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Make a glass of homemade vanilla sweet cream cold brew and save yourself the time and money of a trip to Starbucks! Vanilla syrup flavors cold brew coffee and is topped with a simple and delicious DIY sweet cream in this copycat recipe.
Watch the Recipe Video!
Ingredients for this recipe
- Cold Brew Coffee
- Vanilla Simple Syrup
- Homemade Sweet Cream made of milk, heavy cream, and more vanilla syrup (find instruction on how to make it below!)
Starbucks Vanilla Sweet Cream Cold Brew Recipe
- Add vanilla syrup to a glass filled with ice. More syrup will mean a sweeter drink!
- Add the cold brew coffee. Leaving room at the top of the glass.
- Top with homemade sweet cream. It’s the perfect balance of coffee and sweet in one drink!
Making or Buying Cold Brew Coffee
While I always prefer to make homemade cold brew coffee because it is simple and inexpensive, there are plenty of options if you don’t want to go that route!
Instead of making cold brew at home you can buy it pre-made in the refrigerated section of most grocery stores. (You’ll want to make sure it is plain for this recipe and not already flavored or sweetened).
Starbucks also sells little pitcher bags to easily make your own cold brew at home. The cost of those generally falls between making it completely at home and buying it already prepared.
The Best Vanilla Coffee Syrup
I always have a jar of homemade vanilla simple syrup in the fridge for homemade coffee recipes.
Alternatively, you can buy the vanilla syrup directly from Starbucks for less than $15 (if they have enough in stock) or purchase other variations of it online.
Depending on how sweet you like your drink, you'll want to add anywhere from ½ - 3 tablespoons of syrup. For a 16-ounce Grande cold brew coffee at Starbucks they add 2 pumps of syrup which is equal to 1 tablespoon.
Making Starbucks Sweet Cream at home
Starbucks makes their vanilla sweet cream by combining equal parts 2% milk and heavy cream with some vanilla flavored syrup. So that’s what we’re doing in this homemade version!
If desired, you can make the following substitutions:
Milk – if you prefer whole milk or skim, you can substitute an equal amount of your preferred milk for the 2%
Half & Half – You can use Half & Half instead of the milk and heavy cream combination to cut down on steps and ingredients if that’s what you have on hand.
Storing Leftovers
What’s great about this recipe is all the components can be made ahead of time and stored in the fridge until ready to use. I like to prep the coffee, vanilla syrup, and sweet cream on a Sunday to enjoy every day of the week!
The cold brew coffee and sweet cream can be stored in a mason jar with a lid for up to seven days. (It’s important to take note of the expiration dates on your dairy products when making this or any drink.)
The vanilla simple syrup will last for a very long time in a sealed jar in the refrigerator – up to six months.
Homemade Vanilla Sweet Cream Cold Brew
Equipment
- Measuring Cups
- Serving Glasses & Straws
Ingredients
For the Homemade Vanilla Sweet Cream:
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1 cup 2% milk
- ¼ cup vanilla simple syrup
For the Sweet Cream Cold Brew:
- 2 tablespoons vanilla simple syrup
- 1 cup cold brew coffee
Instructions
For the Homemade Vanilla Sweet Cream:
- In a bowl, measuring cup, or mason jar, combine 1 cup heavy cream, 1 cup 2% milk, and ¼ cup vanilla syrup. Stir until smooth and set aside or refrigerate until ready to use.
For the Sweet Cream Cold Brew:
- Add ½ - 2 tablespoons vanilla simple syrup to a large glass filled with ice. Top with cold brew coffee and stir to combine.
- Top with the prepared homemade sweet cream and enjoy!
Notes
- Leftovers can be stored separately in the refrigerator for up to seven days.
- Refer to post for notes on choosing cold brew and dairy substitutions.
· by Amanda Gajdosik