How to Make Cold Foam For Iced Coffee (Starbucks Copycat)

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Is your DIY cold brew game in need of a glow-up? Well, today’s your lucky day because I’m here to teach you How to Make Cold Foam at home. Making cold foam is easier than you might think, and unlike the stuff you get at Starbucks, it’s totally customizable.

spoon taking a bite of creamy vanilla cold foam off a glass where the sweet cream cold foam is streaking down into the cold brew.

Cold brew with cold foam is one of the great joys of an iced coffee drinker’s life. (At least, it is for this gal! 🙋🏻‍♀️) This ethereally frothy, cloud-like crown adds both yummy flavor and a lovely mouthfeel to every iced drink it touches.

So, if you’ve ever wondered to yourself “How does Starbucks make cold foam? 🤔” I’ve got you covered with TONS of tasty flavor combinations. Better yet, you don’t need any fancy barista equipment to do it! So, whether or not you’ve got a milk frother, or if you’re dairy-free — this easy cold foam recipe is here for YOU.

Jump to:

What is sweet cold foam?
What does it taste like?
Why You’ll Love This Copycat Starbucks Cold Foam Recipe
Ingredients
Substitutions
How to Make Starbucks Cold Foam at Home
Optional Variations & Dietary Adaptations
Serving Suggestions
Recipe Success Tips
FAQs
Sweet Cream Cold Foam Nutrition
Other Cold Foam Recipe Ideas
How to Make Cold Foam For Iced Coffee (Starbucks Copycat)

What is sweet cold foam?

Prepare yourself for a creamy texture that will take your iced coffees from "meh" to "magnificent" in seconds. Imagine this: a light, gauzy crown of sweetness gently resting on top of your drink. Imagine your favorite cold brew or iced latte with this easy sweet cream foam!

You know the nice, thick layer of floofy goodness on top of a cappuccino? Cold foam is like that, except it’s cold instead of steamed and slightly sweetened. Consider it the cherry on top of the sundae, but for cold coffee and tea drinks.

But what makes this coffee foam special is its texture. It's whipped up to be super airy and fluffy, like a cloud sitting atop your coffee. The cool part (ha, see what I did there?) is that it doesn't meld into the drink right away. Instead, it lingers on top, giving you that perfect mix of bold coffee and creamy sweetness with every sip.

What does it taste like?

The best part about learning how to make cold foam Starbucks-style? It's completely customizable to whatever flavor profile you’re after! Whether you're a vanilla fan, a chocolate lover, a caramel devotee, or someone who likes their flavors far out or festive, this sweet cream cold foam can be made to match your mood or the season.

action shot of cold foam being poured into a glass of black cold brew coffee. The cream is swirling into the darkness creating an ombre effect.

Why You’ll Love This Copycat Starbucks Cold Foam Recipe

It’s the easiest way to level up your cold brew game. Measure, froth, top. That’s the whole shebang.
You can make it entirely your own. Use whatever flavored syrups your heart desires, then mix and match by adding the sweetened foam to any iced drink.
It’s just like Starbucks, except at home. Imagine all the savings — $5+ per drink plus all the time spent in line? No longer. This inexpensive, 3-minute, 3-ingredient iced coffee foam recipe will legit change your life for the better.

Ingredients

As promised, this cold milk foam only requires a handful of easy-to-find ingredients. Here’s what to grab:

Heavy Cream - The name of the game here is stability. We’re looking to trap tiny air bubbles to make the foam light and fluffy. To do this, we need plenty of very cold fat. Heavy whipping cream or unwhipped whipping cream is perfect.
Whole Milk - A little bit of milk prevents the cold foam from having the consistency of whipped cream. Again, this is a full-fat or bust situation.
Vanilla Syrup - For the most basic sweet cream cold foam, vanilla is the way to go. PRO TIP: Make your own at home for pennies on the dollar of what they charge at a grocery store or coffee shop.

Substitutions

Aside from simplicity, I ALSO promised you customizability. Here are some easy ingredient swaps to try:

Heavy Cream - Feel free to use canned full-fat coconut milk (with the cream mixed in), coconut cream (NOT sweetened cream of coconut), or vegan whipping cream.
Whole Milk - You can also use full-fat oat milk or full-fat coconut milk. I don't recommend using skim milk, almond milk, or nonfat milk because they don't foam or froth well, even with an electric milk frother.
Vanilla Syrup - This is the fun part — use any flavored syrup you’d like! Maple syrup, vanilla syrup, caramel syrup, and any other coffee syrup work perfectly in this cold foam recipe. Pssst. You can also mix and match. 😉

45 degree angle shot of a cold foam topped glass of cold brew coffee.

How to Make Starbucks Cold Foam at Home

Creating this dreamy Starbucks coffee add-on at home is surprisingly simple, and it's a total game-changer for your at-home barista routine. Here’s how to make cold foam with a frother:

Step 1: Pour all ingredients into a small mason jar or container.

