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Take your coffee game up a notch with this my copycat Starbucks salted caramel cream cold brew recipe. It’s light, creamy, and sweetened with a touch of caramel.
Buzzing for more coffee recipes? Try my coffee protein shake, nitro cold brew, bulletproof coffee, and peanut butter coffee next.
There was a time when I only drank coffee black or with a dash of cream. Then, my friend introduced me to Starbucks cold foam, and I couldn’t believe what I had been missing.
After many cold foam coffees, I’m finally ready to cut ties with Starbucks and start making my favorite signature Starbucks drinks at home. Today, we’re tackling my current obsession: salted caramel cold brew!
Table of Contents
Why I love this recipe
- Affordable. I can’t believe people willingly fork out over $8 for a grande. My homemade version? Less than 40 cents a pop!
- Diet-friendly. Effortlessly cut the dairy and or carbs with simple swaps.
- Low-calorie. A traditional Starbucks version has close to 350 calories in it. This homemade version has just 60 calories, making it a fantastic low-calorie Starbucks drink.
- A quick and easy recipe. It’s ready in under a minute, so you can whip it up the moment you crave it.
★★★★★ REVIEW
“Just made this and it is SO much better than Starbucks.” – Suzanne
Ingredients needed
- Caramel syrup. I used store-bought caramel syrup, but you can make your own. Half of the syrup will be blended into the cold brew and the other half will be blended with the cream for the rich cold foam topping.
- Cold brew. Skip the expensive bottled cold brew you can find at some grocery stores and make your own with ground coffee, cold water, and vanilla.
- Ice. This is NOT the coffee beverage you should enjoy warm.
- Cold foam. A mix of heavy cream, caramel syrup, and salt.
How to make salted caramel cream cold brew
I’ve included step-by-step photos below to make this recipe easy to follow at home. For the full printable recipe instructions and ingredient quantities, scroll to the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
Step 1- Make the caramel cold brew coffee. In a glass mason jar, whisk together half the caramel syrup and the cold brew. Pour the mixture into two glasses filled with ice.
Step 2- Make the cold foam. Add the caramel syrup and cream to a bowl. Using a handheld milk frother, beat together until smooth and fluffy. Pour the cold foam over each large glass, sprinkle with salt, and serve immediately.
Arman’s recipe tips
- Save time. Make the caramel cold brew and the cold foam ahead of time and store each separately in airtight containers. Before serving, re-blend the cold foam until fluffy.
- Don’t have cold brew? That’s okay! You can use cold coffee. Just know the flavor won’t quite be the same since iced coffee doesn’t have the same flavor as a super-smooth cold brew.
- Taste as you go, and adjust sweetness as needed.
Variations
- Make it vegan. Use coconut cream and vegan caramel.
- Cut the carbs. Use sugar-free caramel syrup.
- Make it decaf. Use decaffeinated coffee in your cold brew coffee recipe.
- Substitute the caramel. If you have other types of syrup around (like vanilla syrup or chocolate syrup), you can easily swap the caramel syrup for a different flavor.
Frequently asked questions
This beverage tastes like a caramel flavored iced coffee, but with a more intense coffee flavor.
Traditionally, cold brew is stronger than an Americano or long black. Per one cup serving, there is approximately 125 milligrams of caffeine compared to a standard espresso shot which has 80 milligrams of caffeine.
In my homemade version, there are just 59 calories each. A typical grande from Starbucks has 350 calories.
More Starbucks copycat recipes you’ll enjoy
- Caramel ribbon crunch frappuccino
- Almond milk hot chocolate
- Keto pumpkin spice latte
- Peppermint mocha
Salted Caramel Cream Cold Brew
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon caramel syrup
- 2 cups cold brew
- 1 cup ice
For the salted caramel cream foam
- 2 tablespoons heavy cream
- 1 tablespoon caramel syrup
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- In a glass jar, whisk together half the caramel syrup with the cold brew. Pour into two glasses filled with ice.
- To make the cold brew foam, add the caramel syrup and heavy cream in a large bowl. Using a hand mixer, beat them together until smooth and fluffy. Pour the caramel sweet cream over the top of both glasses and serve immediately.
- Pour the caramel cream foam over the top of both glasses, sprinkle with salt, and serve immediately.
Notes
Nutrition
Originally published August 2022, updated and republished July 2024
Number 1 of your instructions tells you to have, ” a glass full of glass” not a glass full of ice. I would love to try your recipe but I’m allergic to all low sugar low calorie syrups <3
Oh gosh thank you- It’s been fixed!
What is your preferred brand of allulose?
Anthony’s 🙂 The best allulose out there 🙂
I love your recipes. I would like to suggest that you change fill glass with glass to fill with ice before someone makes a snarky comment.
Fixed- Thank you, June xx