How To Make Vanilla Sweet Cream Cold Foam At Home

If you love Starbucks sweet cream cold brew coffee drinks, and want to recreate them at home, this cold foam recipe is for you. I’m going to show you how to make vanilla sweet cream cold foam at home.

Sweet, creamy and delicious, this easy vanilla sweet cream cold foam recipe with just three ingredients turns your cold brew or iced coffee in to something pretty special in just a few minutes.

What Is Starbucks Vanilla Sweet Cream Cold Foam?

If you enjoy adding milk to your cold brew or iced coffee, the Starbucks sweet cream foam is the perfect way to dress up a regular cold brew coffee, nitro brew or iced coffee.

The combination of heavy cream, 2% milk and Starbucks vanilla syrup is frothed to create a light, creamy foam that floats on the surface of your brew.

Starbucks cold foam drinks and sweet cream cold brew coffees have been on the Starbucks menu for a few years now including the Irish cream cold brew and the Pumpkin cream cold brew.

It can be a little confusing though, as the Starbucks cold foam toppings menu has both cold foam and sweet cream cream cold foam options to choose from.

So what is vanilla sweet cream cold foam and how is it different to regular cold foam?

The table below summarizes the differences between sweet cream, cold foam and Starbucks sweet cream cold foam.

Foam Type	Milk Type	Frothed
Cold Foam	Skim or low fat milk	Yes
Sweet Cream	Heavy cream and 2% milk	No
Sweet Cream Cold Foam	Heavy cream and 2% milk	Yes

Want to know more? We explain the differences in more detail below.

What Is Cold Foam?

Starbucks cold foam is made by aerating and frothing low fat milk to create a frothy and airy milk foam that floats atop your cold brew, like this Strawberry foam.

You can make cold foam at home with a milk frother with a cold temperature option or with a handheld frother.

The trick to achieving a high volume of cold foam is to use skim or low fat milk as it is lighter and easier to froth than whole milk.

But half and half or full fat milk froth tastes creamier.

What Is Vanilla Sweet Cream?

Starbucks vanilla sweet cream is made by combining heavy cream, 2% milk and vanilla syrup.

The key difference when comparing vanilla sweet cream vs cold foam is that sweet cream is not whipped or frothed.

The flavored cream is poured on top of cold brew, nitro coffee or iced coffee to add flavor and creaminess without foam.

It is super easy to prepare and a good alternative to ready made and homemade creamers.

Lovers of sweet cream might like to try this Italian sweet cream coffee creamer!

What Is Vanilla Sweet Cream Cold Foam?

So when you froth vanilla sweet cream, the result is vanilla sweet cream cold foam.

It is a velvety, frothy and creamy flavored foam that sits atop your iced coffee drinks or cold brew coffees.

Vanilla cream cold foam is much creamier than cold foam and has a richer taste thanks to the heavy cream.

Recipes That Use Vanilla Sweet Cream Cold Foam

Sweet cream foam is perfect to use with:

• Irish cream cold foam recipe
• Salted caramel cream cold brew coffee

Vanilla Sweet Cream Cold Foam Recipe Ingredients

Okay so now we know the difference between cold foam and sweet cream, let’s take a look at the ingredients you need to make homemade sweet cream cold foam just like Starbucks.

You will need:

• Heavy cream
• 2% or whole milk
• Vanilla syrup

The most important ingredient to make vanilla sweet cream foam is heavy whipping cream.

The fat content in the cream is what gives the mixture a creamy, velvety taste.

You can use 2% milk or whole milk – either will work just fine.

How To Make Sweet Cream Cold Foam At Home

There are three easy ways to make my vanilla sweet cream cold foam recipe at home:

1. With an automatic milk frother
2. Using a handheld milk frother
3. With a french press coffee maker

Using A Milk Frother

When using a milk frother, follow the user instructions and be sure to select cold froth as you don’t want it to warm the milk.

Good options include:

• Breville Cafe Milk Frother
• Nespresso Aeroccino 3
• Zulay Handheld Milk Frother

With A French Press

A great alternative to a milk frother is a french press.

I use a french press to froth sweet vanilla cream cold foam and explain how to use it in the step by step instructions below.

I like this 12 oz french press – it makes enough foam for two drinks at a time.

Note the cream mixture will generally double in size as you plunge it, so take this in to account when choosing what size french press to use.

Too small and it will overflow, too large and you won’t get the plunger deep enough into the cream to create the froth.

Note it isn’t possible to use most espresso machine steam wands as they produce hot steam which heats the milk.

One exception is the Ninja Hold and Cold Brewed Coffee Maker, which has a fold away cold frother integrated in the machine.

I love the Ninja as you can prepare so many different types of hot and cold coffee drinks. You can see it here.

Finally, it is possible to froth vanilla cream foam in a jar, but it will be more airy and won’t have the creamy texture that results from one of the methods above.

Related: Try this Pumpkin cream cold brew recipe

Vanilla Sweet Cream Cold Foam Recipe Steps

Step 1 – Prepare the Sweet Cream

The first step is to make the vanilla sweet cream. You have two options here.

1. If you are making a large batch of homemade vanilla sweet cream to use over a few days, increase the quantities and combine the heavy cream, vanilla syrup and milk in a jar to store in the refrigerator.
   
   Then pour just what you need into the french press (you’ll need about 1/2 cup of the mix for 2 coffees).

2. Otherwise if you are just making a single batch (which is enough for two large coffees), add all the ingredients straight into your french press or milk frother ready to froth.

Step 2 – Froth Your Vanilla Sweet Cream Into Cold Foam

If using the french press, vigorously move the plunge up and down for around 1 minute or until the cream is frothy and light.

Be careful not to overwhip or you will have a very thick cream on your hands.

Step 3 – Prepare Your Vanilla Sweet Cream Cold Brew With Cold Foam

Place several ice cubes in each glass, fill with your favorite cold brew or iced coffee.

Leave enough room in the glass (about 1 inch) to add your foam.

Pour or spoon your DIY vanilla sweet cream cold foam over the top of your coffee.

I like to pour a little cream in to the glass first then spoon the airy foam over the top.

Expert Tips For Making Sweet Cream Foam

• Prepare a large batch of vanilla sweet cream and store in the fridge in a sealed container. Froth just what you need each day.
• Ensure you use the cold froth option when using a milk frother.
• Do not use an espresso machine steam wand as this will heat your milk.
• Try different flavors – great alternatives to vanilla syrup include cinnamon, peppermint and caramel syrup.

More Cold Coffee Recipes

If you loved this recipe, here are some more great cold brew recipes to try at home.

• Iced chocolate almondmilk shaken espresso
• Pumpkin cream cold brew coffee
• The best cold brew coffee beans
• How to make Nitro Cold Brew
• Honey almond milk cold brew

Find more cold brew coffee drinks recipes here or browse all our coffee recipes.

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