We’ve all seen it, the amazingly gorgeous thick and creamy Starbucks cold foam topping that pairs perfectly with pretty much all cold coffee drinks! However, it can get super spendy buying the Starbucks infamous sweet cream cold foam version, so instead, we made up our own recipe to get as close as possible to the real thing! We love creating and adding our own personal touch to various recipes, and cold foam is one of our specialties!
We made sure to cover the commonly asked questions surrounding this airy textured cold foam, as well as go through the logistics of creating your own creamy and frothy goodness in your very own home. Plus, no cold foam digest is complete without a Starbucks dupe recipe, we recreated the iconic Starbucks sweet cream cold foam and we hope you love it.
Commonly asked questions for cold foam and how to make sweet cream cold foam
What is cold foam?
Cold foam is a frothed milk concoction made by frothing milk into a creamy, fluffy foam topping. This concoction is used as a topping in many cold drinks like lattes, iced coffees, cold brews, iced teas, and more! The foam is normally made using nonfat milk because believe it or not this milk froths with little effort. Whole milk, coconut milk, oat milk, 2%, and other milk can be used as well but might just take a little extra time frothing and might come out a tiny bit differently but still tastes and looks great nonetheless. You can also add heavy cream for a heavier, creamier cold foam.
What is the difference between cold foam and hot foam?
Cold foam and hot foam are basically the same things. Cold foam is made cold and is used for cold drinks. Meanwhile, hot foam is made hot and is used for hot drinks. Besides these two facts, they’re pretty much the same thing which is just a frothy milk topping for your favorite hot and cold beverages.
Both types of foam can be made using pretty much the same tools like a handheld blender, an immersion blender, handheld milk frother, a milk frother, blender, french press, mason jar, whisking, and some other creative ways. The only tool that you would use for hot foam but not cold foam is a steam wand which essentially steams the milk and creates the air bubbles inside of it to make it frothy.
Can I use plant milk or low-fat milk when making cold foam?
Yes, you can use pretty much any type of milk when it comes to frothing. When it comes to frothing milk it’s all about the proteins in the milk, aka chemistry. The bubbles are formed from air molecules being incorporated into the milk. The higher the protein content of milk the better it will hold up as a foam and the airier it will get due to the structure of the protein molecules. Basically, one end of a protein molecule likes water and the other end of it doesn’t. So, the end that likes water is attracted to the milk, which is made up of a lot of water. Meanwhile, the air bubbles are attracted to the other end of the protein molecules.
What are the best ingredients for making cold foam
You really only need one ingredient, milk. If you wish to make this foam sweet or flavored then you can add a number of things to pair it with. If you want your cold foam to be thicker, heavier, and creamier then you can add heavy cream.
Perfect ingredients for sweetening and flavoring cold foam
- Flavored extracts
- Flavored syrups
- Sugar
Is cold foam the same as whipped cream?
No, cold foam is essentially just airy bubbly milk that can be thickened with heavy cream, sweetened or flavored if desired. Whipped cream is made from heavy cream which is very high in fat and is a very thick cream and is usually sweetened with sugar
Can I make a flavored cold foam?
Yes, you can pretty much add any type of flavoring, sweetener, or extract that you can think of. It’s very simple and remembering a little goes a long way. So, if wanting to flavor with vanilla extract you’d want to go very light on the extract. If you’re using vanilla syrup on the other hand you can add a little more but still want to be careful to not make it too sweet or overbearing as this topping is just meant to supplement our drink and not overpower it.
Can I add cold foam to any drink?
Cold foam is really only meant for cold drinks. However, we have tried adding cold foam to a hot drink, but it can’t be too hot otherwise you’ll curdle the foam. Other than that, yes you can add it to warm drinks. You’ll also only want to add cold foam to a drink that you would normally add milk in like teas, coffees, lattes, etc.
Is cold foam bad for you?
Cold foam isn’t either bad for you or good for you. It is made using any kind of milk and can be sweetened and flavored if desired. Depending on the kinds of milk you use, sweeteners and sugars you add to it it can be bad for you or it can be a bit better for you. It really depends but cold foam itself is not a bad thing to ingest compared to most other things out there in the world.
Is cold foam healthy?
Cold foam isn’t unhealthy for you but its also not the healthiest thing. It’s okay to drink in moderation, especially when drinking with plant milks, low fat milks and when not adding too much sugar and sweeteners. When you begin to add tons of sweeteners, sugars and use very high calorie high fat milks is when it becomes a bit much. With that said don’t let anyone tell you what isn’t healthy for you as only you know your own diet and health needs.
Perfect Drink Pairings For Cold Foam
When it comes to cold foam you can pretty much put it in any cold drinks that would normally contain milk or that you might normally add milk to for adding flavor. For example, this article talks about how different people pair their cold foam.
You can pair cold foam with…
- Iced lattes
- Iced Coffee drinks
- Iced drinks like iced teas (chai, matcha, London fog, royal)
- Cold brew coffee
How do you make cold foam?
