Starbucks? Never heard of it. Make your own DIY mocha instead. Four ingredients, mixed once, stored in a jar. Hot or iced, ready in under 2 minutes, and significantly cheaper per cup. Made with Overherd oat milk powder.
Ingredients
For the mocha powder 200g Overherd oat milk powder 55g coconut sugar 8 tsp instant coffee 6 tbsp cocoa powder Per serving 3 tbsp mocha powder (approx. 40g) 200ml hot waterMethod
Make the powder
1 Add all powder ingredients to a bowl and mix thoroughly until fully combined.
2 Transfer to a jar with a lid. Keeps for up to 9 months in a cool, dry place.
Hot mocha
3 Add 3 tablespoons (approx. 40g) of mocha powder to a mug.
4 Add 200ml of hot water and mix using a milk frother until smooth and frothy. Serve immediately.
Iced mocha
5 Mix 3 tablespoons of mocha powder with 200ml of hot water using a frother until fully dissolved.
6 Leave to cool, then pour over a glass of ice and serve.
Tips
Use a frother Cocoa powder can be stubborn to dissolve. A handheld electric frother is the most reliable way to get a smooth, lump-free result. Stir vigorously if you don't have one.
Use good quality cocoa The cocoa is the dominant flavour here. Good quality cocoa gives a richer, smoother result than standard supermarket cocoa powder. Totally worth the upgrade.
Adjust the sweetness 55g coconut sugar across the batch gives a lightly sweetened mocha. Increase to 80g if you prefer it sweeter, or reduce to 35g for a more intense, bitter chocolate finish.
FAQ
Can you make a mocha with oat milk powder? Yes, and it's the easiest way to do it. Adding Overherd oat milk powder directly to the mocha mix means the oat milk is already in the jar. No heating milk separately. Just add hot water, froth, and serve. Works hot or iced from the same jar.
How long does the mocha powder keep? Stored in an airtight jar in a cool, dry place, the powder keeps for up to 9 months. Make a batch and you've got a proper oat milk mocha available whenever you want one — no trip to a coffee shop required.
Is this mocha recipe plant-based? Yes. All four ingredients are fully plant-based. Overherd oat milk powder contains no dairy, and coconut sugar, instant coffee, and cocoa powder are all plant-based by default.
Serving suggestions
01 Hot mocha The standard. Froth with hot water, done in 2 minutes. A proper mocha without the queue, the name spelled wrong on the cup, or the price.
02 Iced mocha Mix hot, cool briefly, pour over ice. The same jar, the same powder, a completely different drink.
03 Gifting Jar it up with a label and serving instructions. A genuinely useful gift for anyone who drinks coffee and has a slightly inflated opinion of Starbucks.
04 With breakfast Under 2 minutes to make. Pairs well with porridge, toast, or the quiet satisfaction of not spending £6 on a coffee.
05 Afternoon pick-me-up Coffee and chocolate in one jar on your shelf. The 3pm problem, solved.
Variations
Extra chocolate Increase cocoa powder to 8 tbsp across the batch for a more intense, darker chocolate flavour. Reduce coconut sugar slightly to compensate for the extra bitterness.
Stronger coffee Increase instant coffee to 10 - 12 tsp across the batch. Good if you usually take your coffee strong and find the mocha a bit too chocolatey.
Spiced mocha Add ½ tsp cinnamon and a pinch of cayenne to the batch. The heat from the cayenne cuts through the chocolate and makes it noticeably more interesting.
Vanilla mocha Add ½ tsp vanilla powder to the batch mix. Rounds out the coffee and chocolate flavours and makes it taste more like a coffee shop order.
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