How to Make Cold Foam: The Most Delicious Recipes

In this article, we will tell you how to make cold foam in different ways.
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Samanta Fryer
Samanta Fryer
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Samanta Fryer is our senior editor and content writer, at CoffeeVibe. Apart from writing and reading, she’s fond of the coffee brewing process and enjoys tasting new coffe read more
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Ryan Hendricks
Ryan Hendricks
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Ryan Hendricks is our tester, who puts products through their paces. He used to be a barista and is now a full-time coffee enthusiast. He’s always testing out new gadgets, read more
Last updated: August 14, 2023
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Iced coffee is no longer just a summer drink but now is a favorite year-round drink. In 2014 Starbucks introduced cold foam, which sits on top of the drink. This frothy, cold, smooth topping isn’t sweet; however, it adds a creamy texture to your iced coffee.

Do you have any idea how much you spend a year stopping for your drink? According to an article, PBFY Trusted Source Who Spends the Most on Coffee? | PBFY Flexible Packaging Are you a millennial? That puts you in the age group of 25-34 years of age. If so, you’re in the demographic that spends the most money on coffee a year. pbfy.com people between 25-34 spend an average of $2,008 per year on coffee. If you’re curious about how you can figure out how much your daily coffee habit is costing, you simply figure out what you spend daily and multiply it by 365.

Instead of spending roughly $2,008 a year to stop at Starbucks, did you know that you can make cold foam at home? Now that we’ve got your attention, we’re going to tell you exactly how to make cold foam and save you some money. Are you ready to learn how? Then read on.

What is Cold Foam?

Curious about what cold foam is? Cold foam is frothed nonfat milk that sits on top of your iced coffee. It not only enhances the flavor but adds a bit of texture. Unlike whipped topping used for hot drinks, cold foam is cold, so it doesn’t melt. Although the process is similar to cold foam, you skip heating the liquid before frothing.

How to Make Cold Foam: The Most Delicious Recipes 1

How to Make Cold Foam with A Hand Frother

One of the easiest ways to make cold foam is by using a hand frother. Onehand frothers we really like is the Zulay original milk frother. The entire process takes tenminutes and is extremely easy. It only takes 3 simple steps, and you're readyto drink ice coffee with cold foam. Hand frothers aren't just good for makingcold foam. It's also excellent for making whipped coffee
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 3 minutes
Total Time 8 minutes
Course Coffee
Servings 1 serving
Calories 73 kcal

Equipment

  • Hand frother
  • A cup

Ingredients
  

  • ½ cup of milk

Instructions
 

  • Pour ½ cup cold milk into the milk frother.
    Most people recommend using fat-free or 1% milk because it froths better,but for those of us that love sweet cream cold foam, you simply use heavy cream with 2% milk to thin it out. 
  • Froth milk until it becomes frothy.
    You'll want to start on slow so you won't splash the milk, then slowlyincrease the speed until the milk of fully foamed. 
  • Pour it on top of your coffee.
    You can choose to stir it into your coffee or drink it as it is until itworks its way down. If you like it sweeter, you can add other flavors to seewhat you like the best.
How to Make Cold Foam: The Most Delicious Recipes 3

How to Make Cold Foam with a French Press

This is many people's favorite way to make cold foam because it seems togive it a bit more oomph. The french press is used to make coffee by separatingthe grounds from the liquid. It uses a filter with tiny holes to do this, whichis why it's perfect for making cold foam. Don't overfill it because the foamwill double in size. 
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 5 minutes
Total Time 10 minutes
Course Coffee
Servings 1 serving
Calories 73 kcal

Equipment

  • French press

Ingredients
  

  • ½ cup of milk

Instructions
 

  • Pour the ½ cup cold milk into a French press.
    There's a disagreement between if using only heavy cream or half & halfworks best for cold foam. For those who love a lot of foam, use the heavy creamor half & half dilute it. If you love the flavor of heavy cream or half& half, then don't be worried about diluting it. 
  • Pump it for about 2 minutes until frothy.
    Just a heads up, if you don't want only foam without any milk, you don'twant to go longer than 2 minutes. If you go too little, you won't get the foamyou wish to; if you find that 2 minutes is too long or short, experiment untilyou see what's best for you. 
  • Pour it on top of cold coffee.
    Now you're ready to sit down and enjoy your iced coffee and think of all ofthe money you saved.  

Notes

If you want an extra kick of flavor and are curious how to make vanilla sweet cream cold foam, simply use vanilla and heavy cream. If you read Starbuck's recipe for vanilla sweet cream cold foam, it tells you to add powdered sugar and 2% instead of whole milk. 

