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    Masala & Chai » Recipes » Starbucks Dupes

    Published: Oct 3, 2021 · Modified: Jun 14, 2022 by Shweta Garg · This post may contain affiliate links

    Vanilla Sweet Cream Cold Foam

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    sweet cream cold foam cold brew in a glass on a plate

    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.

    sweet cream cold foam cold brew in a glass on a plate

    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
    • Recommended Kitchen Items
    • 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.

    pouring sweet cream cold foam into a cup of iced coffee

    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.

    Ingredients for sweet cream cold foam with labels
    • 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.

    Recommended Kitchen Items

    Image of Handheld Electric Frother

    Handheld Electric Frother

    Buy Now →
    Image of Torani Vanilla Syrup

    Torani Vanilla Syrup

    Buy Now →

    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.

    Collage of adding ingredients for vanilla sweet cream cold foam to an aeroccino and frothing with numbered and instruction labels.

    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.

    vanilla sweet cream cold foam dripping down the side of an iced coffee

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

    More Starbucks Dupes to try

    • Two Pumpkin Cream Chai Lattes in platter surrounded by spices and pumpkins.
      Iced Pumpkin Cream Chai Latte
    • Two cups of dirty chai in a platter with a gold straw and spoon.
      Dirty Chai Latte
    • two irish coffee mugs with foamy chai tea lattes with whole cinnamon sticks and cardamom pods.
      Chai Latte (Starbucks Dupe)
    • two glasses of coffee with cold foam on top of one.
      Cold Foam

    I love seeing when you share my recipes! Tag me on Instagram @masalaandchai so I can enjoy them virtually with you! You can also find me on Pinterest, Facebook, Tik Tok, and YouTube.

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

    Recipe

    vanilla sweet cream cold foam dripping down the side of an iced coffee

    Vanilla Sweet Cream Cold Foam

    Author: Shweta Garg
    This is the easiest copycat recipe for the Starbucks Vanilla Sweet Cream Cold Foam! The cold foam uses only 3 ingredients a perfect sweet whipped topping for cold brew and iced coffees.
    Course: Drinks
    Cuisine: American
    Prep Time: 5 minutes minutes
    Total Time: 5 minutes minutes
    Servings: 4 servings
    5 from 22 votes
    Print Pin Rate

    Equipment

    • Mixing Bowl
    • Electric Frother

    Ingredients
     
     

    • 200 ml heavy cream
    • 120 ml 2% milk
    • 70 ml vanilla syrup

    Instructions

    • Pour the heavy cream, 2% milk, and vanilla syrup into a large mason jar and stir to combine. This is vanilla sweet cream and can be added directly to drinks. Store it in the refrigerator.

    To make Vanilla Sweet Cream Cold Foam -

    • Transfer ¼ - ½ cup of the vanilla sweet cream to a cup or jar. Using an electric whisk, high speed blender, frother, Aeroccino, etc - beat the mixture on medium speed for 1-2 minutes until it froths, and then another minute until it thickens into a foam. Don't overbeat the foam to peaks.
    • Pour the cold foam on top of iced coffee.

    Notes

    • If the cold foam isn't whipping, it's either because the heavy cream isn't cold enough or the cream has separated and is chunky at the bottom. Ensure the heavy cream hasn't separated before use. Add one tablespoon of heavy cream more at a time if the mixture isn't thickening into a cold foam. 

    Nutrition

    Serving: 0.4cup | Calories: 235kcal | Carbohydrates: 16g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 19g | Saturated Fat: 12g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 6g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 71mg | Sodium: 43mg | Potassium: 91mg | Sugar: 14g | Vitamin A: 766IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 71mg | Iron: 1mg
    Did you make this recipe?Tag @masalaandchai and #masalaandchai in your post and stories on Instagram!

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

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      Recipe Rating




    1. Jesse says

      August 03, 2023 at 11:31 pm

      I ran out of the chobani cold foam that I normally use and decided to just try to make my own today. My husband was over the moon rattling on and on about how his coffee today was so much tastier than normal. I guess this is a winner!

      Reply
      • Shweta Garg says

        August 04, 2023 at 8:56 am

        Lol I love this! It tastes so much better at home for some reason

        Reply
    2. Debbie says

      August 17, 2022 at 2:26 pm

      Thank you for this recipe. I can now made my own and stop spending so much money at Starbucks . ❤️

      Reply
    3. Cortney Bailey says

      July 17, 2022 at 1:18 pm

      Thank you! I bought a nespresoo so I can stop spending money at starbucks but it just wasn't enough without the cold foam recipe😋 Now I'm saving money!

      Reply
      • Shweta Garg says

        July 17, 2022 at 2:16 pm

        Love that for you!! I also really love the Starbucks Nespresso pods - tastes just like the real stuff with the cold foam 🙂

        Reply
    4. Sally Hulse says

      June 24, 2022 at 12:04 am

      Thank-you for bringing this into my life 🥰🥰🥰🥰

      Reply
      • Shweta Garg says

        June 24, 2022 at 9:38 am

        I'm so happy I could 🙂

        Reply
    5. Tiffany says

      January 16, 2022 at 1:47 pm

      Easy cold foam recipe with great tips and tricks! Saved me from
      buying fancy vanilla syrup and made my own which was also easy and saved $$$!!!

      Reply
      • Shweta says

        January 16, 2022 at 3:24 pm

        I refuse to buy vanilla syrup too! We love saving money with an easy recipe 🙂

        Reply
    6. CS says

      January 03, 2022 at 3:44 pm

      I think I made cheese.

      Reply
      • Shweta says

        January 03, 2022 at 3:49 pm

        Give me more details! Did you overwhip (I think this is more likely)? Or your ingredients were expired!

        Reply

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    ABOUT SHWETA

    Shweta Garg in a kitchen with milkshakes and a waffle.

    I’m Shweta, a self taught recipe developer and food photographer living in New York City. I’m a full time cloud consultant who also enjoys eating out at restaurants, discovering and supporting small business, and cozying up with a cup of chai.

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