Grasshopper Frappuccino

It is the color that stops people first: a vivid, storybook green with dark chocolate flecks swirled through it. The grasshopper frappuccino starbucks fans order pairs earthy matcha with rich mocha and crunchy java chips, building a drink that tastes like chocolate covered green tea and looks like nothing else on the tray. Add peppermint and it becomes a true mint chocolate treat worthy of the classic dessert name it carries.

The grasshopper frappuccino starbucks drink is a secret menu build. Starbucks does not list it, and baristas are not trained to make it by name. It exists because fans combined standard ingredients in a way the official menu never did. This guide explains what the drink is, what goes into it, how to order it step by step, what it usually costs, how it tastes with and without mint, and the tweaks that regulars use to tune it.

What Is the Grasshopper Frappuccino Starbucks Fans Order?

The grasshopper frappuccino starbucks build starts with a Matcha Creme Frappuccino, the green tea blended drink already on the menu. Onto that base, fans add mocha sauce and java chips, then finish with whipped cream and a mocha drizzle. The matcha supplies the color and the gentle, grassy sweetness. The mocha and chips supply the chocolate depth. Together they land in a flavor space that reminds people of mint chocolate desserts, chocolate dipped green tea treats, and the old fashioned grasshopper pie.

Here is the detail that surprises new fans: the classic grasshopper frappuccino starbucks recipe contains no mint at all. The name comes from the green color and the chocolate pairing, borrowed from the famous green cocktail and the pie it inspired. The mint version is a popular variation that adds peppermint syrup, and plenty of regulars argue it completes the idea. This guide treats the matcha chocolate build as the classic grasshopper frappuccino starbucks recipe and the peppermint version as its famous twist, so you can order either with confidence.

Recognition will vary by store, as it does for every secret menu item. A barista may know the grasshopper frappuccino starbucks nickname from fan traffic, or may simply build it happily once you list the parts. The parts are all standard, the steps are few, and the drink tolerates small measuring differences gracefully, which is why the grasshopper frappuccino starbucks order has stayed popular for years.

What Is In It

The grasshopper frappuccino starbucks ingredient list is a study in contrast: green tea brightness against dark chocolate richness. Here is the typical grande build.

The Matcha Creme Base

The Matcha Creme Frappuccino base gives the grasshopper frappuccino starbucks drink its identity. Matcha is finely ground green tea with a naturally sweet, earthy flavor, and in blended form it turns the whole cup a bright spring green. The base also carries a gentle caffeine lift from the tea itself, something to know before ordering one late in the day.

The Mocha Sauce

Mocha sauce is the chocolate engine of the grasshopper frappuccino starbucks build. Two pumps for a grande is the typical fan call. The sauce blends through the matcha rather than sitting in layers, so the drink tastes like a true marriage of the two flavors instead of a striped novelty.

The Java Chips

Java chips are chocolatey chips blended into the drink for texture and extra cocoa depth. In the grasshopper frappuccino starbucks cup, they do double duty. They deepen the chocolate note, and they leave tiny flecks and crunchy bits that make the green drink look as interesting as it tastes.

The Whipped Cream and Drizzle

Whipped cream and a mocha drizzle finish the standard grasshopper frappuccino starbucks build. The cream softens the first sips, and the drizzle signals the chocolate inside before you even taste it. Both come standard on many Frappuccinos, so they rarely need special explanation.

The Optional Peppermint

Peppermint syrup is the famous option. Two pumps for a grande turn the grasshopper frappuccino starbucks drink into a genuine mint chocolate experience, closer to the classic grasshopper flavor that most people expect from the name. Order it with peppermint the first time if mint chocolate is the flavor you are chasing.

How to Order the Grasshopper Frappuccino Starbucks Build

Your barista will not know this drink by its nickname alone, so order the grasshopper frappuccino starbucks build by describing its steps. The steps work at the counter, in the drive thru, and in the app.

The Exact Words

Say this: “Can I get a Matcha Creme Frappuccino with mocha sauce and java chips blended in, with whipped cream and mocha drizzle?” If you want the mint version of the grasshopper frappuccino starbucks drink, add “and two pumps of peppermint” to the same sentence. That is the complete order, and any barista can build it from those words.

In the App

The app handles the grasshopper frappuccino starbucks build well because every element is a standard customization. Choose the Matcha Creme Frappuccino, add mocha sauce and java chips under flavors and add ins, add peppermint in the same place if you want it, and finish with whipped cream and mocha drizzle under toppings. Save the finished grasshopper frappuccino starbucks order as a favorite and future cups take two taps.

Sizing the Pumps

The classic calls scale with the cup. Roughly, a tall takes a lighter hand, a grande takes two pumps of mocha and two of peppermint for the mint version, and a venti takes a little more of each. Your barista balances sizes daily, so describe the grasshopper frappuccino starbucks build once and trust them on the grande standard. Adjust on your next visit if you want it more chocolatey or more minty.

