4 Ways To Make Cold Foam Without A Frother

Cold foam was made popular by Starbucks and is now found in coffee drinks across the United States and beyond. It’s a topping that’s made by frothing milk, and it works best on cold brew or iced coffee. But can you make cold foam at home without a frother?

You can make cold foam at home even if you don’t have a frother by using a blender or a handheld mixer, a French press, a whisk, or just a mason jar and some strength. 2% or skim milk works best for this, but you can also use plant-based alternatives like oat milk.

Let’s take a closer look at the different ways you can make cold foam without a frother. We’ll also look at which type of milk is best to use and some tasty add-ins you can try.

How to Make Cold Foam Without a Frother

Cold foam is usually made using a frother. A frother is a specialized tool for frothing up milk to get it to a fluffy, creamy consistency that tastes great in coffee and balances aesthetically on the top of the drink.

Frothers are easy to find, so if you do decide to make cold foam a part of your coffee routine, then it’s probably worth investing in one. The Secura Electric Milk Frother (on Amazon) is a great choice.

However, you don’t necessarily need a frother to whip up a sweet blend. You can also use some other methods that will work just as well, providing you with the perfect consistency for your cold foam.

Method 1: A Mason Jar

The first method of creating cold foam you can use doesn’t involve electrical equipment at all and won’t cost you much. All you need is a mason jar.

Put your cold foam mixture (whether that’s just milk, milk and heavy cream, or a mixture with some syrup) into the mason jar and make sure the lid is closed very tightly, since it’ll soon be at risk of escaping.

Then shake the mason jar vigorously with your hands for around a minute. Once you’ve done that, you should have frothy cold foam inside.

Method 2: A Whisk

Happy teenage girl cooking in kitchen

If you don’t have a mason jar or want a less labor-intensive way to make cold foam, you can also put the mixture into a bowl and whisk until it has the consistency you want. This should take around a minute to achieve, much like with the mason jar, but keep going until it’s the right texture.

If you have a handheld mixer, this can work even better. Start it on a slow setting and work up to a high speed.

Method 3: A Blender 

A good blender (on Amazon) can whip up some cold foam in a matter of seconds. Just pour the mixture into the blender cup and turn it on on the slowest setting. Slowly increase the speed until it’s at the highest and then stop the blender, and you should have some delicious cold foam waiting.

Method 4: A French Press

Lastly, you can use a French press (also on Amazon)

Put your mixture into your French press. Then, begin to plunge the French press until the mixture has roughly doubled in size (which should take around thirty seconds, but it can depend on the French press and amount of mixture you have). This cold foam will be just as delicious as if you used a frother.

Will These Methods Work With Dairy Free Milk?

Those who are on a plant-based diet or are lactose intolerant don’t have to miss out when it comes to cold foam. Although they may have to edit their beverage recipes slightly — many of them call for heavy cream to be included in the milk — most plant-based milks froth just as well as dairy milk.

Almond milk and oat milk are particularly good for this, as they have higher fat contents and the right consistency. You can make oat milk cold foam using our guide here.

On the other hand, rice milk and cashew milk should both be avoided when it comes to cold brew. This is because they have more of a watery consistency and low fat, and they don’t froth very well at all. They won’t hold their shape as cold foam when you spoon the result on top of the coffee.

If you’re vegan and want to include syrups in your cold foam, make sure to check that they don’t have any animal products since not all syrups are vegan.

What’s the Best Kind of Milk to Use?

Milk frother over pitcher near cup of coffee

The best kind of dairy milk to use is 2% milk or skim milk, if you’re using it on its own. With heavy cream, you can use almost any milk and the texture and consistency should be about the same.

Starbucks actually uses nonfat milk in its cold foam, which many struggle to believe considering how sweet and fluffy it can get!

For that kind of texture, you’ll definitely want to consider adding the heavy cream, as that’s what fluffs it up and makes it so rich.

What Can You Add to Cold Foam?

One of the great things about cold foam is that, although it tastes great on its own and makes a great addition to coffee, you don’t have to blend just milk and/or cream. You can include syrups and extracts in the foam to personalize it to your tastes and favorite flavors.

For example, Starbucks has a sweet cream cold foam that also blends vanilla syrup along with the milk and heavy cream. Other coffee drinkers may choose to include a fruit syrup like strawberry.

Simple syrup is easy to make; it can usually be achieved by boiling together sugar and water until the sugar dissolves and then adding something else and pouring it through a strainer. All manner of spices, fruits, and sweet flavors can make a great addition.

Because well-frothed cold foam should also stay put on top of the drink, you can also add a topping to the drink itself (like cinnamon or some mocha sprinkles).

If you’re very adventurous and talented, cold foam is also great for doing latte art, though you should make sure to use dense milk that will hold its shape well as you work.

Overall, cold foam is a versatile topping that can be customized to your tastes. Although many people think you need a frother to make cold foam, this isn’t the case! A frother might be the specialized tool for the job, but a blender, French press, whisk, or even a mason jar will work just as well.

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