If you’re anything like me, iced coffee season is year-round—especially when there’s chocolate cold foam involved. This copycat Starbucks Chocolate Cream Cold Brew is one of my favorite ways to treat myself at home. It’s smooth, chocolatey, just the right amount of sweet, and so easy to whip up with simple ingredients.
The magic is in the cold foam: it’s light, creamy, and flavored with cocoa and malted milk powder, just like the Starbucks version. You can make it in less than five minutes, and it feels like a fancy coffee shop drink without the $6 price tag.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- It tastes like the real thing – thanks to the addition of malted milk powder, which adds that warm, slightly toasty depth Starbucks is known for.
- Customizable – want it stronger, sweeter, or less creamy? It’s easy to tweak.
- Quick and simple – no espresso machine or special syrups needed.
- Perfect texture – thick, silky cold foam that floats beautifully over iced cold brew.
What You’ll Need
For the Chocolate Cold Foam:
- Heavy cream + whole milk: This combo gives you that signature cold foam texture—rich but still pourable.
- Powdered malted milk: This is what gives Starbucks’ version its iconic flavor. I found mine at the grocery store near the hot chocolate mixes.
- Cocoa powder: Use unsweetened cocoa for a deep chocolate flavor.
- Granulated sugar: It adds a light sweetness and keeps the foam smooth.
- Vanilla extract: Just a splash adds warmth and rounds out the flavor.
For the Cold Brew Base:
- Cold brew coffee: Store-bought or homemade—whatever you love! You can also use iced coffee!
- Granulated sugar + vanilla extract: Stirred or shaken into the cold brew to give it a subtle sweetness and flavor boost. You can omit this if you prefer!
My Favorite Way to Serve It
I like to shake my cold brew with the sugar and vanilla extract in a cocktail shaker before pouring it over ice. It chills the coffee and gives it just a hint of frothiness—kind of like a shaken espresso vibe. But if you don’t feel like shaking anything before you’ve had caffeine (I get it), just stir everything together in your glass and top with the chocolate cold foam. It’s delicious either way.
Recipe Tips
- Use cold ingredients: Straight-from-the-fridge milk and cream froth much better than room temperature.
- Don’t over-froth: You want your foam thick and silky, but still pourable—not stiff like whipped cream.
- Customize the sweetness: You can add more or less sugar to the cold brew or foam depending on your taste.
- Make it your own: Try a sprinkle of cocoa powder or chocolate shavings on top for a little something extra.
- No malted milk powder? You can still make the foam without it—just use cocoa powder and a touch more sugar. It won’t be quite the same, but it’s still delicious.
Starbucks Copycat Chocolate Cream Cold Brew
Ingredients
For the cold foam:
- 2 tbsp heavy cream
- 2 tbsp whole milk
- 2 tsp malted milk powder
- 1 tsp cocoa powder
- 1 ½ tsp granulated sugar
- ¼ tsp vanilla extract
For the cold brew:
- 1 cup cold brew coffee
- 1 tsp granulated sugar
- ¼ tsp vanilla extract
- 1 cup ice
Instructions
For the cold brew:
- In a glass or cocktail shaker, combine cold brew coffee, granulated sugar, and vanilla extract and 1 cup of ice. Stir or shake until the sugar dissolves.Note: I like to pour the cold brew, sugar, and vanilla over ice in a cocktail shaker and shake it for 10–15 seconds until lightly frothy and chilled—it adds a smooth, aerated texture. But you can absolutely just stir everything together right in the glass if you prefer.
For the cold foam:
- In a small cup or frothing pitcher, combine the heavy cream, whole milk, powdered malted milk, cocoa powder, sugar, and vanilla extract.
- Use a handheld frother or small blender to froth the mixture for 15–30 seconds until it thickens into a silky, pourable foam.
- Pour the shaken or stirred cold brew into a glass of ice. Spoon or pour the chocolate cold foam on top. Serve immediately with a straw or sip lid.
Does Ovaltine chocolate malt count as malted milk?