Cold Foam Equipment:
The nice thing about making vanilla sweet cream cold foam or really any kind of cold foam. Is that regardless of the recipe they all require pretty much similar steps and the same equipment.
Mason jar method
For this method, you’ll need a mason jar with a lid. You’ll put your ingredients like your milk, heavy cream, sweeteners, and flavorings inside the mason jar. After you have your ingredients measured out and inside the mason jar, you’ll tighten the lid very tightly and shake it like crazy. Shake the mason jar vigorously. The time it takes for the foam to form and get perfectly frothy depends on the type of milk you used and any additives you added so just shake until you start seeing foamy bubbles. After you finish shaking you can remove the lid and uncover your creamy foam ready to be served up on your favorite iced drink or even hot drink such as your morning coffee. The creamy texture of this cold foam pairs perfectly with either beverage choice.
Immersion blender method
For this method, you’ll need a pretty deep cup for you to froth your milk in so that nothing spills or splatters everywhere and an immersion blender. First things first, get your milk, heavy cream, sweeteners, and flavorings measured out and poured into your cup. Now you can immerse the immersion blender into your milk mixture, power it on low, and froth away until you have a nice bubbly creamy cold foam. Now pour this cold foam over your iced drink and enjoy.
Hand held mixer
For this frothing process, you’ll need a handheld blender, your ingredients, and a deep cup or container. Once you’ve gathered your ingredients you can measure and pour them into your cup or container. After this is done grab your handheld mixer, lower the mixer into your milk mixture, and power it on low. Mix way until the cold foam is formed and it’s up to your standards. The time it takes for foaming can vary based on the type of milk you used and the ingredients you added.
Milk Frother method
For this method, you’ll need a milk frother with a cold foam setting or a heatless frothing setting. You’ll also need the works like your milk, heavy cream flavorings, and sweeteners. Measure and pour your ingredients into your milk frother. Turn your frother to the appropriate setting and power it up. These frothers usually have pre-set times so they should turn off on their own when done frothing. Otherwise, as always keep frothing until it reaches your desired foamy goodness and the powder sugar dissolves of course. Once done it’s ready to be served along with your iced drink.
Hand-held milk frother method
For this method, you’ll need your handheld milk frother, a deep cup for mess-free frothing in, and your ingredients. Gather measure up your milk, heavy cream, sweeteners, and flavorings and pour them into your deep cup. Now you can put your handheld milk frother inside the milk, power it on, and froth until its to your foamy liking. Once it’s done you can enjoy it on top of your favorite iced drink.
French press
For this process, you’ll need a french press and your ingredients. Gather up your ingredients, measure them out, and pour them into the french press. Once in the french press, you can now use the press plunger to plunge away and create a frothy cold foam. The time for frothing can vary depending on the ingredients you used so froth away until it’s to your desired foaminess. Once done it’s ready to be served over a delicious iced drink.
Cold foam Ingredients and Materials needed:
- Milk of your choice: Nonfat, oat, coconut, 2%, whole, soy, almond, etc.
- Heavy cream if a thicker creamier foam is desired
- Sweeteners: Monk fruit sweetener, sugar, stevia
- Flavored syrups: vanilla, pumpkin, strawberry, chocolate, hazelnut, etc.
- Flavored extracts: vanilla, almond
- Frothing apparatus: mason jar, french press, hand-held frother, milk frother, hand-held mixer, immersion blender.
- Measuring apparatuses: cups, spoons,
How do I make Starbucks Vanilla Sweet Cream Cold Foam?
Copycat Starbucks Sweet Cream Cold Foam Recipe
Starbucks Copycat Vanilla Sweet Cream Cold Foam
Ingredients
- 1 cup Heavy Cream
- 1/2 cup Milk
- 1/3 cup Vanilla Syrup Torani (store bought) syrup. You can also use homemade syrup.
Instructions
- Froth together the heavy cream, milk, and vanilla syrup until a thick foamy mixture is made.
- After you have a thick foamy vanilla sweet cream cold foam you can now pour it over your iced drink and enjoy.
Cold Foam Recipe Notes
Regular cold foam is very simple to make and requires only 1 ingredient to make this foamy drink topper. Simply froth your milk using any frothing apparatus at your disposal.
For a thicker cold foam, you’ll need 2 ingredients to make a thicker, heavier, and creamier cold foam. Froth milk and heavy cream at a 1:2 ratio of milk to heavy cream using any frothing apparatus that you have available.
That wraps up this post! We hope you enjoyed learning how to create one of the best coffee drink toppings, especially for iced or cold drinks like cold brews. We love cold foam, and especially love making different versions of cold foam such as sweet cream cold foam, pumpkin spice cold foam, and other variations! Stay tuned for our spin on the classic sweet cream cold foam!
6 thoughts on “How To Make Delicious And Creamy Cold Foam: Starbucks Sweet Cream Cold Foam Dupe!”
Comments are closed.