Minty mocha is a deliciously fun and festive way to take your coffee at any time of the year, but white chocolate peppermint coffee is particularly popular in the lead-up to Christmas. This white peppermint mocha recipe is quick, easy and cheap to make at home.
Other festive coffee drinks include my caramel latte and caramel mocha.
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White peppermint mocha is a luscious blend of strong coffee, white chocolate and peppermint extract. It's quick and simple to make at home, tastes amazing and screams of fun and festivity. If you like extravagance and frivolity with your cup of joe, then I highly recommend this sweet peppermint coffee drink.
You may also enjoy a few of my other festive coffee creations including my gingerbread latte, salted caramel latte, Baileys mocha and my Christmas latte.
Why you'll love this mocha
- Fun: this is not a serious coffee drink. This white peppermint mocha is frivolous and fun by its very nature. Embrace and enjoy it.
- Festive: for some reason peppermint coffee drinks have become synonymous with Christmas. I'm okay with that and hopefully you are too!
- Quick and easy: honestly, this drink is ready in around 5 minutes and there's nothing complicated involved in the process.
- Cheaper than Starbucks: homemade white peppermint mocha is a much more wallet-friendly way to feed a festive coffee habit in the run-up to Christmas.
- Taste: last but not least, the blend of coffee, white chocolate and peppermint is an absolute dream. You can also increase or decrease the strength of the coffee and peppermint extract to suit your own palate.
Try a mug of this decadent white peppermint mocha with a piece of peppermint brownie.
Ingredients notes
Coffee: you'll need freshly and strongly brewed ground coffee for this drink. You want the coffee to have plenty of robust flavour as it is being used in the classic latte ratio of one third coffee to two-thirds milk but it needs to compete with 2 other punchy flavours. I use around 18g of ground espresso for 75ml of coffee.
Milk: use whole milk if your diet allows. As it will be diluted with coffee it's the best option to ensure that your minty mocha turns out creamy and indulgent. Oat milk is a great dairy-free alternative though.
White chocolate: opt for quality white chocolate with at least 20% cocoa butter listed in the ingredients to guarantee that it melts well. As far as bars go, Green & Blacks and Lindt are amongst my favourites. Waitrose also sells a good own-brand bar. However, my go-to option for using chocolate in recipes is Callebaut white chocolate chips.
Peppermint extract: make sure that you use peppermint extract rather peppermint essence or flavouring as the latter two are typically vastly inferior products. I used Foodie Flavours organic peppermint extract.
Extract strengths do vary from brand to brand, so you will need to adjust the amount used accordingly. Start with a small amount and build it up until you are happy with the taste of your peppermint coffee drink.
Step by step instructions
- Heat the milk in a small pan then add the white chocolate and heat gently, stirring constantly until melted.
- Measure the peppermint extract in (start with ¼ teaspoon and add more later is desired).
- Brew your coffee and pour it into the milk then take a taste and add a little more peppermint extract if desired.
- Foam your minty mocha using a dedicated milk frother or a stick blender.
- Pour the drink into a warmed heatproof glass or mug and serve it immediately.
Expert tips
- Warm your serving glass or mug whilst you make your minty mocha to ensure it is served at the optimum temperature. Simply fill the glass or mug with freshly boiled water and leave it to stand whilst you get on with making the drink. Pour the hot water away when you are ready to serve your coffee.
- Use strong espresso. The coffee has to compete with both the white chocolate and the peppermint flavour, so it needs to be robust. I use 18g ground espresso to produce a 75ml of coffee.
- Don't let the milk or coffee boil. Doing so will mean that the coffee will taste bitter and your peppermint coffee will be far too hot to enjoy.
- Measure the peppermint extract carefully. It's easy to overpower the coffee and white chocolate flavours by adding too much. Try starting with ¼ teaspoon then taste and add in more, in ⅛ teaspoon increments, until you are happy with the balance of flavours.
- Taste your minty mocha before adding sugar or an alternative sweetener. This drink is already sweet, due to the white chocolate and additional sweetness is unlikely to be required.
Frequently asked questions
Yes, you can. I won't lie, the easiest way to brew espresso is with a coffee machine. However, if you do not own one then try brewing your espresso manually using an Aeropress, a moka pot or a cafetiere (French press).
You certainly could make the coffee stronger in this drink. Try pulling 2 shots of espresso (each around 37.5ml) brewed with 12g each.
Yes, you can use different chocolate. My second choice for making peppermint coffee is to use dark chocolate. To ensure that the chocolate does not dominate the other flavours, use 15-20g rather than the full 30g of white chocolate specified in the recipe card. Add sugar according to your tastes.
