We keep seeing cold foam included in more and more drinks at Starbucks over the last couple of years and I’m sure you’ve been asking yourself if it could possibly be vegan. I know I had been!
So, up until recently, I had NO idea that cold foam in fact CAN BE made vegan at Starbucks. It is NOT vegan as-is. You have to specifically ask for it to be made with one of the non-dairy milk options.
And silly me, I’m learning right now that you could do this all along (for like the last 5 years!) but it was only advertised in 2 drinks with almond milk that we must have missed in 2020. Maybe they weren’t vegan-friendly so we wouldn’t have had them in our Starbucks Vegan Guide.
It never dawned on me that the cold foam could have been ordered separately and none of our VeggL users reached out like a lot of them do to give us an update suggestion if they had noticed.
–> But I’m also reading that not every location will do this since it is not an option in their system. It depends on how strict the manager/supervisor is and/or if they know how to customize foam in their ordering system.
Here’s what I have learned in regard to how to order it. I’ll also give you a few suggestions that others have recommended. And tell you about our experience, the first time trying it.
How To Order Vegan (Dairy-Free) Cold Foam at Starbucks
Before we get any further, I have a few things I want to mention that are important before you decide to get cold foam.
- You can only order a non-dairy cold foam in-store–NOT online.
- As I said above, verify you are able to order non-dairy foam at the location you are visiting prior to ordering. Sounds like it depends on how strict the manager/supervisor is and/or if they know how to customize foam in their ordering system.
- Prior to ordering, you might want to ask if they have a designated blender for non-dairy milk. If not, you can ask them to sanitize the blender prior to making your drink.
- The non-dairy foam does NOT foam up the way its cow dairy-based counterpart does. Oat milk tastes good, clouds and sits on top closer to a cow dairy-based foam. Almond milk bubbles and sinks. People still seem to like it with the right flavors so it’s worth a try. From what I have read, soy milk is NOT recommended and coconut milk could be an option that tastes good.
- If choosing a syrup to add to your non-dairy cold foam a majority of people said to ask for 2 pumps of the syrup.
What Are Your Syrup/Sauce Choices?
- Brown Sugar Syrup
- Caramel Syrup (NOT the caramel drizzle, caramel brulee sauce or dark caramel sauce)
- Cinnamon Dolce Syrup
- Hazelnut Syrup
- Macadamia Syrup (limited time summer 2023)
- Peppermint Syrup
- Raspberry Syrup
- Toasted Vanilla Syrup
- Toffee Nut Syrup
- Vanilla Syrup
- Sugar Free Vanilla Syrup
- Mocha Sauce
- Strawberry Puree
Optional Toppings
- Cinnamon Powder
- Cocoa Powder
- Caramel Brulee Topping
- Chocolate Cookie Topping
- Chocolate Cookie Mint Sprinkle
- Salted Brown Butter Topping
- Toasted Cookie Topping
The Chocolate Curls and Cinnamon Dolce Topping are NOT vegan.
Starbucks Drink Suggestions with Non-Dairy Cold Foam
We have NOT tried all of these so please do not come for me if they are not good. lol! Most of these are suggestions from comments I found on Starbucks’ social media.
I also have no idea what the price would be but you know it won’t be cheap.
Let’s get to it!
‘COLD BREWS’
Cinnamon Caramel Cream Cold Brew
Order a Cold Brew with Cinnamon Caramel Syrup; top with cold foam made with Oat milk, 1 pump of Vanilla Syrup and 1 pump of Cinnamon Caramel Syrup.
Macadamia Cold Brew
This drink is my modified version of Starbucks’ 2023 summer special, White Chocolate Macadamia Cream Cold Brew. Slightly.
Order a Cold Brew with Macadamia Syrup; top with cold foam made with Oat milk, 1 pump of Vanilla Syrup and 1 pump of Macadamia Syrup. Optional –> Add Brown Butter Cookie Topping
Chocolate Cream Cold Brew
Order a Cold Brew; top with cold foam made with Oat milk, 1 pump of Vanilla Syrup and Mocha Sauce.
