Vegan Cold Foam

Make this Starbucks-inspired vegan cold foam at home to pour over your favorite coffee and tea creations. This easy method is suitable for any dairy-free and vegan lifestyle!

Jump to:

• 💡 The recipe in a nutshell
• 🤔 What is cold foam?
• 👩🏽‍🍳 How to make vegan cold foam?
• 📋 Ingredients for Vegan Cold Foam
• 🥛 Vegan barista milk brands to use for cold foam
• ☕ Cold foam flavor variations
• 💭 Common questions
• 📖 Recipe
• 💬 Reviews

💡 The recipe in a nutshell

• Dairy-free cold foam
• 100% vegan
• Easy-to-make
• Ready in under 10 minutes
• Starbucks cold foam copycat 

🤔 What is cold foam?

Cold foam is taking over Starbucks’ cold-drink menu since 2018! Simply put, it is frothed milk that is often flavored with a sweetener and extract. The milk is frothed without the use of heat or steam, making it the perfect topping for cold drinks!

👩🏽‍🍳 How to make vegan cold foam?

Typically dairy-based milk, such as cow’s milk, is used to make cold foam. To make vegan cold foam we recommend using vegan barista milk. Barista editions are specifically formulated to use in coffee and usually froth at cold temperatures. 

1. Place ingredients into a jar, milk pan or bowl.
2. Froth until fluffy and creamy using a froth. (If you don’t have a froth it is also possible to use an electric mixer with the whisk attachment, a food processor, or a blender.)
3. Pour dairy-free cold foam over ice or cold brew coffee or tea. 

Tip: Top the vegan cold foam with cinnamon, and pumpkin spice, or drizzle with caramel, chocolate, or any other syrup you like to elevate your homemade cold foam. For flavor variations read here.

📋 Ingredients for Vegan Cold Foam

• Vegan Barista Milk
• Simple Syrup (or use our list for flavor variations)
• Vanilla Extract (optional)
• Pinch of salt (optional)

🥛 Vegan barista milk brands to use for cold foam

Whether you prefer oat, soy, coconut, or almond, these barista editions will help you to replicate dairy-free foam-topped drinks at home:

• Good Karma
• Califa
• Oatly
• Chobani
• Oatsome
• Hope and Sesame
• Minor Figures
• Ripple Foods
• Pacific Foods
• Nut Pods
• WhatIf Foods Bam Nut
• Elmhurst
• Myracle Kitchen

What’s the difference between barista milk and regular milk? Barista milk, also referred to as super milk, has more protein and is extra fatty and creamy. Additionally, it differs in emulsifiers, thickeners, and acidity regulators compared to regular plant-based milk. What’s more, barista milk is designed to produce microfoam which is great for latte art.

☕ Cold foam flavor variations

Starbucks offers various cold foam flavors. We listed some of our favorite variations and ingredients. Follow our basic recipe using the listed ingredients.

• Plain → follow the basic recipe (which you find at the end of the blog post)
• Oleato → read our Oleato guide to make a copycat of Starbucks’ olive oil coffee
• Vanilla sweet cream → use ½ tablespoon powdered sugar, ½ teaspoon vanilla extract on ½ cup (4 oz) of vegan barista milk
• Caramel → use 2 teaspoons caramel syrup, ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract on ½ cup (4 oz) of vegan barista milk
• Hazelnut → use 2 teaspoons hazelnut syrup, ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract on ½ cup (4 oz) of vegan barista milk
• Pumpkin cream → 1 tablespoon pumpkin puree, ⅛ teaspoon pumpkin spice, ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract on ½ cup (4 oz) of vegan barista milk

Optional: Add a pinch of salt to any of these to enhance the flavors.

💭 Common questions

• Is cold foam vegan? Cold foam is typically made with dairy-based milk making it non-vegan. However, it is possible to make cold foam out of plant-based milk. Our recipe is 100% vegan.
• Is Starbucks cold foam vegan? The classic Starbucks cold foam contains 2% milk, heavy cream, and sweet vanilla syrup. However, Starbucks offers oat milk cold foam as a substitute which is vegan.
• How to store cold foam? Cold foam is best fresh. However, you can store it for up to 3 days in the fridge in an air-tight container.
• How long does cold foam last? Well-frothed vegan barista milk foam maintains a fluffy and consistent cap over an iced coffee for roughly 30 minutes and slightly less over hot drinks. It stays fresh in an air-tight container for up to 3 days. Please keep in mind that the milk foam may not stay as fluffy being.

📖 Recipe

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