Last Updated on May 27, 2022 by laurenpacek

This post may contain affiliate links. A Nerd Cooks may collect a share of sales or other compensation from the links on this page. More information can be found here.

Have you ever wondered how to make Starbucks Sweet Cream Cold Foam? I have the easiest copycat recipe that only requires three ingredients!

This is the perfect sweet and creamy topping for your cold brew and iced coffees. Even though it's very easy to make, and requires few ingredients, it can really take an ordinary cold coffee and make it feel quite decadent.

What is Vanilla Sweet Cream Cold Foam?

Sweet cream cold foam is a delicious, lightly sweetened, creamy topping for cold coffee beverages (usually cold brew or iced coffee). You might be familiar with it, as it's been popularized by Starbucks.

There's definitely the possibility for confusion, however. Sweet cream cold foam does bear similarities in both name and appearance to other Starbucks products. Let's talk about the important differences!

What is the difference between cold foam and vanilla sweet cream cold foam?

Cold foam 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.

Sweet cream cold foam, on the other hand, is made with heavy 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 and heavier than the low fat cold foam that we just talked about. It's creamier, too!

And while it does float on top of the cold liquid, you can see in the photos that it also seeps down into the coffee. You can let it hang out on top of your drink or mix it in. Follow your heart.

Ingredients

• Vanilla simple syrup: This syrup will give some flavor and sweetness to your sweet cream cold foam. You can use store bought or homemade vanilla simple syrup. It's so easy to make your own, that I really recommend that you do that. But if you prefer to use something pre made, I recommend Torani syrups.
• Heavy cream: You want to use heavy cream for this one, since you want a really creamy, well sweet cream. The high fat content of heavy cream will help you to achieve this.
• Milk: Go with 2% milk. It will help to give you the texture, flavor, and consistency that mimics the Starbucks vanilla sweet cream.

Of course, you'll also need cold brew coffee and the sweetener of your choice for the coffee.

How to make Vanilla Sweet Cream Cold Foam

It's deceptively easy! Let's walk through the steps.

First, pour your vanilla simple syrup, cream, and milk into a glass or a jar. I went with this glass cocktail mixing jar so you could see what's going on.

Next, submerge your handheld milk frother into the liquid. Froth until a thick, fluffy cream forms (about 20-30 seconds). Make sure to stop before soft or stiff peaks form. You're not looking to make full on whipped cream here.

Pour your cold brew and preferred sweetener into a glass over ice.

Pour the sweet cream onto the top of your cold coffee.

Though it does mostly float on top of the coffee, you can see that the sweet cream starts to drip down into the drink in a really beautiful way.

How to make Sweet Cream Cold Foam without a milk frother

I prefer to use a handheld milk frother to make this sweet cream cold foam. It's fast, convenient, and results in minimal cleanup. However, if you don't have one, you do have other options!

First, you can put all of the sweet cream ingredients in a bowl and whisk it by hand. It takes a little more effort than using an electronic gadget, but it will get the job done.

You can also use a regular blender. Just pour the ingredients into the blender and blend until you reach the desired consistency.

Same goes for using an immersion blender. Just pour the ingredients into a jar or glass and submerge the end of the blender into the liquid. Blend until you reach the desired consistency of your cold foam.

Recommended tools

You really don't need many tools in order to make this recipe. Just a couple of key items will make your job much easier.

• A handheld milk frother
• A jigger, for measuring your ingredients

Other coffee drinks

• Homemade Cold Brew Coffee from A Nerd Cooks
• How to Make Cold Foam from A Nerd Cooks
• Iced White Chocolate Mocha from Bake and Bacon
• Java Chip Frappuccino from A Nerd Cooks
• Irish Cream Cold Brew from Masala and Chai
• Gingerbread Coffee Creamer from Mitten Girl

FAQs/Tips and Tricks

Share your creations and follow me on social media

Subscribe to the A Nerd Cooks Newsletter to have updates sent straight to your inbox.

I love seeing when you share my recipes! Please tag me on Instagram @anerdcooks so I can enjoy them virtually with you! You can also find me on Pinterest, Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter.

I'd love to know what you thought of this recipe! Don't forget to leave a comment and
⭐️ star rating below!

The Recipe

Pin this recipe for later!