How To Make Cold Foam

Learn How to Make Cold Foam at home with just 1-ingredient, half and half. Made without any heat or steam, this cool and creamy whipped topping is ideal for layering over cold coffee drinks and iced teas.

What is Cold Foam?

Starbucks popularized serving chilled beverages with a layer of “cold foam” and the trend is here to stay. So what is it exactly? Cold foam is frothed cold milk made without any heat or steam. The result is a fluffy whipped topping perfect for serving over iced drinks.

Starbucks baristas use a blender with a special blade to froth milk for cold foam. These instructions include four heat and heavy machinery-free methods to make the perfect cold foam at home. You can use an immersion blender. electric frother, mason jar, or a French press. Each gadget results in a slightly different consistency but each is delicious nonetheless.

In short, air bubbles condense more in milk with more fat, so using half and a half or equal parts whole milk and heavy cream makes the most decadent cold foam. The consistency isn’t quite as light and fluffy as whipped cream but more velvety and smooth like melted ice cream.

What Does Cold Foam Taste Like?

Cold foam, made from half and half, has a subtle naturally sweet flavor and a thick and creamy texture. It can easily be sweetened and flavored to your liking and used to sit on top of your favorite cold and iced coffee and tea drinks.

Why You Should Make Salted Cream Cold Foam From Scratch

• Cold Foam isn’t overly sweet, so it’s perfect if you want a creamy topping with your drink that isn’t sugar overkill. Adding a pinch of salt before frothing highlights the natural flavors.
• It only takes 5 minutes or less to make cold foam from scratch.
• Budget-friendly. Making homemade cold foam is significantly less expensive than grabbing a drink with cold foam from Starbucks.

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🥛Ingredients & Equipment

Instead of adding creamer, top your iced beverages with a smooth layer of cold foam made with just one ingredient:

• Half & Half – is simply half whole milk and half heavy cream. That said, you can use equal parts whole milk (or milk of your choice) and heavy cream to make half and half for cold foam.

Equipment

• Immersion Blender – You could also use a standing mixer but an immersion blender is great when you only want to make a small amount of cold foam for one or two drinks at a time.
• Electric Frother – These are a great gadget to have around because it takes just a few seconds to froth milk and the gadget takes up minimal space in your kitchen.
• 16oz Mason Jar with Lid – Make sure the lid is secured tight as you’ll be vigorously shaking the jar to make cold foam.
• French Press – can be used to press coffee and froth both cold and hot milk.

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📃How To Make Salted Cream Cold Foam

Cold foam might look like the challenging work of an expert barista but it is surprisingly easy to make from scratch using tools you probably already have at home. By simply adding a pinch of salt, you can turn plain cold foam into smooth and creamy salted cream cold foam using one of the following methods. For plain cold foam, omit salt.

1️⃣ Immersion Blender Cold Foam

Step 1: In a large glass or jar, add half and half and salt.

Step 2: Immerse blender into the liquid and blend on low speed, slowly increasing speed until soft, creamy foam forms.

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2️⃣ Electric Milk Frother Cold Foam

Step 1: In the milk frother compartment, add half and half and salt.

Step 2: Turn frother on and froth until soft, fluffy foam forms.

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3️⃣ Mason Jar Cold Foam

Step 1: In a 16-ounce mason jar with a tight-fitting lid, add half and half and salt.

Step 2: Shake vigorously until a soft, frothy foam form (this will take about 5 to 6 minutes).

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4️⃣ French Press Cold Foam

Step 1: In the liquid compartment, add half and half and salt.

Step 2: Using the plunger lever, plunge the lever back and forth to aerate the milk until a whipped foam forms.

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👩🏻‍🍳Recipe Tips

For the best textured foamy goodness, use half and half or make half and half using equal parts whole milk (or milk of your choice) and heavy cream.

The time it takes to get the milk to foam and the consistency of the finished cold foam will vary depending on the gadget you use. For example, making cold foam with a French press creates tiny, dense bubbles making a super smooth consistency. As opposed to a frother which results in a more light and airy cold foam.

A handheld mixer or immersion blender is great for making a small amount of cold foam fast. If you’re making a big batch, you may want to use a standing mixer.

Don’t overfill the container being used to blend the milk in. The cold foam can almost triple in size once it aerates, so make sure there’s enough room to compensate for the added volume.

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🔁Variations

Making cold foam from scratch gives you the opportunity to flavor your foam however you like and sweeten it to your liking. Check out the delicious variations below:

• Pumpkin Spice Cold Foam – add pumpkin pie spice and/or pumpkin pie syrup.
• Salted Cold Foam – add a pinch of salt.
• Vanilla Bean Cold Foam – add a splash of vanilla syrup.
• Brown Sugar Cold Foam – add a sprinkle of brown sugar and/or a splash of brown sugar simple syrup.
• Peppermint Cold Foam – add a splash of mint simple syrup.

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🌱Vegan Cold Foam

Following a vegan lifestyle? Check out our recipe for Vegan Cold Foam!

♻Storing Leftover Cold Foam

Whether you made too much cold foam or you want it on hand to quickly add to your drinks, you can safely store the leftovers in the fridge.

Storing: Store cold foam in an airtight glass container in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 days.

Freezing: is not recommended.

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❔FAQ

Try homemade cold foam in Homemade Cold Brew Coffee or Decaf Cold Brew!