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.
Making your own sweet cream cold foam may sound complicated, but trust me, it’s one of the easiest recipes.
And it only takes seconds to make!
All you need is half & half, vanilla syrup, and your favorite iced coffee!
You can make homemade vanilla syrup (see below) 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 sweet cream cold foam at home, you’ll never need a Starbucks again!
Here’s our Vanilla Sweet Cream cold foam recipe.
How To Make Homemade Vanilla Sweet Cream Cold Foam
This recipe makes enough for (1) 16oz iced coffee.
Ingredients
- Three tablespoons of half & half
- One tablespoon of vanilla syrup (recipe below) + more to taste
- Your favorite iced or cold brew coffee
Instructions
- Combine the half & half and one tablespoon of vanilla syrup into a jar or cup.
- Whip the mixture for about 50-60 seconds using your handheld frother until the sweet cream is thick, creamy, and nearly 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 extra vanilla syrup at this point.
- Spoon the foam over the top of the iced coffee, and enjoy!
If you want to make homemade vanilla syrup, here is our more comprehensive recipe. Otherwise, if you are pressed for time, follow the quick guide below!
Quick Homemade Vanilla Syrup Recipe
This homemade vanilla syrup recipe makes 1 ½ cups.
- 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 one tablespoon of pure vanilla extract.
- Allow syrup to cool completely before using.
- Store leftovers in the fridge.
Sweet Cream vs. Cold Foam
Cold Foam that you see at Starbucks is nonfat milk that is put through a particular 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 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 combo of milk, cream, and sugar syrup gets frothed to create a sweet and velvety topping for iced beverages.
This foam flavors and sweetens the coffee and gives you a creamy cloud with every sip.
DELISH!
What Tools Do I Need To Make Sweet Cream Cold 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 must 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 shake vigorously until thick and creamy!
Tips For Making The Best Sweet Cream Cold Foam
You can try using two tablespoons of 2% milk and one tablespoon of heavy whipping cream in place of the half & half for a more traditional version of cold foam.
2% milk is preferred over whole milk for this recipe. 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 two tablespoons of heavy cream and one tablespoon of milk-you’ll only need to froth for 30 seconds with this ratio.
If you’re using a countertop milk frother, ensure your machine gets 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!
Vanilla Sweet Cream Cold Foam
Making your own sweet cream cold foam may sound complicated, but trust me, it’s one of the easiest recipes.
And it only takes seconds to make!
Ingredients
- Three tablespoons of half & half
- One tablespoon of vanilla syrup (recipe below) + more to taste
- Your favorite iced or cold brew coffee
Instructions
- Combine the half & half and one tablespoon of vanilla syrup into a jar or cup.
- Whip the mixture for about 50-60 seconds using your handheld frother
until the sweet cream is thick, creamy, and nearly 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 extra vanilla syrup at this point.
- Spoon the foam over the top of the iced coffee, and enjoy!
Notes
You can try using two tablespoons of 2% milk and one tablespoon of heavy whipping cream in place of the half & half for a more
traditional version of cold foam.
2% milk is preferred over whole milk for this recipe. Whole milk causes the foam to separate. It still tastes great, but you lose that
velvety texture over time.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 1 Serving Size: 16 ouncesAmount Per Serving: Calories: 100
Vanilla Sweet Cream Cold Foam Summary
So, there you have it — a simple and delicious recipe for homemade vanilla sweet cream cold foam. This cold foam is the perfect addition to your morning iced coffee or cold brew and is also great in smoothies or on top of desserts.
Give it a try, and let us know how you like it!
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