Craving a sweet, chocolate topping for your drinks? Here’s how to make an easy homemade chocolate cold foam that tastes better than Starbucks. You can make it easily at home with just 2 ingredients and less than 5 minutes. You’ll feel like your own barista and make the most delicious drinks.

Here’s how to make a luscious chocolate cold foam at home!

What is Cold Foam?

In modern cafes, cold foam usually refers to a light and fluffy whipped cream topping used as a topper for cafe-style drinks. It’s basically adult whipped cream, haha.

It was popularized by Starbucks in 2018 with its sweet cream cold foam cold brew series. I’m sure that cold foam must have originated somewhere else, but I can confidently say Starbucks brought the sweet, fluffy topping to the masses and it spread like wildfire. Sweet cream cold foam is Starbucks’ most popular topping add-on.

Fast forward just 5 years, and cold foam is now so popular that it’s practically on every cafe menu. From sweet cold foam, and cream tops, to einspanners, people simply cannot resist its delicious pull.

There’s something irresistible about something sweet and creamy! Plus, I think people were looking for a cool alternative to whipped cream.

Is Cold Foam Just Whipped Cream?

In this recipe, cold foam and whipped cream share the same ingredients, but are whipped to different consistencies. Cold foam is basically a soft whipped cream, which is fluffy and slightly liquid, whereas whipped cream is stiff and rigid.

Another name for cold foam is a cream top. It’s thicker than sweet cream cold foam, smoother than whipped cream, and a nice medium between the two.

What is Chocolate Cold Foam?

Chocolate cold foam in this recipe is a lightly whipped chocolate cream, similar to a less stiff whipped cream. It’s soft, fluffy, and pourable, making the perfect drink topper. It’s normally made by whipping chocolate syrup and heavy cream until you get a fluffy texture.

Sometimes, people will also add a little bit of milk to make sweet cream cold foam, which is a lighter version of cold foam. This is also what Starbucks does for their cold foams.

What Does Chocolate Cold Foam Taste Like?

Chocolate cream cold foam has a nice touch of bitterness that makes it so addicting! It tastes like a light chocolate whipped cream, with a subtle hint of cocoa and the sweet cream. It’s not too dark or heavy, which makes it easy to drink or eat. It kind of reminds me of a light chocolate mousse!

Depending on how much chocolate you like, your foam can taste more chocolate forward.

Sometimes, people like adding a little bit of vanilla syrup or extract for an extra flavor boost.

Why Make Your Own Cold Foam?

Cold foam is seriously one of the easiest drink toppings to make at home and it’s also cheaper to make. You can save some money by making the cream top at home rather than buying it out.

For example, a pint of whipping cream is on average $5, and will make you 8 servings of cold foam, minimum. Cold foam at coffee shops can cost anywhere from $1-1.50 to add, while a homemade serving is around 63 cents. So, you’re saving at least 50% every time you make it!

Plus, everyone loves homemade whipped cream, and cold foam is just soft whipped cream (essentially.) You can also customize it to your taste easily and make it as chocolaty as you want.

What Chocolate To Use

To make chocolate cold foam, you can use cocoa powder, chocolate syrup, or melted chocolate. The easiest is chocolate syrup, which will give you the best texture and flavor. Chocolate syrup is just cocoa powder, water, and sugar reduced into a syrup. It’s the best option for a smooth, tasty cream! You just add it to your cream and whip away, no worries attached.

If you use actual chocolate for your cold foam, you can use milk, semi-sweet, or dark chocolate. You’ll want to melt the chocolate in hot cream first and then let it cool before mixing it with the cold cream. Milk chocolate will give you a sweeter cocoa flavor while dark chocolate packs more punch.

For cocoa powder, you can either go for regular cocoa powder or dutch processed cocoa powder, which is richer and darker. It’s also less bitter than regular cocoa powder and has much more of a chocolatey taste! If you whip it straight into your cream, it may have a grainy texture.

How to Make Chocolate Cold Foam

Here’s what you’ll need to make a great chocolate cold foam at home:

• 1 tsp chocolate syrup
• ¼ cup heavy cream
• 2 tbsp milk optional

Chocolate Cold Foam Recipe

1. Make or Buy Chocolate Syrup. Make your own chocolate syrup (use my easy chocolate syrup recipe) or buy it from the store.
2. Whip Cream. Add chocolate syrup and heavy cream to a tall cup or bowl, then whip until soft and fluffy. The cream should be double in size and still pourable. If using cocoa powder, sift it into the cream and whip. For melted chocolate, mix it with a little bit of hot cream, let it cool, then combine with cold cream and whip.
3. Serve and Enjoy!

Starbucks Chocolate Cold Foam Recipe

To recreate Starbucks’ chocolate cold foam, follow the exact same steps as above, but with these ingredients:

• 2 tsp chocolate malt powder
• 1/4 cup heavy cream
• 2 tbsp milk

How to Use Chocolate Cold Foam

Chocolate cold foam is a super versatile topping you can use in cafe drinks, desserts, and other sweet foods. Here are some amazing drinks to add this cold foam to:

• Chocolate cream cold brew
• Pink drink with chocolate cold foam
• Peppermint chocolate cold foam
• Dubai chocolate matcha latte (Must Try!)
• Chocolate matcha latte

Tips:

Here are some tips for making a great chocolate cold foam every time:

• Use an Electric Frother: While electric whisks are great for baking, you won’t need such a powerful and large tool for a single serving of cold foam. An electric frother is small enough to make a small serving of fluffy foam and perfect for mixing other drinks.
• Use Powdered Sugar: Have you ever made whipped cream with regular sugar and have it turn out grainy? That’s because the sugar doesn’t dissolve completely into the cream, so many bakers suggest using powdered sugar for ultra smooth cream.
• Substitute Chocolate Syrup with Chocolate Malt Powder: This is the secret ingredient Starbucks uses for all their chocolate foams. It gives their cold foam a signature flavor and you can use any chocolate malt powder you’d like (ex. Milo, Ovaltine, etc.) or use a mix of cocoa powder and malted milk powder.
• Accidental Whipped Cream: If you made whipped cream, add a little bit of cream and rewhip until you get the right consistency.