Recipes
Salted Caramel Cold Foam Coffee
This recipe makes one 14-ounce iced coffee topped with a pourable salted caramel cold foam.
This recipe makes one 14-ounce iced coffee topped with a pourable salted caramel cold foam. The coffee stays mostly unsweetened, so the caramel topping remains distinct instead of turning the entire glass into dessert.
Ingredients
Quick caramel mixture
- 1 tablespoon store-bought caramel sauce
- 2 teaspoons warm water
- 1 small pinch fine sea salt
Cold foam
- 1/4 cup very cold 2% milk
- 2 teaspoons quick caramel mixture
Coffee
- 5 ounces chilled strong coffee or cold brew
- 1/3 cup cold milk, optional
- 1 cup ice
Starbucks’ at-home salted caramel foam recipe uses 3/4 cup milk, 1 tablespoon caramel sauce, and a pinch of sea salt. The smaller formula here is designed as a topping for one glass, not a copy of that full serving.
Make the caramel easier to disperse
Stir the caramel sauce, warm water, and salt until smooth. Taste a drop. Salt intensity varies by crystal size and caramel brand; add another tiny pinch only after tasting.
The water makes a thick sauce easier to measure into cold milk. It also leaves about one teaspoon for adjusting the finished drink.
Froth the topping
Combine 1/4 cup cold 2% milk with 2 teaspoons caramel mixture in a container at least twice the liquid’s volume. Froth with a handheld wand for 20–30 seconds, keeping the whisk near the surface once small bubbles appear.
For a no-frother method, shake the cold mixture in a tightly sealed jar for 30–45 seconds. Open the jar over the sink. Never shake hot liquid in a sealed container.
Stop when the foam is expanded, finely bubbled, and still pourable. This is not whipped cream; stiff peaks are unnecessary.
Assemble the coffee
- Fill a 14-ounce glass with ice.
- Pour in 5 ounces chilled strong coffee.
- Add 1/3 cup milk if you want a lighter base, or leave it out for a stronger coffee contrast.
- Pour the foam slowly across the ice.
- Taste before adding the reserved caramel mixture.
Sip through the foam first, then stir. That sequence preserves the salty-sweet contrast while preventing the last part of the drink from becoming concentrated.
Control the three competing flavors
Too salty: Make a second unsalted half-batch of foam and combine it with the first. Adding more caramel alone can make the drink sweeter without restoring balance.
Too sweet: Keep the coffee base unsweetened and reduce caramel in the next foam to 1 1/2 teaspoons. A darker or stronger coffee can provide contrast but will not remove sugar.
Caramel sinks: Thin the sauce completely before frothing, and avoid drizzling thick caramel directly onto the foam. Some settling is normal as the drink sits.
Foam collapses: Start with colder milk, use a narrower container, and keep the frother close to the surface. Do not keep adding caramel; this recipe’s topping ratio is already sweeter than plain cold foam.
Plant-milk option
Use a plant milk labeled for barista or foaming use. Oat milk usually gives more body than a thin almond beverage, but formulations vary. Keep the same caramel quantity, judge the result by texture rather than the clock, and serve it even if the topping remains lightly foamed.
Check that the caramel sauce fits your dietary needs; some products contain dairy even when the drink base does not.
Hot-coffee variation
Cold foam is designed for a cold drink. For hot coffee, skip the foam and stir 2 teaspoons caramel mixture into the cup, then add warmed milk. Putting a cold topping onto hot coffee quickly removes the texture that makes this recipe distinct.
Food-safety boundary
Use pasteurized milk and return it to the refrigerator promptly. FDA guidance keeps refrigerators at 40°F or below and limits perishable food at room temperature to two hours, or one hour when the air temperature is above 90°F. Make this small foam batch for immediate service.
Sources
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