Starbucks Vanilla Sweet Cream Cold Brew

Starbucks Vanilla Sweet Cream Cold Brew is a delicious iced coffee drink made with smooth, cold-brewed coffee and sweet vanilla cream. Rich, bold coffee, has a lovely froth with a delightful vanilla flavor, this is a must-try coffee drink. Save money and make this creamy coffee drink at home with my easy copycat recipe, you can find all the ingredients you need at your local grocery stores! 

homemade Starbucks vanilla sweet cream cold brew coffee drink.


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Starbucks Cold Brew with Vanilla Sweet Cream

Starbucks took its delicious cold-brewed coffee and topped it with sweet cream flavored with vanilla. The combination makes a rich and creamy iced coffee drink you’ll want to enjoy repeatedly.

But that can get expensive when getting it at the coffee shop. So why not save money and make it at home? And you don’t need to get big bottles of expensive store-bought coffee syrup either.

All you need to do is make simple vanilla syrup, mix it with milk and cream, and have homemade vanilla sweet cream.

Then you’ll add that to cold brew coffee, which is also super easy to make. Just steep coffee grounds in cold water overnight. Find out more in my thorough guide on how to make cold brew coffee.

closeup of a homemade Starbucks vanilla sweet cream cold brew coffee drink.

Why You Should Try This Recipe

Try this easy Starbucks copycat recipe to make a cold coffee drink, that tastes just like a Starbucks barista made it. It is effortless to make cold brew. We will show you how to make that sweet cream mixture into a lovely sweet cold foam. You can buy “so-called” cans of cold foam in the grocery store, but it isn’t as good as what you can prepare. The store-bought creamer with a handheld milk frother isn’t as airy as you whip up at home. 

How to Make Cold Brew at Home

You can buy premade cold brew concentrate in the store, but it’s much cheaper to make it yourself. There are all sorts of specialized cold brew makers, but you only need a large container, some coffee, and a way to strain it. The secret to making a good quality cold brew rich without a hint of bitterness is choosing the proper ground, amount of coffee, and brewing time.

Ideally, you should use coarsely ground coffee. A coarser ground is much easier to filter out, giving you a strong brew without over-extracting. If the store where you buy your coffee beans grinds it fresh, ask for a French press ground or number seven.

You can use the same coffee you use for your automatic drip machine, but you will have to reduce the brewing time to about eight hours, and you shouldn’t expect as rich of a flavor.

Brewing time can range from 12 – 24 hours based on how strong you want your coffee. It is good to start with an extraction time of 12 hours and increase it if it isn’t strong enough.

Cold brew systems have built-in filters, but if you make your coffee in a jar or other container, you’ll have to figure out another way to filter the grounds. Try straining with a permanent pour-over filter, cheesecloth, fine mesh tea strainer, or even through several layers of paper towel.

Vanilla Sweet Cream Cold Brew Recipe Ingredients

Here’s a list of what you need:

  • Coarsely ground coffee
  • Water
  • Sugar 
  • Vanilla extract
  • 2% milk 
  • Heavy cream
Starbucks vanilla sweet cream cold brew coffee drink ingredients.

How to Make Starbucks Sweet Cream

The Starbucks sweet cream recipe is just a mixture of vanilla simple syrup, heavy cream, and 2% milk. It’s much better than any creamer at the grocery store.

To make own vanilla simple syrup:

  1. Add one teaspoon to each cup of simple syrup. If you don’t have any simple syrup, you can make it by mixing two cups of white sugar with water in a small saucepan.
  2. Bring to a boil slowly while continuously stirring.
  3. Once the sugar dissolves, remove the saucepan from the heat. When the simple syrup is at room temperature, stir in one tablespoon of vanilla extract.
  4. Please note: you will not use all of the homemade vanilla syrup in the recipe; you will have plenty left over.

Tips for Making, Serving, and Storing This Starbucks Vanilla Sweet Cream Recipe

  • Substitute half and half for the heavy whipping cream and milk mixture. You probably won’t taste that much of a difference.
  • Add a dollop of whipped cream. For an even more indulgent presentation, crumble a vanilla wafer on top.
  • Keep any leftovers in the fridge. Extra vanilla simple syrup in the fridge for up to six months, while you should drink your cold brew coffee within a week.

Check out more of our favorite Starbucks recipes on our Youtube channel.

How to Make Starbucks Vanilla Sweet Cream Cold Brew

  1. Pour water into a French press or large jar.
water in a French press.
  1. Add coffee grounds.
a scoop of coffee grounds over a French press.
water and coffee grounds in a French press.
  1. Steep for 12 hours and then strain out the coffee grounds.
cold brew coffee in a French press.
  1. Make a batch of vanilla simple syrup, pour it into a jar, and let it cool to room temperature or cooler.
vanilla coffee syrup cooking in a pan.
vanilla coffee syrup in a mason jar
  1. Whisk or stir together milk, cream, and vanilla syrup to make vanilla sweet cream.
vanilla sweet cream mixture and a whisk in a bowl
  1. Fill a tall glass with ice and add cold coffee and then vanilla sweet cream.
pouring vanilla sweet cream into a glass with cold brew coffee and ice.

Go to the recipe card to get the full recipe.

Starbucks Vanilla Sweet Cream Cold Foam

It’s easy to make the fluffy, creamy, and sweet vanilla foam topping you can get on some Starbucks drinks. Here’s how:

Combine 1/4 cup of milk, one tablespoon of powdered sugar, and 1/4 teaspoon of vanilla extract in a glass measuring cup. Use a frother or immersion blender to blend and whip the mixture until it has a foamy consistency and texture. Pour your copycat Starbucks cold foam on top of your drink.

