Starbucks has added five new cold foams to its 2026 holiday menu, and Gingerbread Cream Cold Foam is the one I keep coming back to. It is sweet cream whipped with molasses and warm gingerbread spices until it turns thick, glossy, and pourable — like a gingerbread cookie in foam form.
At the café, it is a $1.25 add-on that disappears in four sips. At home, it takes 3 minutes, costs about 30 cents a serving, and works on cold brew, iced lattes, and even hot coffee. You need nothing special beyond a handheld frother — or a jar with a tight lid.
What Makes It Taste Like Gingerbread
Molasses is non-negotiable. It gives the foam its dark, spiced depth — the flavor that makes it taste like gingerbread instead of just sweet cream. Ginger leads, cinnamon follows, and a pinch of nutmeg rounds the edges; a whisper of clove does the same job if that is what you have in the drawer. Brown sugar rounds it all out, softening the molasses and letting the spices shine without any sharpness.
The 2-3-2 Foam Formula
The base that never fails across this site is simple: 1/4 cup cold heavy cream plus 2 tablespoons cold milk. That balance gives the foam enough fat to whip thick, and enough milk to keep it pourable instead of stiff. Froth it for 45–60 seconds and you will see it turn glossy, with soft peaks that hold their shape for a moment, then relax into a slow, creamy pour. Keep everything cold — cream, milk, and cup — and the foam will do the work for you.
Ingredients
Everything below makes one large drink — about 1/2 cup of foam. Measure the spices first so the foam is ready before your coffee gets too cold, and keep the cream and milk in the fridge until the moment you froth them.
Gingerbread Cream Cold Foam
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Add everything to a tall cup or small pitcher, cream and milk first.
- Froth with a handheld frother 45–60 seconds, until thick, glossy and pourable with soft peaks — or shake hard in a sealed jar for 60 seconds.
- Pour slowly over your iced drink, over the back of a spoon, so the foam floats in one layer.
- Serve right away. Optional: dust with cinnamon and add a mini gingerbread cookie.
Notes
How to Make It
Start with everything cold — cream, milk, and the cup you froth in. Froth until the foam is thick and glossy, with soft peaks that hold for a moment before relaxing. Use it within the hour for the best loft: cold foam is at its tallest right after frothing, then slowly settles. When you pour, go slowly over the back of a spoon so the foam lands in one even layer on top of your drink instead of sinking through it.
Put It On Everything
This gingerbread cold foam is the most versatile foam on the holiday menu. It is wonderful on cold brew, where the gingerbread spices soften the coffee’s edge, and on an iced sugar cookie latte made with sugar cookie syrup. It is just as good on chai, where it adds cream and spice at once. For hot coffee, spoon it on instead of pouring, so it melts slowly into the cup. And as a dip-top, it turns the tiramisu velvet cold brew into a holiday dessert in a glass.
Troubleshooting
If the foam weeps, your milk was probably too warm, or you frothed a little too long — start again with everything cold and stop at soft peaks. If it tastes too spicy, let it rest for 10 minutes: the ginger blooms and mellows as it sits. And if it will not thicken at all, check your cream: it needs to be at least 36% fat to whip into a stable foam.
FAQs
Can I make it ahead? Yes — up to 2 hours ahead. Keep it cold in the fridge, then re-froth for 10 seconds before pouring to bring the loft back.
Can I make it sugar-free? Yes. Swap allulose for the brown sugar, and use a sugar-free molasses-flavor syrup instead of molasses — the spices carry most of the gingerbread flavor, so the foam still tastes like gingerbread.
Can I make it dairy-free? Yes, use coconut cream in place of the heavy cream and oat milk in place of the milk. The foam will be a little softer, so froth it just to soft peaks and pour it right away.