This easy Iced Mocha recipe is so simple to make, you’ll only need about five minutes to throw it together.
Hey, friend. As you might know, I have a ton of coffee recipes on the site, and I’ve gotten a bunch of questions about turning some of them into iced versions of themselves.
Doing that is a tiny bit more complicated than just pouring them over ice, so I went through my coffee archives and created iced versions of the most-requested drinks, because summer is coming fast, and cold coffee makes it just a little more bearable.
Today we’re covering one of my faves, a homemade Iced Mocha.
A Super Easy Iced Mocha Recipe
Like homemade mochas , iced mochas are incredibly simple to make at home. You just need milk, cocoa powder, sugar, cold coffee, and a little optional whipping cream for added richness.
If you have cold coffee on hand (more on that later if you don’t), it will take you about five minutes to throw everything together, pour over ice, and satisfy those caffeine and chocolate cravings. <3
Ingredient Notes
- Milk: By default, Starbucks uses 2% milk in their coffee drinks, but you can use any milk you’d like including non-dairy milks. The higher fat your milk, the richer and creamier your drink will be.
- Homemade chocolate syrup: Instead of using store-bought chocolate syrup or hot chocolate mix as many homemade recipes do, you’ll make a quick syrup of cocoa powder, sugar, and water to flavor the mocha base.
- Heavy cream: Cream is optional, but a little splash adds a really delicious richness to the coffee. For leftover heavy cream, check out my post What to Do With Leftover Whipping Cream for storage tips and recipe ideas for the leftovers.
How to Make an Iced Mocha at Home
First, you’ll whisk together sugar, cocoa powder, and a little milk on the stove over medium heat until the sugar dissolves and you get a smooth chocolate syrup.
Then you just mix a bit more milk and cold coffee into the syrup , stir, and pour over ice.
Top with whipped cream if desired , and if you’d like to garnish your mocha with fudge sauce as I did in the photos, this is the fudge sauce recipe I used.
How to Quickly Chill Coffee
As mentioned above, you’ll want to use cold coffee in this recipe because pouring a warm mocha over ice is just going to water it down too much. If you can plan ahead, pop some leftover coffee in the refrigerator the night before, and you’ll be good to go come morning.
But if you need an iced mocha now and don’t have any cold coffee in the fridge, here’s what you can do:
- Brew a pot of coffee at double strength and pour over a cup of ice (about 1 heaping cup of ice per 1 cup of coffee). The ice will melt, chilling the coffee while bringing it down to normal strength. Freeze any leftover coffee into ice cubes that you can use next time without worrying about watering down your coffee.
- OR pour hot coffee into a large cup and place it in the freezer for 15 to 20 minutes until it has cooled to at least room temperature. Don’t forget about it though! 😉
I Want a Mocha Frappuccino
And finally, if mocha frappes are more your thing, not a problem. Instead of pouring your mocha over ice, blend it with 1 1/2 cups of ice. I also recommend upping the sugar a bit. Since you are blending in ice, it’s going to be much less sweet than the over-ice version.
And pro tip: for extra goodness, swirl fudge sauce around the glass before pouring in the frappuccino. It’s beautiful AND delicious.
Can I make this in the microwave instead of on the stovetop?
Absolutely. You can make the chocolate syrup in the microwave instead of on the stove by combining 2 tablespoons of the milk, the sugar, and the cocoa powder in a microwave safe cup. Microwave until steaming, about 30 seconds, and stir until completely smooth. Then follow the rest of the recipe as written.
Can I double this recipe?
Yes! The recipe scales up with no preparation changes needed. To change the recipe yield, hover over the serving size in the recipe card below or click if you’re on mobile, and slide the slider.
How much caffeine is in a homemade iced mocha?
It will vary from recipe to recipe, but in this homemade version, there is 1 cup of coffee which averages about 96 grams of caffeine.
More Iced Coffee Recipes
- Iced White Chocolate Mocha
- Iced Caramel Macchiato
- Iced Chai Latte
- Iced Caramel Latte
More Starbucks-inspired Recipes
- White Chocolate Mocha
- Salted Caramel Mocha
- Chai Latte
- Cinnamon Dolce Latte
Ingredients
- ▢ ¼ cup milk any percentage, divided
- ▢ 1 to 2 tablespoons ( 12 to 25g ) granulated sugar *
- ▢ 1 tablespoon ( 5g ) unsweetened cocoa powder
- ▢ 1 cup cold coffee *
- ▢ 1 tablespoon heavy cream optional
- ▢ Whipped cream optional for topping
- ▢ Chocolate syrup optional for topping
Instructions
- In a small pot, combine 2 tablespoons of the milk, sugar, and cocoa powder. Heat over medium heat, whisking constantly, until mixture begins to simmer and is well-combined and smooth.
