smoothies and beverages

Caffè Mocha Recipe (Coffee Mocha)

23 May 2021 | Last Updated: 12 July 2022 By Aleksandra

Caffe Mocha is super easy to make at home. You need just 3 ingredients. I could say it’s a Starbucks copycat but my coffee mocha is definitely less sweet (but no less chocolatey!). This chocolate-flavored coffee is simply amazing and it’s hard to go back to regular coffee after trying it!

Be sure to try also our honey coffee, amaretto coffee, pumpkin spice hot chocolate, bourbon coffee, or coffee banana smoothie!

Coffee mocha topped with whipped cream and chocolate sauce in a cup.

What is coffee mocha

Caffe Mocha is simply a chocolate-flavored caffe latte. It’s made with chocolate, coffee, and milk. It’s also called mochaccino or mocha latte. Its name comes from the city of Mocha (or al-Makha) in Yemen which was the major marketplace for coffee from the 15th century until the 18th century. 

Ingredients

Labeled ingredients for caffe mocha.

You only need 3 ingredients to make caffe mocha:

1) Chocolate

You can use:

  • chocolate syrup (store-bought)
  • homemade chocolate syrup – the recipe is also included below, it’s super easy
  • chocolate bars (or chocolate chips but I would recommend regular chocolate bars for better flavor)
    • milk chocolate is best, dark chocolate just doesn’t dissolve that easily, you will have small specks of chocolate in your drink, I love to use 3 cubes of Lindt milk chocolate for my coffee
    • you can also use white chocolate (but I haven’t tried it myself), such coffee mocha is called zebra!
  • you can also use hot cocoa mix (or hot chocolate mix that doesn’t contain starch which makes the beverage more thick)

2) Coffee

We need a strong espresso for this drink. Espresso is a small amount of strongly brewed coffee, a large espresso is about 1/4 cup (60ml), you can easily make it with an espresso machine or a Moka pot. If you don’t have those, you can also use regular instant coffee – stir about 2 heaped teaspoons of instant coffee (or less if you want a mild coffee) with 1/4 cup of boiling water.

3) Milk

You will need steamed milk to make mocha coffee. Don’t try to make it with hot milk – it will taste like chocolate milk with coffee. You can steam your milk in an espresso machine or a milk steamer/frother. If you don’t have these, you can add hot but not boiling milk into a shaker or a jar, tightly close it and shake for about 1-2 minutes until the milk is frothy. It won’t be frothy like from a milk steamer but it is still very good and much better than hot milk.

The amount of milk depends on how big your coffee mug is. For the cup on the photos I needed just 1/2 cup of milk, but for larger coffee mugs, like for a caffe latte, you will need about 3/4 cup. These amounts are for milk that has not been steamed yet. I personally prefer my caffe mocha with more milk!

Homemade mocha sauce

A collage of 2 photos showing how to make homemade mocha sauce.

Homemade mocha sauce is super simple to make! All you have to do is to combine equal amounts of:

  • unsweetened cocoa powder, use Dutch-processed cocoa for best flavor
  • powdered sugar (or granulated/brown sugar)
  • milk (or water), commercial chocolate sauces often use milk powder so I added milk, but it will also be great with just water
  • a little bit vanilla extract to taste (optional).

You could also make it sweeter by adding more sugar or more chocolaty by adding more cocoa powder, simply adjust to your taste!

You can also add some chopped chocolate for extra chocolate flavor. The sauce will be thicker, so add a little bit more milk or water. You want the sauce to have a pourable consistency but it should be thick.

If you’re making just one coffee, you can combine 1 Tbsp of cocoa powder, 1 Tbsp of sugar, 1 Tbsp of milk/water, 1/2 ts vanilla extract, and hot espresso in a cup, then stir until all the ingredients are combined (whisk it constantly). Note that the liquid must be hot for the cocoa powder to incorporate.

If you want to make more sauce to pour over whipped cream like on the photos or to have more for later, add all the ingredients into a small pot and cook the sauce briefly until the ingredients are well-combined and the sauce is thick. If you just mix them in a cup the sauce will be too runny. It’s fine for the coffee but it’s too thin to use as a topping.

You can store this sauce in the fridge for a couple of days (with milk) or for 1-2 weeks if made with water.

How to make homemade caffe mocha

A collage of 4 photos showing how to make coffee mocha.

STEP 1: Add chocolate sauce (2 Tbsp) into a large glass coffee mug.

STEP 2: Pour in espresso (1/4 cup).

STEP 3: Stir until combined.

STEP 4: Add steamed milk (made from 1/2 – 3/4 cup of milk per cup/serving) and stir again.

Toppings

  • sprinkle it with cinnamon or cocoa powder
  • top with marshmallows
  • top it with whipped cream, more chocolate sauce, and milk chocolate shavings/curls (I used a vegetable peeler to do that)

How to make homemade whipped cream: beat 1/2 cup of heavy cream or heavy whipping cream (120ml) with 2 teaspoons of powdered sugar (or granulated sugar) until it’s firm. You can of course add more sugar if you wish, I wanted it to be just slightly sweet. This will be enough for two cups of coffee.

