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Cold coffee drinks are seeing a renaissance. From the delectably bubbly nitro cold brew and viral blended frappuccino recipes, your iced beverages are ready for an upgrade.
What makes cold foam so special is it gives you some of the benefits of a hot drink without changing temperature. Cold foam feels and tastes delicious dolloped over a cold brew, poured over iced coffee, or even as its own drink. If you’re unfamiliar with what goes into making cold foam or which drinks would suit you best, we’ll get you started.
We’re going to look at the best cold foam Starbucks drinks below. We’ll break down what makes each recipe stand out as well as the calorie, sugar, and fat count. For extra flavor, we’ll even recommend a few food pairings!
Differences Between Whipped Cream and Cold Foam Cream
These two coffee ingredients seem similar on the surface they both use a base of milk fat and have a fluffy, creamy constitution.
The difference lies in their fat and sugar percentage. Whipped cream hovers between 30% to 35% fat, while cold foam cream has around 36% fat. Although cold foam cream uses nonfat milk and syrups for flavor, it also uses heavy cream to get a thicker result.
To note: the calorie, sugar, and fat counts below are the standard recipes without the cold foam. An average dollop of cold foam will hover between 30 to 35 calories.
The 7 Top Cold Foam Starbucks Drinks
1. Brown Sugar Oat Milk Shaken Espresso
This charming-sounding drink is the result of Starbucks’s collaboration with oat milk manufacturer Oatly. This drink has regularly enjoyed the attention for its molasses-like flavor and incredibly creamy texture.
Oat milk is one of the most popular dairy alternatives due to its silky consistency and faintly nutty flavor. This recipe stacks espresso shots, brown sugar, and cinnamon over ice. The final touch is the cold foam cream you’ve heard so much about.
Since this drink is smooth and cold, it’ll wash down a hot sandwich or toasted bagel nicely.
- Calories: 100 to 190
- Sugar Count: 9g to 18g
- Fat Count: 2.5g to 5g
2. Vanilla Sweet Cream Nitro Cold Brew
This tasty recipe gives you a two-for-one deal. Since nitro cold brew already comes with a fizzy head, you’ll enjoy an especially creamy cold drink with a dollop of foam.
Starbucks uses a specialty blend flavored with vanilla to give this drink some serious flavor. Not content to end there, the recipe comes with a splash of their vanilla sweet cream mix.
Depending on the milk you choose for your cold foam, you could enjoy a wide range of fun combos. Coconut milk could give your drink even more sweetness, while almond milk will add a nutty contrast.
- Calories: 90 to 220
- Sugar Count: 9g to 23g
- Fat Count: 5g to 11g
3. Cold Foam Cascara Cold Brew
If you still crave the velvety fizz of a can of beer, the Cold Foam Cascara Cold Brew is a must-try item. Cascara has been rising in popularity as a coffee alternative that still comes from the coffee bean!
More specifically, cascara is the fruit pulp encasing the coffee seed. Starbucks created a cascara syrup with notes of maple and molasses, blending in vanilla syrup and cold brew for a truly spectacular combo. All of this is tossed over ice with the final touch a hearty helping of cold foam.
Despite so many ingredients, this drink is still fat-free.
- Calories: 50 to 130
- Sugar Count: 11g to 28g
- Fat Count: 0
4. Chai Tea Latte
Chai tea is a highly versatile base that’s enjoyed hot, cold, or with a little cold foam. As such, the ingredients here won’t be totally unique – the only real difference is the cold foam addition.
If you want to explore other flavor avenues, consider adding pumpkin spice. This ingredient is practically synonymous with the Starbucks experience, though chai tea already has many savory flavors.
Whatever you choose, your breakfast sandwich or soft pretzel will taste that much better!
- Calories: 180 to 350
- Sugar Count: 31g to 61g
- Fat Count: 3g to 6g
5. Honey Almond Milk Nitro Cold Brew
Since cold brew leans toward robust and chocolatey flavors, this recipe adds some much-needed balance for coffee drinkers. The honey and almond flavors relax this drink and make it almost tea-like.
Keep in mind this drink is loaded with caffeine, so resist the urge to sip it for dessert. We recommend keeping this menu item for breakfast or lunch, particularly with savory items.
The interplay of nuttiness and sweetness will give you a great flavor contrast, while the early hour will let you wind down at night.
- Calories: 30 to 50
- Sugar Count: 5g to 10g
- Fat Count: 0.5g
6. London Fog Tea Latte
If you’d like to go straight for the actual tea, the London Fog Tea Latte is a popular choice for the cold weather. This mysterious-sounding drink usually uses a base of Earl Gray tea with steamed milk.
To go for the cold variety, order an iced London Fog and ask for a topping of cold foam. Lacking the bite of espresso and sugary syrup, this famous drink offers a soothing blend of lavender, bergamot, and vanilla. This is the kind of menu item you curl up with in the corner to forget about the world for a little while.
Try the cold foam variety with hot soup, a grilled sandwich, or a similarly comforting lunch item.
- Calories: 90 to 230
- Sugar Count: 15g to 37g
- Fat Count: 2g to 5g
7. Dragon Drink
This vivid menu item immediately stands out for its fuschia color and fantastical name. The Dragon Drink is a sweet-and-fruity punch that’s vegan, low on calories, and delicious.
The recipe comes with juicy mango, a coconut milk base, and slices of dragonfruit. Since it already comes iced, all you have to do is add a dollop of cold foam on top. Consider a coconut-based cold foam to line up with the recipe’s careful balance of tropical and tart flavors.
The Dragon Drink tastes even more fresh paired with pasta or a leafy salad.
- Calories: 110 to 270
- Sugar Count: 18g to 46g
- Fat Count: 2g to 6g
Cold Foam Starbucks Drinks – FAQs
Need a little more help in figuring out the new cold foam wave? We have answers to common questions on Starbucks cold foam drinks below.
Can I Use Non-Dairy Options for Cold Foam?
Absolutely! Baristas can make cold foam with dairy alternatives like soy, rice, oat, or almond milk.
It’s important to note that each alternative will have a slightly different consistency to dairy milk due to reduced fat.
What Milk is Best For Cold Foam?
While all milk alternatives will taste delicious, not all options will produce a thick and fluffy consistency. For the creamiest cold foam, try coconut, oat, or soy milk.
Is Cold Foam Just Whipped Cream?
Whipped cream and cold foam are similar, but have a key difference: the former uses heavy whipping cream while cold foam uses milk.