- Remove from heat and whisk in cold coffee, remaining 2 tablespoons of the milk, and optional heavy cream.
- Pour over a 16-ounce cup (or mason jar) of ice, top with whipped cream and chocolate syrup if desired, and enjoy.
Notes
This Mini Coffee Cake is light and fluffy with a ridiculously good buttery, crunchy, crumbly streusel layer over the top. It serves four, but you might not want to share…
Say hello to the world’s perfect (mini) coffee cake.
And by perfect, I mean perfect. It’s light, fluffy, cinnamon spicy, and has the ideal ratio of cake to crumbles.
There was a moment as I was testing this cake for the first time, dropping handfuls of sugar and butter crumbles over the cake batter, that I was like, okay, this is an excessive amount of streusel, even for me. I’m going to have to cut this down.
But nope. Once everything bakes up, it turns out that excessive is just right when it comes to coffee cake. The crumb layer is thick and decadent, making up about a third of the cake’s height, but paired with the light, not-too-sweet vanilla cake underneath, it’s perfect.
With every bite, you get just the right amount of moist, fluffy cake and buttery, crumbly, crunchy streusel.
This little cake is stellar enough that you can serve it on its own with just a good cup of coffee alongside. Or make it a part of a breakfast spread.
The cake needs at least 15 minutes to cool, and that’s plenty of time to fry up some bacon, scramble some eggs, cut up a little fruit, and maybe make a mimosa or two . The cake will serve four, especially when served with a full breakfast, so invite a couple friends over and enjoy!
Ingredient Notes
- Unsalted butter: This recipe calls for unsalted butter, but if you only have salted, not a problem. Simply reduce the salt to a pinch (both in the streusel and the cake), and you’ll be good to go.
- Sour cream: The cake calls for a couple tablespoons of sour cream in the batter, which helps give it a fantastic moist texture. In a pinch, you can substitute plain unsweetened yogurt instead.
Can I double this recipe?
Sure. You can double the recipe and bake it in an 8×8-inch baking dish. Just extend the baking time as needed.
I don’t have a 7×5-inch baking dish. What else can I use?
You can also bake this in a 6-inch round or square pan. If using a 6-inch round pan, extend the baking time slightly since the cake will be a little thicker and need a slightly longer baking time.
More Small Cake Recipes
- Small Red Velvet Cake
- Small Lemon Pound Cake
- Mini Chocolate Sheet Cake
- Small Banana Cake
More Small-batch Breakfast Recipes
- Small-batch Cinnamon Rolls
- Crêpes for Two
- Pancakes for Two
- Small-batch Muffins
- One-banana Banana Bread
Mini Coffee Cake Recipe Tips
- If you are making this in a cold kitchen during the winter, your room-temperature butter might be a little too cold to cream easily. You can microwave the softened butter for just a couple seconds, long enough to further soften, but not melt it.
- When testing the cake for doneness, make sure the streusel is not scraping off wet batter from your toothpick or cake tester, making the cake look done while still under-baked. Use the cake tester to clear a very small hole in the topping so you can accurately test your cake.
Ingredients
Special Equipment
- ▢ 7x5-inch baking dish
- ▢ Handheld electric mixer optional but helpful
Streusel
- ▢ 3 tablespoons (36g) brown sugar
- ▢ 3 tablespoons (36g) granulated sugar
- ▢ ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- ▢ ⅛ teaspoon nutmeg optional
- ▢ ⅛ teaspoon salt
- ▢ 4 tablespoons (56g) unsalted butter melted
- ▢ ½ cup + 1 tablespoon (68g) all-purpose flour measured by weight or using the spoon and sweep method*
Cake
- ▢ ½ cup + 2 tablespoons (75g) all-purpose flour measured by weight or using the spoon and sweep method
- ▢ ½ teaspoon + 1/8 teaspoon baking powder
- ▢ ⅛ teaspoon salt
- ▢ 2 tablespoons (28g) unsalted butter softened
- ▢ ¼ cup (50g) granulated sugar
- ▢ 1 large egg room temperature
- ▢ ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ▢ 2 tablespoons sour cream
- ▢ 2 tablespoons milk
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350°F and lightly grease a 7x5-inch baking dish.
