Our Ultimate Guide To Making Starbucks Pumpkin Cold Foam

If Autumn is your favourite season, you probably love the festive drinks that come with it like pumpkin spice brews, but these speciality drinks can often be overpriced, so what about making your own?

Pumpkin cold foam is easy to make at home and can save you money, all you need is a milk frother, cream, milk, pumpkin spice, vanilla extract, pumpkin puree and maple syrup.

We’ve put together an informative guide below, taking you through what cold brew and cold foam are, the ingredients, how to make your own pumpkin cold foam drinks and some other Starbuck options.

What Is Cold Brew? 

Before we get into exactly how to make a pumpkin cold foam drink, let’s first discuss exactly what a cold brew coffee is.  Read more this article about Starbucks Foam Drinks.

A cold brew is made by steeping strong coffee grounds overnight for a rich taste, this cold brew coffee sits in the fridge for around 12 hours then the coffee grounds are strained out. 

We’ve listed how to make a basic cold brew down below, just make sure you’re not in a limited time! 

Ingredients 

• Four cups of water. 
• One cup of coffee grounds. 
• Four spoons of maple syrup.

Method

1. Combine your coffee grounds and water in a french press and allow it to sit overnight for 12 hours in the fridge. 
2. The next day, use your plunger to press down the coffee grounds, pour them into your tall glass, put in around two spoons of maple syrup then the ice on top. 

What Is Pumpkin Cold Foam? 

Cold foam is a chilled dairy milk foam which is used to top a variety of drinks at Starbucks, it’s typically made with non-fat milk and some vanilla syrup which is then whipped in a high-speed blender. 

At Starbucks, you can find the following versions of cold foam such as; vanilla cream, salted caramel cream, chocolate cream and pumpkin cream which come out once a year for the Autumnal season.

Learn more here How To Make Starbucks Vanilla Sweet Cream Cold Foam At Home.

Why Make Your Own Pumpkin Cold Foam?

Making your pumpkin cold foam at home is fun and easy to top your hot coffee or cold brew with, you can even use plant-based milks and creams for topping to make it vegan. 

We’ve listed some benefits of making your own pumpkin cold foam coffee brew at home below. 

• It can taste better than Starbucks! – We know there’s nothing quite like a pumpkin spice brew from Starbucks, but believe us, making your fresh version at home can taste even better!
• They are cheaper – Starbucks are notoriously overpriced for their pumpkin spice seasonal drinks, making your own at home saves money!
• Easy to make – Pumpkin foam and cold brew can be made ahead overtime making this drink straightforward to make at home!
• Can be sugar-free – You can either use real natural maple syrup to make this cold foam or sweetener if you want to keep your drink low calories and sugar free!

What’s The Difference Between Vanilla Cream & Cold Foam?

Vanilla cream is also a type of cold foam offered by Starbucks and is very similar to pumpkin cold foam, so what’s the difference?

Vanilla sweet cream from Starbucks contains real cream while cold foam does not and is typically made just with milk.

Some almost compare vanilla sweet cream to the taste of vanilla ice cream, when made it is also mixed into the iced drink, unlike cold foam which just sits on top of the drink.

What Is In A Pumpkin Cold Foam Brew?

To make a good pumpkin cold foam brew at home you need to make sure you have all the ingredients you need on hand.

These ingredients can be switched out according to what you have on hand, for example, maple syrup can be switched out for honey or sweetener while full fat milk can be switched to no fat milk. 

We’ve listed the exact ingredients which go into a pumpkin cold foam brew below. 

• Milk – It’s best to use a non-fat dairy-based milk for making the cold foam, this is because the high protein content can help the milk to bubble, you can also use non-dairy milk but it might not foam as well, oat milk barista style would be a good option for this.
• Pumpkin pie spice – To get the pumpkin season spice taste in your cold brew you will need pumpkin spice. You can normally find this in the supermarket or make your own at home with some ginger powder, mixed spice, nutmeg and cinnamon.
• Pumpkin puree – You will need to find pure canned pumpkin for this recipe, avoid pie filling.
• Heavy cream – We suggest using heavy whipping cream for this recipe, half and half might be better for the waistline but will not hold up as well!
• Vanilla syrup/maple syrup – You will need some real maple syrup, honey or a pump of vanilla syrup for this recipe to make it sweet and yummy!

How Do I Froth My Own Milk In A Pumpkin Cold Foam?

In order to make a proper pumpkin cream cold brew drink, you need to be able to froth your milk properly so that it can hold when used to top your drink. 

You will need one of the following tools to froth your milk.

• Electric milk frother. 
• Handheld milk frother. 
• Blender. 

Our Best Pumpkin Cold Foam Brew Recipe 

Now we’ve got all the details out the way, let’s get into exactly how to make your real pumpkin cold foam brew drink at home to get into that Autumnal seasonal mood! 

Ingredients 

• Half a cup of heavy cream. 
• Quarter cup of half and half cold milk.
• Two tablespoons of real pumpkin puree.
• Two spoons of real maple syrup. 
• Half a teaspoon of pumpkin spice. 
• Some salt. 
• Cold brew.

Method 

1. Depending on your milk frother method, simply combine all the milk mixture ingredients and give it a whizz for around 30 seconds!
2. For serving, fill a tall glass with some ice, fill 3/4 of the cup with cold brew, mix in a spoon of maple syrup, half the cold foam and your pumpkin spice, and drizzle with more maple syrup for extra sweetness!

Other Starbucks Pumpkin Drinks

If you’re a lover of pumpkin flavor in autumn then there are plenty of other pumpkin-spiced drinks to choose from at Starbucks which aren’t cold foam! 

We’ve listed a few other options down below. 

• Pumpkin spice latte. 
• Iced pumpkin spice latte. 
• Pumpkin spiced frappuccino. 
• Pumpkin chai latte. 
• Pumpkin spice creme frappuccino.
• Pumpkin spice hot chocolate. 
• Pumpkin caramel macchiato.

Frequently Asked Questions About Starbucks Cold Foam Pumpkin Brew 

Is a pumpkin cream cold brew high in calories? 

Pumpkin cold brew coffee has around 140 calories, making it average for the seasonal Starbucks drink.

Can I use a handheld milk frother to make cold foam?

Yes, a handheld milk frother can be used to combine all the pumpkin cold foam ingredients. Or you can find here the answer! How To Make Cold Foam?

How do I store additional pumpkin cream?

Additional pumpkin cream/cold foam can be stored in a mason jar in the fridge for a few days.

Can I put creamy pumpkin foam on a hot coffee?

Cold foam can be used on hot coffee as well as cold brew coffee making it a versatile drink to make.

Should I use condensed milk in cold foam?

Condensed milk can be used to make cold foam and adds an extra layer of sweetness, the condensed milk also makes the creamier milk texture.

Is the type of milk used in cold brew important? 

Starbucks use non-fat milk in their cold brew since it is easier to froth due to the high protein content, however instead of non-fat milk you can use oat milk too as a non-dairy milk option.

Can I make cold foam in a traditional blender?

Cold foam can indeed be made in a traditional blender or an electric milk frother, simply give all the cold brew ingredients a whizz till combined to get the milk to foam!

Last Words 

Overall, making pumpkin cold foam at home is easy, just make sure you have a blender or an electric milk frother on hand, some heavy cream, pumpkin spice, maple syrup and cold brew! 

We always recommend using a high-quality milk frother if you want your cold foam to last for longer, the kinds of milk can affect how well this foams, with non-fat dairy milk being the best choice to foam a coffee with milk, oat milk can be a good non-dairy milk option.

Read Next: What Is Starbucks Sweet Cream