Well, it’s that time of the year again. Once summer rolls around the Aldi where I shop stops stocking one of their drink mixes that we enjoy, the Cappuccino French Vanilla instant coffee mix.
Of course that doesn’t throw me too big of a curve. I just find a way to Make My Own!
In the past I’ve used this recipe (Homemade French Vanilla Coffee Mix) to solve the problem, and it’s a mixture that’s tasty and easy to make. But last week when I was looking at the ingredient label on my empty container of Aldi Cappuccino French Vanilla mix I spotted that it included cocoa. Oh . . . good idea! Some chocolate flavor in the mix sounded like an excellent idea. 
So this time around I’m mixing together this easy recipe for homemade cappuccino french vanilla coffee mix that includes some powdered chocolate drink mix in the ingredients too. AND – it can be served either as a hot beverage . . .Or . . . served over ice for a cold beverage.
{ See Aldi – we CAN still use this in the summer! }
Here’s how to do it:
Homemade Instant Cappuccino French Vanilla Mix
Ingredients:
-
3/4 cup Instant Coffee
-
1 cup Chocolate Drink Mix (I used Nestle Nesquik)
-
1 cup Powdered French Vanilla Creamer
-
1/2 cup Powdered Sugar (also known as Confectioner’s Sugar)
1. The first thing I would recommend with this recipe is to grind the instant coffee granules a little finer. This helps the instant coffee blend into the rest of the ingredients better. I used my food processor for this step which worked well (pulsing for 30 seconds or so did the trick). A coffee grinder would probably work good too.
2. Combine the instant coffee with the rest of the ingredients in a large mixing bowl and mix everything together well.
3. Transfer to a covered container for storage.
To Use: Combine 2 to 3 tablespoons of the mix with about 3/4 cup hot water. Serve hot in a coffee mug or serve over ice for an iced coffee beverage.
A Few More Notes:
~~ Try different variations of this mix by using different flavors of powdered creamers (for instance Hazlenut or Caramel).
~~ You can also add about a 1/4 teaspoon of cinnamon or nutmeg to the mix for a flavor twist.
~~ Perfect for gift giving too! Put in a cute jar and include a label with instructions for how much mix to use per cup.
I know this is several years old, but I found and tried this today. Nothing like I was expecting. I was hoping to duplicate something like the Folgers or Hills Bros mixes I buy at the store. This tasted way to much like coffee for my liking. I noticed the recipe you based this off of did not include cocoa mix but did included powdered milk. Was there a reason for leaving out the powdered milk when you made this? Do you have anything that more closely resembles what I buy off the shelf?
The mix was intended to have quite a bit of coffee taste (like the Aldi version), with a bit of creamer and chocolate flavor added in. That is why there was no powdered milk. Sorry I am not familiar with the Folgers or Hills Bros versions. However I think if you would like to adapt the recipe and add some powdered milk, you would get a much milder version than the original which is perhaps more what you were hoping for. Another option might be to just use less coffee in the mixture (maybe just a 1/2 cup instead of 3/4 cup) and that might give you a milder mixture too.
I tried this first with water and didn’t like it. But, it tastes so much better with milk!.. I think it tadtes more like a mocha cappuccino than vanilla, and that’s even with exta vanilla creamer and sugar. I’d try less coffee for the next batch.
How would you make the Double Mocha Cappuccini from Aldi??? Thank you
I think to make a Double Mocha version like the kind sold at Aldi, you would have to add some cocoa powder to the mix. I would try adding about 1/4 cup of cocoa powder to the french vanilla version and see how that works. You might have to adjust the sugar and/or the creamer upward just a bit too to compensate for the cocoa powder. I have never bought the double mocha version, but I think that’s how you would go about making a DIY version using my cappuccino french vanilla version as the starting point.
This is my favorite homemade cappuccino yet. I think we’ve made it 4 times already ?. Thanks!
Not sweet enough. We added more powdered sugar and french vanilla creamer. Thank you for the basic recipe. Can’t aford those K cups!
I made something very similar to those last Christmas for my son. I used regular sugar and added cinnamon, nutmeg and mini chocolate chips. My son said it was very good. Will be making it again this year
Those sound like delicious additions to this type of recipe Mary! { especially the cinnamon and nutmeg 🙂 }
I don’t know that I’ve ever seen flavored coffee creamer where I live.
Do you think that this recipe could be adjusted, and the coffee creamer and pudding mix added into it like in the other recipe that you listed for the FV coffee?
Yes Sharla, I think you could make that substitution. Instead of the 1 cup of french vanilla creamer, you could perhaps try 3/4 cup regular creamer and 1/4 cup instant vanilla pudding mix. Or maybe you could try the recipe too just substituting regular creamer for the french vanilla flavor. It might still taste pretty good with just regular creamer!
I love this and drink it all the time. I flavor mine with Ice Cream toppings, Caramel is my favorite!. I have also used frozen fruit instead of ice cubes to add flavor. This recipe is definitely a KEEPER!
We’ve made this recipe MANY times too since I first published it. It’s a keeper at our house too! The ice cream topping idea sounds like a great homemade way to make this drink even more like the fancy coffee shop drinks.
This looks super yummy! I’ve been reading your blog for some time, and I always enjoy your posts! Thanks for sharing!
Thanks for your kinds words Juliana – Glad to hear you’re enjoying the blog 🙂
I love your site! I am 67 and retired and so like making my own. This recipe is better than the one I was using, thank you!
Thanks Audrey! Making your own stuff is a great money saving strategy in retirement – glad to hear you’re enjoying this recipe too!