Vanilla Sweet Cream Cold Foam

This is the easiest copycat recipe for the Starbucks Vanilla Sweet Cream Cold Foam! The cold foam uses only 3 ingredients to make a perfect sweet whipped topping for cold brew and iced coffees.

My absolute favorite drink from Starbucks is their cold brew with vanilla sweet cream swirled in. I initially ordered it by accident on a 10 hour road trip with my parents. And boy, did I regret it as someone who's lactose intolerant. Yikes. But it was SO good.

Tik Tok has a plethora of creators that love creating a quick copycat Starbucks cold foam for their iced coffee videos, and most of them are homemade Vanilla Sweet Cream Cold Foam! It's so easy, you'll be able to DIY sweet cream cold foam at home. And it's much tastier than any store-bought creamer.

I've seen a ton of amazing hacks, too! Some people whipped the cold foam by shaking the mixture in a protein blender bottle, or even a french press.

So if you love the Starbucks Vanilla Sweet Cream Cold Brew, you're going to love being able to replicate this at home. Add it to drinks like an Irish Cream Cold Brew!

Jump to:

• What is Cold Foam?
• Ingredients - Notes and Substitutions
• How to make Starbucks Cold Foam
• Serving and Storing
• Which Coffee to use
• More Starbucks Dupes to try
• Recipe

What is Cold Foam?

Starbucks serves a luscious cold foam - a chilled foamy dairy-based topping layered on top of it's cold brews. It's made with a non-fat milk and vanilla syrup which is then whipped in special high speed blenders. The bit of cold brew and cold foam makes for the perfect sip with their strawless lids.

If you have an aeroccino from Nespresso, you make a regular foam that is frequently seen in hot drinks like lattes and cappuccinos. For cold drinks, the hot foam simply dissipates which is where the cold foam comes in.

It was popularized by Starbucks in the United States in the recent years and has especially become popular for those who love to brew their own coffees at home.

Vanilla Sweet Cream

Plain cold foam doesn't contain any cream to get the velvety texture. Vanilla sweet cream does! It's simply vanilla syrup, 2% milk, and heavy cream. However, it does not come blended. It's almost the texture of melted vanilla ice cream - thick and incredibly creamy. When you order vanilla sweet cream, it'll be fully mixed into the iced drink.

This brings us to the cold foam.

Sweet Cream Cold Foam

Sweet cream cold foam is a mixture of vanilla syrup, 2% milk, and heavy cream that is whipped in a cold foam blender. This is what sits at the top of the iced drinks. The milk slowly starts cascading into the drink while the sweetened, foamy cream sits at the top, making each sip absolute perfection.

Ingredients - Notes and Substitutions

Sweet Cream Cold Foam is a total of three ingredients.

• Vanilla Syrup - Use any bottled brand of vanilla syrup, i.e. Starbucks, Torani, Monin, etc. It's also really easy to make vanilla syrup at home with vanilla extract, sugar, and water. Mix equal amounts of sugar and water (for this recipe, you only need 70ml of vanilla syrup) and about a teaspoon of high quality vanilla extract.
• Heavy Cream - Use heavy whipping cream or half and half, but heavy whipping cream will whip up the best.
• Milk - Use the milk of your choice, whether it's plant based or not, but 2% milk is the go-to.

How to make Starbucks Cold Foam

I use the exact same ingredients and measurements as Starbucks for my dupe.

There are so many vessels to make cold foam in! An electric milk frother, electric handheld mixer, a simple whisk, a blender, immersion blender, a jar, etc. Simply pour the 2% milk, vanilla syrup, and heavy cream into a large jar or bowl and blend it until it thickens but not to the point where it starts to form soft peaks. The texture should be cloudy, foamy, and smooth - just a bit thicker than melted ice cream.

If you're using a whisk, I like to whip the heavy cream first until it gets thick, and then slowly add the milk and vanilla syrup as I continue to whip. Otherwise, I find that the cream sits on the top while the milk sits at the bottom.

For troubleshooting - If the cold foam isn't whipping, it's either because the whipped cream isn't cold enough or the cream has separated and is chunky at the bottom. Ensure the whipped cream hasn't separated before use or use more whipped cream.

If it gets too thick, add a bit of milk to thin it out. If it's not thick enough, use more heavy cream.

Serving and Storing

Use about ¼ - ½ cup of sweet cream cold foam per iced coffee for the perfect ratio. Pour it directly over cold coffee and if it's been thickened enough, it'll sit on the top. If not, continue to whip or add more cold heavy cream. I like to give it a stir so it mixes into the coffee, but a lot of the foam will still sit at the top.

To store it, keep a jar with the heavy cream, milk, and vanilla syrup in the fridge for up to a week. When ready to use, pour out the desired amount into another cup or jar, and whisk until it thickens.

Which Coffee to use

Vanilla Sweet Cream Cold Foam is best with cold brews, but it is an amazing addition to any iced coffee. I highly recommend it with an iced chai latte, which you can easily make at home using my Chai Concentrate and 2% milk.

If you love Sweet Cream Cold Foam, try the fall version - Pumpkin Cream Cold Foam!

More Starbucks Dupes to try

Recipe