- In a small bowl, whisk together brown and granulated sugars, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. Drizzle in melted butter and mix until well combined. Use a spoon to stir in the flour, a little at a time, until flour is completely incorporated. Place in the refrigerator.
- In a small bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl, combine butter and granulated sugar. Cream them together until light and fluffy, about 1 minute. Add egg and vanilla and beat until well-combined. Add sour cream and mix well. Add half of the flour mixture and stir until just mixed. Add 1 tablespoon of milk and stir until just mixed. Repeat with the remaining flour mixture and milk.
- Pour batter into your prepared dish and drop crumb mixture over the top in pea-size pieces. It will seem like a lot, but don’t worry! It’s just the right amount.
- Bake for 28 to 34 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out with just a few crumbs. Differences in ovens, baking dishes, and environments may affect baking time, so don’t be worried if your cake takes slightly longer to bake. Cool for at least 15 minutes before cutting, and enjoy!
Notes
Adapted From Cooking Classy
These BBQ chicken nachos with shredded bbq chicken, melty cheese, ranch, and cilantro over crispy tortilla chips are a fun and easy twist on traditional nachos.
Last month I shared the recipes for my favorite BBQ shredded chicken , and my favorite meal to make with it, BBQ chicken sandwiches . Today I have another BBQ chicken recipe for you, but something a little more fun and a little less practical, BBQ chicken nachos.
This recipe makes a full half sheet pan, double-layer of homemade nachos that are perfect for sharing. They’re super easy to throw together and a very fun twist on traditional nachos.
The first time I ever tried BBQ chicken nachos, I was a little hesitant about the flavor combo, but after you take the first bite, it’s surprisingly irresistible. The tangy sweetness of the bbq sauce and chicken is just so good with the crunchy, salty chips and melty cheese.
If you like some sweet with your savory, you will love these.
Ingredients
- BBQ shredded chicken: I included the recipe for my favorite bbq shredded chicken in the recipe card below, but if you have leftover bbq chicken that will work just fine.
- A mix of cheeses: In the recipe, I call for a mixture of Monterey, sharp cheddar, and smoked gouda cheese. I like the way Monterey melts for nachos, the sharp bite of the cheddar, and the smokey flavor of the smoked gouda is really delicious paired with the chicken. But you can use whatever melty cheese or cheese combo you’d like here. If you want to keep things simple, a Monterey cheddar blend will work great. I do not recommend using all smoked gouda as it doesn’t melt quite as prettily on nachos as the other cheeses.
- Onions, tomatoes, and jalapeños: If you’re not a fan of heat, the jalapeños are optional. You can also replace the onions, tomatoes, and jalapeños with store-bought pico de gallo if you’re in a hurry.
- Cilantro: Cilantro looks pretty sprinkled over the top of the nachos, but it also really helps bring all the flavors of the nachos together. Unless you don’t like cilantro, don’t skip it!
How to Make BBQ Chicken Nachos
- Cook the BBQ shredded chicken by lightly browning chicken breasts in butter and then simmering them in BBQ sauce until cooked through. Shred the chicken and set it aside.
- Assemble the nachos with two layers of chips and toppings. Do a layer of chips topped with half of the toppings and cheese followed by a second layer of chips and the remaining toppings. Layering the nachos like this means that you will get cheese and chicken in every bite instead of eating a single layer of toppings and having a bunch of dry chips underneath.
- Bake until cheese is melted , watching closely as the chip edges can begin to burn if left unattended.
- Add toppings: Top with cilantro, more BBQ sauce, and ranch, and enjoy!
Additional Toppings
You can add any toppings you’d like to these nachos like…
- Guacamole
- Sour cream
- Black beans (warm before adding)
- Corn (warm before adding)
- Chopped pineapple
Tips and Tricks
- Be sure you’re using warm chicken when assembling the nachos. They don’t cook long enough to reheat cold chicken. If your chicken has begun to cool by the time you’re ready to make the nachos, reheat it on the stove or if using leftover chicken, warm it in the microwave before assembling.
Can I make these nachos ahead of time?
I don’t recommend it. Nachos are always best right out of the oven. Don’t try to bake them in advance. But you can cook the BBQ chicken and cut/shred the rest of your ingredients ahead of time. Assembling the nachos takes less than 5 minutes if the rest of your ingredients are all ready to go.
Can I make these nacho fries instead of using chips?
