Have you ever wondered how to make cold foam at home? Wonder no longer! I can confirm that it's so easy to make the perfect, foamy addition to cold brew coffee.
Seriously, it takes like 20 seconds and TWO ingredients to whip some of this cold foam up. Not exaggerating. The first time that I made it, I almost couldn't believe just how easy it was to make such a fun, tasty, and impressive looking addition to my cold coffee.
I mean, just look at the volume of that foam! And in addition to being pretty, it tastes great and has a nice texture, too. Froth some up the next time that you have a cold coffee and you'll feel like you hit the drive thru at Starbucks. But, you know, without shelling out all the $$$.
Looking for more Starbucks copycat recipes? Try my Caramel Macchiato or Irish Cream Cold Brew!
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Why You'll Love This Recipe
It's easy to make. All you need to do is froth a couple of ingredients and pour it onto a cold brew!
It only requires TWO ingredients. That's it! Just TWO ingredients!
It tastes great. This cold foam is light and sweet and has a fantastic texture on top of cold coffee drinks.
What is cold foam?
I'd bet that folks are probably (at least roughly) familiar with the concept of cold foam thanks to Starbucks. Their Sweet Cream Cold Foam is the first one that I remember trying, but they've introduced a bunch more varieties since.
But anyway, you know how for hot coffee drinks like lattes or cappuccinos how there's a layer of foamed milk on top? Well, this is the answer to that, but for cold coffee drinks.
Cold foam is super frothy topping for cold brew, iced coffee, and/or iced lattes that's made from frothed nonfat milk. And because it's made with cold milk (instead of hot, steamed milk like in the hot drinks), it won't melt down into the drink. It will float right on top and kind of seep down into the drink over time.
This recipe will produce a cold foam that's just like the Starbucks cold foam recipe.
Cold Foam vs. Sweet Cream Cold Foam
Sweet cream cold foam--a different Starbucks treat--is made with heavy whipping cream, 2% milk, and vanilla simple syrup. Due to the higher fat content in the cream and 2% milk, this sweet cream cold foam is a little thicker, heavier, and creamier than cold foam.
Cold Foam, on the other hand, is made with just skim milk and vanilla simple syrup. The resulting foam is lightly sweet and very, well, foamy! It has a ton of tiny bubbles, and isn't very creamy. It's very light, and sits right on top of your cold coffee.
Ingredients
Ingredients are pictured and discussed below. See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
To make the cold foam itself, you only need TWO ingredients!
- Skim milk: When you think of foam on top of coffee, skim milk might not be the milk that you initially imagine to be behind all of those glorious bubbles. But, surprise, because it foams beautifully!
- Vanilla syrup: The cold foam should be lightly sweetened. You can really use whatever flavor syrup you want, but I've found that vanilla is a really good choice. You can use store bought syrup or make homemade vanilla syrup, too.
Of course, you'll also need your favorite store bought or homemade cold brew coffee, along with any sweetener that you desire for the coffee itself.
Substitutions or Variations
- Make it a different flavor. You can use a different flavored syrup if you don't want to use vanilla.
- Use store bought cold coffee. You can use a store bought iced or cold brew coffee, if you'd prefer to do that over making your own.
Equipment
- Milk frother - I've had this frother for a while, and it holds up well. The only thing that I've found it totally unable to withstand is the hands of a small, rogue child. But at least it's inexpensive enough that buying another one isn't a huge deal.
- French Press** - **This is totally optional! If you don't have a milk frother, a French Press can come in handy as an alternative.
How to make cold foam for coffee
It's so much easier than you think. Let's walk through the steps.
How to make cold foam without a frother
Though I think that using a handheld milk frother is the easiest method for making cold foam at home, you do have other options!
- French Press - One alternative method is to use a French press. All that you need to do is pour the milk and vanilla syrup into the bottom of the French press and pump it using quick and short pumps until the milk begins to foam.
- Immersion blender - You can also use an immersion blender! This method will be pretty similar to when you're using a frother. Just put the milk and syrup into a glass/jar/whatever. Submerge the immersion blender into the milk and let 'er rip. Stop when the cold foam is stabilized and v foamy.
- Regular blender - If you're making a large quantity of cold foam, you could also use a regular blender. Just put the ingredients into the blender and blend until the cold foam is voluminous.
- Mason jar - If all else fails, you can put the milk and syrup into a mason jar, make sure that the lid is on tight, and shake that thing like it owes you money. It will take longer than if you were using a frother, but it won't take long before you have beautiful, foamy cold foam.
How to use cold foam
Homemade cold foam is a fun addition to most cold coffee drinks. Try it on top of:
- Cold brew coffee - homemade or store bought
- Iced coffee
- Iced lattes - plain or flavored
- Iced chai lattes - we don't want to let coffee have all of the fun
- Iced matcha lattes
Recipe FAQs
Yes! Scroll up to the section titled "How to make cold foam without a handheld milk frother" for more info!
Yes! This is a Starbucks copycat recipe, so it will taste like the cold foam that you get on your cold brew at Sbux.
Yeah! This recipe uses a vanilla syrup to give the cold foam a little sweetness and flavor. But really, you can choose your own adventure and use whatever flavor of syrup you'd like.
My go-to is always cold brew coffee, but iced coffee and iced lattes are good choices, too!
More cold foam recipes
If you are a cold foam fiend like I am, you might be looking for more cold foam recipes. Click on any of the photos below and you'll go straight to the recipe.
Other coffee drinks
Looking for other coffee drinks? Of course you are. You're a person of taste. You can click on any of the photos below and be taken straight to the recipe.
✨ Recipe
How to Make Cold Foam
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 ounces skim milk
- ½ ounce vanilla simple syrup
- cold brew or iced coffee
- sweetener of choice for coffee optional
Instructions
- Pour the skim milk and vanilla syrup into a glass or jar.
- Submerge the end of the milk frother into the milk.
- Froth for 20 seconds, or until the foam is nice and thick and stabilized.
- Divide the cold foam evenly between two glasses of cold brew; pour it right on top.
Notes
- You can customize your cold foam by using any flavor of syrup that you'd like
Nutrition
Disclaimer: Nutritional information is a generated estimate and is not guaranteed to be accurate.
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