As syrups are very sweet, I don't recommend using mint-flavoured syrup as it would likely make your minty mocha too sweet to be enjoyable.
You could use fresh peppermint instead of the peppermint extract but you would need to use quite a bit and infuse it in warmed milk for around 30 minutes, then strain it. My preference is to use peppermint extract because it's much quicker and mess-free.
Serving suggestions
Although this white peppermint mocha is delicious served just as it is, this is a fun and cheeky coffee drink. For that reason, you can go to town dressing it up. Here are a few ideas:
- Try some latte art using coffee stencils
- Top it with whipped cream and one or two of the following options:
- Mini marshmallows.
- A mini gingerbread man.
- Crushed candy cane pieces.
- Colourful seasonal sprinkles.
- Grated white chocolate.
- Make a marshmallow snowman - thread 3 white marshmallows onto a skewer and draw on the features using edible felt tip pens.
Variations
- Make a boozy minty mocha by replacing the peppermint extract with white creme de menthe liqueur to taste (try 15ml, have a taste and add more if desired).
- Go caffeine-free by using your favourite decaffeinated coffee.
- Make a classic peppermint mocha using 15g-20g of dark chocolate in place of 30g of white chocolate.
- Make a vegan peppermint coffee using vegan chocolate (white or dark) and switching the regular dairy milk for your favourite vegan alternative milk. Oat and almond milk both work very well.
- Try an iced peppermint mocha by melting the chocolate into half of the milk then pouring it, plus the rest of the milk and the coffee into a tumbler filled with plenty of ice.
More creative coffee drinks to try
I have plenty more fancy coffee drinks that can easily be made at home. Here are a few popular recipes:
Have you made this white peppermint mocha recipe? I hope you enjoyed it. Why not show me how you topped yours by posting a photo on Instagram and tagging me @jane_littlesugarsnaps. Please also leave a recipe rating and/or comment to let me know how you got along. I always love hearing from readers.
📖 Recipe
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Minty Mocha - Peppermint Coffee with White Chocolate
Ingredients
- 150 ml Whole milk
- 75 ml Coffee freshly brewed using 18g ground espresso
- 30 g White chocolate
- ¼-½ teaspoon Peppermint extract
Optional garnishes
- Whipped cream
- Marshmallows
- Grated white chocolate or sprinkles
Instructions
- Heat the milk in a small pan then add the white chocolate and heat gently, stirring constantly until melted.
- Measure ¼ teaspoon peppermint extract and stir it into the milk.
- Brew your coffee and pour it into the milk.
- Foam the milk using a dedicated milk frother or a stick blender.
- Taste your minty mocha and, if necessary, add in more peppermint extract, in ⅛ teaspoon increments, until you are happy with the balance of flavours.
- Pour the drink into a heatproof glass or mug, garnish as desired and serve immediately.
Notes
- Warm your serving glass or mug whilst you make your minty mocha to ensure it is served at the optimum temperature. Simply fill the glass or mug with freshly boiled water and leave it to stand whilst you get on with making the drink. Pour the hot water away when you are ready to serve your coffee.
- Use strong espresso. The coffee has to compete with both the white chocolate and the peppermint flavour, so it needs to be robust. I use 18g ground espresso to produce a 75ml of coffee.
- Don't let the milk or coffee boil. Doing so will mean that the coffee will taste bitter and your peppermint coffee will be far too hot to enjoy.
- Measure the peppermint extract carefully. It's easy to overpower the coffee and white chocolate flavours by adding too much. Try starting with ¼ teaspoon then taste and add in more in ⅛ teaspoon increments until you are happy with the balance of flavours.
- Taste your minty mocha before adding sugar or an alternative sweetener. This drink is already sweet, due to the white chocolate and additional sweetness may not be required.
- Make a boozy minty mocha by replacing the peppermint extract with white creme de menthe liqueur to taste (try 15ml, have a taste and add more if desired).
- Go caffeine-free by using your favourite decaffeinated coffee.
- Make a classic peppermint mocha using 15g-20g of dark chocolate in place of 30g of white chocolate.
- Make a vegan peppermint coffee using vegan chocolate (white or dark) and switching the regular dairy milk for your favourite vegan alternative milk. Oat and almond milk both work very well.
- Try an iced peppermint mocha by melting the chocolate into half of the milk then pouring it, plus the rest of the milk and the coffee into a tumbler filled with plenty of ice.
Jane Coupland says
This is a fun and playful recipe - a good introduction to coffee for anybody a bit fearful of bitterness too.