Starbucks Vanilla Sweet Cream Cold Brew Recipe at Home

Ingredient List  

For the Vanilla Sweet Cream Cold Brew

• Cold Brew Coffee Concentrate: We make homemade, see below for how to make it.
• Vanilla Sweet Cream: Again, we make a homemade version of this, see below for how to make it. 
• Ice: I like to use ice cubes as opposed to crushed ice because they don’t melt as fast.

How to Make Cold Brew Coffee Concentrate

Here’s what you’ll need

• Coffee Grounds: I use regular coffee grounds and occasionally use decaf. 
• Water: We use filtered water out of our refrigerator. Regular tap water of bottled water is fine.

1. Add 3 cups of water and ¾ cup ground coffee to a mason jar, put the lid on it and shake to combine. 
2. Let steep 12-18 hours then strain it using cheese cloth.

Water to cold brew coffee ratio is 1:1, so every cup of cold brew is mixed with one cup of water. 

How to Make Vanilla Syrup

Here’s what you’ll need

• Sugar: Regular white sugar is what we use. I don’t have experience using a sugar substitute in this recipe but if there’s one you are familiar with that would work you can try it.
• Water: Plain tap water is good for this.
• Vanilla Flavor: I use vanilla extract but this can be made with a whole vanilla bean.

1. Add 1 cup of water and 1 cup of white sugar to a small saucepan, bring to a boil and cook until the sugar dissolves, usually about 2 minutes. Take off the heat and stir in 1 ½ tablespoons of vanilla extract. 
2. Cool and transfer to a jar. It can be poured into a mason jar while it is still hot.

To make it with fresh vanilla bean add the water, sugar and vanilla bean to a small saucepan and bring it to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer for 5 minutes. Allow to cool and strain, discard the vanilla pod.

How to Make Vanilla Sweet Cream

Here’s what you’ll need

• Heavy Cream: Also called heavy whipping cream. 
• Vanilla Syrup: This is a vanilla infused simple syrup. 

1. Pour 1 cup of heavy cream and 4 tablespoons of vanilla syrup into a jar.
2. Shake vigorously until it’s well mixed.

How to Make Vanilla Sweet Cream Cold Brew Coffee

1. Add ice to a large glass (at least 16 ounces), pour in the cold brew coffee concentrate, water and vanilla syrup and give it a good stir. 
2. Pour in the vanilla sweet cream, stir if desired. This is personal preference as some people don’t stir theirs. I like mine stirred.  

How to Make This with Store-Bought Ingredients

This recipe is super easy using homemade ingredients but takes some planning. If you’re short on time or just want to make it using purchased ingredients that’s still an option and will also save you money. Just buy pre-made cold brew and vanilla creamer. Store-bought creamer may not be as thick and rich as our homemade but would work. You could also make the vanilla sweet cream using heavy cream and store-bought vanilla syrup. Torani syrups have a regular and sugar free version of vanilla syrup.

Storage

This is best made fresh if you don’t want to mix the cream into the coffee. If you do like it mixed together, then this can be made ahead and stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

Frequently Asked Questions

Make These Copycat Recipes Next!

• Dunkin Vanilla Swirl Iced Coffee
• Iced Mocha Coffee
• Iced Caramel Coffee