Craving the perfect fall drink recipe? This copycat Starbucks Pumpkin Cream Cold Brew is the perfect choice! This drink features delicious cold brew coffee sweetened with vanilla syrup, topped with a sweet pumpkin cream cold foam and a dusting of pumpkin spice topping.
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Recipe Notes
With the introduction of pumpkin cream cold foam, Starbucks forever changed pumpkin spice season, expanding their fall menu to include even more pumpkin drinks like the Pumpkin Cream Cold Brew and Pumpkin Cream Chai Latte. You can still enjoy your old favorites; the pumpkin spice latte or iced pumpkin spice latte, but now you have even more options to enjoy those fall flavors!
I love recreating Starbucks drinks at home-it's surprisingly simple, and once you start, you'll realize just how much time and money it saves. This homemade pumpkin cream cold brew is no exception, perfect for those who crave pumpkin spice flavors but prefer a bolder coffee taste.
This drink features my Pumpkin Cream Cold Foam recipe; which starts with several of my other recipes; pumpkin spice sauce, vanilla syrup, and vanilla sweet cream. Make these components ahead of time and you'll be all set to go when that cold brew craving hits!
Simple Ingredients
- Cold Brew Coffee: Use your favorite cold brew concentrate or make a homemade cold brew by steeping coarsely ground coffee in cold water for 12-24 hours. A cold brew coffee maker makes it easy! If you don't have cold brew on hand, you can easily substitute with your favorite iced coffee or make a strong cup of coffee and chill it over ice.
- Vanilla Syrup: Starbucks sweetens the cold brew with vanilla syrup. You can use store-bought vanilla syrup, like Torani Vanilla Syrup, or make your own with sugar, water, and vanilla extract for a more authentic flavor.
- Pumpkin Spice Sauce: This sauce is the heart of the pumpkin flavor in the drink. Make your own with my recipe, which includes real pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling), sweetened condensed milk, and pumpkin spice seasoning.
- Vanilla Sweet Cream: In order for the pumpkin cold foam to froth nicely, I highly recommend making the vanilla sweet cream from scratch, rather than using a store-bought version. It's easy to make with heavy cream, milk, and vanilla syrup.
*Refer to the recipe card for full ingredient information.
Can I Make This Dairy-Free?
There is dairy in the vanilla sweet cream and pumpkin spice sauce. You can make it dairy-free by substituting with your favorite non-dairy milks.
For the milk: Use oat milk, coconut milk, almond milk, or soy milk. Oat milk is the creamiest while soy milk has superior frothing capabilities.
For the cream: Use a plant based cream, such as silk heavy whipping cream alternative or country crock plant cream. Coconut cream or cashew cream are also good options.
For the sweetened condensed milk: Use sweetened condensed coconut milk.
Equipment
- Handheld Milk Frother: You need some sort of milk frother for this recipe. A handheld frother works exceptionally well and you can usually pick one up for around 10 bucks!
- Electric Frother: An electric frother will work wonderfully as well, be sure yours has a cold foam setting.
- If you don't have a frother, an immersion blender can work!
Advanced Recipe Prep
Start by making the components for the pumpkin cold foam; pumpkin spice sauce and vanilla sweet cream using the linked recipes. You can make these parts up to a day in advance.
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How to Make Pumpkin Cream Cold Brew
- Once you've made the pumpkin spice sauce and vanilla sweet cream, add the specified amounts to a small mason jar.
- Use your electric frother to begin frothing the mixture together.
- Keep frothing until the mixture is light and airy, but still pourable.
- When the mixture is frothed, prepare your cold brew.
- Fill a large glass with ice cubes. Add in your vanilla syrup.
- Add the cold brew coffee to the glass.
- Pour the pumpkin cold foam over the cold brew coffee.
- Garnish with a dusting of pumpkin pie spice, sip and enjoy!
Storage
This recipe makes enough pumpkin spice sauce and sweet cream for several uses. Store the elements separately in the refrigerator; combine and froth as needed.
For storage, keep the vanilla sweet cream in the refrigerator for about 1 week, or as long as the milk and cream are fresh. Check the expiration dates on your original containers of milk and cream to determine the best date to use your vanilla sweet cream by.
Keep the pumpkin spice sauce in the refrigerator as well, it will keep well for at least 2 weeks.
Top Recipe Tips
- Dilute Your Concentrate: Be sure to dilute your cold brew with water if using concentrated cold brew!
- Make It Ahead: To make for an easy morning, prepare the vanilla sweet cream and pumpkin spice sauce mixtures in advance and store it in the fridge so it's ready to go when you're ready for coffee!
- Froth for Large Bubbles: Froth the mixture until you see large bubbles forming, which indicates that the foam is light and airy.
- Use chilled ingredients: For the best results, make sure to use chilled coffee. This will help to ensure that your drink is not watered down by melted ice. Also, use cold cream and pumpkin sauce for the best frothing!
- Adjust the sweetness: Add more or less vanilla syrup to the cold brew to reach your desired level of sweetness.
Recipe FAQs
Starbucks' pumpkin cream cold brew is generally considered gluten-free. None of the ingredients contain gluten. However, since they use a shared blender to make the cold foam, cross-contamination can occur. If you have celiac disease or a severe gluten sensitivity, inform the barista and confirm that the blender will be cleaned before making your drink. Check out my gluten-free Starbucks dining guide for more information!
The Pumpkin Cream Cold Brew is made with cold brew coffee, vanilla syrup, pumpkin spice sauce, vanilla sweet cream, and ice. The pumpkin spice sauce and vanilla sweet cream are used to make the pumpkin cream cold foam, while the vanilla syrup is used to sweeten the cold brew coffee. The drink is sprinkled with pumpkin spice topping before serving.
A standard Grande Pumpkin Cream Cold Brew typically contains 2 pumps of vanilla syrup, while a Tall gets just 1 pump and a Venti gets 3 pumps. Each pump is approximately ½ tablespoon of syrup.
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Recipe
Starbucks Pumpkin Cream Cold Brew Recipe
Equipment
- 1 milk frother handheld or electric
Ingredients
Pumpkin Cold Foam
- ¼ cup Vanilla Sweet Cream (click linked recipe)
- 2 Tablespoons Pumpkin Spice Sauce (click linked recipe)
Iced Cold Brew
- 14 oz Cold Brew Coffee (approximately)
- 1 Tablespoon Vanilla Syrup (2 pumps)
- Ice Cubes (enough to fill glass)
- Pumpkin Pie Spice (for garnish)
Instructions
Advanced Recipe Prep
- Prepare in advance the vanilla sweet cream and pumpkin spice sauce, both recipes are linked above.
Pumpkin Cream Cold Foam
- Place vanilla sweet cream and pumpkin spice sauce in small mason jar.
- Insert a handheld frother into the mason jar and froth the mixture until large bubbles form and it becomes light and airy, about 20-30 seconds. Don't over-froth or you will end up with whipped cream.
Iced cold Brew
- Add vanilla syrup and cold brew coffee to a tall glass. Fill glass with ice, leaving room for pumpkin foam.
- Immediately pour the pumpkin cold foam over your iced cold brew. Garnish with a dash of pumpkin pie spice, sip, and enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
* Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and should be used as an estimate only. See the nutrition policy for more information.
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