What It Usually Costs

The grasshopper frappuccino starbucks price follows the Matcha Creme Frappuccino in your size, plus any add in charges your store applies. In many markets, a grande matcha creme Frappuccino runs about $5.50 to $6.50. Mocha sauce and java chips are sometimes included in customization and sometimes add a modest charge, and peppermint syrup behaves the same way. A realistic range for a grande grasshopper frappuccino starbucks cup is about $6 to $7.50, with tall sizes below that and venti sizes above it.

That places the grasshopper frappuccino starbucks drink right among the other dessert style Frappuccinos in price, which surprises people who expect custom builds to cost far more. The Starbucks Frappuccinos prices page maps the typical ranges by size, and the Starbucks menu prices guide covers the rest of the board. The Starbucks happy hour guide also tracks the periodic afternoon promotions that can bring a grasshopper frappuccino starbucks order down to a bargain.

Rewards members should know that the grasshopper frappuccino starbucks build redeems like any other handcrafted drink, so a star reward covers the customized cup in full at participating stores. It is one of the most satisfying redemptions on the secret menu for exactly that reason.

Taste: What to Expect

The first sip of a grasshopper frappuccino starbucks cup tastes like chocolate covered green tea. The matcha opens with a sweet, grassy freshness, the mocha arrives in the middle with familiar chocolate comfort, and the java chips leave little cocoa bursts as you chew through the blend. It is indulgent without being heavy, and the green tea keeps it tasting cleaner than a straight chocolate Frappuccino.

With peppermint added, the grasshopper frappuccino starbucks flavor turns into the mint chocolate profile the name promises. The mint lifts the matcha, sharpens the chocolate, and makes the whole cup taste like a melted mint chocolate candy in the best sense. Fans divide into two loyal camps on this choice, classic and mint, and the only wrong answer is refusing to try the other camp once.

One honest note for matcha newcomers: matcha has an earthy, vegetal edge that coffee drinks do not. In the grasshopper frappuccino starbucks build, the mocha softens that edge considerably, which is why this drink converts many first time matcha drinkers. If you already know matcha is not for you, the mocha and chips will not fully hide it, and a different secret menu drink will suit you better.

Variations and Tweaks

The classic build is a strong default. These tweaks bend the grasshopper frappuccino starbucks recipe toward different tastes.

Full Mint Mode

Add the peppermint and an extra pump if your store pours gently. A full mint grasshopper frappuccino starbucks cup tastes like the candy case at an ice cream shop, in a good way.

Extra Chocolate

Ask for an extra pump of mocha and a mocha drizzle inside the cup walls as well as on top. The grasshopper frappuccino starbucks color darkens a shade and the chocolate takes the lead.

Lighter Green

Ask for fewer java chips and one pump of mocha. The grasshopper frappuccino starbucks drink turns brighter and more tea forward, a better fit for warm days and matcha purists.

Milk Swaps

Oat milk gives the grasshopper frappuccino starbucks blend a rounder body that flatters matcha. Coconut milk adds a faint tropical note that some fans love with the mint version.

More Green and Chocolate Drinks

The Thin Mint Frappuccino is the cookie inspired mint chocolate cousin. The Twix Frappuccino goes caramel and chocolate, the Cookies and Cream Frappuccino is a chocolate heavy favorite, the Zebra Mocha Frappuccino stripes white and dark mocha, and the Green Drink is the refreshing iced tea side of the green family. All of them live on the Starbucks secret menu.

FAQs

Does the Grasshopper Frappuccino taste like mint?

The classic grasshopper frappuccino starbucks build tastes like matcha and chocolate, not mint. If you want real mint flavor, add peppermint syrup, which turns it into a proper mint chocolate drink.

Does matcha have caffeine?

Yes. Matcha contains caffeine naturally, so the grasshopper frappuccino starbucks drink is not caffeine free. A grande carries a moderate amount, roughly similar to a small brewed coffee.

Will my barista know the name?

Some will, since the grasshopper frappuccino starbucks nickname has circulated for years. Many will not. Order by the build steps and the drink comes out right either way.

Can I order it in the app?

Yes. Every part of the grasshopper frappuccino starbucks build is a standard app customization on the Matcha Creme Frappuccino, so you can build and save it in the app at most stores.

What size should I start with?

A grande is the reference size the fan recipe is written around, so it shows the grasshopper frappuccino starbucks balance best. Start there, then scale up or down once you know your preferred mocha and mint levels.

Is it very sweet?

It is a dessert drink, but the matcha keeps it from tasting as sweet as candy based Frappuccinos. Asking for one less pump of mocha makes the grasshopper frappuccino starbucks cup noticeably lighter while keeping its character.

The Dessert That Lent Its Name

The grasshopper name comes from a family of green, chocolate mint desserts that peaked in popularity decades ago: a famous cocktail, a chiffon pie with a chocolate crust, and a generation of ice cream parlor treats. All of them traded on the same pleasure, the sight of green against dark chocolate and the cool rush of mint against cocoa. The grasshopper frappuccino starbucks drink inherited the look and the pairing even though its classic build reaches the flavor through matcha rather than mint liqueur.

