What is Frappé?

Frappé is a refreshing iced coffee drink from Greece, known for its frothy texture and bold flavor. Unlike your typical iced coffee, the frappé is made by shaking, frothing or whisking instant coffee with cold water and sugar, resulting in a creamy foam that’s served with plenty of ice cubes. It’s an ideal pick-me-up on a hot day and can be customized with different levels of sweetness.

The Greek Frappé was born in 1957 during the Thessaloniki International Fair when a coffee salesman couldn’t find hot water for his instant coffee and instead used a chocolate drink shaker to dissolve the instant coffee granules with cold water. Since then, this frothy drink has become a staple in Greek coffee culture, loved for its ease of preparation and strong, invigorating taste. Over the decades, the frappé has evolved from a quick caffeine fix to a symbol of Greek leisure, often enjoyed during long afternoons at local cafés.

Ingredients You’ll Need & How to Substitute

To make a classic Greek Frappé, you’ll need just a few simple ingredients:

• Instant Coffee: The key to that thick foam and bold flavor. It also works with decaf instant coffee if you want to avoid caffeine. Instant coffee is essential to creating the frothy coffee effect, since the granules will result in a more concentrated liquid compared to a traditional espresso. However, if you’d like to avoid instant coffee, try making another traditional drink called Greek Freddo Espresso: Make a double shot of espresso and, once cooled slightly, shake it with a little sugar and an ice cube. Then just serve it over more ice for a frothy espresso.
• Cold Water: Essential for dissolving the coffee and creating the frothy texture.
• Sugar: Optional, but traditionally added according to your preferred level of sweetness (none, medium or sweet). Adding sugar also helps to maintain the whipped effect of the coffee. You can swap out sugar for natural alternatives like maple syrup.
• Ice Cubes: To chill the frappé and add that refreshing coldness.
• Plant-Based Milk (Optional): Traditionally, frappé is topped with water and the optional dash of milk. For those who prefer a creamier version, you can also use the milk of your choice instead of adding extra water. I used cashew milk for the frappé in the picture.

How to make Greek Frappé (step-by-step)

You can make frappé in a few different ways like using a Cocktail Shaker, Milk Frother or even Electric Whisk. Below is the method for the shaker, but you can find the other methods listed in the recipe card at the bottom of this page.

Shake the Ingredients. Add the instant coffee, sugar and water to the shaker and shake for a few seconds until frothy.

Serve the Frappé. Pour into a tall glass, add plenty of ice cubes and top with cold water or plant-based milk.

Useful Tips

• Perfect Froth: Use a shaker, milk frother or even electric whisk to achieve that perfect, thick froth. You can also shake the ingredients in a jar closed tightly with a lid.
• Customize Sweetness: The traditional Greek Frappé can be tailored to your liking with different levels of sugar or sweeteners.
• Serve Immediately: Greek Frappé is best enjoyed right after it’s made. The foam can settle over time, so drink it fresh for the best experience.
• Quantity: Most methods work with for a single serving, but if you’re struggling to froth up the frappé, try adding double the ingredients to make the process easier.

Why You’ll Love This Frappé Recipe

• Refreshing
• Perfect Summer Drink
• Energy Boost
• Easy to make
• 3 Ingredients

How to Store Frappé

If you have leftover frappé, pour it into a sealed container and refrigerate it for up to 24 hours. The foam will dissipate, but you can shake it up again before serving.

Other Drinks Recipes You Might Like

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• Hazelnut Iced Coffee: Turn hazelnut butter into a satisfying coffee drink
• Pomegranate Kefir: Homemade Kefir for a probiotic boost

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Greek Frappé (Whipped Iced Coffee)

Greek Frappé is an iced coffee that blends instant coffee, cold water and sugar into a frothy, chilled delight. It's quick to make, incredibly satisfying, and perfect for those hot days when you're craving a refreshing caffeine kick. Traditionally, the frothy coffee is simply topped with water and the optional dash of milk, but I love adding plant-based milk instead of water for a creamier texture and balanced flavor.

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Active Time 5 minutes mins

Total Time 5 minutes mins

Course Drinks

Cuisine Greek

Servings 1

Equipment

• Cocktail Shaker (optional)
• Milk Frother (optional)
• Electric Whisk (optional)

Ingredients

 

US CustomaryMetric

 

1x2x3x

• 1 tbsp instant coffee
• 1 tbsp golden granulated sugar
• 2 tbsp water
• Ice cubes (to serve)
• Plant-based milk (to serve)

Instructions

 

Cocktail Shaker or Jar

• Add the instant coffee, sugar and water to the shaker and shake for a few seconds until everything has turned into a thick foam. You can also use a jar with a lid screwed on. Pour into a tall glass, add plenty of ice cubes and top with cold water or plant-based milk.

Milk Frother

• Add the instant coffee, sugar and water to a narrow, tall glass and use the frother to mix everything into a thick foam. Add plenty of ice cubes and top with cold water or plant-based milk.

Electric Whisk

• Add the instant coffee, sugar and water to a bowl and whisk until they have formed a thick foam. Pour into a tall glass, add plenty of ice cubes and top with cold water or plant-based milk.

Video

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A post shared by Julius Fiedler (@hermann)

Notes

Storage: If you have leftover frappé, pour it into a sealed container and refrigerate it for up to 24 hours. The foam will dissipate, but you can shake it up again before serving.

Keyword Frappé, Iced Coffee, Naturally Vegan

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