‘ICED SHAKEN ESPRESSOS’
Iced Brown Sugar Oatmilk Shaken Espresso (with Vanilla Oatmilk Foam)
Order an Iced Brown Sugar Oatmilk Shaken Espresso; top with cold foam made with Oat Milk and 2 pumps of Vanilla Syrup.
Iced Brown Sugar Oatmilk Shaken Espresso (with Toffee Nut Oatmilk Foam)
Order an Iced Brown Sugar Oatmilk Shaken Espresso; top with cold foam made with Oat Milk and 2 pumps of Toffee Nut Syrup.
Iced Chocolate Almondmilk Shaken Espresso (with Strawberry Almondmilk Foam)
Order an Iced Chocolate Almondmilk Shaken Espresso; top with cold foam made with Almond Milk and Strawberry Puree.
Iced Toasted Vanilla Oatmilk Shaken Espresso (with Mocha Oatmilk Foam)
Order an Iced Toasted Vanilla Oatmilk Shaken Espresso; top with cold foam made with Oat Milk and Mocha Sauce.
Cold Brew (with Toffee Nut Oatmilk Foam)
Order a Cold Brew; top with cold foam made with Oat Milk and 2 pumps Toffee Nut Syrup. Add Brown Butter Topping.
‘FRAPPUCCINO’
Oatmilk Strawberry Creme Frappuccino (with Mocha Oatmilk Foam)
Order a Strawberry Frappuccino with Oat Milk and NO whip; top with cold foam made with Oat Milk and Mocha Sauce. Add Cocoa Powder Topping.
…essentially the foam is replacing the whip but will cost you extra and is chocolate flavored.
‘LATTE’
Blonde Vanilla Iced Latte (with Brown Sugar Oatmilk Foam)
Order a Blonde Vanilla Iced Latte with Oat milk; top with cold foam made with Oat Milk and 2 pumps of Brown Sugar Syrup.
Starbucks’ Cow Dairy-Based Cold Foams That Are NOT Vegan
To make sure you do not get any mix-ups, here is a list of what NOT to order. These foams are currently all on their menu.
Vanilla Sweet Cream Cold Foam, Chocolate Cream Cold Foam, Peppermint Chocolate Cream Cold Foam, Pistachio Cream Cold Foam, Salted Caramel Cream Cold Foam and White Macadamia Cream Cold Foam.
How to Modify the Cow Dairy-Based Cold Foams on Starbucks Menu
To reiterate what was mentioned earlier, the only non-dairy milks we have tried are the oat and almond milk as foams. Our favorite was the oat milk because it had the best taste and cloudy foam texture.
We have NOT tried a foam made with soy or coconut milk and from reviews we have read soy is not recommended. There isn’t much info about trying coconut. If you do or if you are a barista, let me know what you think! I can update this guide.
Vanilla Sweet Cream
Order cold foam with your choice of non-dairy milk + 2 pumps of vanilla syrup.
Chocolate Cream Cold Foam
Order cold foam with your choice of non-dairy milk + Mocha Sauce + 1 pump of vanilla syrup.
Peppermint Chocolate Cream Cold Foam
Order cold foam with your choice of non-dairy milk + Mocha Sauce + 1 pump of peppermint syrup.
Pistachio Cream Cold Foam
The Pistachio Cream Cold Foam is NOT able to be modified. It requires Starbucks’ pistachio sauce which contains dairy.
Salted Caramel Cream Cold Foam
Order cold foam with your choice of non-dairy milk + 1 pump of caramel syrup + 1 pump of vanilla syrup. Ask if your Starbucks offers a packet of salt to sprinkle on top.
In Conclusion…
We recognized that foam is an option at Starbucks so we put together this guide. It’s up to you if you want to pay extra to try it out. If you do and find one of these to be your favorite, let us know! I’m sure it would be helpful to others to learn which ones are better than others.
Again, a non-dairy foam at Starbucks is NOT going to foam, taste or look like it’s cow dairy-based foam. You cannot go into ordering one expecting it to be the same …or cost the same.
And if you have read all the way thru this guide and have found yourself thinking this seems too complicated, head on over to our complete vegan guide
for Starbucks to see every drink option that is vegan or can be modified. It is broken down into sections so it’s easier to read as well–because there are a lot!