How to Make Cold Foam: The Most Delicious Recipes 5

How to Make Cold Foam with a Milk Frother

This is the easiest one to use, especially if you have a milk frother. Itturns out perfect every time. You set the dial to "cold foam" or "coldstir," then press start. One question that's frequently asked is what the differenceis between frothing and steaming.  Although they both usea steaming wand, the wand does different things. For frothed milk, the wandinjects air into it, while when steaming, it works differently. 
Prep Time 2 minutes
Cook Time 3 minutes
Total Time 5 minutes
Course Coffee
Servings 1 serving
Calories 73 kcal

Equipment

  • Milk frother

Ingredients
  

  • ½ cup of milk

Instructions
 

  • Pour the ½ cup cold milk into the milk frother.
    There's usually a line on milk frothers that shows you the max amount ofliquid that can be used. Don't go over the line; otherwise, it won't tasteright. 
  • Set "cold foam" or "cold stir."
    Just turn the knob to the froth setting and push the dial, and it'll start,and when it's done, it'll automatically shut off. 
  • Pour it into coffee
    When you pour it into your coffee, you'll notice that it will flow intoyour coffee, adding texture and more flavor. 

Notes

Many frothers have a control knob that allows you to choose what you need like the Capresso Frother has multiple settings for froth, flat, and chocolate. 
How to Make Cold Foam: The Most Delicious Recipes 7

How to Make Cold Foam in a Blender

You may be surprised to know that you can easily make cold foam in ablender. This is the fastest way to do this, especially if you're making alarge batch. It is best to use it immediately for the best results. Any thatdon't get used can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. 
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 1 minute
Total Time 6 minutes
Course Coffee
Servings 1 serving
Calories 73 kcal

Equipment

  • Blender

Ingredients
  

  • 1 cup of milk

Instructions
 

  • Pour the 1 cup cold milk into the blender.
    Using almond milk in place ofwhole cream or milk is how to make the cold cream recipevegan-friendly.  
  • Put the blender cup onto the machine.
    If you want vegan-friendly sweet cream cold foam, you can use simple syrup,brown sugar, or powdered sugar in the place of milk. 
  • Slowly increase the speed until max.
    The higher the cream becomes, the better the foam tastes.
  • Blend it until it's fluffy and smooth
    Skim milk has the largest amount of protein which makes the thickest,sturdiest cold foam. 
  • Pour in into coffee
    If you want to make your cold foam look a bit festive, sprinkle somecinnamon on top and put a candy cane in it. 
How to Make Cold Foam: The Most Delicious Recipes 9

How to Make Cold Foam with a Jar

If you don't have any of the tools listed above, you can still make coldfoam. Mason jars are great choices. All you need is a jar with a lid. If youhave children, you could put them to work and let them shake the jar, plus it'sa good learning experience for them.  
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 5 minutes
Total Time 10 minutes
Course Coffee
Servings 1 serving
Calories 73 kcal

Equipment

  • Resealable jar

Ingredients
  

  • ½ cup of milk

Instructions
 

  • Pour the cold milk into the jar.
    Cold foam doesn't just work oniced coffee. You can put it on almost any cold drink. It tastes great on coldtea, especially if you like it just a bit sweet.
  • Close the lid.
    This is an essential step ifyou don't want a huge mess. 
  • Shake it for about 2 minutes until it's fluffed.
    People prefer cold foam over whipped cream because it blends into itinstead of sitting on top of your coffee. 
  • Pour it into coffee.
    Immediately pour it into your coffee to make sure the froth stays nice andthick.  

Ways of Using a Cold Foam

Iced coffee isn’t the only way you can use Starbucks imitation cold foam. You can use it in a variety of drinks such as.

  • Cold drinks like iced lattes, iced latte macchiatos, dalgona coffee, freddo cappuccinos, or nitro coffee.
  • You can also use it for hot drinks. It’s an excellent topping for cappuccinos, lattes, macchiatos, mochas, flat whites, and hot cocoa.
  • It’s an excellent creamy topping for teas such as London fog, chai latte, peppermint tea, iced tea, plus dragon fruit teas.

Origin of Cold Foam

Knowing the history of how things were invented or used years ago is always interesting. While no one is precisely sure when the cold foam was first used in Japan. Around 2012 Kirin, a beer company, created a machine similar to the frozen yogurt machine to dispense frozen beer head onto its beverages. Soon other Japanese companies developed identical equipment to make frothy toppings.

Starbucks started using cold foam in 2014 around the same time cheese tea gained popularity in the U.S. This drink uses cream cheese to make a thick foam that floats on top of the drink, unlike cold foam, which only uses milk. Cheese tea originated in Taiwan and gained popularity in mainland China before making it to the United States.

How to Make Starbucks Cold Foam at Home

Here is a Starbucks recipe to make it at home and save yourself thousands of dollars a year Trusted Source Will buying coffee every day keep you from getting rich? Here’s what Kevin O’Leary and other experts say  Here’s a round up of three — “Shark Tank” investor Kevin O’Leary, wealth manager and bestselling author David Bach and self-made millionaire Ramit Sethi — on the pros and cons of spending your money on daily coffee. www.cnbc.com .

