9 Cold Foams For Your Coffee, Ranked Worst To Best

When Starbucks cold foam was released to all customers across the U.S. in 2018, it changed the way a lot of us enjoyed our iced coffee. And, it has remained popular ever since. Cold foam is essentially just cold milk that is aerated to achieve its signature fluffy and creamy texture. Making cold foam at home isn't always the easiest of tasks without the proper tools. Thankfully, brands have seen how popular cold foam has become and have started to release cans of it that can be purchased at the grocery store. From specialty flavors like brown butter chocolate chip cookie to familiar flavors like sweet cream, chances are there's a cold foam on the market to satisfy whatever you are craving.

I wanted to find the best cold foam on the market. But, since cold foam is a relatively new product, there are only a handful of brands that currently make it. Since I couldn't compare the exact same flavor across multiple brands, I chose to test a variety of different flavors across several different brands; a few aren't even on the market yet! As a former barista who drinks her fair share of cold foam, I decided to rank these options based on their consistency (like how well they stacked up against Starbucks' beloved cold foam), overall taste, and sweetness. 

Some recommendations are based on firsthand impressions of promotional materials and products provided by the manufacturer.

I wanted to love this cold foam — I really did. The fact that I could buy it at Target, combined with its no-frills, classic vanilla sweet cream flavor gave me hope that it would be my go-to option for cold foam. Instead of being a staple in my refrigerator, it ended up at the bottom of my rankings due to how far from cold foam it was, in terms of both flavor and consistency. In reality, Target's Favorite Day vanilla sweet cream cold foam was nothing more than a glorified whipped cream.

Not only did it come out of the can like whipped cream, but it also sat on top of my iced coffee exactly like whipped cream. Cold foam is supposed to lightly sit on top of your coffee and slowly incorporate into your beverage as you drink it, creating a delicious swirl of cold foam and iced coffee. Instead, it didn't incorporate into my coffee at all, and it was pretty thick in texture. It even visually looked like whipped cream! The flavor was also significantly off, as it tasted like something better fit for hot chocolate. It's definitely not a bad flavor, but it's not one you'd want when choosing a cold foam.

If you choose to avoid dairy and thought you were out of luck in the cold foam department, Sown has come to your rescue! Now, don't necessarily discredit this option just because of its low ranking. When judging based taste and consistency — specifically in comparison to Starbucks cold foam — Sown oat cold foaming cream just misses the mark. But these same factors that ranked it lower on this list may be just the reason why you personally would choose it over other brands.

Since it is an oat milk creamer, it had a very distinct, earthy oat flavor to it that isn't masked by any other flavors or sweeteners. The other interesting thing about this cold foam is that it is the only option that doesn't come in an aerosol can. Rather, it comes in a carton and requires you to foam it yourself using a milk frother. This adds an extra step to your coffee-making routine. Plus, once prepared, it doesn't have as thick of a consistency as other cold foams on this list. It actually mixed into my coffee a little too quickly for my liking. But again, these things are ultimately up to personal preference, as you may prefer a cold foam that is less sweet and mixes more like a traditional creamer.

Aldi's Barissimo sweet cream cold foam ranks higher than the last two options due to its more traditional cold foam flavor. While it was still a little too sweet for my liking, it wasn't overly sweet to the point that I could only take a few sips. 

What really put this one behind in the rankings, though, was its consistency. Unfortunately, it came out similar to the Target Favorite Day cold foam; it had more of a dense whipped cream consistency, rather than the traditionally light cold foam one I was looking for. However, unlike the Target Favorite Day brand, it didn't hold its form quite as much and it did eventually start to sink into my iced coffee. With that said, it still didn't combine quick enough or well enough into the coffee — which meant each sip didn't have the proper cold foam to iced coffee ratio that I got with other brands. Since consistency is such a key factor in what makes a cold foam a cold foam, I couldn't justify putting it higher than number seven on the list.

This Coffee Mate flavor was not yet released as of the date of publication. And honestly, it's a flavor I was surprised by, considering that the other two Coffee Mate cold foams ranked much higher on this list. 

The taste of the French vanilla flavor solidified its spot on this list. The consistency of all of the Coffee Mate cold foams is on point with what you'd find at Starbucks, but the taste made me take a step back. I felt like it was way too sweet and tasted more like a low-calorie, aspartame-based sweetener — even though it wasn't made with it. It didn't seem like the flavor was well-balanced. Instead, it focused too much on being sweet for sweet's sake rather than bringing out the vanilla flavor in a mindful way. However, I know some people enjoy cold foams with this type of sweetness, so it may still be one to consider.

