How to Make Cold Foam (Starbucks Sweet Cream Copycat)
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Learn How to Make Cold Foam just like Starbucks, but in your own kitchen! Vanilla sweet cream cold foam is just what you need to take your morning coffee to the next level! A fluffy vanilla cream cloud sits right on top of your coffee drink to sweeten it from top to bottom, giving you fabulous flavor from the first sip to your last.
We all know that it’s cheaper and healthier to make coffee at home, but Starbucks® just does it so perfectly! And we always say, if we could make coffee as good as Starbucks, then we’d make it at home every day.
Well, now we’re out of excuses, because we’ve figured out how to make sweet cream cold foam just like what you get on top of your favorite cold brew.
Once you try it, you’ll never want to go without it again. Good thing it’s so quick and easy to make!
How to Make Cold Foam
Starbucks sweet cream cold foam is an airy and delicate combination of sweet vanilla syrup, 2% milk, and thick heavy cream.
Frothed up and dolloped on top of your favorite iced coffee, its sweetness waterfalls down into your drink while you get a tiny taste of the foam with every sip.
Learn how to make cold foam right at home in two easy steps — it’s almost better than the drink itself!
Or try my peppermint mocha copycat that is perfect for the holidays.
Some other coffee toppings that I just adore are my homemade chocolate syrup, orange amaretto syrup, and caramel sauce.
You can even add these to the foam for a whole new flavor!
Ingredient Notes and Substitutions
- Heavy Cream – Heavy cream is heavy in fat, I know, but it’s essential to getting that fluffy, cloud-like texture!
You can try evaporated milk instead, or a mix of milk and cornstarch. - 2% Milk – The original recipe uses 2% instead of nonfat for just a touch of extra creaminess. Whole milk works, too! So you can really use any kind you like.
- Vanilla Syrup – If you have a favorite brand, then go with that! But nothing beats making your own at home.
I recommend trying out an easy homemade simple syrup with just a hint of vanilla extract.
If you’re feeling creative, you can use another flavored syrup instead! Chocolate, caramel, strawberry — any flavor will do!
You can even leave out the syrup entirely for an unsweetened foam. - Iced Coffee or Cold Brew – Any cold black coffee drink is perfect for serving with a spoonful of light and fluffy foam!
Once you’ve mastered how to make cold foam, experiment with different flavor combinations. It would be tasty in place of milk with a cinnamon dolce latte!
How to Make Sweet Cream Cold Foam
- Chill the ingredients.
First, be sure your ingredients are completely chilled. If the vanilla cream is warm, it will be difficult to whip.
Plus, your foam will flatten much more quickly, so cold ingredients are a must! - Whip the foam.
For blending, I recommend using a milk frother. A regular blender isn’t going to do the job at all, and you’ll just end up with a thick flavored cream.
You could try hand mixing, an immersion blender, a food processor, or whatever other fancy appliance you have sitting around your kitchen, but a frother is really the fastest and most effective.
Storing Cold Foam and Best Practices
This isn’t really a prep-ahead-the-week-before kind of deal. You ideally want to use your foam within 24 hours of making it.
Once you know how to make cold foam, you’ll have the process down in seconds — there’s really no reason to make it days ahead of time!
As for storing, you always want to use an airtight container.
Something with a wide opening, like a mason jar, is best so that you can dip your spoon into it without making a mess and flattening the foam.
Vanilla Sweet Cream Cold Foam FAQ
A fluffy vanilla cloud! It’s super light and airy. It’s not too sweet, so you can still taste the vanilla flavor.
Vanilla sweet cream cold foam is the best topping when you don’t want a super sugary coffee, but you do want a hint of creaminess.
You’re probably most used to having cold foam on a vanilla or chocolate cream cold brew, but I think it’s tasty on hot coffee too!
While both are foams, the ingredients are a bit different.
Regular cold foam is nonfat milk with air whipped into it. The Starbucks recipe also includes 2 pumps of vanilla syrup.
Sweet cream cold foam is a mixture of heavy whipping cream, 2% milk, and vanilla syrup. It comes as a pre-mixed base and is blended into a fluffy texture that sits on top of your drink. You get a little taste of it with each sip. Delicious!
And then there’s sweet cream which is that same base mixture, but it remains a liquid and can be mixed right into your drink.
Enjoy!
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Other Easy Drink Recipes
How to Make Cold Foam (Starbucks Sweet Cream Copycat)
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup heavy cream
- 1/2 cup 2% milk
- 2 tablespoons vanilla syrup
- Iced coffee
Instructions
- Place heavy cream, milk, and vanilla syrup into a tall carafe with a wide opening.
- Stir mixture together.
- With an electric milk frother, froth the mixture using an up and down motion until the liquid doubles in volume (at least) and is foamy throughout.
- Spoon or pour the foam over your favorite iced coffee.
Donna’s Notes
Nutrition
All nutritional information is based on third party calculations and is only an estimate. Each recipe’s nutritional value will vary depending on the ingredients used, measuring methods, and portion sizes.
Originally Published July 2022, updated and republished October 2023
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Looks anazing’ gonna try this today!
Hi Pat,
It is amazing! Enjoy and let us know how it goes!
TSRI team member,
Holli
By vanilla syrup are you referring to something like International Delight Vanilla Creamer?
Hi Shirley,
No, vanilla syrup is a liquid flavoring used in drinks. Starbucks sells it, but it’s quite expensive. I prefer Torani vanilla syrup.
TSRI Team member,
Becca
.