Salted Caramel Cold Foam

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Velvety and smooth salted caramel cold foam for cold brew coffee is quick and easy to whip up. Make your own sweet and salty caramel sauce and keep it on hand to make easy cold foam coffees, drizzle on ice cream, or whatever else sounds delicious!

Salted caramel cold foam traditionally goes on top of cold brew coffee, however, you can top whatever drink you’d like with it!

Related: Fall Coffee Drinks

homemade salted caramel cold foam cold brew in a mason jar with a beeswax candle in the background on a festive red plate

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What is a Salted Caramel Cold Foam

salted caramel cold foam cold brew in a mason jar with salted caramel sauce drizzled on top with festive red plates

Salted caramel cold foam is frothy cream or milk mixed with a salted caramel sauce that you can either make homemade or purchase. Flavored cold foams are traditionally poured overtop cold brew coffee but can be used in a variety of ways.

Equipment You’ll Need

Immersion blender – not required, but makes great frothy foam! See below for alternatives.

Recipe Highlights

easy salted caramel cold foam cold brew with a candle in the background and red plates underneath

Sweet and salty flavor
Make from scratch or buy storebought
Takes only a couple minutes to whip up
Less expensive than Starbucks
Better ingredients than coffee shops

How to Make a Salted Caramel Cold Foam

Buttery sweet and salty caramel sauce blended into velvety rich milk, topped over cold brew coffee has got to be one of the best treats in the world.

ingredients to make salted caramel cold foam on a lace doily with espresso beans surrounding

Salted Caramel Ingredients

The salted caramel sauce can be made homemade using the ingredients below, or it can be store-bought like this one.

Sugar – I like using unrefined cane sugar for this recipe. It’s healthier than refined sugar, but still gives a great texture to the sauce.
Filtered water
Heavy cream
Salted butter – salted butter makes this salted caramel sauce extra salty and delicious.
Sea salt – use sea salt versus table salt for best results.

Cold Foam Ingredients

Heavy cream – you can use another milk substitute or just regular milk instead of cream. We like it extra creamy and love how well cream froths up.
Salted caramel sauce – either using the homemade recipe in this post, or storebought like this one.
Cold brew coffee – either homemade or using a cold brew concentrate. See methods below for making homemade.
(Optional secret ingredient) Collagen powder – this makes the cold foam froth up so much better than without it! I think it’s because the extra protein. It also adds extra health benefits to the drink! This is the one I use.

Step by Step Instructions (with photos)

Salted caramel Instructions

Melt the water and sugar over medium high heat whisking to combine until chunks are gone.
Turn heat to medium-low and let the sugar cook (without whisking) until it reaches an amber color.

sugar and water melted in a sauce pan to make a caramel sauce with a candle in the background to set the scene and a copper tea kettle

Turn heat to low and add the cream then whisk to combine.

adding cream to the caramel sauce in a sauce pan to make caramel sauce with copper tea kettle behind it

Turn heat off and stir in the butter and sea salt until butter is melted and everything is combined.

pouring sea salt into the caramel sauce to make salted caramel sauce

Transfer the caramel sauce to a jar for storing.

salted caramel sauce in a mason jar cooling down and thickening

Cold foam instructions

Blend together the ingredients until you get nice froth. To make it frothy be sure to lift the head of the immersion blender out of the liquid slightly while blending until you hear a hissing sound and continue to blend.

blending ingredients for salted caramel cold foam with an immersion blender

drizzle some salted caramel sauce in the cup you’ll be using for your drink.

cup with drizzled salted caramel sauce throughout

Assemble your salted caramel cold foam cold brew.

assembling the salted caramel cold foam cold brew in a mason jar pouring the cold foam on top with a candle next to it to set the scene

How to Store a Salted Caramel Cold Foam

Store your salted caramel cold foam in the fridge for up to 2 days. You can also store your cold foam cold brew already made in the fridge – see below for details.

Salted caramel sauce storage

Store the salted caramel sauce in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 7 days.

Make Ahead Salted Caramel Cold Foam

salted caramel cold foam cold brew in a mason jar with a candle in the background.

If you want to shave off those extra couple minutes in the morning by not having to blend up this salted caramel colf foam, feel free to make the whole drink ahead of time, place a lid over the cup or jar, and store in the fridge until the morning.

*Note: There will be a loss of some foam, but it stays surprisingly velvety, especially if using heavy cream.

