t sure – at first I thought it was whole flax seed 🙂

    • Fitnessista on December 18, 2012 at 5:55 pm

      i can’t decide if it’s peppermint or chocolate. either way, it’s a nice surprise while i’m slurping it down haha

  36. sti @ little windmill yoga on December 18, 2012 at 6:05 pm

    as an ex-barista…I miss my double soy cappucinos…I do not miss getting up at 3:30!

  37. Mira on December 18, 2012 at 6:48 pm

    I just made this! I made some modifications though- I made a chocolate sauce, nixed the stevia, used only 3 drops of peppermint extract, used almond milk instead of creamer, and used espresso instead of coffee.

    Great idea!

  38. Sarah on December 18, 2012 at 7:24 pm

    I’ve really enjoyed doing Dine In December. I made the peppermint mocha this afternoon. It was the perfect pick me up. Thanks for the recipe!

  39. Erin @ Girl Gone Veggie on December 18, 2012 at 7:32 pm

    I need to make this! Thanks!

  40. Herbivore Triathlete on December 18, 2012 at 8:52 pm

    I am SO glad I don’t live anywhere near a Starbucks, I would be broke for sure! This coffee looks awesome and very easy to make, thanks!

  41. Missy on December 18, 2012 at 8:52 pm

    Life doesn’t start until after my morning coffee! Before college, my drink of choice was cappuccinos but then college happened. By the end of that, I was able to drink coffee black. But now, it’s black coffee with a tasty creamer!

  42. Lizzy on December 18, 2012 at 9:18 pm

    If you like chocolate peppermint taste, you should totally try the SO delicious brand of chocolate peppermint coconut milk. I just picked it up at the grocery store the other day and it is super delicious!

  43. Jill on December 19, 2012 at 12:04 pm

    Hi Gina. Random question – do you like your Cuisinart one-cup coffee maker? Our Keurig is dying so we are looking into other one-cup coffee makers and the Cuisinart is one we are considering. We’ve had issues off and on with our Keurig so we want to try something new. Any feedback, positive or negative, would be much appreciated! Thanks!

  44. Tom Moore on December 20, 2012 at 7:24 am

    Firstly I need to say ” ELF” is an awesome christmas movie – when ever I see it – I know its Christmas !

    Coffee – My Favourite is definitely a latte with extra cream, caramel and topped with fudge pieces
    ( don’t forget the dusting of cinnamon )

    OK ! OK ! – I know it Calorific but its Christmas and a time to treat myself, for all the hard work I do all year.

    I work hard in the Gym come January 2013.

    PS. love reading the posts

  45. Lauren M on December 20, 2012 at 8:29 am

    Gina,

    I also like to use the seasonal mint chocolate coconut milk by so delicious in my coffee. It Would make it even easier for you to have your daily skinny peppermint mocha fix. Happy Holidays!

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