If you’re adding whipped cream remember to don’t add too much steamed milk, pour it 1/2-inch (1.5 cm) below the rim of the mug at most.

Iced mocha coffee

To make iced mocha in summer, pour the chocolate sauce into a cup, stir in cold espresso, then add cold milk and ice cubes. You can transfer it to a shaker or a jar and shake it for 1-2 minutes until the milk is a little bit frothy. If you’re making homemade chocolate sauce, you need to cook it in a pot (the cocoa powder needs hot liquid in order to combine with other ingredients) then leave it to cool.

Coffee mocha topped with whipped cream and chocolate sauce in a cup.

Did you make this recipe? RATE THE RECIPE or tell me in the COMMENTS how you liked it! You can also add a photo of your dish. It would make me very happy and will help other readers. Thank you!!

Caffè Mocha Recipe (Coffee Mocha)

Caffe Mocha is super easy to make at home. You need just 3 ingredients. This chocolate-flavored coffee is simply amazing and it’s hard to go back to regular coffee after trying it! Please see notes for substitutions!
Pin This Recipe! SAVE THIS RECIPE
Kawa mokka z bitą śmietaną i sosem czekoladowym.
Print Recipe

RATE THE RECIPE

(click on the stars)

5 from 1 vote
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 0 minutes
Total Time 5 minutes
Servings 1 coffee
Calories 197kcal
Author Aleksandra

Ingredients

for the mocha coffee:

  • 2 tablespoons chocolate sauce*
  • 1 large strong espresso* 1/4 cup (60ml)
  • ½ – ¾ cup milk* 120-180ml

topping (optional):

  • cinnamon and cocoa powder or
  • whipped cream and more chocolate sauce

Instructions

  • Add chocolate sauce into a large glass coffee mug.
  • Pour in espresso and stir until combined.
  • Steam the milk and add it to the cup, stir again.
  • Optional toppings: sprinkle your coffee with cocoa powder and cinnamon or top it with whipped cream and more chocolate sauce.
  • Enjoy!

Notes

  • Chocolate sauce: you can use store-bought or homemade (recipe below). Adjust the amount to your taste! For me, 2 Tbsp are perfect, but if you want it more sweet and chocolaty, add 3 Tbsp.
  • Instead of chocolate sauce, you can use milk chocolate (1 ounce or 30g). If using chocolate, break it into smaller pieces and stir with espresso until melted. You could also use dark or bittersweet chocolate but it doesn’t melt so easily and you’ll have some small chocolate specks in your coffee.
  • If you don’t have an espresso machine or a Moka pot to make espresso you can also use regular instant coffee – stir about 2 heaped teaspoons of instant coffee (or less if you want a mild coffee) with 1/4 cup of boiling water.
  • You can steam your milk in an espresso machine or a milk steamer/frother. If you don’t have these, you can add hot but not boiling milk into a shaker or a jar, tightly close it and shake for about 1-2 minutes until the milk is frothy. It won’t be frothy like from a milk steamer but it is still very good and much better than hot milk. The amount of milk depends on how big your coffee mug is. For the cup on the photos I needed just 1/2 cup of milk, but for larger coffee mugs, like for a caffe latte, you will need about 3/4 cup. These amounts are for milk that has not been steamed yet. I personally prefer my caffe mocha with more milk!
  • Homemade mocha sauce (chocolate sauce): combine 1 Tbsp of cocoa powder, 1 Tbsp of powdered sugar, 1 Tbsp of milk/water, 1/2 ts vanilla extract, and hot espresso in a cup, then stir until all the ingredients are combined. Note that the liquid must be hot for the cocoa powder to incorporate. You can also add 1-2 cubes of chopped chocolate if you wish. If you want to make more sauce to pour over whipped cream like on the photos or to have more for later, add all the ingredients into a small pot and cook the sauce briefly until the ingredients are well-combined and the sauce is thick (whisk it constantly). If you just mix them in a cup the sauce will be too runny. It’s fine for the coffee but it’s too thin to use as a topping. You can store this sauce in the fridge for a couple of days (with milk) or for 1-2 weeks if made with water.
  • How to make homemade whipped cream: beat 1/2 cup of heavy cream or heavy whipping cream (120ml) with 2 teaspoons of powdered sugar (or granulated sugar) until it’s firm. You can of course add more sugar if you wish, I wanted it to be just slightly sweet. This will be enough for two cups of coffee.
  • Iced mocha latte: To make this delicious coffee in summer, pour the chocolate sauce into a cup, stir in cold espresso, then add cold milk and ice cubes. You can transfer it to a shaker or a jar and shake it for 1-2 minutes until the milk is a little bit frothy. If you’re making homemade chocolate sauce, you need to cook it in a pot (the cocoa powder needs hot liquid in order to combine with other ingredients) then leave it to cool.
  • Calories = 1 coffee, without whipped cream. This is only an estimate!
Course hot beverage
Cuisine American
Tried this Recipe? Rate the Recipe and tell us what you think in the Comments!

You Might Also Like

No Comments

Leave a Reply

Recipe Rating




The maximum upload file size: 1 MB. You can upload: image. Links to YouTube, Facebook, Twitter and other services inserted in the comment text will be automatically embedded. Drop file here