How to Make Cold Foam

Name: How to Make Cold Foam
Prep time: 2 min
Total time: 2 min
Ingredients: ⅓ cup half & half; 2 teaspoons sugar ((or 1 tablespoon simple syrup))

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Top your iced coffee and tea with decadent, creamy cold foam instead of adding creamer or milk. Get step-by-step instructions and see how surprisingly easy it is to make it at home in 2 minutes!

Pouring cold foam into a cup of iced coffee.

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Cold Foam at Starbucks

At Starbucks, cold foam is made with heavy cream, 2% milk, and vanilla syrup. A special blender is used to create perfectly smooth, textured foam that’s made up of tiny bubbles.

Any iced drink at Starbucks can be ordered with cold foam, although there is an extra charge.

It’s easy to make cold foam at home. Plus, you can make it in different flavors, like matcha cold foam (matcha blended with cold foam), strawberry cold foam (strawberry puree sauce blended with cold foam) or pumpkin cream cold foam (pumpkin spice sauce blended with cold foam).

RELATED: 8 Easy Cold Foam Recipes

Cold Foam at Dunkin’

The cold foam at Dunkin’ comes from a can, a Reddi-wip! It’s sweeter than the cold foam at Starbucks and the main ingredients are nonfat milk, sugar, and cream.

The sweet cold foam tops cold brews including “The Charli Cold Foam” drink. It can be added to any iced drink but there is an extra charge.

RELATED: Chocolate Cold Foam

Recipe Highlights

Cold foam is cold, frothed milk, made without heat or steam, for iced drinks. It’s a creamy, velvety, and fluffy milk foam that is poured on top of the beverage. The cold foam will slowly make its way down the cup.
It’s sweetened with sugar or simple syrup and can be made flavored by adding flavored simple syrups.
This quick and easy cold foam recipe uses just 2 ingredients to make perfectly delicious cold foam at home using a French press or a handheld milk frother.

RELATED: Vanilla Sweet Cream Cold Foam

Ingredient Notes

Half & Half: Half cream and half milk, the cream half is the key to getting perfect cold foam. Milk can be made into cold foam but it’ll be thin and not very fluffy or rich.
Sugar or Simple Syrup: White, granulated sugar or simple syrup can be used.

For full ingredients and detailed instructions, please see the recipe card at the bottom of the post.

Step-by-Step Instructions

French Press Method
This method creates perfect cold foam with tiny, uniform bubbles.

Step 1: Put cold half & half and sweetener into a French press.

Step 2: Place lid and move the plunger up and down. The half & half will more than double in volume.

Step 3: Pour cold foam on top of an iced beverage.

My French Press Pick

Get the smaller 12 ounce or the larger 34 ounce French press to froth milk and make cold foam at home.

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Handheld Milk Frother Method

This is the second best way to make cold foam since you do get bigger, uneven bubbles but a handheld milk frother is easier to clean than a French press.

Half & half and sweetener frothed together.

Step 1: Whisk half & half and sweetener using a handheld milk frother.

It should take about 20 seconds to get fluffy cold foam.

Step 2: Pour cold foam on top of an iced beverage.

My Handheld Milk Frother Pick

The one that has lasted me the longest out of many milk frothers I’ve purchased over the years. It’s cordless and holds a charge for a very long time.

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Serving Suggestions

Cold foam can be used instead of milk or cream in an iced drink or in addition to.
It’s up to you if you want to stir in the cold foam into the drink, or drink it as is, sipping the cold foam first as it works its way down the cup.
Turn any iced coffee drink like iced latte or cold brew, into a coffee shop quality beverage by topping it with cold foam.
Instead of using plain sugar or simple syrup, make flavored cold brew for a tasty treat.

Flavored Cold Foam

Caramel cold foam
Caramel adds a sweet touch.
Salted caramel cold foam
Sweet and salty caramel is perfect on cold brews.
Chocolate cold foam
For chocolate lovers, chocolate cold foam is delicious on mochas.
Pumpkin cream cold foam
Flavor cold foam with fall’s signature pumpkin spice by using pumpkin spice syrup.
Matcha cold foam
A green tea twist to cold foam.

Expert Tips

The goal is to get tiny, uniform bubbles that won’t even look like bubbles since that’s what creates the smooth texture. The French press does a better job of doing this than the handheld milk frother.
The French press makes better cold foam but it’s a bit of a chore to clean. The handheld milk frother is much easier to clean than a French press but the cold foam isn’t as smooth since there are bigger bubbles. But they both taste great and adds velvety foam to your iced drink.
Don’t overfill the French press. The cold foam will double or triple in volume as air is pumped in, so keep that in mind when you pour the half & half into the French press.
Don’t underfill the French press. The strainer needs to be submerged in the half & half so that the air can be pumped into it.

RELATED: Pumpkin Cream Cold Brew

Questions You May Have

What drinks can I add cold foam to?

Any iced drink where you would normally add milk or cream, you can add cold foam instead. Examples include iced coffee, cold brew, or iced tea like chai.

Can I use a blender to make cold foam?

You can, but It’s more work to clean than handheld milk frother and doesn’t create tiny, uniform bubbles the way that a French press can.

Can I make cold foam without a frother or French press?

Yes, but it’ll take some work. Put half & half and sweetener into a large jar with a tight lid. Shake vigorously until it doubles in volume.

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