Step 2: Froth using a handheld milk frother for 15-20 seconds until frothy and foamed.Step 3: Spoon on top of your favorite tea or iced coffee drinks and drink up!

process shot - cream being poured in a short clear glass.

process shot - hand using a milk frother to froth the cream, milk, and vanilla syrup into cold foam for coffee.

Optional Variations & Dietary Adaptations

How to Make Cold Foam Without a Frother - No frother? No problem! You can also use a high-speed blender, immersion blender, or even a humble whisk and some elbow grease.
How to Make Cold Foam Without Heavy Cream - Uh oh. You want to make some foamy deliciousness but forgot to get heavy cream? Check your pantry for a can of full-fat coconut milk or coconut cream.
How to Make Vegan Cold Foam - Full-fat coconut milk or vegan whipping cream with full-fat oat milk cold foam is equally delicious and completely plant-based.
Different Flavors & Add-Ins - Use any simple syrup you like. You can also use up to 1 ½ tablespoons of powdered ingredients (like the cocoa powder and malted milk in my chocolate cream foam) as flavoring. Or if you have cream but forgot the milk, try using whipped cream cheese like in my cocoa puff cold brew.

Serving Suggestions

Once you learn how to make cold foam for coffee and tea, you can use it to add luscious creaminess and sweet flavor to any of your favorite cold coffee drinks. Here are just a few of my favorite Starbucks copycat recipes to get your creative wheels turning:

45 degree angle of cold foam atop a glass of iced coffee after some of the foam has melted into the drink below making it a light tan color.

Recipe Success Tips

Start Cold: Make sure your milk, cream, and even syrup are cold before starting for the best results. At the very least, make sure to let your syrup come to room temperature before adding it to the cold milk cream mixture.
Make-Ahead Magic: To make a large batch ahead: combine ½ cup heavy cream, ¼ cup whole milk, and ¼ cup syrup of choice in a large container and stir to combine. When ready to make cold foam, measure out ¼ cup of the mixture and froth!
Ice, Ice Baby: To keep your cold foam sitting pretty on your drinks, make sure to add the ice to the base drink before adding the foam. It’ll help keep it afloat!
You Can Stir If You Want To: I’ve had people ask me if they should stir drinks with cold foam or not. The answer is — it’s your drink, so you do you! I personally prefer keeping the foam separate for at least the first few sips to really enjoy the delicate foam texture, but it’s also great when you give it a few swirls of the straw.

FAQs

What kind of milk is best for cold foam?

Full-fat dairy milk, full-fat oat milk, or full-fat coconut milk. If you opt for plant-based milk, use a “barista blend” for the best frothability. Also, note that you will still need cream to supplement the milk.

What kind of cream is best for cold foam? Can I use half-n-half?

Heavy cream, whipping cream, vegan whipping cream, or full-fat canned coconut milk with the cream mixed in. Unfortunately, half-n-half isn’t quite sturdy enough to hold the foamy consistency very long. We’re making more of a ⅔ -n- ⅓, which doesn’t roll off the tongue as easily. But the key here is having more fat to help stabilize the bubbles in the foam.

Can I use cold foam on hot coffee?

While you technically *can,* it will melt almost immediately. If you add cold foam to hot drinks, it’ll basically just be a sweetened creamer.

Sweet Cream Cold Foam Nutrition

Each serving of this creamy delight comes with about 143 calories. Not too shabby, especially when you consider it's the special touch that transforms your cold brew coffee from ordinary to extraordinary. Most of these calories come from the 11 grams of fat (thank you, heavy cream!), which makes the foam oh-so-luxurious and satisfying.

Now, on to the nitty-gritty: we're looking at 1 gram of protein, a tiny 15 mg of sodium, 10 grams of carbs, and 10 grams of sugar (mostly from that delicious homemade vanilla syrup). The beauty of making your own sweet cold foam is the flexibility to tweak the nutrition — you're welcome to use sugar-free syrup to reduce the calorie and sugar content.

These facts are based on the recipe card below (meaning homemade vanilla syrup, whole milk, and heavy cream). Just keep in mind that if you're feeling adventurous and decide to swap in a different syrup or opt for plant-based milk and cream, these numbers will potentially change.

Total nutritional content per serving is:

Calories: 143 calories
Total Fat: 11 grams
Protein: 1 grams
Sodium: 15 mg
Carbohydrates: 10 grams
Sugar: 10 grams

*This nutritional information is an estimate and calculated based on the simple ingredients used to create the recipe. The nutritional value of your ingredients may differ slightly. Furthermore, this food is not intended to prevent, diagnose, cure, or treat any disease.

Other Cold Foam Recipe Ideas

closeup hero shot of a spoon dabbing sweet cream cold foam on a glass of cold brew coffee.

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5 from 5 votes