If you love Starbucks cold brew but don’t love spending $6–8 every time you want one, this guide is for you.

Cold brew is actually incredibly easy to make at home, and once you learn a few simple formulas, you can recreate every Starbucks cold brew drink right in your own kitchen — including the Vanilla Sweet Cream Cold Brew, Chocolate Cream Cold Brew, Pistachio Cream Cold Brew, and even the dairy-free versions.

This guide walks you through:

• how to make homemade cold brew like Starbucks
• the best store-bought cold brew options
• a homemade vanilla sweet cream recipe
• easy cold foam formulas (so you can make any Starbucks cold foam flavor)
• Starbucks cold brew cup size ratios (for tall, grande, etc)
• and links to all my Starbucks-inspired cold brew recipes

Whether you’re brand new to at-home coffee or already obsessed with cold brew and cold foam, this guide will help you make café-style drinks at home with simple grocery store ingredients.

What Is Starbucks Cold Brew?

Unlike traditional iced coffee that is brewed hot and poured over ice to chill, cold brew is made by steeping coffee grounds in cold water for an extended period of time — usually 16–24 hours.

The result is a coffee concentrate that tastes:

• smoother
• less acidic
• naturally sweeter
• richer and more mellow

Starbucks cold brew is served over ice and often paired with flavored syrups and creamy cold foams to create their signature drinks.

Cold brew is one of the easiest coffee shop drinks to recreate at home because it doesn’t require an espresso machine or any fancy equipment.

How to Make Homemade Cold Brew Like Starbucks

Easy Immersion Cold Brew Method

This is my favorite beginner-friendly method because it’s simple, affordable, and makes enough cold brew for multiple drinks throughout the week.

Equipment Needed

• Large pitcher or mason jar
• Cold brew bag
• Long spoon to stir
• 1-2 mesh filters

Ingredients

• 1 cup coarsely ground coffee/french press grind
• 3 cups filtered water

Instructions

Add the coffee grounds and water to a large pitcher or jar. Stir with a spoon to ensure all the grounds are saturated. Cover with a lid and brew at room temperature for 20 hours.

Pour the mixture through a cold brew bag, into another pitcher to separate the grounds from the cold brew coffee.

Pour the coffee through a paper filter (and into a separate container) to remove any extra sediment. Repeat 1-2 times as needed.

Dilute the cold brew concentrate with an equal amount of water.

Your cold brew is now ready to use!

You can serve it:

• as-is over ice
• diluted with sweet cream, half & half, or milk
• or turned into flavored cold brew drinks and cold foam drinks.

Pro Tip:

Using filtered water makes a HUGE difference in homemade cold brew flavor.

Best Store-Bought Cold Brew Options

Don’t want to make homemade cold brew? These store-bought options work great too:

• Starbucks Cold Brew Concentrate
• Stok Cold Brew
• Chameleon Cold Brew
• Califia Cold Brew
• Bizzy Cold Brew
• La Colombe Cold Brew

Some bottled cold brews are concentrates while others are ready-to-drink, so make sure to check the label before using.

Homemade Vanilla Sweet Cream

Vanilla Sweet Cream is one of the most popular Starbucks add-ins because it makes cold brew taste creamy, smooth, and slightly sweet without overpowering the coffee flavor.

Ingredients

• 6 ounces vanilla syrup
• 10 ounces 2% milk
• 15 ounces heavy cream

Add all ingredients to a pitcher, add a lid, and shake together until combined. Store in the refrigerator for up to 7 days.

Vanilla Sweet Cream Cold Foam

To turn Vanilla Sweet Cream into Vanilla Sweet Cream Cold Foam, simply froth the sweet cream mixture using a handheld milk frother for about 15 seconds or until fluffy and thick, and then pour the cold foam over any drink of choice.

Feel free to switch up the sweet cream flavor using any syrup or sauce flavor:

• salted caramel
• pistachio
• chocolate
• lavender
• brown sugar
• toasted coconut

Homemade Nondairy Vanilla Sweet Cream

For a dairy-free version, try this easy alternative.

Ingredients

• 6 ounces vanilla syrup
• 10 ounces barista style oat milk (I like Oatly or Califia)
• 15 ounces vanilla soy milk

Add all ingredients to a pitcher, add a lid, and shake together until combined. Store in the refrigerator for up to 7 days.

To turn Nondairy Vanilla Sweet Cream into Nondairy Vanilla Sweet Cream Cold Foam, simply froth the sweet cream mixture using a handheld milk frother for about 15 seconds or until fluffy and thick, and then pour the cold foam over any drink of choice.

Easy Single-Serve Vanilla Sweet Cream Formula

If you don’t want to make a full batch of vanilla sweet cream or cold foam, this is the simple single-serving ratio I use all the time.