See our recommended coffee products to make coffee-house quality drinks at home.

Love Starbucks Drinks? Try these copycat recipes!

Do you enjoy an espresso drink, lattes, and other coffee drinks at Starbucks? Here are some popular copycat recipes:

More Fast Food Copycat Drink Recipes

Check out my easy drink recipes and the best Starbucks copycat recipes here on CopyKat!

homemade Starbucks vanilla sweet cream cold brew coffee drink.

Starbucks Vanilla Sweet Cream Cold Brew

You can make Starbucks Vanilla Sweet Cream Cold Brew Coffee Drink at home with this easy copycat recipe.
5 from 53 votes
Print Pin Rate Add to Collection
Course: Drinks
Cuisine: American
Keyword: Starbucks Recipes, Vanilla Sweet Cream Cold Brew
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 5 minutes
Steep: 12 hours
Total Time: 12 hours 15 minutes
Servings: 1
Calories: 214kcal

Ingredients

Cold Brew Coffee

  • 16 ounces water
  • 1/2 cup coarsely ground coffee

Vanilla Sweet Cream

  • 2 cups sugar
  • 1 cup water
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
  • ½ cup 2% milk
  • ½ cup heavy cream

Instructions

Cold Brew Coffee Directions

  • Use either a French press or a large mason jar, add 16 ounces of water to the vessel.
  • Add 1/2 cup of coarsely ground coffee.
  • Place a lid on the container and refrigerate for at least 12 hours.
  • After 12 hours, separate the coffee from the grounds. If using a French press, press down the plunger and pour off the water.
  • If you are using a Mason jar, pour the coffee through a coffee filter.
  • Store cold brew coffee in the refrigerator.

Vanilla Sweet Cream Directions

  • Prepare vanilla syrup by combining 2 cups of sugar and 1 cup of water in a small saucepan.
  • Bring the mixture to a boil and cook just until the sugar dissolves.
  • Remove the saucepan from the stove and let the sugar syrup cool to room temperature.
  • Stir in vanilla. Store this vanilla syrup in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
  • Make the vanilla sweet cream by combining the 2% milk, heavy cream, and 2 tablespoons of the prepared vanilla syrup in a small bowl. Stir well.
  • If you do not use all of it immediately, store it in an airtight container in your refrigerator.

Vanilla Sweet Cream Cold Brew Directions

  • Fill a tall glass with ice.
  • Add cold brew coffee.
  • Add sweet cream.

Video

Notes

Please note, that you will have extra vanilla syrup and extra sweet cream. 

  • Please store the vanilla syrup in the refrigerator. It will last for about 2 weeks. The vanilla makes about 20 servings of vanilla extract (1 tablespoon per serving.) 
  • Please store the sweet cream in the refrigerator. It will last for 3 to 4 days.  The sweet cream is about 8 servings (2 tablespoons per serving.)
A serving size represents a single serving and is not reflective of the entire recipe for vanilla syrup and sweet cream. 

Equipment

Nutrition

Calories: 214kcal | Carbohydrates: 26g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 12g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 43mg | Sodium: 49mg | Potassium: 66mg | Sugar: 26g | Vitamin A: 467IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 69mg | Iron: 1mg

About Stephanie Manley

I recreate your favorite restaurant recipes, so you can prepare these dishes at home. I help you cook dinner, and serve up dishes you know your family will love. You can find most of the ingredients for all of the recipes in your local grocery store.

Stephanie is the author of CopyKat.com's Dining Out in the Home, and CopyKat.com's Dining Out in the Home 2.

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Gage

    Thank you for this recipe. The recipe calls for 1/2 cup of 2%milk and 1/2 cup of heavy cream. Would it be the same to use 1 cup of half and half? Also, I’m curious if using a vanilla syrup such as Torani could be used? It’s a fairly simple recipe, but I’m lazy 🙂 and looking for any additional shortcuts I can find. Ha!

  2. Ana

    Yeah… I messed up and didn’t read the directions. I just put everything in a mason jar and added as much sugar as I thought was sweet enough 🤦🏻‍♀️ that’s what I get for assuming and not reading. It still tastes pretty good though 😂 I’m gonna try again the right way. Oops

  3. Kesha Goodman

    I LOVE this drink at Starbucks. However, I had to stop drinking it because I went to decaf coffee and this isn’t made decaf there. But I bought my own cold brew coffee maker and have been making decaf cold brew. This recipe for the sweet cream is perfect since now I can make my own at home and still skip the caffeine. Thank you!

  4. Kristi Ambrose

    Glad I read the notes haha. I was like WHAT? TWO CUPS OF SUGAR FOR ONE CUP OF COFFEE!?!?!?

    *breathes*

    I’m good. I’m gonna try this this week! i’ve been drinking their Nitro Vanilla Sweet Cream and it’s so good!

  5. Sarah Robertson

    5 stars
    I’m huge fan of cold brew. However, I also really enjoy an iced white chocolate mocha with the sweet vanilla cold foam on top. So I just made the sweet cream and frothed it up in my milk frother for cold foam and it worked wonderfully. I’ll probably make cold brew later this year cuz it’s my summer drink. Really good vanilla sweet cream recipe. I just doubled the simply syrup in the cream cuz I really enjoy it sweet

    • Stephanie Manley

      I have to be honest with you, I don’t know anything about making simple syrups with stevia/truvia. I don’t know if they get thick once you heat them up. I think it would work, you could get the sweet in there this way.

      • Kristi Ambrose

        I’m not trying to hijack your thread, but yes she can. To anyone else:

        Stevia SS
        https://happyfoodhealthylife.com/stevia-simple-syrup/

        Truvia SS:
        https://www.truvia.com/recipes/truvia-simple-syrup

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