Sure! Like my carne asada fries and carnitas fries , bbq chicken fries are totally irresistible. Use a 28-ounce bag of frozen fries and bake them according to package instructions until they are just done. Add the toppings and continue to bake until the cheese is melted, about 5 minutes.
This makes too many nachos. Can I cut the recipe in half?
Absolutely. This recipe halves with no preparation changes needed. A half batch can be baked on a quarter sheet baking pan or in a 9×13-inch casserole dish .
To change the recipe yield, hover over the serving size in the recipe card below or click if you’re on mobile, and slide the slider.
More Favorite Recipes for Sharing
- Nacho Cheese
- Homemade Carnitas (or Slow Cooker Carnitas )
- Country-style Pork Ribs
- Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies
Ingredients
BBQ Shredded Chicken
- ▢ 1 cup barbecue sauce
- ▢ ¼ cup apple cider vinegar
- ▢ ¼ cup water
- ▢ 1½ to 2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts about 4 small or 2 large*
- ▢ Salt and pepper
- ▢ 3 tablespoons ( 42g ) butter salted or unsalted is fine
Nachos
- ▢ 1 13 to 16-ounce bag of tortilla chips
- ▢ 3 cups ( 12oz ) shredded cheese I used 1 cup each of monterey jack, sharp cheddar, and smoked gouda
- ▢ 1 to 2 roma tomatoes chopped
- ▢ ½ red onion diced
- ▢ 1 to 2 jalapeños sliced, optional
- ▢ Barbecue sauce for topping
- ▢ Ranch dressing for topping
- ▢ ½ cup chopped, loosely packed cilantro for topping
Instructions
BBQ Shredded Chicken
- Preheat oven to 425°F. In a medium bowl, whisk together barbecue sauce, apple cider vinegar, and water. Set aside.
- Pat chicken breasts dry and lightly salt and pepper both sides. Heat a large skillet with a lid over medium-high heat and melt butter.
- Add chicken breasts to the pan and cook until lightly browned. Flip the chicken breasts and pour barbecue sauce mixture over the top.
- Bring sauce to a simmer and reduce heat to medium-low, keeping the sauce at just a simmer. Cover and cook for 5 minutes. Flip the chicken, re-cover, and continue to cook until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the meat reads 165°F, usually around 3 to 6 minutes more.
- Transfer the chicken to a cutting board, and allow it to rest for 5 to 10 minutes. Allow the sauce to continue simmering uncovered, stirring occasionally, until it thickens.
- Shred chicken breasts and return shredded chicken to the pan of sauce. Stir until well-coated.
Nachos
- Cover a half sheet baking tray with half of the chips followed by half each of the cheese, shredded BBQ chicken*, tomatoes, onions, and jalapeños. Layer remaining chips over the top followed by remaining chicken, tomatoes, onions, jalapeños, and finishing everything off with the last of the cheese.
- Bake for 6 to 8 minutes, until cheese is melted. Drizzle additional BBQ sauce and ranch dressing over the top* and then sprinkle with cilantro. Serve and enjoy!
Notes
This easy Iced Mocha recipe is so simple to make, you’ll only need about five minutes to throw it together.
Hey, friend. As you might know, I have a ton of coffee recipes on the site, and I’ve gotten a bunch of questions about turning some of them into iced versions of themselves.
Doing that is a tiny bit more complicated than just pouring them over ice, so I went through my coffee archives and created iced versions of the most-requested drinks, because summer is coming fast, and cold coffee makes it just a little more bearable.
Today we’re covering one of my faves, a homemade Iced Mocha.
A Super Easy Iced Mocha Recipe
Like homemade mochas , iced mochas are incredibly simple to make at home. You just need milk, cocoa powder, sugar, cold coffee, and a little optional whipping cream for added richness.
If you have cold coffee on hand (more on that later if you don’t), it will take you about five minutes to throw everything together, pour over ice, and satisfy those caffeine and chocolate cravings. <3
Ingredient Notes
- Milk: By default, Starbucks uses 2% milk in their coffee drinks, but you can use any milk you’d like including non-dairy milks. The higher fat your milk, the richer and creamier your drink will be.
- Homemade chocolate syrup: Instead of using store-bought chocolate syrup or hot chocolate mix as many homemade recipes do, you’ll make a quick syrup of cocoa powder, sugar, and water to flavor the mocha base.
