Homemade Pistachio Cold Foam
If you’re as obsessed with pistachios as I am, you’re going to love this easy pistachio cold foam recipe. It’s creamy, nutty, just sweet enough, and honestly even better (and more affordable!) than Starbucks.
What you’ll love about this coffeeshop recipe:
- Quick, 3-ingredient recipe. Ready in 5 minutes with a blender or milk frother.
- Affordable. So you can drink it every day (multiple times!)
- Real pistachio flavor. No artificial ingredients or sugary syrup overload.
Welcome to your barista era
Pistachios have always been one of my favorite nuts and whenever I see pistanchio-anything on a menu it’s a safe bet to say I’ll order it.
There’s something about pistachio flavor that immediately transports me to a chic Italian café or a fancy bakery window. So when Starbucks dropped their pistachio drinks, you know I had to try them. They’re great, but $7 for cold foam? In this economy? We can do better.
Plus it’s limited edition and there’s nothing worse than getting hooked on a delicious drink only for them to yank it right off the menu (I’m looking at you, Irish cream cold brew.)
Luckily, cold foam is pretty easy to make yourself. At it’s core, it’s basically just flavored whipped cream or thick coffee creamer. The biggest dilemma I had creating my copycat recipe was how to get that pistachio flavor. I didn’t want to rely on store bought pistachio syrups (which can vary so much from brand to brand and some are honestly pretty gross) and using actual pistachio nuts was more effort than I wanted to put in.
I ultimately settled on using pistachio cream. At first it seemed a little pricey ($10 for a jar at The Fresh Market) but when you consider the cose of one Starbucks coffee and the fact that a little bit of this paste goes a long way, it’s well worth it.
Combined with heavy cream and a touch of vanilla, this DIY pistachio cold foam is everything I wanted it to be — light and creamy, with just the right amount of real pistachio flavor.
It’s the perfect little treat whether you’re powering through your morning, taking a lazy your afternoon coffee break, or just sneaking a little bit on a spoon.
Ingredients you’ll need:
Pistachio cream. Sometimes sold as pistachio paste or pistachio butter. This is a thick emulsion of fresh pistachios, sugar, and a little oil, and its has a fantastic flavor. A little goes a long way, and you’ll want to put it on everything!
Vanilla extract. To add a little more depth to the cold foam.
Heavy cream.
How To Make pistachio cold foam at home:
- Whip together the heavy cream and pistachio cream until its thick and fully incorporated. You can do this in a blender, with an immersion blender, or with a handheld milk frother.
- Stir in the vanilla extract.
- Top your favorite coffee or cold brew. It’s really that simple!
Frequently asked questions
Unfortunately, this cold foam recipe is best made fresh when you want to enjoy it. It tends to solidify into a butter-like consistency in the fridge and needs to be rewhipped after it chills. You can do that of course, but it’s just as easy to make a fresh batch.
Yes! You can use coconut cream instead of heavy cream to make a dair free pistachio cold foam. Just double check the label on your pistachio paste to make sure the only ingredients are pistachios, sugar, and oil and that there isnt’ any sneaky dairy in there. In general, I’ve found that pastes from Sicily tend to be dairy free while ones from Turkey or labelled as being for Dubai chocolate contain milk powder.
Absolutely! Stir it into a hot latte for a real treat!
More coffee recipes you’ll love:
Pistachio Cold Foam
Ingredients
- ½ cup heavy whipping cream
- ¼ cup pistachio cream aka pistachio spread
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- iced coffee or cold brew for serving
Instructions
- Add all of the ingredients to a small bowl or a tall glass. Use a handheld frother or immersion blender to the cold foam until it's thick and fully combined. It will have the consistency of whipped cream.
- Spoon onto a glass of your favorite iced coffee or cold brew.