Ingredients you’ll need

How to Make Cold Foam: The Most Delicious Recipes

  • Heavy cream – it froths up great and helps to create a light texture
  • 2% milk – since heavy cream is rich, Starbucks adds this to thin it out.
  • Vanilla syrup – this adds flavor and sweetens the cold foam.

Step-by-step instructions

  1. Put the ingredients into what you’re using to make the cold cream. Any of the ones listed above will work.
  2. Place the lid on and blend it until it doubles in size.
  3. Pour it on the drink of your choice.

How to Make Sweet Cream Cold Foam

The same process as cold form, except you’ll use the following ingredients

    • 3tbs whipping cream
    • 1tbsp whole milk
    • 1 tbsp of the sweetener of your choice
    • 3 drops vanilla extract

How to Make Salted Caramel Sweet Cream Cold Foam

How to Make Cold Foam: The Most Delicious Recipes
Combine half & half, vanilla syrup, and salt in a French press. Pump the French press plunger. Pour caramel sauce into a cup.
  • 3tbsp whipping cream
  • 1tbsp whole milk
  • 1tbs sweetener of your choice
  • 3 drops of vanilla extract
  • 1 small pinch of sea salt

How to Make Cold Foam with Creamer

To make a cold form with coffee creamer, you use it in place of the milk or heavy cream. There is one thing to know, though. It will not froth as well as it would with milk.

Q&A

Do I have to have a frother to make cold cream?

No, you can make cold foam without a frother and instead use a blender, a jar, or a french press.

Will I like Cold Foam?

This depends on your preferences. Cold foam isn’t as sweet as whipped cream, so it’s may not be as sweet or creamy as what most people are used to. In order to make it thicker and have more flavor, people opt for heavy cream and flavoring.

Can I make this without the foam?

Yes. Instead of shaking or blending it, you simply want to add all of the ingredients and mix it up without frothing it. You can then add the cream to the drink of your choice.

Are there any cold cream recipes keto-friendly?

Yes, all you need to do is use a sugar-free sweetener and milk without sugar. It is keto-friendly.

Is Starbucks the only coffee shop that uses cold foam?

No, Starbucks is not the only coffee shop you can get cold foam at. In some shops, you can order an iced cappuccino, and cold foam is what is on the top of it. However, it’s the only place where it is called cold foam.

What flavors can I add to cold foam?

You can add almost any flavor you want to cold foam. All you need to do is add the flavoring to your milk before frothing.  Below are a few ideas for you.

  • Vanilla
  • Brown sugar
  • Pumpkin spice – the good news about this is you can have it all year long instead of waiting for the coffee shops to put it on their menu.
  • Honey, and if you sprinkle a little salt on top, you’ll have salted honey
  • Peppermint – Above, there is a festive idea where you add cinnamon on the top of the foam and place a peppermint stick on the side.
  • Cascara vanilla cold foam. All you need is 1oz of cascara vanilla to 4oz of milk and forth it.
  • Caramel cold foam – combing caramel syrup with the milk will create Starbucks caramel cold foam.

Should I make sure my milk is cold to make cold foam?

Yes, cold milk froths better than hot milk. This is because of the differences between how warm and cold milk interacts with the air. The fats in cold milk hold more air, so it froths easier and holds the bubbles while warm milk won’t.

Can I use a whisk to make cold cream?

Yes, you can use a whisk to make cold cream, but it takes longer and will not froth as well. If you don’t mind, just whisk your milk mixture until it bubbles form and then pours it into a small pitcher and tap it on a counter to break down large bubbles.

Final Thoughts

Cold foam is a new favorite topping for cold drinks that are flooding social media. While cold foam is still used most frequently with cold beverages, it is starting to become more popular with warm drinks. With all of the different combinations of ingredients, you can make cold cream that’s exploding with flavor.

We went over multiple ways on how to make cold foam with a few simple ingredients, many of which you may already have on hand. It’s simple to make, and you don’t need anything special to make it. You can quickly make your own favorite Starbucks recipe if you have a whisk, jar, or even a blender.

References

1.
Who Spends the Most on Coffee? | PBFY Flexible Packaging
Are you a millennial? That puts you in the age group of 25-34 years of age. If so, you’re in the demographic that spends the most money on coffee a year.
2.
Will buying coffee every day keep you from getting rich? Here’s what Kevin O’Leary and other experts say
 Here’s a round up of three — “Shark Tank” investor Kevin O’Leary, wealth manager and bestselling author David Bach and self-made millionaire Ramit Sethi — on the pros and cons of spending your money on daily coffee.
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