Salted Caramel Cream Cold Brew from Starbucks (What Is It And How Do You Make It At Home?)
I love a Starbucks. Although coffee snobs will profess it’s not real coffee, the rich, sweet drinks they serve really hit the spot! Their cold brew coffee is just delicious, especially on a hot summer’s day.
If you have a sweet tooth and if you also love coffee then chances are you will love the Starbucks salted caramel cream cold brew. This refreshing concoction is a drink worth talking about so here’s everything you need to know if you’re keen to try it.
We will look into the ingredients that make up this drink, how balanced it is nutritionally and whats’s the overall verdict. I’ve also included instructions for you to replicate this recipe at home if you like to experiment in the kitchen.
Ingredients
This salted cream cold foam cold brew coffee drink has three key ingredients. The first is cold brewed coffee.
Cold Brew Coffee
Unlike iced coffee which is coffee brewed hot then cooled down, cold-brew coffee is a slow extraction process where the coffee grounds are steeped in cold water for 12 hours or more. This process gradually extracts all the delicious coffee flavor and leaves you with a sweet-tasting coffee that’s less acidic compared to hot brewed coffee.
The rich and sweet flavor pairs extremely well with the caramel and vanilla flavors added to this coffee.
Vanilla Sweet Cream
The second ingredient is vanilla sweet cream. This gives the coffee a thick, creamy texture. It’s made from a combination of cream, milk, and vanilla syrup and is whipped up to give a thick foam that tops the drink.
Caramel Syrup
Caramel sauce is the final key ingredient that gives this coffee its signature flavor. Four pumps of this are added to the cold brew coffee to make caramel coffee ready to be topped with the foamed vanilla cream.
Ice
Not really an ingredient as such but this coffee is served over ice to give it that lovely refreshing effect.
Nutrition
The salted caramel cream cold brew is certainly not the healthiest choice when it comes to a coffee pick me up. The Grande option (16 fl oz) has 230 calories with 130 of these from fat.
Let’s start with the fat content. Overall it has 14g of fat so that’s 18% of the average recommended daily value. 9g of this is saturated and this translates to 45% of your recommended intake. That means two of these drinks pretty much tops off your saturated fat for the day. There’s also 45mg of cholesterol which is 15% of the recommended daily allowance.
23g of carbohydrate equates to only 8% of your daily value but all of these come from sugar and none from fiber. This means it’s going to be absorbed very fast into your bloodstream and will cause a blood sugar spike which can be a risk factor for diabetes.
2g of protein gives you a tiny 4% of your daily intake and 330mg of sodium is 14%.
185mg of caffeine is a safe amount with the average person’s daily intake recommended to be no more than 400mg.
These values are for the Grande serving size option. For a quick comparison, the Tall option has 160 calories, the Venti has 280 calories and the Trenta has 340 calories.
Nitro Cold Brew
Some Starbucks coffee shops offer this same drink but served with nitro cold brew coffee. The vanilla cream and caramel syrup remain the same but the cold brew coffee is passed through a nitro frother. This infuses the coffee with nitrogen to create a creamy, bubbly effect (similar to Guinness served at a bar). It has a thick, rich mouthfeel and tastes even sweeter than a typical cold brew.
Not every Starbucks will carry this option as you need a nitrogen infuser to make the coffee. If you do see it on the menu I’d highly recommend giving it a try as it’s a really indulgent option without any extra ingredients needed.
Verdict
The salted caramel cream cold brew coffee by Starbucks is a beautiful balance of the rich, intense coffee flavor with a smooth sweet finish. It’s super-refreshing on a hot summer’s day and will definitely satisfy any sweet tooth out there. If you prefer savory, this is not the drink for you.
How To Make At Home
If you’re keen to make your own copycat version of this drink at home then you’ll be pleased to hear it’s quite simple to do. The total time to make this recipe is at least 12 hours as the cold brew needs time to steep. You can always make the coffee in advance or buy cold brew ready to use to speed it up.
