Copycat Starbucks Vanilla Sweet Cream Cold Brew
One of the most popular recipes on this blog is my Copycat Starbucks Medicine Ball Tea and also my Starbucks Iced Green Tea. It makes me laugh since these aren’t super complex or impressive recipes, but one thing is for sure, you guys love your Starbucks and who am I kidding? I love it too!
Since we’ve made homemade versions of some of my favorite tea recipes, it’s time we switch to coffee! One of my favorite Starbucks drinks is the Vanilla Sweet Cream Cold Brew. It’s not overly sweet and I also like the smoothness of the cold brew. Let’s get to making our own!
Before making this, I hit up the interwebs to do some research. How do they actually make this cold brew? I found a lot of copycat recipes that used sweetened condensed milk, but I know they don’t use that in their stores so I kept searching. I found a bunch of threads on Reddit of baristas discussing the recipe as it’s one of those drinks that can be very inconsistent.
The sweet cream that Starbucks uses is batch-made in store and indeed, does not contain any sweetened condensed milk. It’s just three ingredients: their vanilla coffee syrup (affiliate link), a touch of 2% milk, and heavy cream. This is it. They make this cream in pitchers every 48 hours or so.
For the actual drink, they use their cold brew concentrate, water, the vanilla sweet cream, and I’ve seen some mixed recipes calling for additional pumps of vanilla syrup to the drink directly. So, there you go, that’s what we need here!
You can purchase their vanilla coffee syrup (affiliate link) online or in their stores. You could also buy different brands of vanilla syrup in the coffee aisle of your grocery store. It may taste a bit different so keep that in mind. You could also use sugar-free vanilla syrup when making these at home!
Since we are not running a Starbucks out of our homes, I’ve come up with a small batch of the sweet cream which yields enough for about 5 drinks depending on how much you add to each drink. I find that about 2 tablespoons is enough for me. Make sure you store the cream in a sealed jar or bottle and it should last you about 5 days and give it a good shake before using.
For the drink recipe, since Starbucks uses cold brew concentrate, they add water when making it in store. The bottle of their cold brew that you can buy from the store is not a concentrate so I didn’t add any water, just the cold brew. You can make your own at home if you want, but I’m lazy and just bought it.
Copycat Starbucks Vanilla Sweet Cream Cold Brew
Copycat Starbucks Vanilla Sweet Cream Cold Brew - Make your own Vanilla Sweet Cream Cold Brew right at home that tastes just like Starbucks!
Ingredients
For the Vanilla Sweet Cream:
- 6 tablespoons vanilla coffee syrup
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1/4 cup 2% milk
For the Vanilla Sweet Cream Cold Brew:
- 2 cups cold brew coffee
- 2 tablespoons vanilla coffee syrup*
- 2-3 tablespoons vanilla sweet cream
Instructions
- Prepare the vanilla sweet cream. In a jar, combine the vanilla syrup, cream, and milk. Shake or stir well to combine. Store leftover cream for 5 days in the fridge in a sealed jar. Shake well before each use.
- To make the cold brew, pour the cold brew coffee into a tall glass, add the vanilla syrup, and 2-3 tablespoons of the prepared vanilla sweet cream. Stir well. Top with ice. Enjoy!
Notes
I've seem some recipes that don't include added vanilla syrup to the cold brew. Feel free to omit if you are happy with the sweetness and flavor of the sweet cream if desired!
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
5Serving Size:
1 drinkAmount Per Serving: Calories: 266Total Fat: 17gSaturated Fat: 11gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 5gCholesterol: 55mgSodium: 24mgCarbohydrates: 14gFiber: 0gSugar: 15gProtein: 2g
One Comment on “Copycat Starbucks Vanilla Sweet Cream Cold Brew”
Can you use vanilla ice cream?