Froth Your Favorite Flavored Coffee Creamer Even If You Don't Have The Proper Tools

If you're suffering from a case of MFE — that's Major Froth Envy, a common condition brought on by watching influencers pour silky foam from their $600 Breville espresso machines — you're not alone. The good news? You can get the same café-style froth without any fancy equipment. You just need your favorite coffee creamer, a clean glass jar with a lid, and a little elbow grease to give things a good one-minute shake. 

Start with your creamer fresh from the fridge — bonus points if your glass jar and its lid have had a chance to chill too. Keeping all elements cold gives you more time to create a stable foam that's light, smooth, and velvety. Pour your creamer no more than halfway up your glass jar to allow enough room for it double in volume, then screw the lid on tight, and shake, shake, shake — shake your creamer! (Get it, like that one song?) Shake vigorously for at least 45 seconds; a full minute or longer will give you an even more stable foam. Once your creamer has transformed into a fluffy foam, remove the lid and either gently pour the foam directly over a cold beverage such as a freshly brewed cold brew, or pop the jar in the microwave for 30 to 45 seconds to spoon on top of a hot cup of black coffee or tea. Microwaving the foam not only keeps it from cooling down your hot beverage, but also stabilizes it more.

While this frothing method works with almost any cream, milk, or dairy alternative, flavored coffee creamers tend to perform exceptionally well for two reasons. First, their fat and milk protein content — mainly casein — creates ideal stability, texture, and richness for froth. Second, many creamers include emulsifiers (like soy or sunflower lecithin, polysorbates, and mono- and diglycerides) and stabilizers (like gums or carrageenan). Though sometimes controversial, these additives actually help your creamer hold air and create a smoother, longer-lasting froth. Since most coffee creamers don't actually contain real cream, nearly all of them rely on these ingredients to get that luscious texture.

If you prefer real dairy in your cup, you're still in luck. Milk and cream with moderate to high fat and protein, like whole milk, half-and-half, or heavy cream, also froth beautifully. Whole milk offers the best balance of fat and protein for a soft, stable foam, while heavier options create thicker, denser bubbles. Low-fat or nonfat milk will still foam, but it tends to deflate faster.

The same goes for plant-based milks, as barista blends often contain emulsifiers and stabilizers that mimic dairy's frothing magic, while varieties naturally higher in fat and protein like soy milk also foam well. If your plant-based milk has none of the above, you can always try the oil hack that makes your plant-based milk froth better. With just a jar, some creamer, and serious shaking skills, you'll skip the $600 frother and cure that Major Froth Envy.