How to make vanilla sweet cream cold brew recipe

Who doesn’t love Starbucks Vanilla Sweet Cream Cold Brew? Nothing is better than this refreshing and creamy drink when days are hot. But its hefty price is enough to let you explore how to make vanilla sweet cream cold brew at home.

This might looks fancy, but it is easy to make. Only a few simple ingredients are needed to make this coffee drink.

Are you curious about what these ingredients are and how to make this cold brew treat? If yes, keep reading and see how you can make the vanilla-y sweet drink at home for a fraction of the price. 

What is vanilla sweet cream cold brew?

It’s the most flavorful coffee beverage made with a perfect blend of vanilla sweet cream and cold-brewed coffee. Unlike other fancy coffee drinks that Starbucks offers, it is made with a handful of ingredients.

The best thing about this coffee recipe is that you can add whatever you want to satisfy your craving. If you don’t have a sweet tooth, you can customize the recipe to your taste buds by adding more sweet cream and less vanilla syrup. Moreover, you can even serve this drink with hot brew coffee. 

The key ingredient of this recipe is cold brew. And the secret to making it without bitterness is choosing the right amount of coffee, proper ground, and the time of brewing.

Chances are you fell in love with this heavenly creamy coffee drink, but your frequent craving to enjoy Starbucks Vanilla Sweet Cream Cold Brew may hurt your budget. So try it at home and enjoy this refreshing drink without exceeding your budget.

What’s the difference between cold brew and iced coffee?

The key difference between both drinks is the less watered-down taste. Both drinks are made through different brewing methods. 

Cold-brew:

Cold brew is made by steeping ground coffee in filtered water for longer than 12 hours at room temperature. You can let it sit in the fridge too.

It better suits those who love sweet and smooth coffee with less bitterness. Cold brew coffee is less caffeinated as it doesn’t expose to heat.

If you like a small amount of milk or cream in your coffee, cold brew is the best choice for you. Cold-brew coffee retains the strong flavor of coffee after melting ice.

Iced coffee:

As the name suggests, iced coffee is a brewed coffee poured over ice. Regular hot brewed coffee is used to make iced coffee.

You can directly brew it over ice or let it sit in the refrigerator for some time. If you are a fan of refreshing and light coffee drink that comes with classic flavor, this one is for you. You can add milk and sugar to it. Once the ice is melted, it will dilute further.

-How to make vanilla sweet cream cold brew recipe

Making vanilla sweet cream cold brew coffee isn’t difficult, and it doesn’t require the ninja skills of a professional barista.

You can make this tasty treat at home with simple ingredients, i.e., cold brew, vanilla syrup, 2% milk, and heavy cream. If you are not good at making cold brews, you can use store-bought cold brews.

Even Starbucks offers plenty of options for making it at home. You can also purchase pre-made cold brew, k-cups, and at-home pitcher packs from Starbucks.

Ingredients:

Cold-brew

The only difference between hot brew and cold brew is the temperature. Cold brew is brewed with cold water. As cold water extracts less caffeine, its taste is much sweeter than its counterpart, hot brew.

However, it still has a strong caffeine presence. You can make it at home or buy it. Starbucks also has ready-to-use cold brew concentrate that you can use to save your time and make the taste of your drink more like theirs.

If you have time and prefer homemade cold brew coffee over store-bought cold brew concentrate, make it at home but make sure to make it a day before. Around 12 to 18 hours are required to make homemade cold brew coffee. 

Vanilla Syrup 

Like cold brew coffee, you can make your own homemade vanilla syrup or use store-bought bottled vanilla syrup. You can use Starbucks’ vanilla syrup to get the same taste as Starbucks’ vanilla sweet cream cold brew offers. 

It is easy to make it at home with water, sugar, and vanilla extract. In this recipe, only 70ml of vanilla syrup is used. Take an equal amount of sugar and water and mix them.

Now add a teaspoon of vanilla extract. Voila, the vanilla syrup is ready. Keep in mind that only uses high-quality vanilla extract to get good results.

Heavy Cream 

Vanilla sweet cream cold brew is a combination of heavy cream and 2% milk. The heavy cream adds deliciousness to this recipe that feels like you are enjoying the Starbucks vanilla sweet cold brew because they also use 2% milk and heavy cream to make sweet cream.

2% milk

Evaporated or 2% milk is used to make sweet cream. If you don’t use the 2% milk with heavy cream, it will be clumpy.

Steps to make vanilla sweet cream cold brew

Sweet cream

Mix 2% milk or evaporated milk, vanilla syrup, and heavy cream. Stir them until they are combined. If you want to make your vanilla sweet cream foamier, whip it more until frothy.

You can use an electric mixer, hand whisker, or milk frother to whisk the vanilla cream. Once you get the desired consistency, add it to the coffee cold brew right away, and it holds the same consistency for 30 minutes.

