How to Make Cold Foam: The Starbucks recipe for a frothy topping that goes well with iced coffee and cold brew!
What’s wrong with cold foam? It is so good. You’ve probably seen this trend at Starbucks lately, and let me tell you: we’re generally wary of food trends. But this one definitely holds up! Cold froth is the answer to a whipped-up topping for iced coffee drinks, and the man is yummy. The creamy filling adds just the right amount of fluffy appeal without adding too many extra calories. Even better: you can do it at home! How to Make Cold Foam: A DIY Starbucks recipe so you can enjoy this treat at home.
What is cold foam?
cold foam is frothed skimmed milk that gives a frothy topping for cold coffee drinks such as iced coffee, cold brew, iced cappuccino and nitro coffee. It simulates the frothy topping of frothed milk in a latte or cappuccino, but at a cold temperature so it doesn’t melt when it hits the drink.
The cold froth sits atop a drink with a thick, frothy texture, gradually building as you sip. Because it’s made with skim milk, it only adds a handful of calories to the drink: but the lightly sweetened cream filling has a great payoff texture! We’re wary of most trends here: but this one is absolutely delicious.
Best milk for cold foam
You might think that a whole milk would make the creamiest, richest cold foam. Some homemade recipes even call for whole milk or heavy cream. But guess what? skim milk produces the thickest and strongest cold foam. This is because it has a higher percentage of protein compared to whole milk or 2%.
In contrast, whole milk is the best frothed milk for a latte! Why? The lipids keep the bubbles small, making it the best microfoam texture for latte art. So if you see a recipe for cold foam with cream or whole milk: Walk the other way! Skim milk is the best choice.
Starbucks cold foam
Starbucks started using memory foam in 2014 with the opening of its Reserve Roastery in Seattle. It was first served over the Americano Con Crema drink, which featured a thick dollop of coffee-flavored froth. Today, Starbucks offers cold foam as a topping that you can add to many drinks for an extra 50 cents. Starbucks cold foam beverages include:
- Cold infusions
- Nitro Cold Brews
- Iced Lattes
- Iced mochas
- Iced cappuccino
- Iced espresso
- London Fog Iced Tea Latte, Iced Matcha Tea Latte, Where Ice tea chai latte
- purple drink, pink drink, Where drink dragons
Make cold foam (DIY Starbucks recipe)
How do you make homemade cold foam? It’s easy to prepare this treat to top off all your homemade iced coffees and cold brews: and an incredibly impressive result! Here’s what you need to do (or jump to the recipe below):
- Take a milk frother. The absolute better One way to make cold Starbucks foam at home is to use a specialized tool: a portable milk frother. At only $10.90 this is the best tool for making thick fluffy foam and definitely worth buying. (Hey, that’s only 22 Starbucks orders of this stuff!).
- Consider other tools. If you’d rather not use a milk frother, a French press is your best bet if you have one. Go to How to Froth Milk to learn more. Caution: We do not recommend using a whisk for the cold foam, as the bubbles will be very large and the texture will be too fluffy.
- Lather for 15 to 20 seconds. In a large mug, combine skim milk and simple syrup and froth until very foamy. It only takes about 15 seconds and it’s amazing how quickly it comes together! (Click here for French press instructions.)
Variant: add vanilla!
Would you like to intensify your cold foam? You can add a dash of vanilla extract to add a delicious undertone to the flavor. At first we were wondering if this would give the trim a tan color. But after testing it makes no noticeable difference in whiteness compared to the original. Add a little dash and you’re in business!
Beverages with cold foam
You can use cold foam for any type of chilled tea or coffee drink! Try a dollop of thick, lightly sweetened mousse on a glass:
This cold mousse recipe is…
Vegetarian and gluten free.
The description
How to Make Cold Foam: The Starbucks recipe for a frothy topping that goes well with iced coffee and cold brew!
- In a pitcher or narrow glass, combine the milk and simple syrup (and vanilla extract, if using). Completely submerge the milk frother.
- Turn on the frother and froth until the milk begins to thicken and slowly draw the wand over the milk. Lather for a total of about 15-20 seconds until foam is thick and stabilized. Pour onto a cold brew, iced coffee or iced latte.
- Category: drink
- Method: mousse
- Kitchen: Coffee
- Diet: vegetarian
Keywords: How to make cold foam, cold foam
Hot beverages based on frothed milk
There are so many coffee and tea drinks that use frothed milk! Once you master this method, you can play barista with these drinks:
