Want to discover how to make salted caramel cold foam? Jump into our guide and find out the most amazing salted caramel cold foam Starbucks copycat recipe.
Jumping on the salted caramel cold foam bandwagon?
I don’t blame you.
The rave about this topping is real, and not without reason.
The savory-meets-sweet foam is just too good.
And you know what’s even better?
You can easily make it at home!
I’ve tried numerous recipes, and I found the one that makes the best foam out there.
So if you want to learn how to make salted caramel cold foam at home, keep reading.
What Is Salted Caramel Cold Foam?
Before we get to the point of the article, let’s see what cold foam is.
Back in 2014, Starbucks came up with cold foam as a topper for the Americano con Crema. Needless to say, Starbucks baristas knew right away that they had just invented the hottest new trend.
And really, it seems like cold foamy drinks have been a thing ever since.
So what’s the catch with cold foam?
As you probably know, regular foam is made by frothing milk with hot steam. The heat helps in making a nice layer of microbubbles that works as a topper for a latte.
However, that only works for hot drinks.
If you were to top a cold drink (such as cold brew coffee) with hot foam, you’d end up with a mushy beverage within a minute. In other words, hot foam simply doesn’t hold up.
But that’s where cold foam comes in.
Made without the use of steam, cold foam is thick and creamy. And most importantly, it sits nicely on top of your drink.
Nowadays, you can also get a flavored cold foam at Starbucks. And salted caramel is one of the more popular choices.
Now, I know that the combination of salt and caramel might seem odd.
But the two ingredients really create a unique tasting experience, especially as a topping for an iced coffee or cold brew. (Starbucks salted caramel cream cold brew is simply delicious! ????)
So, let’s see what this is all about.
How to Make Salted Caramel Cold Foam?
Good news!
Salted caramel cold foam is rather easy to make at home. And in this section, I’ll walk you through the entire process, step by step.
Ingredients needed
For this recipe, you’ll need:
- ¼ cup heavy cream
- 2 tablespoons 2% milk
- 1 tablespoon caramel sauce
- 2 pinches sea salt
Of course, you can always tweak the recipe a bit to make it more up your alley.
The original recipe uses 2% milk, which has the perfect amount of both fat and protein. Protein is what gives foam the hold, while fat is responsible for the flavor.
We add a bit of heavy cream to give the cold foam the thick consistency to stay on top of your drink. But heavy cream is quite caloric. If you want to make the recipe lighter, you can swap heavy cream for half-and-half.
NOTE
You can use a caramel simple syrup as an alternative to caramel sauce. Also, you can buy a ready salted caramel syrup and skip the caramel sauce and salt altogether.
Equipment required
You only need a single tool to make salted caramel cold foam at home: an electric milk frother.
But what if you don’t own one?
Don’t worry. While an electric frother makes the best foam, it’s not the only tool you can use.
Here are the alternatives:
- Manual frother
- French press
- Mason jar
We’ll get into details on how to use each of them in the last section.
Step-by-Step Instructions
All right, now that you have everything ready, let’s get straight to the point.
This is actually a pretty easy recipe. Here’s what you need to do:
- Heat the caramel sauce in the microwave until it turns into liquid. That shouldn’t take more than 10 seconds. Be careful, as you don’t want to overheat it either.
- Add caramel sauce, heavy cream, milk, and salt into the electric frother and froth it on the “cold foam” setting. If you’re using any of the manual alternatives mentioned above, froth until it doubles in volume and achieves a velvety consistency.
- Pour salted caramel cold foam on top of your drink.
Pro Tips
Making salted caramel cold foam is rather easy. But there are a few things you should keep in mind for optimal results.
First and foremost, cold foam is best when used right away. But if you end up with leftover foam, you can transfer it to an airtight container and store it in the fridge for up to two days.
Of course, the same goes for the ingredients, especially milk. Fresh milk froths are way better than the milk you opened a few days ago.
In case you want to make dairy-free cold foam, your best options are oats and almonds. Plant-based milk doesn’t froth as well as dairy milk, but oat and almond milk will give you pretty similar results.
Salted caramel cold foam pairs extremely well with cold-brew coffee!
You can try making it at home too. Here is a short salted caramel cold brew recipe:
- Make a cold brew concentrate by steeping the coarse ground coffee beans in cold water overnight.
- When it’s ready, pour the cold brew into a tall glass and top it with some homemade salted caramel cream cold foam.
- You can add some whipped cream on top for more sweet decadence.
How To Make Cold Foam Without A Frother
Starbucks uses a special blender with a circular disc to create the perfect fluffy cold foam.
But do you need a fancy, expensive blender to make cold foam at home?
Absolutely not.
In fact, you don’t even need an electric frother for that. Instead, you have several options.
A handheld frother is a good alternative. It’s way more affordable than an electric frother, and the result is actually rather similar.
Alternatively, you can use a French press. To make foam, you need to plunge the handle a few times until the foam content doubles. It takes a bit more effort than the first two, but the result is pretty great.
Now, make sure you don’t overfill or underfill the French press. Instead, ⅓ is the optimal amount.
Finally, if you don’t have any of these appliances at home, a simple jar trick will do.
Basically, what you need to do is add the ingredients to a mason jar and shake like there’s no tomorrow.
Don’t expect your cold foam to be as velvety as with other methods, though. It will probably be more frothy and not last as long. But hey, it’s better than nothing.
Recipe Box
Salted Caramel Cold Foam
Equipment
- Electric frother (or an alternative)
Ingredients
- ¼ cup heavy cream
- 2 tbsp 2% milk (or almond / oat milk as an alternative)
- 1 tbsp caramel sauce
- 2 pinches sea salt
Instructions
- Heat the caramel sauce in the microwave until it turns into liquid.
- Combine caramel sauce, heavy whipping cream, milk, and salt into the electric frother and froth it on the “cold foam” setting. If you’re using a manual alternative, froth until it doubles in volume and achieves a velvety consistency.
- Pour salted caramel cold foam on top of your cold coffee drink.
To Sum Things Up
Salted caramel cold foam is a delicious addition to any cold drink.
If you want to enjoy it at home, you definitely can. You only need four ingredients and a few minutes of your time to make it.
And the results? Better than Starbucks!
What to try a new cold foam beverage? Here’s our list of the best Starbucks drinks that are served with cold foam.
