Is Cold Foam Half and Half?

Last updated on September 30th, 2022 at 11:00 pm

When the craving for coffee strikes, you either stop by your favorite coffee shop or make your own at home. You love coffee, hot or iced. But today is an iced coffee kind of day. 

Instead of adding creamer or milk to your iced coffee, try making cold foam. Cold foam is a type of coffee where a light and airy white foam tops an iced coffee. Frothed without heat or steam, cold foam can sit atop iced coffee drinks without melting. 

Because of this you get a taste of the creamy foam with every sip. Many people who enjoy cold foam on their drink might wonder if cold foam is half and half. 

Cold foam is usually made with nonfat milk but if you don’t have this ingredient you can use substitutes. One substitute is half and half which can make the topping fluffy and rich. So, yes cold foam can be made of half and half but typically it’s just milk. 

If you want to use half and half to make cold foam you definitely can. Nonfat (skim) milk is traditionally used to create this coffee topping since this kind of milk is the thickest and sturdiest milk. 

Compared to whole milk or 2% milk, it has a larger percentage of protein. The protein is the frothing agent which causes it to be turned into the foamy topping when it is frothed. 

Sometimes half and half can be flavored for a sweet addition to your iced drink. Now, if you are wanting to make cold foam with half and half you can! 

Just make the cold foam how you would if you were using milk. To make it sweet you will need to add some sugar, vanilla extract, or syrup. Some of the ways you can use to make the cold foam involve using a french press, handheld milk frother, or simply a jar with a tight lid. 

Further on in this article I will go into how to make half and half cold foam as well as ways you can help it froth better. 

Does Half And Half Make Cold Foam?

Maybe you don’t have any nonfat milk to make cold foam and only have half and half. Or maybe you would rather use half and half to make the coffee topping. Perhaps you just want to experiment a little and instead of using nonfat milk for cold foam you want to use half and half. 

Does half and half make cold foam?

Even though cold foam is usually made with nonfat milk, it can also be made with sweetened half and half for a more fluffy and rich topping. Froth the half and half the same as you would the milk to make the light and airy coffee topping you love.

Half and half makes great cold foam if you froth it properly and it can taste great! 

Let’s start with the french press. Pour the cold half and half and sweetener into the french press and place the lid on. You will only want to fill the container up about half way since it will more than double in volume. 

Then move the plunger up and down and watch as it creates the fluffy foam. After it is light and airy, pour the cold foam on top of your iced coffee. 

The next way is to use a handheld milk frother. Whisk the half and half and sweetener using the handheld milk frother to make bubbles, creating the cold foam. Then top off your beverage. 

Another way you can make cold foam is to put the sweetened half and half in a jar and tightly secure the lid. Then shake vigorously until it increases in volume and creates the fluffy foam. 

Pour on your iced coffee and enjoy!

Why Does Half And Half Not Froth?

Cold foam is a wonderful iced coffee topping because it doesn melt and you can get a taste of the airy fluff in every sip of your caffeinated beverage. Frothed half and half or milk is the perfect addition to your coffee because it gives it a foamy topping and makes it creamy. 

Trying to froth half and half it might keep falling flat and not turning out right. What could cause half and half not to froth right?

Half and half won’t froth well if it is warm or room temperature. You have to use cold half and half for frothing since this is when its proteins are most stable and able to trap air bubbles to create the light and airy foam. The more air in the foam the fluffier it will be.

If you are having trouble frothing your half and half to make cold foam then you will want to try to use half and half that is as cold as possible. For this, place the half and half into the freezer just before you are going to use it to ensure it is cold enough for frothing. 

Really, you should do this for frothing milk as well, even if it is for hot coffee. The frothing agents are the proteins of the half and half or milk and they are most stable when it is cold.

Some other reasons the half and half won’t froth could be the position of the frothing wand. Place the frothing wand only partly submerged in the liquid and don’t fully submerge it until it’s been running for a good 5 seconds. Then froth as usual. 

The temperature may also have something to do with why the half and half won’t froth. Don’t let the liquid go above 160 degrees or you will burn resulting in a flat topping instead of fluffy foam.

Final Thoughts

Delightfully topping iced coffee, cold foam isn’t usually half and half but rather nonfat milk. Still, you can make the fluffy topping with half and half. 

For some sweetness, add some sweetener. Use the method of creating the cold foam that I mentioned in this article and top off your iced coffee with its deliciousness. 

If the half and half isn’t frothing properly, make sure the liquid is very cold (half and half/milk won’t froth right when it is warm or at room temperature) and you are frothing it properly and be careful not to burn it. 

So, if you want to make some delicious cold foam with half and half, you can.