Vanilla Sweet Cream Cold Foam Recipe

I'm not afraid to admit that I'm basic and love Starbucks. I don't venture out much during the week, so going to Target and picking up Starbucks is a big event. Since they introduced the sweet cream cold foam, my life has never been better.

While I love my Starbucks runs, they aren't cheap. A $6 drink here, a $7 drink there — it all adds up. And the calories add up, too. I decided to make my Starbucks runs a weekend treat and attempted to switch to cold brew and cold foam at home. As I often do, I turned to the Internet to find a method and discovered Grounds to Brew's perfect recipe.

I also consulted my sister, a longtime Starbucks barista. She judged my love of cold foam, but then guided me along the process of making it. Starbucks's sweet cream cold foam is just vanilla syrup, heavy cream and 2% milk. They make it so foamy and delicious in a special blender, which is not used for any other drinks or creations. But you can easily make that at home, sans fancy blender.

What you need to make Starbucks sweet cream cold foam

A frother OR a blender
Vanilla syrup
Heavy whipping cream
2% milk

I've made this foam a few different ways, as there are different methods online. I used a blender at first because at Starbucks they use special blenders. I obviously don't own a cold foam blender and had no intent on shelling out on a blender used only for foam. The Vitamix is pretty similar to blenders used at Starbucks, so if you have the cash to get authentic, go for it.

Vitamix 5200 Blender Professional-Grade

Vitamix

amazon.com

$449.95

You can also just put the heavy whipping cream, syrup, and milk mixture into a glass mason jar and aggressively shake it. That was my least favorite attempt because I had to physically exert myself. My favorite method was using a handheld frother. It took 20 seconds and provided the same foam consistency that I get in my Starbucks drinks. If you're really fancy, you can get a legit frother. My $18 handheld frother was more than enough, however.

Ball Regular Mouth Mason Jars with Lids and Bands

Ball

amazon.com

$12.71

Zulay Original Milk Frother Handheld Foam Maker for Lattes

Zulay Kitchen

amazon.com

$15.99

Breville BMF600XL Milk Cafe Milk Frother

Breville

amazon.com

$149.95

How to make Starbucks sweet cream cold foam

It's not difficult, but making the cold foam will probably take a few test runs. It'll never taste exactly the same as at a Starbucks, but I'm a firm believer that they're putting something extra in there to keep me coming back.

For a single serving

Combine 2 Tbsp of heavy cream, 1 Tbsp of Starbucks vanilla syrup, and 1 Tbsp of 2% milk in a glass
Use the mason jar shaking method, a handheld frother, or a blender to blend the three ingredients together

Not only is the method subjective, but so is the amount of sweetener and cream you use. If you want your foam more like whipped cream, add more heavy cream. The 2% milk cuts the mixture to its foam consistency, rather than a whipped topping.

I personally measured everything out in a glass liquid measuring cup and used my frother to blend it directly in the cup, which has a lip I then used for pouring the foam into my drink.

If you want it extra sweet, add more vanilla. Or if you want it a bit less sweet, add less. It really is up to you. Halfway through the endeavor, I got sugar-free caramel to cut down on calories. I wanted a lower-calorie version of the salted caramel cold foam cold brew from Starbucks that I drank for two months straight.

Starbucks Naturally Flavored Coffee Syrup, Vanilla, Pack of 4

Starbucks

amazon.com

$19.99

DaVinci Gourmet Coffee Syrup, Sugar-Free Caramel, 25.4 Ounce Bottle (Pack of 4)

DaVinci Gourmet

amazon.com

$19.92

While I'm not an expert barista by any means, I'm already winning here because I get my foam at home and the cost of the frother is less than what I was spending in a week at Starbucks.