Give Your Coffee A Fall Makeover With A One-Ingredient Cold Foam Boost

When fall settles in, that doesn't mean you have to say goodbye to iced coffee. Sure, maybe you've unearthed your favorite scarf and caught yourself doing a Google search for nearby pumpkin patches. But cold brew can easily last into autumn, especially when you spruce your coffee up with the addition of pumpkin pie spice in your cold foam.

Cold foam — a mixture of whipped milk and flavoring — can elevate any iced coffee. Due to its aerated texture, the foam gracefully settles atop your coffee, gradually permeating the drink as you stir and sip. It's luxurious, easy to make, and irresistibly pretty.

A cold foam can be flavored with anything, ranging from blended banana to vanilla syrup. To concoct a cold foam that sits well with fall, mix heavy cream, milk, a sweetener like sugar, pumpkin purée, and a dash of pumpkin pie spice. While the pumpkin puree will add a warm flavor, it is the pumpkin pie spice, which contains cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, cloves, and ginger, that imparts the true essence of autumn.

For an easy pumpkin cold foam, mix 3 tablespoons of heavy cream, 2 tablespoons of milk, and 1 tablespoon of simple or vanilla syrup. Then, add about a tablespoon of pumpkin purée for extra creaminess and a gorgeous, fall-themed color. As for the pumpkin pie spice, this addition contains strong, potentially overpowering flavors, so start with just a few dashes. Continue adding to taste, until you've achieved your ideal level of spice. 

While adding your pumpkin mix to a regular cold foam is one option, you could also mix it with your favorite caramel cold foam or even a chocolate cold foam. The fall touch would work well with either pairing. And, it opens the door for toppings like a caramel drizzle or chocolate shavings.

Once your cold foam is prepared, pour it over cold brew, iced coffee, or any preferred cold coffee drink. Iced coffee comes in many shapes and sizes: For a more intense coffee flavor, pour a dab of pumpkin-spiced cold foam over an iced espresso. For a more indulgent, dessert-like drink, add your cold foam to an iced latte. Move over, $7 PSL: We've landed deep in DIY coffee territory here, and we're loving it.