How to Make Cold Foam Like a Starbucks Barista

You know how it goes: You sip a coffee from a big-name coffee chain or local café, and you feel it hit differently. Then, you try to recreate it at home, only to end up with a drink that feels off.

Your coffee may be decent and your milk may be fresh, but your drink is missing that extra something.

Coffee shops don’t have secret ingredients. It’s the little details that make all the difference—like cold foam.

Cold foam is the kind of upgrade that takes a brew from good to better – from satisfying to irresistibly smooth. Here, you’ll learn who to make cold foam like a true barista.

How to Make Cold Foam at Home

Cold foam is frothed without heat, creating a light and airy texture that keeps the foam sitting on top of your drink. Luckily for you, it’s pretty easy to make, and it only needs basic ingredients. Here’s how to make it:

Gather the Ingredients

Before attempting to make cold foam, make sure you have the ingredients ready:

• Heavy cream: heavy cream will give your foam a consistency similar to whipped cream, and it keeps the foam thick on top of your cup instead of deflating right away.
• Vanilla syrup: you can use store-bought vanilla syrup or make it yourself at home. You can also use vanilla extract instead.
• Milk: use any kind of milk you want for this recipe. Whole milk will give a better consistency, but skimmed and low-fat milk are fine too.

Create the Mixture

In a mason jar or any similar container, pour the milk, heavy cream, and vanilla syrup or extract. Make sure there’s plenty of room in the container because the foam will expand.

Froth It Away

Now, all you have to do is froth the mixture. You can use various methods, depending on the tools you have. If you have a handheld milk frother, use it to froth the mixture for around 25–30 seconds or until it’s lightly frothy. 

Try not to froth it for longer, or you’ll end up with whipped cream, which has an entirely different texture.

If you don’t have a handheld frother, you can do it by hand. After preparing your mixture in your mason jar, screw the lid on it and start shaking it vigorously and as hard as you can. Keep doing it for a minute until the mixture looks foamy.

Alternatively, you can froth your mixture using a whisk, but make sure the whisk is small enough to fit in your container. Whisk the mixture as hard as you can for a minute or so, and stop when bubbles start to form and the mixture becomes foamy.

Serve and Enjoy!

All that’s left to do is to pour the cold foam on top of your drink. You should prepare the drink beforehand with the ice cubes and all, and then pour the foam on top. Make sure the coffee is cold or iced because the warm temperature will cause the foam to deflate quickly.

How to Make Cold Foam the Starbucks Way

If you want to make cold foam to recreate your favorite Starbucks drink, below is the the method you should use. Starbucks does it a bit differently than the method above.

1. Pour milk, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract into a mason jar or any glass container with plenty of room for frothing.
2. Use a handheld frother or an alternative method to froth the mixture until it’s foamy, and then serve it on top of your iced coffee.

How to Store Cold Foam for Later Serving

It’s better not to store cold foam because it’ll lose its consistency and might separate. The best way to enjoy your drink is to make the cold foam right before serving it. That way, it’ll sit on the top of your cup perfectly without deflating.

However, sometimes you’ll froth more foam than you need. In that case, you can store the remaining foam in an airtight jar and put it in the fridge.

When it’s time to use it again, you can shake the jar for a few seconds until it foams up again. Or, you can whisk it back together before pouring.

That said, you shouldn’t store the foam longer than a couple of days because the heavy cream will turn sour.

Drinks to Serve With Your Cold Foam

For a true barista experience, you can serve cold foam with an array of drinks. Now that you know how to make it like a pro, keep this list of drinks in your back pocket for coffee time:

Iced Americano

If iced Americano is too basic for you, top it off with some cold foam. It’ll make it smoother and more balanced, and the foamy texture will bring out the drink’s creaminess.

Salted Caramel Cold Brew

For a true Starbucks-worthy drink, pair your cold foam with a salted caramel cold brew. The foam will balance out the sweet taste of caramel, giving the drink a balanced taste with a creamy texture.

Iced Mocha

Iced mocha is chocolate-heavy, so it can sometimes feel thick or overly rich. Serving it with some cold foam on top solves that problem and makes the mocha taste smoother.

Chai Latte

If you’re a fan of the spicy taste of chai latte, you’ll love it even more served with cold foam on top. The flavors in this drink are bold, including cinnamon, cardamom, and ginger. Adding cold foam softens the taste and accounts for a smoother sip.

The Final Scoop

Cold foam is pretty easy to make at home, even if you don’t have a frother. You can serve it with a number of drinks, from iced coffee to chai latte.

A well-made cold foam is what separates a good homemade coffee from one that truly rivals your favorite café.