That heritage explains the drink’s visual confidence. A green cup with chocolate flecks does not look like an accident. It looks like a dessert with a history, and guests sense that before they taste anything. The grasshopper frappuccino starbucks build honors its ancestors every time a barista sets the finished cup on the counter and someone down the line asks what it is.

It also explains the peppermint debate. People raised on grasshopper pie expect mint, so the mint version of the grasshopper frappuccino starbucks drink feels like the true one to them. People who found the drink through matcha culture expect the tea and chocolate pairing to stand alone. Both camps are honoring the same dessert in different ways, and the recipe is generous enough to hold them both.

A Short Guide for Matcha Newcomers

If this drink is your first matcha, a few expectations will help you enjoy it. Matcha flavor is gentle rather than loud, a soft grassy sweetness that grows on people across a cup rather than in a single sip. The grasshopper frappuccino starbucks blend is a friendly introduction because the mocha frames the matcha, giving your palate familiar chocolate handholds while the new flavor introduces itself.

Sweetness perception differs with matcha. The same drink can taste delicately sweet to a tea drinker and barely sweet to a soda drinker, because matcha’s own sugars are quiet ones. If your first grasshopper frappuccino starbucks cup tastes subdued, one extra pump of mocha on the next visit usually lands it in your comfort zone without erasing the tea.

Finally, expect the color to be part of the pleasure. Matcha green is vivid in a way few natural ingredients manage, and in the grasshopper frappuccino cup it signals freshness before the straw ever moves. Drinks that look this alive tend to taste alive, and this one keeps that promise from the first sip to the green dregs at the bottom.

What Regulars Know That First Timers Do Not

Regulars know to judge this drink by its second cup, not its first. The first cup carries the surprise of a new flavor pairing, and surprise can read as strangeness. By the second order, your palate knows the map, matcha to mocha to chip, and the drink settles into its real character. Many a fan of this green build will tell you they were unsure at the counter and certain by the following week.

Regulars also know the drink’s quiet flexibility. It takes milk swaps gracefully, scales its chocolate up and down without losing its identity, and wears its peppermint option like a seasonal coat rather than a disguise. It is, in short, a build with range, and range is what separates a lasting secret menu item from a novelty. The flashy drinks get the first order. The flexible ones get the fiftieth.

There is one more piece of regular wisdom: order it when the store is not slammed. Blended drinks with three customizations reward a barista who has ten spare seconds to drizzle with care. The cup tastes the same either way, strictly speaking, but the composed version, neat drizzle, chips evenly folded, is the one that made the drink famous. Patience, in this small case, is an ingredient.

A Drink That Recruits Its Own Fans

Some menu items spread through advertising. This one spreads through eyesight. It is carried across cafes on trays, set down on office desks, and photographed against car dashboards, and everywhere it goes it asks the same question on the drinker’s behalf: have you tried the green one yet? Very few blended drinks can advertise themselves with color alone. Fewer still can survive the tasting that follows the question. This one does both, which is why it has outlasted so many louder inventions.

One last piece of advice from the regulars: decide your camp, classic or mint, only after you have honestly tried both, and try them at the same store in the same size so the comparison is fair. The two versions share a soul and differ in personality, and plenty of drinkers who swore loyalty to one have quietly defected after a proper side by side. Whichever you choose, you will be choosing between two of the most characterful builds on the entire secret menu, drinks with a look, a history, and a flavor that no official board item quite duplicates. That is a good problem to have, and it is the real reason this green cup keeps its crowd year after year.

And if your first cup lands differently than the description here, treat it as a first draft rather than a verdict. Blenders vary, pumps vary, and matcha itself varies gently from batch to batch, so a custom drink is always a small negotiation between the recipe and the moment. Say what you noticed, more chocolate, less sweet, mint next time, and the second cup will come back speaking your language. That loop of order, taste, and adjustment is how every beloved fan recipe reached its final form, and few drinks reward the loop as visibly as this one, where a single pump either way redraws the whole personality of the cup.

So the next time the tray around you fills with the usual browns and beiges of a coffee run, let yours be the cup that turns a head. Order it by its steps, watch the green swirl into the chocolate, and take the first sip slowly. Some drinks refresh you. This one introduces itself, and it has never once been accused of being forgettable.

Keep Exploring

The grasshopper frappuccino drink is the green jewel of the secret menu, and it sits among dozens of fan built favorites. Browse the full Starbucks secret menu for more, visit the Starbucks hub for guides to every drink family, and plan your order with the Starbucks menu prices pages. The Starbucks happy hour guide watches for the deal windows that make custom builds cheaper. Across all chains, the secret menus index is the master list, the menu prices pillar compares typical costs, and the happy hours index finds promotions near you. Return to The Menu Vault home page for the newest finds.