Iced coffee is pretty amazing, but what makes it even better is topping it with a homemade vanilla sweet cream cold foam. It’s the perfect way to wake up in the morning or enjoy after a long day. It may sound complicated, but trust me, it’s one of the easiest recipes ever–and it only takes seconds to make.
All you need is half & half, vanilla syrup, and your favorite iced coffee! You can make your own homemade vanilla syrup to use in this recipe, but if you’re short on time, you can buy it at the store. I’m telling you, once you’ve made your own sweet cream cold foam, you’ll never need a Starbucks again! Here’s how to make vanilla sweet cold foam!
How To Make Homemade Vanilla Sweet Cream Cold Foam

Vanilla Sweet Cream Cold Foam
Vanilla sweet cream cold foam may sound difficult, but trust me, it's one of the easiest recipes ever--and it only takes seconds to make. All you need is half & half, vanilla syrup, and your favorite iced coffee!
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons of half & half
- 1 tablespoon of vanilla syrup (recipe below) + more to taste
- Your favorite iced or cold brew coffee
Instructions
- Combine the half & half and 1 tablespoon of vanilla syrup into a jar or cup.
- Using your handheld frother, whip the mixture for about 50-60 seconds until the sweet cream is thick and creamy and has about doubled in volume.
- If you're using a countertop frother, you'll combine all the ingredients into the frother, and just whip per
the unit's instructions. - Fill a 16 oz glass or mason jar with ice and fill almost to the top with coffee. Remember to leave some room for the foam!
- If you like your coffee sweet, add a little extra vanilla syrup at this point.
- Spoon the foam over the top of the iced coffee and enjoy!
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 1 Serving Size: 16 ouncesAmount Per Serving: Calories: 130
How To Make Homemade Vanilla Syrup
Combine 1 cup of sugar and 1 cup of water in a small saucepan. Bring the mixture to a boil. Once boiling, reduce the heat and simmer for 2-3 minutes. Remove from the heat and add 1 tablespoon of pure vanilla extract. Allow syrup to cool completely before using. Store leftovers in the fridge. Makes 1 ½ cups.
Is Sweet Cream And Cold Foam The Same?
The cold foam that you see at Starbucks is nonfat milk that is put through a special machine and whipped/frothed at high speed. It’s whipped cold and is not sweetened or flavored typically. Sweet cream is a blend of heavy cream, milk, and vanilla that’s just poured into cold brew coffee for sweetness and creaminess. It’s not frothed–it’s like a coffee creamer essentially. Sweet Cream Cold Foam is the love child of sweet cream and cold foam. This is a combo of milk, cream, and sugar syrup that is frothed to create a sweet and velvety topping for iced beverages. This foam not only flavors and sweetens the coffee, but it gives you a creamy cloud with every sip. DELISH.
What Tools Do I Need To Make The Foam?
For this recipe, I used an inexpensive handheld milk frother. It’s light, small, and worked really well for this purpose. I’ve also read that folks use a french press for frothing. You just need to plunge the sweet cream about 30-40 times for the perfect froth! If you have a countertop frother you can use that as well. Just add all ingredients to your machine and froth on the cold setting. To make it super, duper simple, you can put your half & half and syrup into a jar and just shake vigorously until thick and creamy!
Tips For Making The Best Sweet Cream Cold Foam
- You can try using 2 tablespoons of 2% milk and 1 tablespoon heavy whipping cream in place of the half & half for a more traditional version of cold foam. The 2% milk is preferred over whole milk for this recipe. I find that whole milk causes the foam to separate. It still tastes great, but you lose that velvety texture over time.
- For extra richness, flip the cream to milk ratio and use 2 tablespoons of heavy cream and 1 tablespoon of milk-you’ll only need to froth for 30 seconds with this ratio.
- If you’re using a countertop milk frother, make sure your machine is set to the “cold” setting.
- Ensure all your ingredients are cold for the best frothing results.
- Experiment with different flavored syrups! Flavorings like cinnamon, lavender, caramel, and peppermint would all be delicious additions to your cold foam!
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