Life

If You Love The Unicorn Frapp, You'll Love These Foods, Too

by Madeleine Aggeler

Not so long ago, unicorns were quiet, serene, mythical creatures who galloped across rainbows, napped on clouds, and pooped glitter. Over the past year, however, unicorns have become so much more than sparkly steeds; now, they’ve become everyone’s favorite, colorful food trend. This week, Starbucks hopped on the bandwagon and unveiled its Unicorn Frappuccino, a pink, purple, and blue swirl of flavor-changing deliciousness that starts fruity and ends tangy.

According to Starbucks, “The Unicorn Frappuccino blended creme is made with a sweet dusting of pink powder, blended into a creme Frappuccino with mango syrup and layered with a pleasantly sour blue drizzle. It is finished with vanilla whipped cream and a sprinkle of sweet pink and sour blue powder topping.”

Finally we can live our best, most glittery, most 'grammable lives. But what are we to do when it’s gone? Like its sparkly, elusive namesake, the Unicorn Frappuccino is only around for a limited amount of time, from Thursday, April 19 to Sunday, April 23. But fear not. Luckily the trend has become so big that there’s no shortage of unicorn-themed food out there. Whether you’re looking for a sweet treat, a healthy meal, or just trying to get buzzed, there’s a unicorn-themed food or drink for you.

Unicorn Toast

A recent New York Times article credits the unicorn food trend in part to Adeline Waugh, a health and wellness blogger and food stylist from Miami who started posting pictures of her brightly-colored “unicorn toast” on Instagram about a year ago.

“I posted it, and all my followers started saying it looked like a unicorn, so I said you’re right and I started calling it that too,” the 27-year-old said, “Then all of a sudden all these people were making it and tagging it, and now the unicorn thing has just gotten insane.”

Although a lot of unicorn food tends to be sugary, Waugh’s toast was initially designed for its nutritional as well as aesthetic value. She colors cream cheese with natural ingredients like beetroot, chlorophyll, and blueberries to create a vibrant, nutritious topping for your plain old morning toast.

Unicorn Milkshakes

The owner of recently-opened Caked LA was inspired to make these other-worldly milkshakes by his 5-year-old daughter who probably said something along the lines of, “I’ve been doing some research and it’s all about social media recognition now, Father,” or “Unicorns are the best!!!” You know, one or the other.

The milkshakes are made with three giant scoops of vanilla bean ice cream, food coloring, and what looks like every kind of candy under the sun.

Unicorn Hot Chocolate

California seems to have emerged as the epicenter of all unicorn foodstuffs. Anaheim’s Creme and Sugar is warming our cold, cold hearts with their too-good-to-drink-but-just-kidding-duh-I’ll-drink-it Unicorn Hot Chocolate. The sweet pick-me-up is mostly vanilla and white chocolate, and is part of the cafe’s secret menu. Just tell them I sent you.

Unicorn Noodles

If you and your dental bills need a break from all of the sugary unicorn sweetness, try this beautiful, easy, and healthy unicorn noodle dish from food blogger A.J. of Indigo Kitchen. All you need are clear or white noodles, purple cabbage, and lemon or lime juice. Boil it in some water and voila! A fast, magical dinner.

Anti-Unicorn Soft Serve

Maybe you’re over this whole unicorn thing. Maybe you’re cursing their sparkling horns and pastel manes and you need a break from all the candy-colored Instagrams. If that’s the case, you’re not alone. The downtown Los Angeles ice cream shop Little Damage has goth soft serve on its menu for your troubled, anti-unicorn soul. It gets its color from activated charcoal and comes in a black waffle cone.