Starbucks Pumpkin Cream Cold Brew

If you love a Starbucks pumpkin cream cold brew coffee to kick off the fall season, this easy Starbucks copycat recipe is for you! Our pumpkin cream cold foam recipe has been tested with various preparation methods to ensure the best possible outcome when you’re making this at home. Follow our simple steps to make an incredible DIY version today.

You know I love DIY coffee recipes at home, and I’ve been making them for nearly 15 years now. Since Starbucks started making their cold foam drinks, I’ve always loved them. The texture, the way the foam floats on top of the cold brew, the creaminess… it’s all so good. But I didn’t love the cost of buying them multiple times a week, and I wasn’t thrilled about the artificial flavorings that get added to some of their seasonal drinks. As someone who’s developed over 20 coffee recipes for this website, I knew a homemade cold foam was a must-try project.

After extensive testing with different frothing methods, milk-to-cream ratios, and sweetener options, I’m thrilled to say this homemade version turned out so much better than the original. Using real pumpkin puree and warm fall spices instead of artificial pumpkin flavoring gives it an authentic taste, and pure maple syrup adds natural sweetness that complements the pumpkin spice perfectly. I’ve made this countless times since perfecting the recipe, and honestly, I haven’t bought a pumpkin cream cold brew from Starbucks since. Why would I when I can make a better version at home for a fraction of the cost?

I personally love sipping on these in that warm in-between time when it’s still technically summer but your heart is in full on fall mode. This DIY pumpkin cold foam cold brew is the perfect drink for this transitional time (with a DIY Starbucks Sweet Cream Cold Brew thrown in too), allowing you to enjoy fun fall flavors and a nice refreshing iced coffee too.

Prefer a warm pumpkin drink? Make our homemade pumpkin spice latte recipe!

Why You’ll Love Our Starbucks Pumpkin Cream Cold Brew

Simple ingredients. We use simple ingredients that will be easy to find at your local grocery store for this delicious cold coffee drink! 

Bursting with the flavors of fall! The DIY pumpkin cream is so delicious and definitely gets you excited for fall. Packed with sweet pumpkin and warm fall spices, you’ll love this homemade cold cream.

Quick to make! It will take you less than 5 minutes to make pumpkin cream cold foam to float on top of your favorite cold brew coffee. 

What is Cold Foam?

• Cold foam is a super smooth and fluffy topping, often made from a combination of non-fat dairy milk and heavy cream, that floats on top of iced drinks. Unlike milk used in warm drinks, cold foam is frothed without the use of heat or steam.
• Starbucks is credited with popularizing cold foam in the United States by serving it on top of a variety of iced coffees and cold brew coffee, like this vanilla sweet cream cold brew recipe.
• Using cold foam on top of iced beverages creates a beautiful layered effect. 

Pumpkin Cold Brew Ingredients

• A Combination of Milk and Heavy Whipping Cream. Mixing milk and heavy cream creates the perfect texture and density for cold foam so it floats perfectly on top of your cold brew. You can use skim milk or 2% milk (whichever your family usually has in your fridge). Starbucks uses a blend of non-fat milk with heavy cream to create their cold foam.
• Vanilla Extract. Adding in vanilla extract to the cold foam adds a nice depth of flavor.
• Pumpkin Pie Spice. Using pumpkin pie spice keeps things easy by having everything blended for you (so no need to pull out the cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, allspice, and ginger to measure each spice separately). Pumpkin Pie Spice can be found in your grocery store’s spice aisle.
• Pure Maple Syrup. Maple is a lovely compliment to the pumpkin and pumpkin pie spice, and naturally sweetens the cold foam.
• Real Pumpkin Puree. You can used canned 100% pumpkin puree or homemade pumpkin puree for your pumpkin spice cream. Do not use pumpkin pie filling!
• Ice. Needed to keep your drink nice and cold.
• Cold Brew Coffee. You can use homemade cold brew or store bought as your cold brew base.

See recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and measurements.

Helpful equipment for making this Pumpkin Cold Brew (Starbucks copycat)

Handheld Milk Frother -OR- Electric Milk Frother

How to Make Pumpkin Cream Cold Foam

Add all ingredients to a small bowl or mason jar, giving it a quick stir or whisk to combine.

Froth to turn the pumpkin cream into pumpkin cold foam with one of the following methods:

• Handheld milk frother. Move the frother up and down and around the bowl until the mixture has a stiff, foam-like texture (be careful not to splash… it happens!)
• Milk frother on the cool setting. Pour the pumpkin cold foam mixture into the basin of the frother to blend to a stiff, foam-like texture
• Use a blender. Please note, I’ve found this method to just be ok. You can also technically whisk your pumpkin cream mixture by hand into foam, but that would take quite some time. I would recommend investing in a handheld frother which can be found for under $20. I use mine almost every day.

Select a serving glass and fill it about ⅔ full with ice and then cold brew coffee (homemade cold brew or store bought cold brew are both great options). Generously spoon pumpkin cold foam on top. Sprinkle a dash of extra pumpkin pie spice on top if desired. Sip and enjoy!

Starbucks Pumpkin Cream Cold Brew Variations & Substitutions

• Change the spice profile: Add more or less pumpkin spice to your liking. You could also just use ground cinnamon if preferred!
• Use vanilla syrup in place of the vanilla extract and maple syrup. If you have vanilla simple syrup in your fridge you use it in the cold foam if you’d like! Swap 1-for-1 with the maple syrup quantity, taste it, and adjust as desired.
• Make it dairy free / vegan: If dairy is not part of your diet, replace the milk and heavy cream with the non-dairy milk of your choice. I recommend using oat milk for this option as I’ve had pretty good success frothing oat milk for hot coffees and believe the creaminess would work well in this pumpkin cold foam recipe. However you can also try almond milk, coconut milk, or other non-dairy alternatives if preferred. Please note non-dairy milks are generally not as creamy as dairy milk, which may result in a different foam consistency.