Thickshake vs Frappe: What’s the Difference and How to Build Both Menus
Build the menu around a thick, smooth texture and indulgent flavour. Chocolate, caramel, strawberry, coffee and dessert-inspired combinations can all fit naturally into this side of the drinks board.
Keep enough creaminess for a satisfying drink, but let ice and blended texture play a stronger role. Coffee, mocha, caramel and flavoured café-style frappes are natural directions.
What Is the Difference Between a Thickshake and a Frappe?
A thickshake is primarily about body. The drink should feel substantial, creamy and indulgent, which is why cafés often position thickshakes close to dessert beverages. Customers expect a straw-friendly drink, but with noticeably more thickness than an everyday flavoured milk drink.
A frappe puts more emphasis on an icy blended texture. Depending on the menu, it may be coffee-based, chocolate-based or flavoured with syrup. It can still be creamy, but its identity generally comes from the combination of cold flavour and finely blended ice rather than maximum thickness.
The strongest menu makes the visual and textural difference between a thickshake and frappe obvious before the customer orders.
Use One Versatile Base as the Menu Engine
The current Premium Thickshake & Frappe Base Mix is the key product in the collection for businesses wanting to build both drink formats. It is a 1.5kg Australian-made powdered base created for thickshakes, frappes and frozen drinks.
Premium Thickshake & Frappe Base Mix
The base is designed to create creamy café-style drinks using water and ice, so hard ice cream and milk are not required for the standard base recipes. Fun Foods Direct lists it for blenders, thickshake machines and compatible soft serve machines, making it suitable for cafés, restaurants, takeaway stores, food trucks and home use.
From an operational point of view, this is useful because the same neutral creamy base can become several menu items simply by changing the flavour and final texture. Instead of storing a separate frozen base for every drink, a café can build much of the range from one central product.
Thickshake vs Frappe: Practical Starting Recipes
Fun Foods Direct's current preparation guidance uses different starting ratios for blender thickshakes and frappes. These are useful reference recipes rather than a reason to ignore your blender or machine instructions. Adjustments should be small and deliberate when developing your own final menu specification.
| Component | Blender Thickshake | Blender Frappe | What Changes? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Premium Base Mix | 100g | 90g | The thickshake starts with slightly more base. |
| Cold Water | 125ml | 150ml | The frappe uses more liquid in the reference recipe. |
| Ice | 200g | 150g | Both use ice, but the full ratio creates a different finished body. |
| Flavour | About 30ml syrup | Coffee, espresso or flavoured syrup as desired | Flavour choice defines the final menu item. |
| Blend | About 30 seconds | About 30 seconds | Blend until smooth using suitable equipment. |
Texture should be standardised before the drinks reach the menu board. Write one approved recipe for each cup size and train staff to use the same measurements. If every team member changes the amount of water, ice or base by eye, customers can receive noticeably different drinks from the same menu item.
Build the Thickshake Side Around Indulgence
The thickshake menu should feel substantial. Start with a small group of familiar flavours, then add one or two premium combinations rather than launching a long list that requires completely different ingredients for every drink.
Build the Frappe Side Around Cold, Blended Flavour
Frappes give cafés an opportunity to connect dessert drinks with the coffee and iced-beverage menu. The same Premium Thickshake & Frappe Base can be blended with water, ice and espresso or flavouring to create a smoother, icier drink than the thickshake version.
A compact frappe menu might include an iced coffee frappe, mocha frappe, caramel-style frappe and one rotating dessert flavour. That creates enough variety for customers while allowing several drinks to share the same base, ice, cups and preparation workflow.
Use Coffee and Mocha to Add Dedicated Thickshake Options
The flexible 1.5kg base for thickshakes, frappes and frozen beverages using water and ice.
A coffee-flavoured powdered mix that can be used for soft serve or blended with milk for a dedicated coffee thickshake.
A coffee-and-cocoa option that creates mocha soft serve or creamy mocha thickshakes from the same 1kg product.
The Coffee and Mocha products use a different thickshake preparation method from the neutral Premium Thickshake & Frappe Base. Current instructions use approximately 60g of Coffee or Mocha powder with 200ml of cold milk, blended until smooth. Staff should therefore work from the instructions for the exact product being prepared rather than assuming every powder has the same recipe.
Keep Two Menus Simple Behind the Counter
Customers can see two menu categories while staff work from one organised beverage station. The secret is to share ingredients wherever it makes sense and separate only the parts that genuinely need different preparation.
- Use one clearly labelled area for Premium Thickshake & Frappe Base Mix.
- Keep approved recipe cards beside the blender or drink station.
- Standardise ice, water, powder and flavour measurements.
- Use the same cup sizes consistently for each menu category.
- Keep high-use flavours within easy reach.
- Separate Coffee and Mocha powder recipes from the neutral base recipe.
- Train staff to recognise the required thickshake versus frappe texture.
- Follow blender, thickshake-machine or soft-serve-machine instructions.
Menu variety should come from smart combinations, not unnecessary complexity. A neutral base plus a compact flavour range can support several thickshakes and frappes, while Coffee and Mocha mixes can add dedicated options for customers who want those flavours specifically.
Thickshake vs Frappe FAQs
What is the main difference between a thickshake and frappe?
Thickshakes are generally built around a denser, creamier drinking experience, while frappes lean toward a smooth, icy blended texture. Both can use flavour syrups and similar café ingredients.
Can the same Fun Foods Direct base make both?
Yes. Premium Thickshake & Frappe Base Mix is specifically designed for thickshakes, frappes and frozen drinks. Different preparation ratios help create the desired final texture.
Do I need ice cream for the Premium Thickshake & Frappe Base?
No. Fun Foods Direct currently describes the product as a water-and-ice base that does not require hard ice cream or milk for its standard base preparation.
Can I make coffee thickshakes from the collection?
Yes. Coffee Soft Serve & Thickshake Mix currently uses approximately 60g of powder with 200ml cold milk for its thickshake preparation.
What is Mocha Soft Serve & Thickshake Mix?
It is a 1kg powdered mix combining coffee and cocoa flavour. The same product can be prepared as soft serve or blended with milk for a mocha thickshake.
How can I keep a large drink menu manageable?
Build around shared bases and flavours, standardise recipes and keep only a few purposeful signature drinks. Customers can see variety even when several menu items share the same core ingredients.
One Beverage Station Can Support Two Distinct Menus
Thickshakes and frappes do not need to compete for menu space. Their different textures allow a café, food truck or dessert bar to give customers two genuinely different drink experiences while still sharing much of the same preparation equipment and flavour system.
Use the Premium Thickshake & Frappe Base as the flexible centre of the range, give thickshakes a richer and more dessert-led identity, and keep frappes smoother and more ice-forward. Coffee and Mocha mixes can then extend the menu with dedicated flavour options without making the overall system difficult for staff to understand.
Build Your Thickshake & Frappe Menu
Explore Fun Foods Direct Premium Thickshake & Frappe Base Mix, Coffee Soft Serve & Thickshake Mix and Mocha Soft Serve & Thickshake Mix for cafés, dessert bars, takeaway shops, food trucks, events and home drink making.
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