My Easy 1:2:3 Sweet Cream Formula

• 1 tablespoon vanilla syrup
• 2 tablespoons 2% milk (or barista style oat milk for nondairy)
• 3 tablespoons heavy cream (or vanilla soy milk for nondairy)

Starbucks Cold Brew Cup Size Guide

Here are some general Starbucks-inspired cold brew ratios to help you customize your drinks at home.

Note, if the drink has COLD FOAM, froth together 2,3,4 ounces of vanilla sweet cream and 1 tablespoon syrup/sauce/powder to make any flavored cold foam (see examples below).

Size	Cold Brew	Syrup	Vanilla Sweet Cream/Cold Foam
Tall (12 oz)	6 OUNCES	½ TBSP	2 OUNCES
Grande (16 oz)	10 OUNCES	1 TBSP	2 OUNCES
Venti (24 oz)	16 OUNCES	1.5 TBSP	3 OUNCES
Trenta (30 oz)	22 OUNCES	2 TBSP	4 OUNCES

You can customize:

• sweetness level
• amount of cream
• type of milk
• syrup flavors
• amount of foam

depending on your personal preference.

Starbucks Cold Brew Recipes You Can Make at Home

• Unsweetened cold brew
• Vanilla Sweet Cream (see recipe above)
• Ice cubes

Salted Caramel Cream Cold Brew

• Unsweetened cold brew
• Vanilla syrup
• Ice cubes
• Salted Caramel Cream Cold Foam (vanilla sweet cream + salted caramel syrup)

Chocolate Cream Cold Brew

• Unsweetened cold brew
• Vanilla syrup
• Ice cubes
• Chocolate Cream Cold Foam (vanilla sweet cream + chocolate malt powder)

Pistachio Cream Cold Brew

• Unsweetened cold brew
• Vanilla syrup
• Ice cubes
• Pistachio Cream Cold Foam (vanilla sweet cream + pistachio sauce)
• Brown Butter Topping

Toasted Coconut Cream Cold Brew

• Unsweetened cold brew
• Vanilla syrup
• Ice cubes
• Toasted Coconut Cream Cold Foam (vanilla sweet cream + toasted coconut syrup)
• Toasted coconut flakes, for topping

Dairy-Free Cold Brew Recipes

Nondairy Vanilla Sweet Cream Cold Brew

• Unsweetened cold brew
• Nondairy Vanilla Sweet Cream (recipe above)
• Ice cubes

Nondairy Salted Caramel Cream Cold Brew

• Unsweetened cold brew
• Vanilla syrup
• Ice cubes
• Nondairy Salted Caramel Cream Cold Foam (nondairy vanilla sweet cream + salted caramel syrup)

Nondairy Chocolate Cream Cold Brew

• Unsweetened cold brew
• Vanilla syrup
• Ice cubes
• Nondairy Chocolate Cream Cold Foam (nondairy vanilla sweet cream + sweetened mocha powder)

Cold Brew with Nondairy Vanilla Sweet Cream Cold Foam

• Unsweetened cold brew
• Nondairy Vanilla Sweet Cream Cold Foam (see recipe above)
• Ice cubes

Seasonal/Discontinued Starbucks Cold Brew Recipes

• Starbucks Pumpkin Cream Cold Brew
• Starbucks Horchata Cream Cold Brew
• Starbucks Raspberry Cream Cold Brew
• Starbucks Irish Cream Cold Brew
• Starbucks Peppermint Chocolate Cream Cold Brew
• Starbucks White Chocolate Macadamia Cream Cold Brew
• Starbucks Chocolate Hazelnut Cookie Cold Brew
• Starbucks Pistachio Cream Cold Brew

Tips for the Best Homemade Starbucks Cold Brew

Use Coarsely Ground Coffee

Fine coffee grounds can make cold brew taste muddy or bitter. For homemade cold brew, brew your coffee coarsely.

Use Lots of Ice

Starbucks cold brew is designed to be served very cold over plenty of ice.

Froth Cold Foam Separately

For the best texture, always froth cold foam before pouring it over the drink.

Use Cold Brew Ice Cubes

This prevents your coffee from getting watered down. Simply freeze brewed cold brew in ice cube molds overnight and then add to your cup.

Final Thoughts

Making Starbucks cold brew drinks at home is honestly much easier than most people think. Once you learn a few simple formulas for cold brew, sweet cream, and cold foam, you can recreate endless coffee shop drinks with simple ingredients right from your kitchen.

Whether you love classic cold brew, flavored cold foam drinks, or dairy-free options, this guide gives you everything you need to start making your favorite Starbucks cold brew drinks at home.

If you recreate any of these recipes, tag me on Instagram (@katerinafaith) so I can see your creations!