Salted Caramel Cold Foam Tips

top view of the frothy salted caramel cold foam with a bowl of chocolate covered espresso beans next to it in a festive red bowl

Make your own salted caramel sauce – using my homemade salted caramel sauce recipe below really does make the best drink.
Fresh is best – fresh milk froths up better than milk that is close to expiring.
Drink right away – The froth will dissipate over time, so to get all the benefits of the velvety smooth froth, enjoy it right away!
Add more air – when in doubt, froth more and add more air into the milk. If using the immersion blender method, it’s easy to control how much air you’re adding to your milk.

How to Make Cold Foam Without a Frother

There are many ways to make your own cold foam without a frother, you can use an immersion blender, stand-up blender, french press, or even a simple whisk.

salted caramel cold foam cold brew in a cup with a bowl of chocolate covered espresso beans beside it and a candle and lace doily

Immersion Blender Method

Using an immersion blender like this one is an easy way to get cold foam since you have the ability to introduce as much air as you want into the milk.

Step 1: Place the milk and flavorings into the pitcher of the immersion blender.

Step 2: Place the entire head of the blender into the milk until fully submurged and start blending to combine all the ingredients.

Step 3: Take the tip of the head out of the milk so there’s just about half of the head of the blender submerged and half exposed and continue blending. Tilt the pitcher a bit so the milk swirls in a circle. This adds air and blends the aerated milk together to create foam.

Blender Method

Using a traditional stand-up blender may not be the best way to achieve cold foam, but it is possible.

Step 1: Pour contents into the pitcher of the blender.

Step 2: Blend on low for about 30 seconds, then medium for another 30 seconds.

Step 3: Finally, turn up the speed to high and blend for about 2 minutes until frothy.

French Press Method

Using a french press is a great way to achieve cold foam! It’s easy and just takes a couple minutes.

Step 1: Pour contents into the french press. Make sure the liquid is high enough so the french press filter is fully submerged when pushed down. Also, be sure not to fill the french press too high since milk expands when it gets foamy.

Step 2: Use the plunger to plunge the french press filter up and down into the liquid until foam is created.

*Note: Be sure the french press is completely clean and clear of any coffee grounds before using it to make cold foam.

Whisk Method

The most difficult technique for achieving cold foam, but it’s possible! Use either a traditional whisk or a handheld electric mixer.

Step 1: Pour contents into a bowl.

Step 2: Use the whisk to whisk the liquid until foam is created (about 5-10 minutes).

How to Make Cold Brew Coffee

cold brew coffee being poured into a mason jar

Quick French Press Method (12 minutes)

To quickly make cold brew at home, use a french press to brew double-strength coffee. To brew double-strength coffee you will simply use double the coffee grounds you usually would for hot coffee.

The coffee will get diluted as you add the hot coffee over ice, but the flavor will be perfect since you brewed it double strength.

See this post for more details on how to make cold brew in a french press quickly.

Slow French Press Method (Overnight)

The easiest way to achieve cold brew coffee at home if you have a french press is to prepare a french press as you normally would, except use room temp or cold water and don’t push the plunger down. Store in the fridge overnight. In the morning, push the plunger down and you’ll have cold brew.

Bowl Method (Overnight)

For this method, you will simply place about 2 cups of coffee grounds in a bowl with about 8 cups of filtered water, cover and let it sit overnight. The next day, strain the coffee through a fine mesh strainer (twice if needed) and store your cold brew in a jug.

The Gadget Method (at least 8 hours)

Using a cold brew maker like this one enables you to make cold brew at home as well. It still takes at least 8 hours, but the user experience might be better than the other methods.

The Cold Brew Concentrate Method (Instant)

If you can afford to purchase cold brew already prepared and bottled for you, this is a great option for cold brew at home! The chameleon brand of cold brew is a great brand.

How to Make Salted Caramel Cold Foam Healthier

salted caramel cold foam cold brew coffee with festive red plates and chocolate covered espresso beans next to it

Make your own salted caramel sauce – making your own caramel sauce allows you to control all the ingredients that go into it. You don’t need to add all the fillers, preservatives, and unnecessary sugar.

Use a better sweetener – using a quality, natural sweetener instead of refined sugar will give you a healthier salted caramel cold foam. Avoid using refined cane sugar and shoot for unrefined cane sugar like this, or coconut sugar.

Use quality milk – Quality dairy is always a good idea. We are comfortable with drinking raw milk and cream so that’s what we shoot for, but do what you’re comfortable with. Just be sure the cows are pastured, even if you’re buying pasteurized milk.

