Vanilla sweet cream cold brew with sweet cream cold foam

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Cold foam is the perfect complement to any cold brew coffee, but sometimes you need to kick things up a notch.

If you’re looking for something a little bit sweeter, look no further than this vanilla sweet cream cold foam!

If you search the web for recipes to make your own vanilla sweet cream cold foam at home, you’re going to see a lot of heavy cream and vanilla syrup required.

While that will surely taste great, I’m all about keeping calories lower around here, so that’s exactly what we’re going to do.

We’re going to swap the heavy cream and vanilla syrup for some powdered sugar and vanilla extract, and I promise it will still taste amazing!

And if you prefer a higher protein version, we’re also going to whip up a batch using vanilla protein powder.

You won’t need once you realize just how easy it is to make your own at home.

What’s the difference between cold foam, sweet cream cold foam, and whipped cream?

If you’ve landed on this post, you may be confused about what the difference is between regular cold foam and vanilla sweet cream cold foam. Allow me to help.

Cold foam simply refers to cold milk that has been frothed up into foam to pour on top of iced coffee.

Nonfat milk creates the best cold foam, but you may find recipes that utilize various types of milk or dairy. You can see my full guide on how to make cold foam here.

Since the cold foam is just frothed milk, you may find yourself wanting something a little sweeter. That’s where vanilla sweet cream cold foam comes into play!

Vanilla sweet cream cold foam is a sweet cold foam with vanilla flavor added. Whether it is flavored with vanilla extract, vanilla syrup, vanilla bean, etc, it all counts!

Any type of cold foam is different than whipped cream, however. Whipped cream is made from heavy cream and is very dense and thick, whereas cold foam is very light and airy.

Whipped cream is much thicker than cold foam!

OK, that all makes sense. But there’s one more thing to clarify here.

Will this recipe make a Starbucks Sweet Cream Cold Brew? Not quite. Here’s why…

Starbucks Sweet Cream Cold Brew vs Sweet Cream Cold Foam

If you order a , it’s a completely different drink than a , so here’s how they differ:

A vanilla sweet cream cold brew will be a cold brew that is flavored with vanilla syrup and sweet cream. Depending on where you order this drink from (outside of Starbucks), you may get a coffee that is sweetened with vanilla coffee creamer.

On the other hand, vanilla sweet cream cold foam is simply taking the sweetened cold foam that we’re going to make here and pouring it on top of cold brew.

Now, you can absolutely combine the two! If you prefer sweeter coffee, you can definitely opt for the vanilla sweet cream AND cold foam, but I wanted to be sure to point out the differences between the two.

In order to keep this recipe slightly healthier, we’re actually not going to be adding any sweet cream at all, but I promise that you won’t miss it.

For this cold foam recipe, you only need three simple ingredients:

1. Nonfat milk
2. Powdered sugar (or powdered sugar substitute, which is what I used)
3. Vanilla extract

Add the skim milk, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract to a glass. Use a handheld milk frother to froth everything up together, which should only take about 20-30 seconds.

A handheld milk frother is going to be the fastest and easiest route, so I highly recommend picking one up if you don’t already have one (they have very affordable options on Amazon).

If you don’t have a milk frother, you can also shake the milk in a mason jar, use a high-speed blender, or even a French press. Don’t worry, I go into more details in my How To Make Cold Foam post.

For a higher protein version, you can swap the vanilla extract and powdered sugar out for vanilla protein powder instead!

Since the protein powder is flavored, it will take the place of the vanilla and sweetener, so all you have to do is froth up the protein powder and milk together.

The high-protein version comes out a little thicker than the original vanilla sweet cream version, but it doesn’t froth up quite as much. I prefer the original version personally, but they both work.

Once your cold foam is ready to go, all you have to do is pour it over the top of your favorite cold brew coffee!

The vanilla sweet cream cold foam will sit nicely on top, but it will gradually drip down into the cold brew, sweetening the coffee as you drink it.

Coffee recipes for your sweet cream vanilla cold foam

Your cold foam is only going to be as good as the cold coffee you pair it with! Lucky for you, I’ve got some incredible how-to guides to make your own cold brew coffee at home.

First things first, if you don’t know the difference between cold brew and iced coffee, check out my comparison here.

When you’re ready to make your own cold brew, follow my Fool-Proof Guide on How to Make Cold Brew Concentrate. You can even make a decaf version, too!

And if you want a creative way to enjoy your cold foam, be sure to check out my Snickers Cold Brew Coffee Recipe.

Instructions

1. Add the ingredients for your vanilla sweet cream cold foam to a glass.
2. Using a handheld milk frother, froth the milk for 20-30 seconds until it becomes thick and frothy. For alternative frothing methods, check out my Cold Foam Guide here.
3. Add 8-12oz of your favorite cold brew to a glass with ice, then pour your vanilla sweet cream cold foam over the top.

Notes

• Skim milk works the best to create a sturdy cold foam. For milk substitutes (like almond milk), check out my cold foam guide here.
• Make sure you are using a quality vanilla extract here and not imitation vanilla! The flavor will be much different.
• You can use another vanilla flavoring if preferred: vanilla bean paste, vanilla coffee creamer, or sugar-free vanilla syrup all work.
• For the high-protein version, I use PEScience protein powder, which is a blend of whey & casein protein powder. Any type of protein powder should work, but this particular type of protein froths up very well and creates a thicker result than whey protein alone.

Nutrition Information

Yield 1 Serving Size 1/4 Cup Milk
Amount Per Serving Calories 23Total Fat 0gCarbohydrates 4gProtein 2g