Turn Coffee Creamer Into Barista-Style Cold Foam In Minutes

Cold foam brought more than a velvety touch to iced lattes when it arrived on the coffee scene. It reopened a world of coffee toppings to everyone who skipped the whip for a lighter drink. Most often made with whipped nonfat milk instead of heavy cream, cold foam generally has about half the fat and as little as zero of the sugar in whipped cream. As it's gained popularity, of course, ingredients have changed. Starbucks introduced brown sugar-flavored cold foam in May and you can buy cold foam in flavors like caramel and vanilla, too. There are even dairy-free alternatives you can whip up almost instantly. Luckily, you can also make cold foam at home using a few different methods — and one of the easiest ways to make barista-style cold foam is using the coffee creamer that's probably already in your fridge.

Matt Woodburn-Simmonds is the founder of Home Coffee Expert. Speaking exclusively with The Takeout, he explained that the process of converting coffee creamer to cold foam isn't that complicated; you just need the right tools and 30 to 60 seconds of frothing time to work some barista-style magic. "You can easily create barista-style cold foam by using an immersion blender or a handheld milk frother to aerate your creamer into a fluffy foam and then add to your coffee," he said. "You can also use a French press to do this, adding the creamer to the empty French press, then rapidly moving the plunger up and down through the creamer to create the foam."

It's easy to upgrade your homemade coffee creamer cold foam and save money on a daily visit to the coffee shop. Add depth to your cold foam by using flavored coffee creamers (Topping our vanilla coffee creamer ranking, you'll find Chobani Vanilla Coffee Creamer), or control the amount of sugar and processed ingredients and add sweetness yourself. Matt Woodburn-Simmonds suggests simple syrup for a touch of sweetness that isn't overpowering, and tapping into the wealth of store-bought coffee and cocktail syrups for extra layers of flavor. Maple syrup is perfect for sweetening coffee and will also add a comforting note to homemade cold foam. Honey is also a great alternative to sugar-loaded sweeteners for those who want to keep their coffee sweetener on the natural side.

"Nut and sweet spice [flavored syrups], such as cinnamon and vanilla, are firm favorites for a reason. They work extremely well with the natural profile of roasted coffee beans," Woodburn-Simmonds said. "Berries such as strawberry and raspberry also pair beautifully with iced coffee, though it feels a little more like you're drinking as a dessert."