Salted Caramel Cold Foam Variations

Milk substitutions

Below are all the milk options you could use for your salted caramel cold foams, however they’re listed in order of how well they will foam up based on the fat content in them. Heavy cream foams very well, however, nut milks just don’t.

Heavy cream
Half and half
Whole milk
Nut milks

Cold Foam Flavors

The flavors you could use for cold foam are truly endless, but here are a few ideas to jot your creativity!

Pumpkin
Chocolate
Brown sugar
Vanilla bean
Maple
Pecan pie

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(These affiliate links help to support this blog at no extra cost to you. Your support means the world to me!)

Immersion blender
Salted caramel sauce
Chameleon cold brew concentrate
Cold brew coffee gadget
French press
Unrefined cane sugar
Collagen powder
Berkey water filter (we use the Royal because we drink an insane amount of water!)

Thrive Market – 25% off & free gift! (where I get a ton of my ingredients)
Azure Standard: $25 off your order. Code kyrieluke1

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Shop for my six month meal plans here. These will help give you a restful dinner-time routine by giving you all your recipes laid out in a weekly meal plan format for 6 months.

Salted Caramel Cold Foam FAQ

What is in the Starbucks Caramel Cold Foam?

Starbucks uses cream, milk, vanilla syrup, caramel syrup, and salt to make their salted caramel cold foams. Many people choose to sub the vanilla syrup out for caramel though.

Is salted caramel cold foam sweet?

Yes, salted caramel cold foams are on the sweeter side. Since the drink uses a caramel sauce the drink will be sweet, however, you can make it less sweet if you’re making your own at home.

Is salted caramel cream cold foam good?

Salted caramel cold foam is delicious! It’s rich and butter with a velvety smooth texture.

Can I make cold foam without a French press or a handheld milk frother?

Yes, you can make your own cold foam without a frother or french press. You can use a whisk, blender, immersion blender, or electric mixer to create your own cold foam.

How do they make cold foam at Starbucks?

Starbucks uses their own special blender to make cold foam. The blender has disks that move in a certain way to create the velvety-rich foam.

Pin it For Later – Salted Caramel Cold Foam

recipe for salted caramel cold foam cold brew

Print the Salted Caramel Cold Foam Recipe

Kyrie | Healthfully Rooted Home

5 from 1 vote

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 5

Total Time 5

Course Appetizer, Breakfast, Drinks

Cuisine American

Servings 1 cold foam coffee

Calories 245 kcal

Equipment

1 immersion blender not required, but makes great frothy foam! See below for alternatives.

Ingredients

Salted Caramel Sauce

1 cup sugar I like unrefined cane sugar
1/4 cup filtered water
1/2 cup heavy cream
6 tbs salted butter
1 tsp sea salt scale back if you don't want it very salty.

Cold Foam Coffee

1/4 cup heavy cream can use a mix of cream and milk, or half-n-half, or whatever other kind of milk you'd like.
2 tbs salted caramel sauce using the recipe above, or store-bought
14 oz cold brew coffee see below for methods to making this.
1 scoop Collagen powder (optional secret ingredient) this makes the cold foam froth up so much better than without it! I think it's because the extra protein. It also adds extra health benefits to the drink! This is the one I use.

Instructions

Salted Caramel Sauce

Melt the water and sugar over medium high heat whisking to combine until chunks are gone.
Turn heat to medium-low and let the sugar cook (without whisking) until it reaches an amber color (if using unrefined cane sugar it’ll immediately turn this color so let it cook for about 3-5 min).
Turn heat to low and add the cream then whisk to combine.
Turn heat off and stir in the butter and sea salt until butter is melted and everything is combined. Sauce will thicken as it cools.
Transfer the caramel sauce to a jar for storing.

Cold Foam Coffee

Blend together the cream and caramel until you get nice froth. You can use a blender, immersion blender, or frother for this. To make it frothy be sure to lift the head of the immersion blender out of the liquid slightly while blending until you hear a hissing sound and continue to blend. (see tips below on how to get the foam just right for each method).
Drizzle some salted caramel sauce in the cup you're using to make your drink.
Add ice to a cup (if desired), then coffee, then pour your cold foam overtop.

Video

Notes

How to Store a Salted Caramel Cold Foam

Store your salted caramel cold foam in the fridge for up to 2 days. You can also store your cold foam cold brew already made in the fridge – see below for details.