It’s hard to resist this vanilla sweet cream cold brew with its rich, refreshing, and slightly sweet vanilla flavor to make it feel like a treat. This coffeehouse favorite combines bold cold brew with a splash of homemade vanilla cream, creating a silky drink that’s both energizing and indulgent. So skip the café line with this easy recipe and bring the perfect balance of flavor and caffeine right to your home.
It’s summer time right now as I write this, and I’m enjoying my Vanilla Sweet Cream Cold Brew as I type. But this drink isn’t just a summer sip, it’s a worthy drink for every season. In the warmer months, it’s an ice-cold pick-me-up that’s smooth, creamy, and not too heavy. When the weather cools down, its vanilla notes and bold coffee flavor offer a refreshing contrast to all the cozy, spiced drinks on the menu. Some drinks come and go with the seasons, but this one I think will earn a permanent spot in your coffee routine.
Why You Will Love This Vanilla Sweet Cream Cold Brew
- Smooth & Refreshing: The cold brew is bold but never bitter, perfectly balanced by the silky vanilla sweet cream.
- Just the Right Sweetness: Lightly sweetened with homemade vanilla simple syrup – or store bought if you prefer.
- Easy to Make at Home: Skip the coffee shop line and whip this up in minutes with simple ingredients.
- Customizable: Adjust the sweetness, creaminess, or coffee strength to make it exactly how you like it.
- Year-Round Favorite: Cool and refreshing for summer, but comforting and flavorful enough to enjoy even in colder months.
- Budget-Friendly: Save money without sacrificing that coffeehouse flavor.
- Great for Batch Brewing: Make a big batch of cold brew and sweet cream to enjoy all week long.
EQUIPMENT NEEDED
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No special equipment is really necessary, but a milk frother is optional if you would like to make some froth for the top of the drink.
Ingredients to make Vanilla Sweet Cream Cold Brew
- Half and half (also known as Creamo in some places) – adds the creamy richness to this drink. If you can’t find this, you can make your own using one part heavy cream, one part milk (whole or 2%). You can also make this more indulgent by using all heavy cream, or more calorie conscious by using all milk or your favorite milk alternative.
- Vanilla Syrup, make your own with my recipe, or you can use store bought.
- Cold Brew Concentrate – make your own with my homemade recipe, or you can buy your favorite one from the store.
- Water – to dilute the concentrate if necessary
- Ice
How to Make a Vanilla Sweet Cream Cold Brew
Make the vanilla sweet cream by combining the half and half with the vanilla syrup. If you have a frother, you can give this mixture a little whirl to produce a little foam. Set aside.
Make 1 cup of your favorite cold brew. If using my cold brew concentrate, dilute it 1:1. So in a tall glass I add 1/2 cup of my homemade cold brew concentrate, and 1/2 cup water. If you are using store bought, follow their diluting directions to achieve 1 cup of cold brew. See notes about diluting.
Fill the cup with ice but leave room for pouring on about 1/4 cup of vanilla sweet cream.
Pour approximately 1/4 cup of the vanilla sweet cream over the top of the cold brew. You can add some vanilla sweet cream foam to the top if you like. Enjoy!
Notes
- If you like a frothy top to your drink, a milk frother can be used on the vanilla sweet cream. The froth can be spooned on top of the drink after the sweet cream is poured in.
- When making cold brew from concentrate you can adjust the ratios to whatever you like. I use 1:1 for my cold brew, but if you like it stronger or weaker you can adjust accordingly.
- I recommend using half and half in this drink, but you can certainly go all heavy cream for an indulgent drink, or even all milk for a more calorie conscious version. I like them all.
- How much to dilute the cold brew concentrate is really up to you. If unsure, and using my cold brew concentrate recipe start with diluting 1:2, if using store bought, follow the directions on their container. You can decide if you want it stronger or more dilute based on your preferences. But I recommend having a final volume of 1 cup of cold brew before adding the sweet cream.
- If you like your drink a little sweeter, you can add another tablespoon of the vanilla simple syrup to the drink and stir it in.
FAQs
What if I want to make the drink stronger? You can add a little more cold brew concentrate, or next time try not diluting as much with water.
What if my vanilla sweet cream cold brew is too strong? Just add a little more water, you may need to add a little more sweetener or sweet cream if you add a lot of water.
It’s not sweet enough, but I don’t want to add more vanilla sweet cream. You could add more vanilla syrup or even stir in a bit of sugar, but it takes a little more stirring to get it to dissolve in a cold drink.
Vanilla Sweet Cream Cold Brew
Equipment
- 1 Frother optional
Ingredients
- Half and Half see notes for making your own
- Homemade Vanilla Simple Syrup or store bought
- Cold Brew Concentrate see notes if you have store bought
- Water
- Ice
Instructions
- Make the vanilla sweet cream by combining the half and half with the vanilla syrup. If you have a frother, you can give this mixture a little whirl to produce a little foam. Set aside.
- Make 1 cup of your favorite cold brew. If using my cold brew concentrate, dilute it 1:1. So in a tall glass I add 1/2 cup of my homemade cold brew concentrate, and 1/2 cup water. If you are using store bought, follow their diluting directions to achieve 1 cup of cold brew. See notes about diluting.
- Fill the cup with ice.
- Pour approximately 1/4 cup of the vanilla sweet cream over the top of the cold brew. You can add some vanilla sweet cream foam to the top if you like. Enjoy!
Notes
- If you like a frothy top to your drink, a milk frother can be used on the vanilla sweet cream. The froth can be spooned on top of the drink after the sweet cream is poured in.
- When making cold brew from a concentrate, you can use the diluting ratio you like. I use 1:2, but if you like a stronger or weaker cold brew dilute accordingly.
- I recommend using half and half in this drink, but you can certainly go all heavy cream for an indulgent drink, or even all milk for a more calorie conscious version. I like them all.
- How much to dilute the cold brew concentrate is really up to you. If unsure, and using my cold brew concentrate recipe start with diluting 1:1, if using store bought, follow the directions on their container. You can decide if you want it stronger or more dilute based on your preferences. But I recommend having a final volume of 1 cup of cold brew before adding the sweet cream.
- If you like your drink a little sweeter, you can add another tablespoon of the vanilla simple syrup to your drink and stir it in.
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Big fan of cold brew here! Bookmarking the recipe to try this weekend!
That’s great. I think you will love being able to make it at home.
This was so good! Never realized how easy it would be to make vanilla sweet cream at home.