A cozy, aromatic cold foam with cinnamon, vanilla, and a hint of maple. Fluffy, lightly sweet, and perfect on iced coffee, cold brew, chai, or hot cocoa.
By Matt Campbell
I love a fancy coffee shop moment as much as anyone, but I also love not paying seven dollars for it. This wholesome spiced cold foam is my at-home shortcut to that thick, spoonable top layer that makes you slow down and actually enjoy your drink. It is creamy, aromatic, and lightly sweet with warm cinnamon and vanilla.
Also, you do not need a special cold foam machine. If you have a handheld frother, a blender, or even a jar and a little determination, you are in business.
Classic Cold Brew
Iced Chai Latte
Cozy Hot Cocoa
Iced Matcha Latte
Cold foam is best fresh, but you can absolutely prep it with a little strategy.
For a great balance of thickness, stability, and creaminess, use cold 2% milk or whole milk. If you want it extra plush, add a little heavy cream. Skim/nonfat milk can whip up with lots of volume, but it tends to feel lighter and less creamy, and the foam can break down faster.
Yes. Use barista-style oat milk or a foaming almond milk. The barista versions are formulated to foam better and hold longer. Keep everything very cold for best results.
Common culprits: your milk was not cold, your sweetener and spices were not well mixed, or you used a milk that does not foam easily. Try chilling the mixture for 10 minutes, then froth again. Also, a tiny pinch of salt can tighten the flavor and make sweetness pop.
You can use ground spices. The trick is to mix them into the sweetener first so they disperse and do not clump. Cinnamon and nutmeg will not fully dissolve (you will see specks), but they will blend in smoothly. If you want a perfectly smooth foam with no specks, use a cinnamon syrup or strain the mixture before frothing.
A little, yes. Maple syrup and honey are delicious, but they can be slower to blend into very cold milk. If you want ultra-smooth foam, use simple syrup, superfine sugar dissolved in a teaspoon of warm water, or warm your maple syrup for a few seconds (then mix it with the spices before adding to the cold milk).
It is lightly sweet and easy to adjust. Start with 1 teaspoon of maple syrup and scale up only if you want it more dessert-like. Also note: adding heavy cream makes the foam thicker, but it does bump up the richness (and calories).
This cold foam started as a late-night “I wonder if…” experiment when I wanted something cozy but did not want a whole dessert situation. I frothed milk with cinnamon, took a sip, and immediately went back for a second one because the smell alone felt like a warm hoodie. Now it is my go-to trick when a regular iced coffee needs a little personality and when I want something that feels special without turning my kitchen into a science lab.
Optional upgrades:
Jar method (no frother): Add everything to a mason jar, seal tightly, and shake hard for 45 to 60 seconds. It will be lighter and less spoonable than a frother version, but still very tasty on top of iced drinks.
Matt’s little tip: If your drink is extra cold and packed with ice, the foam sits higher and longer. Warm drink? Still great, just expect it to melt in faster and perfume the whole mug.
