Starbucks is refining its menu starting next week and several Frappuccinos did not make the cut.
The coffee chain is updating its drink menu on March 4 and will be dropping many beverages, including the Honey Almondmilk Flat White, Iced Matcha Lemonade, White Hot Chocolate and Royal Breakfast Latte, as well as several Frappuccinos.
Why is Starbucks changing its menu? A simpler menu is part of CEO Brian Niccol’s “Back to Starbucks” plan to revitalize the Seattle-based coffee chain in the U.S.
A refreshed menu – and a focus on its most popular items – “will make way for innovation, help reduce wait times, improve quality and consistency, and align with our core identity as a coffee company,” Starbucks said in a statement to USA TODAY.
So far under the former Chipotle CEO’s leadership, Starbucks has also reversed its open-door policy, unveiled new and returning coffeehouse amenities, and, earlier this week, announced layoffs of 1,100 corporate employees.
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If you are a diehard Frappuccino fan, is one of your favorites disappearing when the coffee chain updates the menu on March 4? The complete list of drinks going away is below.
What is a Frappuccino?
A Frappuccino is a cold, blended drink made with a base of ice, milk, a flavored syrup, and usually blended with coffee or espresso. It gets its name from the combination of the words “frappe,” a cold drink similar to an ice cream soda, the Food Network says, and “cappuccino,” which is, of course, a drink made with espresso and steamed and/or frothed milk.
Starbucks began offering Coffee and Mocha Frappuccinos in 1995; it had gained the rights to the drink name when it purchased a Boston company called The Coffee Connection a year earlier, according to the company history.
Since then, Starbucks has increased the variety of Frappuccinos and added whipped cream as a topping.
In 2002, it also began offering caffeine-free Frappuccinos of the flavors vanilla bean and double chocolate chip, according to the Tasting Table food news site.
You may currently find as many as two dozen Coffee Frappuccinos and Créme Frappuccinos in the Starbucks app. Depending on your location, there may still be some Frappuccino drinks from Starbucks’ holiday menu available (examples: Caramel Brulée Frappuccino and Peppermint White Chocolate Créme Frappuccino).
Beyond that, there’s almost-unlimited customization you can do to your drink by paying a bit more to add a powder, such as chocolate malt; a sauce (examples: caramel or mocha); topping (examples: caramel crunch and cookie crumble); syrup (brown sugar or sugar-free vanilla syrup).
Note: A few ingredients for customization may also leave the menu, although Starbucks did not release which might be going away.
Which Frappuccinos are leaving the menu?
These are the Frappuccinos Starbucks will remove from the menu as of March 4:
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Caffe Vanilla Frappuccino
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White Chocolate Mocha Frappuccino
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Caramel Ribbon Crunch Crème Frappuccino
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Double Chocolaty Chip Crème Frappuccino
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Chocolate Cookie Crumble Crème Frappuccino
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White Chocolate Crème Frappuccino
Starbucks Frappuccino: Calories and nutritional information
Drinks on the Frappuccino menu can range in calories, from 210 calories for an Espresso Frappuccino and 230 calories for the Coffee Frappuccino, to up to 420 calories for the Chocolate-Covered Strawberry Crème Frappuccino Blended Beverage and 480 calories for the Mocha Cookie Crumble Frappuccino Blended Beverage (all based on Grande-sized drinks).
The calorie counts also are based on whole milk used in the drink, which you can substitute. Starbucks also quit charging for plant-based milk substitutions in October 2024. Also factored in: whipped cream and toppings.
Here’s the nutritional information on a grande-sized Mocha Frappuccino:
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Total Fat: 15 grams (19% of daily value)
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Total Carbohydrates: 54 grams (19%)
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Protein: 5 grams (8%-10%)
People react to news of some Frappuccinos leaving Starbucks menu
Reactions on the social platform X on Tuesday ranged from sadness and exasperation that a favorite drink was going away to acceptance that the move makes sense for Starbucks.
Which Frappuccinos will remain on the menu?
Here’s the list of the Frappuccinos that will remain on the Starbucks menu as of March 4:
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Caramel Ribbon Crunch Frappuccino
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Mocha Cookie Crumble Frappuccino
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Vanilla Bean Crème Frappuccino
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Strawberry Crème Frappuccino
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Matcha Crème Frappuccino
How to customize your Starbucks Frappuccino to approach a departing drink
Here are some suggestions, courtesy of Starbucks, on how to create a drink close to one that is leaving the menu:
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If you are a fan of the Espresso Frappuccino and Caffè Vanilla Frappuccino, try customizing the Coffee Frappuccino with a shot of espresso or pump of syrup.
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Going to miss the Java Chip Frappuccino or White Chocolate Mocha Frappuccino? Try Mocha Cookie Crumble Frappuccino, which has chocolate bits providing a similar texture as the Java Chip Frappuccino, or the Mocha Frappuccino, which has bittersweet chocolate notes.
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Fans of the Crème Frappuccino beverages may want to try the Vanilla Bean Frappuccino and add a flavor, or sample the Strawberry Frappuccino.
Where else could you get a frozen coffee drink?
Starbucks may have led the way, but other stores have frozen coffee drinks, too, although they may not totally replicate departing Frappuccino favorites. Here’s a short list of some of the other spots you can get frozen coffee drinks:
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Dunkin’: The donut and coffee chain has frozen coffee drinks let you add flavors including Caramel Swirl, Mocha Swirl, French Vanilla Swirl and Butter Pecan Swirl. Other frozen drinks include the Frozen Matcha Latte and the Coolatta, a slush available in blue raspberry, strawberry and vanilla bean flavors.
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Krispy Kreme: The maker of doughnuts also has frozen lattes in various flavors including caramel, mocha, vanilla and a glazed doughnut flavor, all customizable and topped with whipped cream and other toppings.
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McDonald’s: The fast-food chain has McCafé Caramel Frappé and Mocha Frappé, which are blended with ice and topped with whipped cream.
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Baskin Robbins: The ice cream shop chain has its Cappuccino Blast drinks, made with ice cream, ice and coffee; other flavors include caramel, mocha, Oreo ‘n Cookies, and Turtle (Praline’s ‘n Cream ice cream and caramel syrup.)
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Caribou Coffee: In addition to a Coffee Caribou Cooler, made with blended coffee and ice, other flavors include the Caramel Caribou Cooler and Frozen Cookies and Cream Caribou Cooler, both of which can be customized with espresso and other ingredients.
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Dutch Bros Coffee: The chain’s Blended Freezes made with espresso and milk include the caramel and vanilla-flavored Golden Eagle.
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Scooter’s Coffee: The coffee chain’s line of Blender drinks made with espresso, ice cream, ice and topped with whipped cream include the Mocha Blender, Peanut Butter Crunch Blender, Caramelicious Blender and Oreo Blender, which comes without espresso but can be customized.
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Peet’s Coffee: The chain has a Mocha Frappé and Caramel Frappé made with cold brew, milk, ice and either chocolate or caramel sauce.
Contributing: Amaris Encinas and Eric Lagatta, USA TODAY.
Follow Mike Snider on Threads, Bluesky and X: mikegsnider & @mikegsnider.bsky.social & @mikesnider.
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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Starbucks saying goodbye to some Frappuccinos: See list
