Chocolate Cream Cold Brew (Starbucks Copycat)
Have you heard the good news? As of spring 2022, there is a chocolate flavor in the cold brew line-up at Starbucks, and it’s a chocolate lovers’ dream come true. Black cold brew coffee is sweetened with a splash of vanilla syrup, poured over ice, and finished with a luxurious layer of sweet chocolate cream cold foam making a delicious Chocolate Cream Cold Brew!

With these step-by-step instructions, you can make this indulgent flavor at home with the same irresistibly smooth, creamy, and chocolatey goodness. With flavor notes of a chocolate milkshake, this specialty drink is sure to be the sip of the summer.
๐ซWhy Make Chocolate Cream Cold Brew From Scratch?
Skip the coffee shop, and make chocolate cream cold brew at home:
- This DIY version tastes just like Starbucks at a fraction of the cost.
- You only need 4 ingredients and a minute of your time.
- You can customize the ingredients with your dietary preferences (dairy-free, vegan, sugar-free, low carb, and keto).
โ Ingredients & Equipment
You’ll only need 4 ingredients to make this copycat Starbucks cold brew with chocolate cold foam!
Chocolate Cream Cold Foam
- Half & Half: You’ll need half and half (or equal parts whole milk and cream) to make the base of the cold foam because it cold froths perfectly.
- Vanilla Simple Syrup: Sweetens the cold foam and gives it a contrasting vanilla flavor.
- Unsweetened Cocoa Powder or Chocolate Malt Powder: Both give the cold foam classic chocolate flavor. Chocolate malt powder contains malted barley which gives the cold foam a nutty flavor.
Vanilla Cold Brew
- Homemade cold brew coffee or use a quality store-bought black cold brew. This is not the same as cold coffee!
- Vanilla simple syrup is used to sweeten the base of the cold brew.
Recommended Tools: For the cold foam, you’ll need a milk frothing mechanism. See your options below.
- Immersion Blender (or handheld frother) โ Perfect when you only want to make a small amount for one or two drinks at a time.
- Electric Frother โ This gadget takes just a few seconds to froth milk and it takes up minimal space in your kitchen.
- French Press โ can be used to press coffee and froth both cold and hot milk.

๐ฅฃ How To Make Homemade Chocolate Cream Cold Foam
1๏ธโฃ Step One: make chocolate cream cold foam.
Pour cold half and half in an electric frother (or into a mason jar, if you’re using a stick frother or immersion blender). Add the vanilla simple syrup and unsweetened cocoa powder or chocolate malt powder. Froth the mixture until the cocoa powder is fully incorporated and the cold foam is smooth and creamy.
2๏ธโฃ Step Two: mix the cold brew.
Pour your cold brew into a tall glass of ice, add vanilla simple syrup, and stir to combine.
3๏ธโฃ Step Three: assemble the drink.
Finally, spoon a layer of chocolate cream cold foam over the top and enjoy!
๐ญ Recipe Tips
- For smooth and creamy cold foam, half & half will work best. You can make half and half using equal parts whole milk and heavy cream.
- An electric frother or handheld blender is great for making single servings of cold foam quickly. For more than one or two servings, you may need to use a standing mixer.
- Don’t blend too much cold foam at once. The mixture will nearly triple in size once it aerates, so make sure thereโs plenty of room in the container to compensate for the added volume.

๐ Variations
Much like the Starbucks version, homemade chocolate cream cold brew can be customized to your liking.
- For a non-dairy, vegan version use creamy plant-based milk. Oat milk, coconut milk, or a plant-based barista blend are great options.
- Sugar-free & keto – To cut out the sugar and carbs, make keto simple syrup. You can use granulated monk fruit sweetener with erythritol or crystalized monk fruit sweetener with allulose.
- Decaf – Cutting out caffeine? Use decaf cold brew instead of regular.
- Dark chocolate cream cold foam – Use dark unsweetened cocoa powder in the cold foam.
- Flavor variations – To make this specialty drink EXTRA special, sweeten the cold brew and cold foam with gingerbread syrup or brown sugar syrup,
๐ง How To Store
This makes a single 12-ounce iced cold brew (a “tall” size from Starbucks). You probably won’t have much left to store, but keep extra in a sealed container in the fridge for 1-2 days.
You also have the option to refrigerate the cold brew and the cold foam separately.
- Cold brew – Store the cold brew in an airtight container in the fridge for 1-2 weeks. The flavors will begin to weaken, so it’s best enjoyed within the first few days.
- Cold foam – Cold foam is best served freshly blended. Refrigerate extras in a sealed container for 3-4 days. You’ll most likely need to re-froth the mixture before using it again.
โFAQ
According to the Starbucks website, Ice, brewed coffee, chocolate cream (vanilla sweet cream (cream (cream, mono and diglycerides, carrageenan), milk, vanilla syrup (sugar, water, natural flavors, potassium sorbate, citric acid)), chocolate malt powder (can sugar, cocoa powder processed with alkali, natural malt flavor (from barley), natural flavors, sunflower oil)), vanilla syrup (sugar, water, natural flavors, potassium sorbate, citric acid).
There are 250 calories in a 16-ounce serving along with:
Fat: 14 g (9 g sat fat)
Carbohydrates: 29 g
Protein: 2 g
Sugars: 28 g
Sodium: 35 mg
No, the chocolate cream cold foam is made with dairy, but if you make it yourself, you can easily modify it with vegan ingredients.
๐งMore Specialty Sips


Chocolate Cream Cold Brew (Starbucks Copycat)
Equipment
- 1 Electric Frother or handheld stick frother and a mason jar
Ingredients
For chocolate cream cold foam
- 1/4 cup half and half
- 1 tablespoon simple syrup vanilla or plain
- 1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder or chocolate malt powder
For the vanilla cold brew
- 12 ounces cold brew coffee
- 1 tablespoon simple syrup vanilla or plain
Instructions
- Pour cold half and half in an electric frother (or into a mason jar, if you're using a stick frother). Add the vanilla simple syrup and unsweetened cocoa powder or (chocolate malt powder).
- Froth the mixture until the cocoa powder is fully incorporated and the cold foam is smooth and creamy.
- Pour the cold brew into a tall glass of ice, add vanilla simple syrup, and stir well.
- Top with a layer of chocolate cream cold foam and enjoy!