Hibiscus Cold Foam
Updated Feb 28, 2025
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Make iced drinks even better with this sweet and floral hibiscus cold foam. It’s delicious and ready in just 2 minutes!
Hibiscus Cold Foam
Hibiscus cold foam is a sweet and creamy drink topping made by frothing together cold heavy cream, milk, and hibiscus syrup.
Hibiscus is a little tart, like a mild cranberry, so the hibiscus cold foam tastes sweet, creamy, and slightly tart. Use hibiscus cold foam as a replacement or in addition to milk or cream in iced drinks to add a sweet floral flavor.
Add this cold foam to top iced drinks, like an iced black tea.
Note from Jee
I made this cold foam using the same formula that Starbucks uses, which is with heavy cream and 2% milk. But, you can always use my shortcut of replacing the heavy cream and milk with half & half.
Half & half is half cream and half milk so the ratio is a little different than the Starbucks cold foam version, but I think it turns out just as good.
Recipe Summary
- A 3-ingredient recipe, you need heavy cream, milk, and hibiscus syrup.
- Perfect cold foam can be made at home, just like Starbucks, by using a French press or an electric milk frother.
- This drink topping is naturally pink from the red hibiscus syrup.
RELATED: 12 Easy Cold Foam Recipes
Ingredient Notes
- Heavy cream: Cream is an essential ingredient and gives cold foam the frothy, light texture that helps it float on a drink.
- 2% milk: Adding milk thins out the cream to make cold foam pourable. Starbucks uses 2% milk, but feel free to use any milk of your choice.
- Hibiscus syrup: Homemade or store-bought hibiscus syrup adds sweetness and flavor.
For full ingredients and detailed instructions, please see the recipe card at the bottom of the post.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Step 1: Put all the ingredients into a French press.
Step 2: Stir to mix the syrup into milk.
Step 3: Place on the lid and move the plunger up and down. Liquid will increase in volume.
Step 4: Pour cold foam on top of an iced drink.
Recipe Notes
Make the hibiscus syrup first.
If using homemade hibiscus syrup, prepare it first to give it time to cool. It’s so easy to make at home with water, sugar, and hibiscus tea.
Use an electric milk frother.
An electric milk frother that makes cold foam can be used instead of a French press. A handheld milk frother will also work but I find the foam isn’t as nice as using the electric milk frother or the French press.
Don’t overfill or underfill the French press.
If it’s underfilled, the plunger won’t be able to touch the liquids before moving up and down and won’t froth. The cold foam also increases in volume as you pump the plunger, so be careful not to overfill.
Use half & half instead of heavy cream and milk.
To use my shortcut of using half & half to simplify the recipe, replace the heavy cream and milk with ⅓ cup of half & half.
Expert Tips
- Cold foam shouldn’t be used in hot drinks since it’ll instantly melt right into them. Use whipped cream for hot drinks.
- Using alternative milks instead of heavy cream will create cold foam that’s thin and runny.
- Keep leftover cold foam in the French press and and give it a few pumps before serving since it can lose volume. It can be stored in the fridge for up to 2 days.
RELATED: Lavender Cold Foam
Related
- Hibiscus Lemonade
- Hibiscus Strawberry Bubble Tea
- Butterfly Pea Flower Cold Foam
- Strawberry Cold Foam
- Bubble Tea with Cold Foam
- Matcha Cold Foam
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Hibiscus Cold Foam
Ingredients
- ¼ cup heavy cream
- 2 tablespoons 2% milk
- 2 tablespoons hibiscus syrup
Instructions
- Put all ingredients into a French press. Stir to combine.Mix to make sure syrup doesn't sink to bottom.
- Place the lid on the French press and move plunger up and down 40 times.The cold foam will increase in volume.
- Pour cold foam on top of an iced drink. Serve immediately.
Notes
- Starbucks uses 2% milk, but feel free to use any milk of your choice.
- You can use half & half to simplify the recipe, since it consists of a 1:1 ratio of heavy cream and milk. Simply replace the heavy cream and milk with ⅓ cup half & half.
- Homemade or store-bought hibiscus syrup adds both sweetness and flavor. If using homemade hibiscus syrup, prepare it first to give it time to cool.
- An electric milk frother can be used in place of a French press. Just make sure there’s a cold setting so that it doesn’t heat the heavy cream and milk.
- Don’t overfill or underfill the French press. If it’s underfilled, the plunger won’t be able to touch the liquids before moving up and down and won’t froth. The cold foam also increases in volume as you pump the plunger, so be careful not to overfill.
- Keep leftover cold foam in the French press and and give it a few pumps before serving since it can lose volume. It can be stored in the fridge for up to 2 days.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
