Pumpkin Sweet Cream Cold Foam

⭐ Why You’ll Love This Recipe 

Starbucks pumpkin cream cold brew is the newest coffee craze taking the internet by storm this time of year, and with good reason: it’s pumpkin spice season! Since it’s still pretty warm here down in SoCal, I’m happily slurping cold espresso tonic drinks and iced coffee every morning and see no end in sight. (Apparently, I’m not alone.)

If you’re looking for a quick and easy way to gussy up your morning cup of chilly caffeine, I’ve got just the solution: homemade pumpkin cream cold foam! Made with just 5 ingredients and no more intensive prep than whisking everything together, this creamy, dreamy, extra flavorful layer of sweet pumpkin spice goodness is utterly crave-worthy.

Aside from being delicious, my homemade version of this pumpkin cream cold brew recipe is:

• Budget-Friendly. Going to Starbucks and ordering a venti pumpkin cream cold brew will cost you just over of $5 before tax and tip. Making it at home costs just over a dollar per serving. Put the tip you would’ve paid in your piggy bank because you earned it!
• Quick & Easy. Stir together the pumpkin sweet cream simple ingredients and keep it in the fridge for when a coffee craving strikes. To turn it into cold foam, simply froth it up with your hand frother and add to your iced beverage. All in, you won’t spend more than about 3 minutes of active time to make this Starbucks favorite at home.
• A Convincing Dupe For Starbucks or Dunkin Pumpkin Cream Cold Brew. Seriously. Give it a sip and try to convince me it doesn’t taste the same. I dare you!
• Easy To Make All Year Round. Stop letting Starbucks put the kibosh on your PSL love affair! If you say pumpkin spice season goes until April instead of ending in November, all the power to you.

Looking for more cold foam recipes to try? I've got you covered with my vanilla sweet cream cold foam, salted caramel cold foam recipes!

🍴Ingredients

As promised, you don’t need anything crazy to make pumpkin sweet cream cold brew right from your very own kitchen. Here’s what to grab at the grocery store to make this seasonal drink:

• Heavy Cream - Slightly lower fat whipping cream will also work. Head to my cold foam recipe for an in depth look into how it's made!
• 2% Milk - Surprisingly, lower fat or skim milk tends to make better cold foam. In fact, if you order a plain cold foam-topped drink from Starbucks, it’s typically made from only 2% cold milk! Feel free to swap in either non-fat or whole milk depending on what you have on hand.
• Vanilla Syrup - I prefer using my homemade vanilla syrup because it is made with just sugar, water, and vanilla. Feel free to swap in your favorite store-bought brand for convenience or add vanilla extract to your simple syrup. 
• Pumpkin Spice - You can’t have pumpkin pie spice without the homonymous spice blend! Feel free to mix up your own using cinnamon, ginger, cloves, nutmeg, and allspice if needed. 
• Canned Pumpkin Purée - Make sure you’re grabbing 100% pure pumpkin here and NOT canned pumpkin pie filling. You’re also welcome to use homemade real pumpkin puree!
• Cold Brew or Iced Tea - Ok, technically this is a 6th ingredient, but it’s just here to remind you what you’re making the pumpkin foam for — pumpkin cream cold brew coffee! 

⚒️ Equipment

The best part about this homemade pumpkin cream cold brew recipe is that you don’t need any crazy barista equipment to make it happen. Here’s what to grab:

• Mason Jar - Or any other lidded container for keeping your unfrothed vanilla sweet cream in the fridge.
• Milk Frother - I love my little $10 handheld milk frother because it does the job without taking up precious counter space in my apartment kitchen. If you’re ready for a splurge, you can also purchase a countertop milk frother that’ll make both hot or cold foam at the touch of a button for about $40. If you don’t want a unitasker in the kitchen, try using an immersion blender instead.

📖 Step by Step Instructions

Learning how to make pumpkin cream cold brew is simpler than you might expect when it comes to Starbucks drinks with pumpkin flavor. Here’s how it’s done:

Step 1: Make Pumpkin Sweet Cream. Add ingredients into a jar and whisk to combine. Store in the fridge until you are ready to froth. It will keep in the fridge for up to a week!

Step 2: Make Pumpkin Sweet Cream Cold Foam. Add about 3 tablespoons* of the pumpkin sweet cream mixture into a bowl with tall sides. Using a frother, froth ingredients together until thick and foamed, about one minute making sure to move the frother to the bottom, top and sides of the vessel. 

*Note: You can add more or less sweet cream according to your taste preferences and how many drinks you’re making!

Step 3: Add To Iced Coffee. Top your cold brew, iced americano, iced coffee, or even iced tea with a generous dollop of the pumpkin cold foam. Just like at Starbucks, most of the froth will float on top, but some of the sweet pumpkin cream will leech into your coffee for a beautiful, streaky, ombré look. 

⏲️ Substitutions & Variations

While I love this DIY pumpkin cream cold brew just the way it is, there’s always plenty of room for customization. Here are a few variations to consider:

• Swap in a different flavor syrup. Vanilla is great and all, but pumpkin also plays well with cinnamon, honey, pure maple syrup, brown sugar syrup, or any other warming syrup you can think of!
• Make it vegan by swapping in canned coconut cream (NOT sweetened cream of coconut) and your favorite plant-based milk.
• Put it on a hot drink for fun temperature contrasts and a take on a pumpkin spice latte - use sweetened condensed milk or
• Put it on iced tea for a lower octane refresher. Black tea is always a great choice, but rooibos is an excellent option for herbal tea lovers.

👩🏻‍🍳 Expert Tips

• Make the pumpkin sweet cream mixture ahead to save time in the morning. All you’ll need to do is froth it!
• Shake the mason jar of pumpkin sweet cream before pouring out the amount you’re frothing to make sure you get all the pumpkin-y goodness in every drink.
• Pour the cold foam on top of your iced drink for the prettiest presentation rather than pouring the tea or coffee over it. Bonus points if you sprinkle a little extra pumpkin spice on top!

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