Learn how to make Sweet Cream Cold Foam at home. This is a Starbucks copycat recipe, except way cheaper and completely customizable. The foam is a blend of heavy cream, milk, vanilla, and sugar. It is luscious, fluffy, creamy, and lightly sweetened.
Starbucks' famous cold foam changed the coffee game and has made its way into so many coffee shops.
If you love copycat recipes, try my Pumpkin Cream Cold Brew Recipe, Iced White Chocolate Mocha, or Copycat Starbucks Chai Tea Latte.
Don't forget to make breakfast with your morning coffee, like my Blackberry Lemon Bread, Over Hard Eggs, or Banana Carrot Muffins.
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What is Cold Foam?
Cold foam is a frothed or aerated, milk and cream mixture. It is runnier than whipped cream but thicker than cream. It is also lightly sweetened. Starbucks made cold foam super popular by adding a variety of drinks to their menu with it served on top.
Why You'll Love This Recipe
- This cold foam recipe demonstrates how to make sweet cream cold foam with a frother, foamer, mixer, and blender.
- This recipe shows you how to make vanilla sweet cream cold foam, salted caramel cold foam, chocolate cold foam, cinnamon sugar cold foam, and brown sugar sweet cream cold foam.
- It takes less than 5 minutes to make this Starbucks cream cold foam recipe and only requires a few simple ingredients.
- This cold foam is delicious on top of hot or iced coffee or tea.
- The sweet cream cold foam is gluten-free and can be made low carb/keto.
Ingredient Notes & Substitutions
- Heavy Cream: I have only tested this recipe with heavy cream. I am not sure if sweet cream cold foam with half and half would work because it has a lower fat content.
- Granulated Sugar: Swap for monk fruit sweetener, splenda, or stevia. Adjust the amount accordingly. These sweeteners are much sweeter than sugar so you will need much less.
- Vanilla: Swap the extract and sugar for 1-2 Tablespoons of vanilla syrup.
Complete list of ingredients and amounts is located on the recipe card below.
The Best Way to Make Vanilla Sweet Cream Cold Foam
My least favorite was unfortunately the Nespresso foamer. I wanted this one to be my favorite so badly. I love it and use it every morning for frothing hot milk for my coffee. But the foam was a little too runny. I ended up using the handheld milk frother to give it more aeration.
Here are the four different tools (ranked in order favorite to least favorite) I tested to make cold foam and the pros & cons for each.
My favorite tool by far is the handheld frother.
| Method | Pros | Cons |
|---|---|---|
| Handheld Frother | perfect consistency quick easy to clean fits in a mason jar or bowl inexpensive | none |
| Blender | perfect consistency fastest method covered/contained (no splashing) ideal for large batches hands-off | not ideal for a single serving most difficult to clean |
| Electric Hand Mixer | perfect consistency easy to clean | bulky have to use a larger bowl takes longer than the frother |
| Nespresso Foamer | multiple functions (hot & cold foam) easy to clean no extra cup or bowl needed covered/contained (no splashing) hands-off | runniest foam expensive |
How to Make Sweet Cream Cold Foam
Overview
- Combine all of the ingredients.
- Mix using the frother, blender, mixer, or foamer until thickened slightly.
Step by Step
Step 1: Pour the cream, milk, sugar, and vanilla into a cup that is large enough for the mixture to double in volume (or in the blender or foamer if using).
Step 2: Froth the cream mixture using the handheld frother (or mixer, blender, or foamer) until it thickens and increases in volume. It should still be pourable and thinner than whipped cream.
TIP - Do not over mix the cream mixture or it will become too stiff.
Expert Tips & Notes
- Do not over mix. If you over mix the cream, it will become more like whipped cream. This is not the end of the world. ? However, it will be harder for it to melt into the cold brew coffee.
- Add more sweetener if desired. After you combine the ingredients, but before you have frothed them, dip a spoon (or your finger) into the cream mixture and taste it. Add more sweetener if needed. Keep in mind if it is going to be mixed with black coffee, you may want to make it a little extra sweet.
- Serve immediately. Unfortunately the cold foam does not hold up well in the fridge. So do not froth it until right before you intend to drink it.
- I do not recommend making this sweet cream cold foam ahead of time. It deflates in the fridge.
- This sweet cream cold foam recipe is enough for one coffee. This recipe can be scaled up if you are making cold foam for multiple cups of coffee or people.
Variations
- Salted Caramel Cold Foam: ¼ cup heavy cream, 3 Tablespoons 2 % milk, 1 Tablespoon salted caramel syrup (or more to taste), one small pinch of salt.
- Chocolate Cold Foam: ¼ cup heavy cream, 3 Tablespoons 2 % milk, 1 Tablespoon chocolate sauce (or more to taste)
- Cinnamon Sugar Cold Foam: ¼ cup heavy cream, 3 Tablespoons 2 % milk, 2-3 teaspoons granulated sugar (or more to taste), ⅛ teaspoon cinnamon
- Brown Sugar Sweet Cream Cold Foam: Swap the white sugar with brown sugar.
- Serve hot or cold: You can pour cold foam over cold brew coffee, hot coffee, or even tea.
- Low Carb/Keto: Use monk fruit sweetener. Adjust the amount accordingly.
FAQs
Starbucks actually does not have a sweet cream cold foam on their menu. Their sweet cream (sweetened vanilla milk and cream) can be added to their cold brew with cold foam.
Starbucks makes their cold foam with nonfat milk. However, they have a special blender that froths nonfat milk to the perfect cold foam consistency. Since we do not have access to their equipment at home, I find the addition of heavy cream is the easiest way to replicate it at home.
No, it has a more runny consistency compared to whipped cream.
Cold foam is thicker than Starbucks vanilla sweet cream. It is whipped or aerated in a blender or with a frother. Starbucks cold foam is made with with nonfat milk. However, the sweet cream is made with homemade vanilla simple syrup, 2% milk, and heavy cream. Whipped cream is simply heavy cream sweetened with sugar whipped until stiff peaks form.
Yes! You will also need a little milk to thin out the cream.
More Drink Recipes
Watch the How to Video
Vanilla Sweet Cream Cold Foam
Equipment:
Ingredients:
- ¼ cup heavy cream*
- 3 Tablespoons 2% milk
- 2-3 teaspoons granulated sugar*
- ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract*
Instructions:
- Review all recipe notes and instructions before beginning.
- Pour the cream, millk, sugar, and vanilla into a cup that is large enough for the mixture to double in volume (or in the blender or foamer if using).
- Froth the cream mixture using the handheld frother (or mixer, blender, or foamer) until it thickens and increases in volume. It should still be pourable and thinner than whipped cream.
It's funny... I have both a Nespresso foamer as well as a handheld one, and never thought to try to replicate the sweetened/flavored varieties. This is brilliant!
Thanks Bri!
Awesome Thomas! I am glad you found this post helpful.
I have Tried multiple recipes And none of them have ever turned out right but this one is awesome. I did accidentally use 3 tablespoons of sugar but turned out to be amazing because I added it to black coffee
Thank you for the recipe
Yes it is nice to be able to adjust the sweetness to your liking! So glad you enjoyed.
Wow! This looks so delicious plus it's really like the real thing. I can't wait to make this at home for the whole family.
Thanks so much for this step wise guide. So helpful.
It looks incredibly delicious. I wish this were in front of me.
Yum! I love finding ways to save money on Starbucks haha. This cold foam recipe was so easy to make and delicious!