- Heavy cream: Cream is optional, but a little splash adds a really delicious richness to the coffee. For leftover heavy cream, check out my post What to Do With Leftover Whipping Cream for storage tips and recipe ideas for the leftovers.
How to Make an Iced Mocha at Home
First, you’ll whisk together sugar, cocoa powder, and a little milk on the stove over medium heat until the sugar dissolves and you get a smooth chocolate syrup.
Then you just mix a bit more milk and cold coffee into the syrup , stir, and pour over ice.
Top with whipped cream if desired , and if you’d like to garnish your mocha with fudge sauce as I did in the photos, this is the fudge sauce recipe I used.
How to Quickly Chill Coffee
As mentioned above, you’ll want to use cold coffee in this recipe because pouring a warm mocha over ice is just going to water it down too much. If you can plan ahead, pop some leftover coffee in the refrigerator the night before, and you’ll be good to go come morning.
But if you need an iced mocha now and don’t have any cold coffee in the fridge, here’s what you can do:
- Brew a pot of coffee at double strength and pour over a cup of ice (about 1 heaping cup of ice per 1 cup of coffee). The ice will melt, chilling the coffee while bringing it down to normal strength. Freeze any leftover coffee into ice cubes that you can use next time without worrying about watering down your coffee.
- OR pour hot coffee into a large cup and place it in the freezer for 15 to 20 minutes until it has cooled to at least room temperature. Don’t forget about it though! 😉
I Want a Mocha Frappuccino
And finally, if mocha frappes are more your thing, not a problem. Instead of pouring your mocha over ice, blend it with 1 1/2 cups of ice. I also recommend upping the sugar a bit. Since you are blending in ice, it’s going to be much less sweet than the over-ice version.
And pro tip: for extra goodness, swirl fudge sauce around the glass before pouring in the frappuccino. It’s beautiful AND delicious.
Can I make this in the microwave instead of on the stovetop?
Absolutely. You can make the chocolate syrup in the microwave instead of on the stove by combining 2 tablespoons of the milk, the sugar, and the cocoa powder in a microwave safe cup. Microwave until steaming, about 30 seconds, and stir until completely smooth. Then follow the rest of the recipe as written.
Can I double this recipe?
Yes! The recipe scales up with no preparation changes needed. To change the recipe yield, hover over the serving size in the recipe card below or click if you’re on mobile, and slide the slider.
How much caffeine is in a homemade iced mocha?
It will vary from recipe to recipe, but in this homemade version, there is 1 cup of coffee which averages about 96 grams of caffeine.
More Iced Coffee Recipes
- Iced White Chocolate Mocha
- Iced Caramel Macchiato
- Iced Chai Latte
- Iced Caramel Latte
More Starbucks-inspired Recipes
- White Chocolate Mocha
- Salted Caramel Mocha
- Chai Latte
- Cinnamon Dolce Latte
Ingredients
- ▢ ¼ cup milk any percentage, divided
- ▢ 1 to 2 tablespoons ( 12 to 25g ) granulated sugar *
- ▢ 1 tablespoon ( 5g ) unsweetened cocoa powder
- ▢ 1 cup cold coffee *
- ▢ 1 tablespoon heavy cream optional
- ▢ Whipped cream optional for topping
- ▢ Chocolate syrup optional for topping
Instructions
- In a small pot, combine 2 tablespoons of the milk, sugar, and cocoa powder. Heat over medium heat, whisking constantly, until mixture begins to simmer and is well-combined and smooth.
- Remove from heat and whisk in cold coffee, remaining 2 tablespoons of the milk, and optional heavy cream.
- Pour over a 16-ounce cup (or mason jar) of ice, top with whipped cream and chocolate syrup if desired, and enjoy.
Notes
Iced Mocha Recipe
Ingredients
- ¼ cup milk any percentage, divided
- 1 to 2 tablespoons ( 12 to 25g ) granulated sugar *
- 1 tablespoon ( 5g ) unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 cup cold coffee *
- 1 tablespoon heavy cream optional
- Whipped cream optional for topping
- Chocolate syrup optional for topping
Instructions
- In a small pot, combine 2 tablespoons of the milk, sugar, and cocoa powder. Heat over medium heat, whisking constantly, until mixture begins to simmer and is well-combined and smooth.
- Remove from heat and whisk in cold coffee, remaining 2 tablespoons of the milk, and optional heavy cream.
- Pour over a 16-ounce cup (or mason jar) of ice, top with whipped cream and chocolate syrup if desired, and enjoy.
