If you like a dash of sweetness and a dollop of smooth, velvety texture to your beverages, you will love this sweet vanilla cold foam! Maybe you’ve had it out in the world and wondered how to make sweet vanilla cold foam at home, or maybe you’re just on board to add something delicious to your favorite drink.
Whether you pour it over cold brew, coffee, or your go-to Plum Deluxe blend, whip it up (literally) in no time flat, and change your beverage game for good!
What is Sweet Vanilla Cold Foam?
I’ll be honest: when I read about this, I thought…so it’s just whipped cream, right?
And essentially, yes.
Well. Almost.
A very close, delicious cousin of whipped cream. And I’ve never said no to a drink topped with whipped cream!
Vanilla cold foam uses a base of heavy cream, just as whipped cream does, but rather than sweetening with sugar and adding vanilla, you sweeten it with vanilla syrup. Two birds, one sweet, sweet stone.
It also comes together more quickly than whipped cream because you don’t need to whip it for as long. Cold foam is just what it sounds like—a foam. Not a cream. You beat it for less time, just until it is frothy and wonderful—and save yourself time and effort by stopping short of a stiff-peaked cream.
Vanilla cold foam also uses an additional, lower-fat milk to round out the heavy cream. Many recipes call for two percent milk, but in a pinch, you could use any milk you have on hand. I’ve had good luck with adding whole milk, and fully plan to experiment with vanilla oat milk in the near future!
Whatever milk you’ve got in the fridge (or cupboard, for all you ultra-pasteurized so-and-sos), introduce it to your heavy cream and whip it; whip it good!
50 Ways to Froth Your Cold Foam
Okay, I’m not going to give you 50 different options for how to make sweet vanilla cold foam. But a few of you are now humming 50 Ways to Leave Your Lover, and that’s really what I was going for.
And truly, there are a lot of ways to make cold foam. You don’t need fancy equipment. If you have a jar with a lid, that can get the job done if you’ve got the determination and the arm stamina. But let’s explore a few different (less labor-intensive) methods:
- Milk Frother – if you’ve got one, use it! That’s what it was made for, and you can elevate your at-home beverage experience in less time than it takes to boil water.
- Whisk – The classic tool for making classic whipped cream can froth up your foam and give you a nifty forearm workout in the process.
- Hand-held or stand mixer – The same concept as a whisk, but a robot is doing all the hard work for you! (We all call appliances “robots,” right?)
- Immersion blender – Just insert and blend!
- French Press – Pump up and down, up and down, up and down for about a minute, and presto! Cold foam for you. (Or should I say, press-to…)
- Jar with lid – And let’s be clear…a tightly sealed lid. Screw it tight and shake, shake, shake, Senora, until your foam is perfectly bubbly. You’ll feel like the fanciest bartender of the most delicious mocktail.
- Martini shaker – Does the same job as a jar with a lid, but a little more professionally!
Depending on your texture preferences, you could whip your foam until it’s just shy of whipped cream, or you could whip it lightly until there are a few bubbles at the surface of what is still mostly heavy cream—and everything in between!
A sturdier “almost whipped cream” foam will rest atop your beverage and gently melt into it. A light “just a few bubbles” foam will give more of a latte effect, mixing the cream in with the drink and finishing with a subtle layer of foam at the surface. Either will be delicious—it’s simply a matter of taste. (Or how quickly you tire of shaking that jar or holding that frother.)
The amount of vanilla syrup you choose to add is also a matter of taste. I used twice as much in the recipe as is typical because I found that a smaller amount of flavoring, while delicious when you’re eating spoonsful of the foam on its own, gets lost once combined with tea or coffee.
Another way to punch up the flavor (without adding extra sugar) is to use infused cream. Add 2 teaspoons of your favorite vanilla tea (ours is the vanilla latte blend) to your cream or milk and let sit overnight. (Or for a minimum of four hours.) You’ll get all the benefits of extra depth of flavor with zero sugar and minimal effort!
Choose a Tea to Top
Vanilla is a lovely addition to almost any flavor. This makes vanilla cold foam the perfect topping for almost any one of your favorite blends!
You won’t have to work hard to find how to make sweet vanilla cold foam taste great with any of your go-to beverages.
If you’re a fan of fruity teas, vanilla will take it from a sweet treat to downright delectable! Peaches and cream, anyone? Strawberries and cream? Creamy, dreamy orangesicle. Pineapple paradise…
Round out your fruity favorite blend with a luscious lather of vanilla foam for a beverage that is both fruity and fabulous!
If strong black teas like Earl Grey and Breakfast teas are more your style, vanilla adds a hint of softness without compromising the boldness of the drink. Latte lovers will go crazy for cold foam, which can upgrade your sturdy black tea to the ultimate black tea latte.
Maybe sweet teas are your jam. Snickerdoodle, banana bread, butterscotch, shortbread…all the best flavors of baked goods without the trouble of actually baking. A dollop of vanilla cold foam will take those sweet treats to a whole new level. Vanilla adds flavor and cream adds body, until you’d swear you were eating an actual sugar cookie rather than drinking sugar cookie tea.
Try sweet vanilla cold foam with all of your favorite teas, and tell us which combo you like best! Tag us on social media @plumdeluxe
Cheers, friend!
Sweet Vanilla Cold Foam Recipe
Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream*
- 1/2 cup milk of choice
- 2 Tablespoons vanilla syrup
*For extra vanilla flavor, infuse cream (and milk, if you’d like) with vanilla tea of choice.
Directions:
Combine all ingredients in a bowl (or, if using the shaking method, a martini shaker or jar with a tightly sealed lid.)
Select your frothing tool: options include a whisk, immersion blender, milk frother, French press, handheld mixer, or stand mixer.
Use your frothing tool to whip ingredients until they reach the desired level of foaminess. (More time for a thicker, sturdier cream; less time for a runnier, more latte-like effect.) About 1-5 minutes.*
*Whipping times will vary depending on the tool used. e.g. a stand mixer will require less time than a whisk.
Once your foam has reached the desired consistency, pour over your tea of choice, and enjoy!
Note: Makes enough sweet vanilla cold foam for multiple servings. Foam will deflate over time, so if you are making the foam for a single person or serving, you may want to scale down the recipe.