The Cold Brew
If you’ve never made cold brew before then don’t stress about this step. It’s actually really easy to do and you don’t need specialist equipment. You need some coarsely ground coffee beans (you can buy varieties specifically designed for cold brew) and add these to a jug of cold water at a 7:1 ratio of water to coffee.
Leave it to steep in the fridge overnight for at least 12 hours but no longer than 18 hours. The next step is to remove the grounds. You can do this using a french press, fine-mesh sieve, tea strainer, cheesecloth, or anything similar. The resulting coffee is cold brew concentrate and can be diluted with fresh water to give your desired taste.
I’d recommend leaving the coffee in a sealed glass jar for 48 hours up to a week as this allows the flavors to mature and the sweetness really shines through.
The Syrup
You can buy caramel syrup to add to your cold brew or use caramel sauce (the kind you buy for ice cream). The syrup tends to mix easier with the cold coffee and gives a smoother drink whereas caramel sauce tends to settle to the bottom of your drink. Add one pump of syrup per 4 ounces of coffee and pour into a glass filled with ice cubes. Add a pinch of sea salt to really compliment the caramel sweetness.
The Vanilla Cream
To make the topping for this drink you can use either vanilla syrup or simple syrup with a few drops of vanilla extract. This gets folded into heavy cream and then whipped. You can use vanilla-flavored whipped cream if you prefer.
If you’re keen to get that really foamy texture, just like Starbucks then use a milk frother instead of whipping the cream. Use half a cup of milk mixed with half a cup of cream mixed with your syrup.
A milk frother jug or frothing wand that can create cold-frothed milk does all the hard work for you. If you don’t have one of these then use a spiral or coil whisk to aerate the mixture.
You can add as much of this vanilla cream as you like to top your cold brew and I’d recommend using a tall glass to make this drink so you can enjoy the swirling pattern the milk makes as it mixes with the coffee. The rest of the cream can be stored in the fridge for no more than 1 week (or to the use-by date).
Vegan/Non-Dairy Options
If you don’t do dairy then there are loads of alternative options. A mix of coconut cream and coconut milk makes a truly rich and tasty coffee bursting with tropical flavors. Soy milk, almond milk, hazelnut milk, oat milk, the list goes on. Any non-dairy milk can be used alongside a cream substitute. I’d recommend choosing barista blend options as these hold the foam better when you froth them.
F.A.Q.s
What is a salted caramel cold brew?
Starbucks has created the ultimate refreshingly sweet coffee that combines flavored syrup, cold brew coffee, and sweet vanilla cream, all served over ice to give a decadent and delicious sweet coffee.
Is the salted caramel cold brew sweet?
This coffee is absolutely one of the sweetest ways to enjoy a cold brew. With the Grande option containing 23g of sugar that’s 5-6 teaspoons per serving.
How much caffeine is in Starbucks salted caramel cold brew?
The Tall option has 140mg, the Grande option contains 185mg, the Venti has 275mg and the Trenta has 320mg of caffeine per serving.
Is 200 mg of caffeine a lot?
It’s recommended that the average person doesn’t consume more than 400mg of caffeine per day. Filter coffee contains 145mg on average per serving, which is similar to the Tall salted caramel cream cold brew.
Does the salted caramel cold brew have milk?
Milk is one of the ingredients listed in this recipe. You can always substitute this with a non-dairy alternative or leave out the vanilla cream altogether and enjoy the caramel cold brew black.
How much is a salted caramel cold brew at Starbucks?
The cost of this drink ranges from $3.95 for a tall to $4.95 for a Trenta option.
Conclusion
Starbucks is never one to shy away from the super-sweet coffee recipes and this salted caramel cream cold brew is no exception. Whilst it’s not the healthiest choice on the menu, it sure does taste amazing and is very refreshing served over ice. It’s surprisingly easy to make at home and pretty adaptable, so you can make it to best suit your taste preferences.