Silk's cinnamon caramel oat cold foam, another option for those avoiding dairy, is a winner in terms of both its consistency and flavor. I love that this non-dairy option comes in a can, which makes it super easy to use on a daily basis, whether if you are relaxing at home or rushing out the door. The taste is also one of my absolute favorites, as the cinnamon nor the caramel was overpowering. 

If this was based on taste alone, I would have ranked it even higher. But, the consistency held it back just a bit. In comparison to the rest of the higher-ranking cold foams, Silk's was ever-so-slightly too thick. And when I say ever-so-slightly I really do mean it. At this point in the rankings, it's time to be nitpicky. All the other cold foams just happen to be closer in consistency to what you'd get at Starbucks, even if the margin is slim. If you aren't a dairy drinker though, this is definitely the choice for you. You won't feel like you are missing out!

There wasn't much that stuck out to me about the not-yet-released Coffee Mate Italian sweet créme cold foam flavor, so it ended up getting a pretty middle-of-the-road ranking. Although its consistency rivaled what you would get at Starbucks or another coffee shop, its flavor didn't give me much to be wowed by. It wasn't that it tasted bad — it was delicious, in fact — but it just didn't stand out when compared to the cold foams that got into the top three. 

If anything, I would say that this particular Coffee Mate flavor could have been a little sweeter or had something else added to it. Again, not that it was bad, it actually had more mild of a flavor than I was expecting. But if you want a flavor that is tamer than the other two Coffee Mate options on this list, this is a fantastic choice, as you can't go wrong with a classic flavor like this one. 

There are several reasons why this particular variety of Coffee Mate claimed one of the top spots in my ranking. For one, the consistency of this cold foam (as well as all of Coffee Mate's options, is unmatched. It's perfectly creamy and doesn't melt into your iced coffee a moment too soon. And, it's everything you'd expect from Starbucks' cold foam, now made accessible in your own home.

Second, the flavor itself is something out of your coffee dreams. It tastes just like your favorite brown butter chocolate chip cookie. Compared to a lot of specialty flavors (including others in Coffee Mate's cold foam line) that can seem like they are trying too hard, this can balances each aspect of this particular flavor profile wonderfully. In each sip, you can taste a hint of brown butter right behind the initial chocolate flavor. It doesn't hit you in the face with pure sugar, either. 

The only reason this didn't rank higher on the list is due to the fact that it is a specialty flavor and it may not be the preferred choice for everyone. I know a lot of people also like to add syrups to their iced coffees, in addition to cold foam, and this particular flavor can limit the number of syrup flavors you can use alongside it.

International Delight is leading the way when it comes to at-home cold foams. Not only does it deliver in the consistency department, but it also has an impressive range of flavors including seasonal flavors, like peppermint mocha and pumpkin pie spice, as well as more traditional options like sweet and creamy and caramel macchiato — the latter of which I sampled for this ranking.

As soon as it came out of the can, I could tell that the caramel macchiato cold foam had the perfect consistency. It was fluffy, creamy, and mixed into my iced coffee at the perfect pace as I drank it — not too slow and not too fast. The flavor was also everything I had hoped for. It wasn't too sweet and it tasted exactly like my beloved Starbucks caramel macchiato. I loved that International Delight took this well-loved beverage and made it even better and more modern in the form of cold foam. So why didn't it rank as number one? Similarly to the third place ranking, this particular flavor lacks versatility with other syrups or add-ins, and the number one spot tasted even better.

I didn't know much about International Delight before writing this, but I am happy to say that it will definitely be my go-to cold foam moving forward. In addition to its ideal consistency, the sweet and creamy flavor is also everything you'd hope a classic cold foam would be. With just the right amount of sweetness, this is a great option on its own or alongside your favorite flavored syrup. I also love that a classic flavor like this can pair well with a variety of different coffee blends. 

This is also a brand that is more readily available than some of the others on this list. I was able to find International Delight at my local grocery store, in addition to Target, Walmart, and other specialty stores in my area.

Even though my years as a Starbucks barista ended before the release of cold foam, I still consider myself a cold foam connoisseur due to my past coffee experience and general love for the topping. 

Cold foam is more than just whipped cream, therefore texture matters a great deal when it comes to separating a good cold foam from a bad one. It was the number one consideration that I used when determining this ranking.I also understand that taste is subjective and everyone has different flavor preferences. So, I looked at how well the particular flavor was represented and if it was too sweet or not sweet enough.