Here’s how to make cold foam at home with just a few ingredients! This recipe makes a frothy topping perfect for elevating your favorite iced coffees and cold beverages.
While we’re generally wary of food trends, we can confirm—this one is delicious. Cold foam is the Starbucks answer to a whipped topping for iced coffee drinks. The creamy topping adds just the right frothy charm, without loads of extra calories.
Even better, you can make it at home! Here’s how to make classic cold foam: a DIY Starbucks recipe so you can enjoy this treat at home using nothing but skim milk and simple syrup. We love it atop a glass of cold brew!
What is cold foam?
Cold foam is frothed nonfat milk used for topping for cold coffee drinks like iced coffee, cold brew, iced cappuccinos, and nitro coffee. It simulates the frothy topping of the steamed milk in a latte or cappuccino, but at a cold temperature so it doesn’t melt when hitting an iced drink.
The foam has a thick, frothy texture, and gradually settles in as you sip it. Because it’s made with nonfat milk, it adds only a handful of calories to the drink. But the lightly sweet crema topping has a major pay-off in texture! If you’ve had this one at Starbucks, you know: cold foam makes any iced coffee that much better.
About Starbucks cold foam
Starbucks launched cold foam in 2014 with the opening of its Reserve Roastery in Seattle. It was first served on the Americano Con Crema drink. Today, Starbucks offers cold foam as a topping you can add to many drinks for an extra 50 cents.
If you’re wondering (because we were), sweet cream cold foam is a variation made with milk, heavy cream, and vanilla syrup, whereas cold foam is made with nonfat milk. Try this sweet cream cold foam recipe.
How to make cold foam (overview)
How to make cold foam at home? It’s very simple to make this treat to top all your homemade iced coffees and cold brews: and an incredibly impressive! Here’s what you’ll need to do (or scroll to the recipe below):
- Grab a milk frother (or French press). The best way to make Starbucks cold foam at home is using a handheld milk frother. At only $8.00, it’s the best tool for making thick, fluffy foam and is worth the purchase. (Hey, that’s just 16 Starbucks orders of the stuff!). A French press is your next best bet. We don’t recommend a whisk: it makes foam with large bubbles and a loose texture.
- Froth for 15 to 20 seconds. Add skim milk and simple syrup to a tall cup and froth until very fluffy. It takes only about 15 seconds to whip up into a thick foam. (For the French press instructions, go to How to Froth Milk.)
Variation: add vanilla
Want to step up your cold foam? You can add a hint of vanilla extract to add a delicious nuance to the flavor. At first we wondered whether this would turn the topping a light brown color. But after testing it, it doesn’t make a perceptible difference in whiteness versus the original.
Drinks that use cold foam
You can use cold foam on any type of chilled tea or coffee drink! Try a dollop of thick, lightly sweet foam on a glass of cold brew coffee or iced coffee. It’s also great on an iced cappuccino or iced latte, or cold tea lattes like an iced chai latte or iced matcha latte.
Dietary notes
This cold foam recipe is vegetarian and gluten-free.
Frequently asked questions
Skim or low-fat milk (1% or 2%) froths best due to the higher milk protein content. Non-dairy milks like oat milk can also be used, but experiment to find a brand that froths well.
The milk might be too warm. Use cold milk straight from the fridge for optimal frothing. Or, you might not be using enough milk protein: opt for skim or low-fat milk.
Absolutely! Add a dash of vanilla, vanilla syrup, or a pinch of cinnamon before frothing.
Cold foam is best enjoyed fresh. It will start to lose its texture after about 30 minutes.
How to Make Cold Foam
Print RecipeHere’s how to make cold foam: the Starbucks recipe for a frothy topping fit for iced coffee and cold brew!
- Prep Time: 2 minutes
- Cook Time: 0 minutes
- Total Time: 2 minutes
- Yield: 2 servings
- Category: Drink
- Method: Frothed
- Cuisine: Coffee
- Diet: Vegetarian
Ingredients
- ¼ cup nonfat (skim) milk
- 1 teaspoon simple syrup
- 1 dash vanilla extract (optional)
- Equipment: Milk frother or French press
Instructions
- Add milk and simple syrup (and vanilla extract, if using) to a pitcher or narrow jar. Fully submerge the milk frother.
- Turn on the frother and froth until the milk starts to thicken, slowly pulling the wand towards the top of the milk. Froth about 15 to 20 seconds total, until the foam is thick and stabilized. Add to the top of cold brew, iced coffee, or an iced latte.