Salted Caramel Cream Cold Brew

This Salted Caramel Cream Cold Brew is a Starbucks copycat that is so easy to make at home. Iced coffee is sweetened with caramel and topped with a sea salt and vanilla cold foam.

Going through the drive through for a midday caramel iced coffee is one of life’s simple pleasures.

But the Starbucks near me usually has a huge line that spills out onto the road, the annoyance of every driver in the area.

Now, 90% of the time, I get a very good drink from the drive through. But 10% of the time, something seems to go awry. Either I can barely taste the flavor syrup or there’s wayyyy too much of it.

Well, 100% of the time, when you make fancy coffeehouse-style drinks at home, they will be perfect, and exactly to your specifications.

If you like it creamier or less creamy, you’re in charge. Just a touch of sweetness or so sweet you can barely taste the coffee? Want to decorate your glass with microwave caramel sauce? Hey, that’s your call.

I’ve been making my (hot) caramel coffee at home for years, and now I’m starting to branch out into iced drinks. This salted caramel cream cold brew recipe is my take on a Starbucks favorite.

What you’ll need to make this salted caramel cream cold brew recipe:

• cold brew coffee – of course, this is the backbone of salted caramel cold brew! More on how to make cold brew below.
• caramel syrup – I like to make a batch of my homemade caramel coffee syrup recipe and keep it in the fridge, but you can also buy it. Torani and Monin are two well-known brands.
• vanilla syrup – again, you can make homemade vanilla syrup for coffee or buy it.
• milk – I use whole milk for the richest, creamiest salted caramel cream cold brew.
• heavy cream – a splash of cream makes this treat extra indulgent.
• sea salt – it’s not salted caramel without sea salt! I like Maldon brand sea salt flakes.

How to make cold brew:

I know there are all kinds of fancy pitchers and machines specifically for making cold brew out there. And I actually used to have one. But it never really worked that well and took up valuable cabinet space, so I got rid of it.

Now, I find it easiest to make cold brew in my French press (the same one I use to make hot coffee). I simply combine ground coffee and cold water and let it sit in the fridge for 12 hours.

I usually let it sit overnight, so that when I wake up on a lazy weekend morning, I can enjoy my salted caramel cream cold brew while I’m cooking bacon in oven and making the rest of my brunch food ideas, like a sweet potato breakfast casserole.

I use the French press to strain out the grounds, and I have cold brew. If you don’t have a French press, you can strain the coffee through a paper filter to get the grounds out.

I use 3 tablespoons ground coffee for 10 ounces of water to make the exact amount needed for this recipe, but you can make a larger batch if you’d like. Cold brew keeps in the fridge for up to a week.

How to make a Starbucks-style salted caramel cold brew:

First, fill a 16 ounce glass with ice cubes. Then, add your cold brew and caramel syrup and give it a good stir.

Next, you’ll be making the cold foam with milk, cream, vanilla syrup and sea salt, which is the most special part of this salted caramel cold brew.

There are a few different ways to do this. Because I own a handheld milk frother, I like to use that. I simply combine the ingredients in a small pitcher or liquid measuring cup, and use the frother to foam the milk and cream mixture.

If you don’t have a frother, no worries! A French press is also a handy tool for foaming milk. Simply add the milk, cream, vanilla syrup and sea salt to the French press and pump the press up and down for about a minute or until the mixture is foamy.

Now, if you don’t have a a frother or a French press, one final way to make the cold foam is with a mason jar. Add the ingredients to a mason jar, put the lid on tightly and shake shake shake until it’s foamy!

Once you’ve made your milk foam, pour it over the coffee in the glass, and it’s time to enjoy this salted caramel cream cold brew (maybe with a batch of blackberry muffins?)

My special secret for jazzing this drink up even more:

I LOVE adding an extra sprinkle of sea salt on top of this salted caramel cream cold brew recipe (and also on top of my Baileys brownies).

I love this flavor combo so much that I’ll even throw a sprinkle of sea salt on top of coffee and ice cream (affogato).