Salted Caramel Cold Foam

Name: Salted Caramel Cold Foam
Prep time: 5 min
Total time: 5 min
Ingredients: 1 cup Heavy Cream; 1/2 cup 2% milk; ¼ cup Salted Caramel Sauce; 8 oz Cold Brew; Ice; 4 oz Caramel cold foam; 1 Tbsp Caramel sauce to drizzle as garnish

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Salty, sweet, frothy, and perfect for topping your favorite iced caffeinated beverages, this tasty Salted Caramel Cold Foam recipe is a frosty delight. Use it to make a convincing copycat of the Starbucks salted caramel cold brew to save some serious money!

Salted Caramel Cold Foam in a glass with cold brew.

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About This Recipe
Ingredients & Substitutions
Equipment
How To Make Salted Caramel Cream Cold Foam
Optional Variations
Expert Tips
Frequently Asked Questions
More Starbucks Copycat Recipes
More Beverage Recipes
Salted Caramel Cold Foam

About This Recipe

Here in Southern California we’re just starting to feel the changing of the seasons at night, but the days are still warm and sunny. As such, I’m still reaching for iced coffee drinks to put a little pep in my step.

I’ve been on a serious kick of making homemade cold brew with cold foam in all kinds of fancy coffee shop flavors, and I don’t see a reason to stop now! This simple salted caramel cold foam recipe is my newest iteration of the famed Starbucks trend, and friends? It is dee-licious.

Aside from tasting like a dream, this salted cream cold foam is:

Budget-Friendly. Going to Starbucks and ordering a grande salted caramel cream cold brew will cost you just shy of $5 before tax and tip. Making it at home costs just over a dollar per serving. I’m no economist, but that seems like a serious budget win to me.
Quick & Easy. Stir together the salted cream cold foam ingredients and keep it in the fridge for when a coffee craving strikes. When you’re ready for your morning jet fuel, froth it up and top your cold brew or iced tea with a few spoonfuls. All in, you won’t spend more than about 3 minutes of active time to make this Starbucks favorite at home.
Made With Just 3 Ingredients, all of which are easy to pronounce and easy to procure.

Ingredients & Substitutions

As promised, you only need 3 simple ingredients to make a homemade version of Starbucks salted caramel cold foam. Here’s what to grab for this easy recipe:

Heavy Cream - Slightly lower fat whipping cream will also work.
2% Milk - Surprisingly, lower fat or skim milk tend 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%! Feel free to swap in either non-fat or whole milk depending on what you have on hand for this creamy, thick foam.
Salted Caramel Sauce - I prefer using my homemade salted caramel because it is made with just sugar, cream, butter, and sea salt. Feel free to swap in your favorite grocery store brand for convenience and ensure caramel flavor.

To turn it into a salted caramel cold foam cold brew, you’ll also need:

Cold Brew - It’s so easy to make your own cold brew coffee recipe at home, and you don’t even need any fancy equipment! Need a faster option? Good news! Most grocery stores these days carry cold brew concentrate you can buy and pour into a tall glass with ice cubes for the perfect treat.
Ice - To keep your drink extra frosty.
Extra Caramel Sauce - Use it to drizzle as a garnish for that super-fancy Starbucks appeal.

Labeled ingredient shot for making salted caramel cold foam recipe.

Jar of caramel sauce in a small container.

Equipment

You don’t need thousands of dollars worth of equipment or an espresso machine to play barista at home. For this salted caramel cold brew recipe, you only need a few simple pieces:

Mason Jar - Or any other lidded container for keeping your unfrothed salted caramel 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.

How To Make Salted Caramel Cream Cold Foam

Making salted caramel cold brew Starbucks-style is a snap. Once you do it, you’ll never want to go back to paying those outrageous prices again! Here’s how it’s done:

Step 1: Make Salted Caramel Cream. Add ingredients into a jar and stir to combine. Store in the fridge until you are ready to froth.

Step 2: Make Salted Caramel Cream Cold Foam. Add about 3 tablespoons* of the sweet cream mixture into a glass or pitcher 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 salted caramel 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 salted cream cold foam. Just like at Starbucks, most of the froth will float on top, but some of the sweetened cream will leech into your coffee for a beautiful, streaky, ombré look.

Whipping caramel cold foam in a small container. — Frothing salted caramel cream cold foam

Cold brew in a glass with ice. — Iced cold brew

Pouring salted caramel cold foam on top of coffee drink. — Adding caramel cold foam to coffee

Adding salted caramel sauce on top of coffee drink with a glass straw. — Drizzled caramel on top of cold foam

Optional Variations

I love this simple salted caramel cream cold brew recipe just the way it is, but there is always room for customization. Consider any of the following variations to suit your needs:

Sweeten your cold brew with a squeeze of vanilla syrup or some extra salted caramel sauce for added richness.
Use sugar-free salted caramel syrup to make a diabetic-friendly version of the Starbucks favorite.
Make it vegan by swapping in unsweetened coconut cream and your favorite non-dairy milk for the dairy.

Expert Tips

Making salted cream cold foam cold brew at home is pretty simple. Here are a few ways to make your life even easier:

Make the salted caramel sweet cream mixture ahead to save time in the morning. All you’ll need to do is froth it! It should last for at least 5 days in the fridge.
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 drizzle a little extra salted caramel sauce on top for all those coffee shop vibes.

Caramel sauce piped on top of caramel cold foam.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is salted cream cold foam made of?

My recipe calls for just cream, milk, and salted caramel sauce. Starbucks’ recipe, on the other hand, has quite the laundry list of ingredients. From their website, the salted caramel cream cold brew has the following:

ICE, COLD BREW COFFEE, SALTED CARAMEL CREAM [VANILLA SWEET CREAM (CREAM (CREAM, MONO AND DIGLYCERIDES, CARAGEENAN), MILK, VANILLA SYRUP (SUGAR, WATER, NATURAL FLAVORS, POTASSIUM SORBATE, CITRIC ACID)), CARAMEL SYRUP (SUGAR, WATER, NATURAL FLAVOR, CITRIC ACID, POTASSIUM SORBATE), SALT], VANILLA SYRUP [SUGAR, WATER, NATURAL FLAVORS, POTASSIUM SORBATE, CITRIC ACID]

What is cold foam for?

Unlike hot steamed milk foam, cold foam won’t “melt” quite as readily, meaning it’ll stay perky atop your cup of cold java for a longer period of time. Not only does it make for an aesthetically pleasing coffee drink, it also wins major texture points by adding a lovely mouthfeel.

More Starbucks Copycat Recipes

More Beverage Recipes

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