How To Make Coconut Milk Cold Foam Like A Pro Barista!

I can say one thing from the bottom of my heart and the very soul of my coffee-loving taste buds: there are very few things better or more delicious than coconut milk cold foam in your cup of coffee.

It’s a vegan milk that everyone will enjoy – regardless of dietary requirements and word to the wise, canned coconut cream is a perfectly good option as long as it has not been watered down with coconut water.

Keep reading as we detail coconut milk cold foam and give you an excellent recipe that you can use and make it at home!

Coconut Cold Foam Starbucks

Cold foams at Starbucks are fluffy, long-lasting and absolutely amazing and matched their cold brew and Frappuccino incredibly well for an amazing coffee.

Unfortunately, you can’t get a coconut cold foam at Starbucks…Yet. I have seen it in their Starbucks outlets in Vietnam, but that is expected as Ca Phe Dua, a coconut coffee with a rather tasty super cold, semi iced coconut cold foam.

I suspect that Starbucks makes an exception in Vietnam due to it being a popular local request.

Read: Starbucks Irish cream cold brew hack

How To Make Coconut Milk Cold Foam At Home

Making coconut milk cold foam is very easy, and it makes for one amazing cup of coffee.

Ingredients Required

• 1 cup of heavy whipping cream.
• 1/2 cup of coconut milk. Canned coconut milk is fine; shake it well before opening.
• 1 tablespoon of white sugar (optional), better coconut sugar.

Read: How to make cold foam at home

Directions And Instructions How To Use The Ingredients

Add all the ingredients into a blender for 2 to 3 minutes; and keep the mixer running for a little longer if you want thicker foam. If you want a more liquid consistency, mix for a shorter period of time.

I like to mix until there are foamy peaks when the paddles are removed.

Pro Tip: Cool your blender in the freezer will produce a more abundant foam.

Recipe Notes

You absolutely must use heavy whipping cream. If you are not getting results with it and your blender is getting you that thick lush cream that you want, you can experiment by adding sweetened condensed milk to thicken it up.

Trial and error with the amount needed is your best friend.

How Do You Froth Coconut Milk Without A Frother?

Frothing your coconut milk without a milk frother pitcher or an electric milk frother is very easy. You can use the Italian Shakerato technique and pour your coconut milk into a cocktail shaker or a mason jar and shake it strongly and continuously for a minute or two.

You can also use your French press and fill it about 1/3 full of coconut milk and pump the plunger until you get high quality coconut milk foam.

The best results are achieved when you use ice-cold equipment.

Read: How to make cold foam

Non Dairy Cold Foam Starbucks

At this moment in time, there is no non-dairy cold foam option at Starbucks on their menu. You can, however, hack the menu, and you can order almond milk and oat milk and request them as cold foam options.

Have a very good look at the menu, the ingredients that they have and order your drink accordingly as they do have plant-based milk options and nut based milks that you can ask to use as the cold foam in your cold brew coffee or any other coffee that you order.

If you want to get fancy, you can look at what syrups they have and use those to flavor your non-dairy cold foam.

To ensure that you can get quality cold foam from almond milk, ask if it has higher fat content than regular almond milk or is of a barista version for coffee, which if it is, it is likely to have higher fat content than your run-of-the-mill shelf-stable almond milk.

Frequently Asked Questions About Coconut Milk Cold Foam

How Do You Froth Cold Coconut Milk?

Frothing cold coconut milk is easy and can be frothed in a few ways. If you are using a handheld frother, put your ingredients in a jar and froth until you see a thick foam forming. If you have an automatic milk frother, put your cold coconut milk inside it and let it froth until it is nice and thick.

You can also froth it using a French press. Fill your French press 1/3 full of coconut milk and pump the plunger to aerate the coconut milk until it froths.

Can You Make Froth With Coconut Milk?

Yes, you can make froth with coconut milk. It is high in healthy fats which help to create good quality foam. You can make your froth in a number of different ways. 

Can You Foam Coconut Cream?

It depends. If your coconut cream is not mixed with coconut juice or coconut water of any description, you can make a high-quality and rather tasty foam. Due to coconut milk being thick and creamy and having as much fat content as regular dairy milk, it is very easy to produce a foam of high quality.

Does Starbucks Have Vegan Cold Foam?

Yes, you have some vegan options for your cold foam at Starbucks. They can easily make you a rather tasty oat milk cold foam which is an amazing choice of milk for any cup of coffee. It is probably the best cold foam without coconut milk that you will find at any gourmet coffee shop.

Many independent coffee shops use barista blend plant milk like Oatly or the well respected plant-based barista milk that is available from Califia Farms.

Can You Froth Coconut Milk In Nespresso Frother?

Yes, just seal your Aeroccino with the lid then press the button on the front to heat and froth your coconut milk. Your coconut milk should be ready in a few seconds.

Can You Use Coconut Milk For Cold Foam?

Yes, coconut milk can be used for making a very delicious, tasty and cold foam. Make sure that you use the whole fat version or the cream as the higher fat content will help to make a better quality cold foam.

Don’t worry, the fat is healthy medium chain triglycerides and very good for your health.

Can You Make Milk Foam With Coconut Milk?

Yes, you can make milk foam with coconut milk. I suggest that you don’t use canned coconut milk and use a carton of coconut milk, more specifically barista coconut milk, as it is specially made for coffee drinks.

Regular alternative milks usually curdle or don’t foam and froth so well.

What Alternative Milk Is Best For Cold Foam?

In my opinion, coconut cream and coconut milk are the best alternative milks to use for cold foam. Other delicious options you have are almond milk, cashew milk, oat milk and soy milk.

Always use barista versions for coffee to avoid the problem of your alternative milk curdling when steaming and foaming.

Final Thought – Coconut Milk Cold Foam 

It is very easy to make an excellent coconut milk cold foam at home and enjoy the rich creamy taste by just using a few simple ingredients. Don’t forget to adjust the recipe to your own personal taste.

Personally, I love adding sweetened condensed milk to get a thicker, creamy foam texture. Let us know how you adjust yours and how it turned out.

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Derek Marshall

Derek Marshall is a coffee expert and a Specialty Coffee Association Certified barista holding the professional certification for coffee brewing and barista skills. He has 20+ years experience of working in specialty coffee shops. He has several authoritative books published about coffee covering topics of specialty coffee, sustainability and coffee, coffee brewing, coffee recipes, coffee cocktails and books focusing on Brazilian coffee, Vietnamese coffee, Indonesian coffee and Malaysian coffee. His experience as a barista covers 2 decades and counting of working in specialty coffee shops in the United Kingdom, Spain, Thailand, Malaysia, Cambodia. Indonesia and Vietnam. He has deep knowledge of the unique coffee culture in each of these nations and specialty beverages requested and brewing techniques and equipment. As a coffee consultant he commands US$50 per hour. Learn more about Derek Marshall and Latte Love Brew by checking his About Me Page. If you have any questions about coffee, give him a call on +34-639-410-375 or drop him an email Derek@LatteLoveBrew.com. Please state your name and where you are from.