Hello and happy Wednesday! If you need some pep in your step today, I have just the thing for you: a vegan version of Starbucks NEW summer drink! The Chocolate Cream Cold Brew launched recently and as soon as I saw it on Tik Tok I knew I had to try it. Unfortunately the drink is made with sweet cream which isn’t dairy-free. Here’s how Starbucks describes it: “Starbucks® Cold Brew sweetened with vanilla syrup and topped with a silky, chocolaty cream cold foam.”
Well, I got way too excited and decided I needed to recreated the drink NOW. So, I hopped into the kitchen and got to work. Homemade chocolate cream cold foam? Check. Homemade vanilla syrup? Check. Cold brew? Well, I cheated and used iced coffee but cold brew is easy to buy or make yourself.
How is the vegan chocolate cream cold brew made?
Basically, this drink is what summer dreams are made of. The homemade vanilla syrup is super easy to make. You can make a double batch or even quadruple batch of the syrup and just keep it in a jar in the fridge. That way you can make these all week and it will be faster than driving to your closest Starbucks!
If you want to use store-bought cold brew, great! You can also just brew some coffee and pour over ice (or chill in the fridge) or even make your own cold brew which I included instructions for in the recipe.
Lastly, for the cold foam, you want to use a nondairy milk that you know froths really well with a handheld frother. I prefer using a plain creamer which produces the best “cold foam” consistency similar to Starbucks’ dairy version. You can also use coconut milk but that will add a coconut flavour of course so keep that in mind. Here is a photo of the version I made with coconut milk:
The chocolate sauce I use is the Dark Chocolate flavour from Monin which is dairy-free! I got it at a local small coffee supply store, but you can order it online too. Any chocolate sauce works!
Looking for more Starbucks copycat recipes? Try these!
Iced Brown Sugar Oat Milk Shaken Espresso Latte
Iced Toasted Vanilla Oat Milk Shaken Espresso
Iced Apple Crisp Macchiato (vegan Starbucks copycat!)
Vegan Chocolate Cream Cold Brew
- Yield: 1 drink plus extra syrup
Description
Cold brew sweetened with homemade vanilla syrup, topped with ice and chocolate cream cold foam.
Ingredients
- 1 1/4 cups cold brew coffee
- 1 cup ice
Vanilla Syrup:
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1/4 cup boiling water
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
Chocolate Cold Foam:
- 1/3 cup nondairy milk, creamer, etc
- 1 tbsp chocolate sauce
Instructions
- Make the vanilla syrup: Stir together the sugar and boiling water until sugar is dissolved. Add vanilla extract and set aside.
- Make the cold foam: In a glass, add the nondairy milk or creamer and chocolate sauce and use a hand held frother to froth lightly until it is thick and foamy.
- Make the drink: add 1-2 tbsp of vanilla syrup to your serving glass (start with 1 if you don’t like your coffee super sweet). Add cold brew. Add ice, then top with cold foam. Serve immediately.
Notes
How to make cold brew. Add 1 cup ground coffee to large pitcher or bowl. Add 3 cups water. Stir gently and then cover with plastic wrap or a reusable food cover wrap and let sit at room temperature for 12 hours (overnight). Strain the coffee through a mesh strainer lined with a piece of cheesecloth. You can also brew & strain it in a French press as it has a very fine mesh strainer that can strain out the coffee grounds.
I am curious, could you make a big batch of the vanilla syrup? How long would it last?