Vanilla syrup:

To make vanilla syrup, you will need one cup of sugar, three teaspoons of high-quality vanilla extract, and one cup of hot water. First, add one cup of sugar into hot water and stir until sugar crystals dissolve completely.

Now add three teaspoons of vanilla extract to this mixer and stir. Now let it cool for a few minutes. Place this vanilla syrup in a jar or capped bottle and store it in the refrigerator.

Cold-brew coffee

Wondering how to make cold brew coffee at home? Worry no, it is easy to make your own cold brew coffee if you don’t want to use store-bought cold brew concentrate.

You will need filtered water and ground coffee to make cold brew.

You can use tap water, but filter water will give you great flavor. If you are trying to replicate the recipe of Starbucks, then use medium or dark roast ground coffee. This way, you will get almost the same taste as Starbucks cold brew offers.

There is no fancy equipment required to make it, and you just need a mason jar or pitcher, a paper filter or cheesecloth, and a fine-mesh strainer.

• Take a large pitcher and mix coarsely ground coffee and filtered water. Use a 1:2 coffee to water ratio to make a cold brew. Place it in the fridge overnight. If you like strong coffee, then you can keep it in the refrigerator for up to 48 hours. 
• The next step is to strain the cold brew. Take a bowl and place a mesh strainer over it, and line the strainer with a piece of cheesecloth or paper filter. Alternatively, you could brew coffee and strain it in your French press. 
• Now pour the coffee through the paper filter or cheesecloth and make sure no gritty grounds of coffee remain in the pitcher.

Putting all these ingredients together:

• Take a Mason jar or large glass and add a handful of ice to it.
• Now add two tablespoons of high-quality vanilla syrup over the ice.
• Pour two cups of cold brew and top with the vanilla sweet cream, and serve.
• Take 2 cups of cold brew coffee in a glass, then add 1/4 cup of sweet cream on top.

FAQs

What kitchen equipment do you need to make cold brew? 

Making a cold brew won’t require a lot of kitchen tools. This quick and simple recipe requires just three common kitchen equipment, including:

1. French press
2. Pitcher
3. Mesh Strainer

Does vanilla sweet cream cold brew have milk?

Heavy cream and 2% milk are used to make sweet cream. However, vanilla sweet cream cold brew is dairy-free friendly. You can use coconut milk or dairy-free creamer to make it. 

Is Starbucks Heavy Cream the same as homemade Sweet Cream?

The simple answer is NO. Sweet cream looks like heavy cream, but it is a blend of different ingredients. However, it has some variations. Sweet cream is made in-house every day at Starbucks that contains vanilla syrup, 2% milk along with heavy cream. The sweet taste that you find in the sweet cream is due to the vanilla syrup. 

How to make vanilla sweet cream cold brew dairy-free?

Dairy milk is used as a taste-enhancing ingredient in vanilla sweet cream. However, it doesn’t put a full stop to dairy-free substitutes. If you are looking for a non-dairy yet creamy alternative to making vanilla sweet cream, then using dairy-free creamer or coconut milk is a great option to go. 

What is a good non-dairy substitute for heavy cream?  

Coconut cream is made by removing the water content of coconut milk that has the consistency of thick syrup. It is quite similar to heavy cream when it comes to consistency and texture.

However, it doesn’t come with the buttery flavor found in heavy cream. It can be a great substitute for heavy cream and can be whipped easily. It is used as a tasty topping for coffee drinks and desserts. 

Half and Half and Butter

The blend of butter and half and half cream is a great substitute for heavy cream. Like heavy cream, half and half cream is made from cream and whole milk, but its fat content is three times less than heavy cream.

When you add butter to it, the fat percentage will be increased in the half and half cream. This blend is suitable for whipping and can be used in recipes where heavy cream is required.

Silken tofu and soy milk

Another substitute for heavy cream is the blend of silken tofu and soy milk because you can whip it like heavy cream. You can make it into vegan whipped topping by adding sugar and vanilla extract.

Mix equal parts of soy milk and silken tofu and blend them in the immersion blender until it reaches a thick consistency. Use it in place of heavy cream. You can make this whipped topping at home in no time.

Can sweet cream be made with almond milk?

When it comes to flavor, almond milk comes closer to heavy cream; however, its texture is not the same. It is a healthy alternative to heavy cream, which is the main ingredient of sweet cream. You can add butter or cornstarch to thicken its consistency. If you don’t consume dairy products, you can also add oil.

Is Starbucks vanilla sweet cream cold brew a healthy choice?

This is a blended beverage with a good amount of fat content due to heavy cream. However, you may consider it a healthy choice because it is not loaded with too much sugar and cream on the top.