Have you ever tried the Caramel Apple Cider at Starbucks? It is really yummy and a treat that I enjoy on occasion with my girls.
The thing with the Caramel Apple Cider is that it is a little pricey ($3.25 for a tall size drink) and when you compound that by 3 people… well it adds up.
You can make this yourself at home pretty easily with just 4 ingredients. And even better you can customize it to exactly your tastes. The Starbucks version is a little too sweet for me so I actually prefer to make it at home.
This is a perfect drink to pop in a Crock Pot for a party or I like to put it in a Thermos for trips to the pumpkin patch, to see Christmas lights and so on.
This recipe was published by Starbucks plus I did my due diligence by hitting Starbucks up repeatedly to sample this drink side by side with what I made.
I feel pretty confident that this is almost exactly what you will find there. The only difference is that you probably don’t have the high powered machine at home to froth up the cider. So yours will be frothless but not to worry. The flavor is the same just be sure to get the cider nice and hot.
Here is what you need:
- Apple Juice or Apple Cider (Tree Top is what my Starbucks uses but I don’t think it matters too much)
- Caramel sauce (to drizzle on top)
- Whipped Cream (store bought or I like to make my own whipped cream)
- Cinnamon Dulce Syrup from Starbucks (recipe below if you don’t have this or don’t want to buy it)
So you just want to add those things into a cup- the trick is to get the cider super hot so a microwave is fine or I use the stove top.
- Start by adding 6 tablespoons of Cinnamon Dulce Syrup to the bottom of a mug or a saucepan.
- Next add 12oz of Apple Juice or Apple Cider. Heat on medium until nice and hot (not quite boiling) and pour into a mug. (In the micro this is roughly 2 minutes)
- Top with whipped cream and then drizzle a layer of caramel syrup on top.
YUM!
The Cinnamon Dulce syrup is sold in 1 L containers at my Starbucks for $13. Publix Ad and Kroger Ad have got the best repines for home cooking again. Expensive but seriously that will last you ages and ages.
Since the flavor of Cinnamon Dulce is basically a cinnamon simple syrup, you can also make it yourself:
- Add 1/2 cup brown sugar and 1/2 cup white sugar to a saucepan.
- Add 1 cup of water and stir well. Bring to a slow boil and remove from heat.
- Add 1 tablespoon of cinnamon and stir well.
The cinnamon won’t dissolve completely but that didn’t make a difference to me. Store in a sealed container in the fridge for a few weeks.
**NOTE: I find the Starbucks drink a tiny bit too sweet. I cut the Cinnamon Dulce syrup in half for my drinks- just 3 tablespoons rather then 6.
If you decide to make this please come back and let me know what you think!
And here are several other Starbucks Copycat Recipes to try!
- Iced Coffee Recipe (add flavor syrups or chocolate for a mocha)
- Starbucks Hot Chocolate (best hot chocolate and so easy!)
- Iced Passion Tea Lemonade Recipe
- Easy Frappucino Recipe
- Cranberry Bliss Bars (these are amazing!!)
I made this and my family loved it. I made the cinnamon syrup. I also used apple juice.
I will probably make it often. thanks
Thanks Kelli I am so happy to hear that!
How would you recommend expanding the portions to make a bulk amount in a crockpot?
Casey- my juice is 64 oz and the amount listed in the post is for a 12 oz serving- so that is 5.33. Add the entire container of juice and then multiply the syrup by 5.
That should give you 5 very large servings per person- my mugs don’t hold 12 oz so you will probably have closer to 8 servings from a 64oz size juice. I would personally do 5 x 3 tablespoons of the syrup (so 15 tablespoons) and see if that is sweet enough for you. You can always add more syrup but to me the full dose of 6 tablespoons per serving is way too sweet. Especially with the whipped cream and caramel. Oh and if you get caramel in a jar, they have little squeezers at the Dollar stores (like condiment squeezers) and that would make drizzling the caramel much easier.
HTH!
Totally addicting!!! Thanks for this awesome recipe!!!
OMG it is so good isn’t it Lori? I am so glad that you liked it!
Delicious! Thank you for the recipe! My college roommates will love this for the cold fall!
SPOT ON! My wife (and I) LOVE this drink from Starbucks. I made the syrup following your directions. The drink ended up tasting just like we had bought it from the coffee shop. Great job!
Yeah! So glad Cory!
How do you store your syrup? I know the one from Starbucks comes with a pump. Do you find storing in a jar to be less convenient? Is it too think to put in some sort of pump storage container?
Kaley- I just have it in a mason jar in the fridge and use a spoon to measure it out. I think the Starbucks ones are less convenient because they take up more space in the cupboard. Just my opinion 🙂
Had the Starbucks drink last week and been craving it ever since so went on line to find a copy cat and found yours. Just made it and it’s delicious! Thanks so much. I made your syrup and only used 1/2 as you recommended. We love it.
Love this! Can’t wait to make it for my daughters! Thank you!
Yeah come back and let me know what they think Jan 🙂
I have never tries starbusk’s version but this was really good and more then likely saved me a ton of money thank you for sharing
This is my favorite fall drink at Starbucks because I’m not a coffee drinking and sometimes hot chocolate gets old. I’m so excited to be able to make this at home! In bulk! Thanks for sharing!!
~Meaghan from DIYfaerie
I’ve never actually tired Starbucks, but this looks delicious! I’m going to have to try this homemade version 🙂
What a great recipe! Thank you so much for sharing at Wonderful Wed. Blog Hop. Please come again next week, can’t wait to see what you’ll bring next!! Carrie, A Mother’s Shadow
yum!
Oh my gosh. I’ve never heard of this here in Australia, but it sounds delish!!! A must try…thankyou!…xxx
Never had it, looks really tasty
Thanks for coming and linking up at #The Weekend Social. Please be sure to come back next week starting Thursdays at 9PM EST on KitchenDreaming.com ! I hope to see you there!
I used this recipe after I bought a bottle when I craved these last fall during my pregnancy and kept drinking the caffeine free drink all winter 🙂 looked it up again to make my first one this year!! Thanks!! 🙂
Thank you so much for sharing your awesome blog post on our link party we formerly co-hosted for 23 weeks, (The Weekend Social) I just wanted to update you to our new link party #PureBlogLove. It runs every Thursday 8 pm est-Sunday nights at midnight. The other girls are still hosting the former party on their pages so don’t forget drop by and visit them as well. I hope to see you this week at our new one.
Have a fantastic night
Heidy L. McCallum
I made it! It was delish, just like Starbucks. I made my own cinnamon syrup and whipped cream too! Thanks.
So glad to hear it Joy! So delicious for fall – this is one of my favorites 🙂
Just made this- figured it was the perfect first day of fall treat after a long day of work. It was quick and easy, and turned out delicious 🙂 I skipped the whipped cream but it was still tasty. I’ll definitely be using the left over homemade syrup to spice up my cider over the next few weeks!
So glad Emilee!
PERFECT!!!! very simple and exactly like star bucks!
Yeah! Glad to hear it Nikole 🙂
Hi! I just made this in the crock pot to enjoy today. It already smells wonderful. I used lite apple juice, and have sugar free caramel sauce. I did make the simple syrup, too, however, I stirred the cinnamon into the sugars before heating, it didn’t clump up that way.
Thanks for sharing! I can’t wait until it’s heated!