Can you microwave Starbucks Glass Bottles?

Starbucks sells a wide range of delicious beverages in-store. One of the brand’s popular drinks is the Starbucks bottled frappuccino.  There are at least 19 frappuccino flavors to choose from. My all-time favorite is the toasted white chocolate.

Starbucks frappuccino is meant to be drunk cold. This is why it is displayed in the fridge and in the cold aisle in your local supermarket. Having said that, your favorite frappuccino brew can be enjoyed heated as well.

There are different methods you can use to turn your frappuccino from a cold drink to a hot brew. 

You can use an oven toaster, kitchen stove, or,  a microwave to heat up your frappuccino.

This article will focus on using the microwave to heat Starbucks bottled frappuccinos. You will see the best way to go about this and how this process may affect your brew.

What is a Starbucks frappuccino?

One of the most successful product lines of the Starbucks brand is the Starbucks bottled frappuccino.

Frappuccino drinks are a blending of frappe (iced coffee drink) and cappuccino. 

Starbucks frappuccinos are iced, blended coffee, and creme-base drinks. Frappuccinos served in plastic cups are often topped with whipped cream, flavored syrup, and/or spices.

Interestingly though, not all frappuccinos have coffee in them. Like the creme frappuccinos, which have no coffee in them.

Frappuccino drinks are not the same as iced coffee. They are set apart by the coffee, milk, and sweeteners used to make them.

How long do Starbucks frappuccino bottles last?

Starbucks frappuccinos come in a variety of flavors and are sold in glass bottles too. These bottled Frappuccino drinks have a long shelf life, which is an added advantage for quantity purchases.

The frappuccino drinks are made with high-quality ingredients. The coffee beans, milk, and water used to make the drink are all carefully selected. 

The use of high-quality ingredients is the reason why they are often considered safe to drink even when they go a little over their ‘best before dates’.

Drinking Starbucks frappuccinos past their expiration date is specific to the unopened bottles, NOT  those that have already been opened.

If you have leftover frappuccino, store the remnant in your fridge within 2 hours of opening the bottle. 

It is recommended that your drink is stored in the fridge within a 2-hour time frame to prevent the growth of bacteria.

Bacteria growth can happen because of the major ingredient of frappuccino, which is milk.

When opened, Starbucks bottled frappuccinos can last in the fridge between 4-8 hours. 

Any extension to these hours and the drink will be unsafe for drinking.

Some clear signs reveal when your bottled frappuccino has gone bad:

  • The taste is off. It tastes far from what is normal.
  • If the drink has a bad smell. Sometimes the foul smell can hit your senses once the bottle is opened. Other times you might have to lean in and get a proper whiff.
  • When the milk has congealed or the drink has become more solid in form. 
  • The cream is floating at the top and the drink has separated into layers. 

It is recommended that these bottled drinks (as with all packaged goods) are consumed within the shortest time.

Can you microwave Starbucks’ glass bottles?

No, you cannot microwave Starbucks glass bottles. This is because as stated, these bottles are made of glass. 

Though there are glasswares, like Pyrex, that are microwave-safe, these Starbucks glass bottles are not microwave-safe.

Indeed, Starbucks bottled frappuccinos can be enjoyed hot, but not by placing these bottles directly in the microwave.

When glass is put in a microwave it will crack or break, creating a mess of drink spills and glass shards inside the microwave. The glass can also distort in shape and form under the intensity of the heat.

Starbucks glass bottles are Unsafe for the microwave

To warm up your Starbucks bottled frappuccino, first, empty the content of the bottle into a microwave-safe mug.

You can easily confirm the microwave safety of a mug by checking the bottom for the microwave-safe label.

Do not fill the mug to the brim. This will prevent the drink from spilling over as it is heated in the microwave.

Next, place your mug inside the microwave and lower the microwave’s power level.

Be sure to check regularly. 

How do you microwave Starbucks glass bottles?

Starbucks bottled frappucinos are not microwave-safe. Never put them in the microwave.

When you want to heat it up in the microwave, you must pour the drink into a microwave-safe cup or mug.

The power level of your microwave should be lowered. This will prevent your drink from getting hot too quickly.

Managing the power level of your microwave also prevents the sugar and milk from curdling in the microwave. 

For the timer, you can set it at 1 minute with 20 seconds interval checks. Or  you can start the timer at 20 seconds and keep it going at that pace until you are satisfied.

With each interval check, stir your coffee with a teaspoon.  So the ingredients mix evenly and do not settle.

When you are satisfied with the temperature of your drink, carefully bring it out of the microwave (it will be hot!) and enjoy your hot brew.

It is important you know that the microwave can alter the taste of your heated brew.  Reheating coffee reduces its antioxidants and increases its bitterness.

You can add milk and sweeteners according to your taste when that happens. 

There is another way you can enjoy a heated Starbucks frappuccino. However, this method is more about enjoying a tepid drink over a hot one.

Depending on the weather or how one feels, you may not always want a hot drink or that may not even be your preference at all.

For this method, you will first preheat your microwave-safe mug for 20 seconds. Afterwhich, you bring it out and pour in your room-temperature Starbucks coffee drink.

The heat from the preheated mug will slightly warm up your drink.

Do not pour cold Starbucks frappuccino into the heated mug. This will cause thermal shock.  And this sudden temperature change will cause the mug to break.

Does microwaving coffee remove caffeine? 

No, microwaving coffee does not remove caffeine. Heating up your coffee in the microwave reduces its natural, freshly brewed taste. This is because microwaved coffee loses at least 80 percent of its antioxidant capacity while it is reheated.

But despite the impact on the taste of microwaved coffee, the caffeine level of the drink is not affected (increased or reduced) when heated.

Things to remember when microwaving Starbucks glass bottles:

Starbucks bottled frappuccinos are made to be enjoyed cold but they can also be enjoyed as a hot brew. However, the glass bottles are not microwave-safe.

To heat up your favorite frappuccino drink, you will need to  keep the following points in mind:

  • Pour the drink into a microwave-safe cup or mug and place it in the microwave.
  • Set microwave timer to 1 minute with 20-second interval checks OR start timer at 20 seconds and keep at that pace until you are satisfied with your drink.
  • If you would prefer a warm drink over a hot one, you can simply preheat your microwave-safe mug for a few seconds in the microwave. Then pour your room temperature frappuccino into the heated cup. The heat of the cup will slightly warm up your drink.
  • The microwave CAN  alter the taste of your coffee. It can make it bitter in taste, reducing its freshly brewed taste. When this happens, you can add milk and/or sweeteners for taste.

Wrapping up

With the microwave, you can enjoy your favorite Starbucks frappuccino hot. Just keep in mind these helpful tips and your drink is good to go.