Vanilla Sweet Cream Cold Foam Coffee (Starbucks Copycat)
Vanilla sweet cream cold foam cold brew coffee is an easy Starbucks copycat recipe you’ll want to make again and again! A lightly sweetened refreshing iced coffee base is topped with a smooth, velvety sweet vanilla foam for a truly cafe-worthy experience you can make in your own kitchen in under 5 minutes.
Easily customized with different flavors and toppings, this iced drink is the perfect addition to your at-home coffee repertoire.
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I’m definitely late to the game here, but I just recently discovered Starbucks vanilla sweet cream drinks this summer. I was bored of all my favorite iced coffee drinks and wanted to try something new.
I went for the new 2023 White Chocolate Macadamia Cream Cold Brew, and it. was. ahhhhhMAZING.
That refreshing iced coffee topped with a sweet, creamy foam and cookie crumbles made me an instant convert to sweet cream cold foam. So clearly I had to figure out how to make it at home!
With the help of some friendly Starbucks employees and repeated taste testing for reference (yum!), I have it ready for you!
About Sweet Cream Cold Foam Cold Brew
This popular Starbucks beverage starts with cold brewed coffee, lightly sweetened with a little vanilla syrup and poured over ice. It’s topped with Starbucks signature sweet cream cold foam, which is made from a frothy blend of heavy cream, milk, and sweet vanilla syrup. The creamy sweet cream foam sits on top of the coffee, giving a wonderful contrast of flavors and textures in every sip.
Similar Cold Drinks from Starbucks
There is a variety of cold Starbucks drinks that sound very similar if you haven’t tried them. Vanilla sweet cream, sweet cream cold brew, cold foam, and sweet cream cold foam are all different things. Here’s some help keeping them straight.
- Vanilla sweet cream is a made-from-scratch vanilla coffee creamer made with a blend of heavy cream, lowfat milk, and vanilla syrup. My large batch sweet cream recipe is coming soon!
- Sweet cream cold brew is iced cold brew coffee topped off with vanilla sweet cream, used as a creamer. It’s meant to be enjoyed as a creamy coffee drink since the sweet cream gets mixed in. Check out my easy recipe for Starbucks vanilla sweet cream cold brew here.
- Regular cold foam (vs. sweet cream cold foam) is frothed, unsweetened nonfat milk used as a light and foamy topping for cold coffee.
- Sweet cream cold foam (this recipe) is frothed vanilla sweet cream creamer used as a topping on lightly sweetened iced cold brew coffee. The coffee base is light and refreshing with the sweet cold foam sitting on top of the coffee — not mixed in like the regular sweet cream. Think of the sweet cream cold foam like a pourable whipped cream with a velvety texture, rebranded so you don’t feel bad having it for breakfast.
One of the great things about Starbucks cold brew coffee drinks is that they don’t require an espresso maker to make them at home! You can make your own cold brew coffee easily in a French press, or buy readymade cold brew coffee at the grocery store (Team Stok all the way here!! Make sure to get unsweetened).
Ingredients
Sweet cream cold foam cold brew coffee uses just a few simple ingredients.
Sweet cream ingredients
Coffee ingredients
How to Froth Your Sweet Cream
There are a few different ways you can froth the cream mixture into sweet cream cold foam. I recommend using a handheld milk frother, but you can also use a Mason jar, French press, hand mixer, or immersion blender.
- Handheld frother (most recommended): My preferred method is to use a handheld milk frother. If you don’t have one already, I highly recommend getting one. They’re useful for so many things, from making this creamy coffee drink to making single servings of whipped cream to blending vinaigrettes, and they don’t take up much space at all. Here’s the one I have.
- Pros: Easy to use, easy to clean, makes fine, consistent, and fluffy foam quickly.
- Cons: Requires a special purchase if you don’t own one already.
- Mason jar (recommended): Shake the sweet cream in a mason jar for 45 seconds or until doubled in size. Tap the bottom of the jar a couple times on the counter to burst any large bubbles at the top before pouring.
- Pros: It doesn’t require any special equipment. If you shake it long enough you do get a really nice even result.
- Cons: Your arm will get a bit of a workout (or is that a pro?) aaaand you may need a sports bra, if you know what I mean.
- French press: Froth creamer by adding it to a French press and pumping the plunger up and down a few times.
- Pros: This makes really luscious, smooth foam.
- Cons: There’s a little space at the bottom of the French press that won’t be touched by the plunger, so you won’t be able to froth just a small amount of liquid. This works best with either a small French press (12 oz capacity or so) or with a double batch of vanilla sweet cream.
- Hand mixer (not recommended unless for large batches): You can also use an electric hand mixer to froth your cream mixture.
- Pros: it’ll do the job well and quickly, especially if you’re making sweet cream cold foam for a crowd.
- Cons: A bit overkill, doesn’t work as well with small amounts of liquid (like a single serving), and extra cleanup with the mixer and a bowl.
- Immersion blender (not recommended): Put creamer in the bottom of a jar or narrow immersion blender cup. Run the immersion blender up and down in the creamer until frothy.
- Pros: Maybe you have an immersion blender already.
- Cons: Large bubbles, runny result. Doesn’t really foam the cream well. Just use a mason jar if you don’t have a handheld frother.
Tips & Tricks for Making the
Perfect Sweet Cream Cold Foam
- Skip the straw: Cold brew coffee with sweet cream cold foam is best enjoyed from the rim of a glass or out of a to-go-style coffee lid, not from a straw. Straws pull liquid from the bottom of a glass and you need to be drinking from the top of your drink. That will get you that perfect sip of cold foam plus coffee that makes this drink so amazing.
- To make flavored sweet cream cold foam, Starbucks adds a second flavored syrup to the pre-made vanilla sweet cream. You can add a tablespoon of another flavored syrup before frothing, or swap the vanilla syrup for another flavor if you like it less sweet. Caramel or pumpkin spice are some of the flavored sweet creams Starbucks offers seasonally.
- Go big or go home: If you love this drink and want it daily, you can pre-make a large batch of vanilla sweet cream for the fridge. Just measure out 1/3 cup of sweet cream and froth it for 8 oz. of coffee. You can also use the vanilla sweet cream as a non-frothy creamer to mix it up.
Note: You must froth the sweet cream immediately before serving. That part can’t be done in advance. - Use cold brew coffee (coffee grounds steeped in cool water for 16-20 hours) rather than iced coffee (coffee that’s brewed hot, then chilled). Cold brew coffee is less acidic and bitter than iced coffee, making it smooth and easy to drink.
More at-home coffee shop drinks you’ll love
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Copycat Starbucks Vanilla Sweet Cream Cold Foam Cold Brew Coffee
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons heavy whipping cream
- 2 tablespoons lowfat milk
- 2 tablespoons vanilla syrup like Torani, divided
- 8 oz. cold brew coffee
- Ice
Instructions
- Combine cream, milk, and 1 tablespoon vanilla syrup and froth until fluffy, creamy, and doubled in volume using your chosen method. (My preferred method is using a handheld electric milk frother, but you can also use a mason jar. See post for other options as well as pros and cons for each.)
- Add remaining 1 tablespoon vanilla syrup to 8 oz. cold brew coffee and add ice (optional).
- Pour sweet cream cold foam on top of the iced coffee. Enjoy immediately or sprinkle the top with crushed biscotti cookies for an extra special presentation!
