A vanilla cold brew is smooth cold brew coffee with vanilla extract or syrup and poured over ice, with a splash of milk or cream if you like. It feels like a cafe treat while costing a lot less when you make it at home. Our first few glasses were way too sweet, so we’ve spent a while finding the balance.
Never made cold brew before? Our cold brew coffee guide covers the basics, and this recipe will make more sense after it.
What Is in a Vanilla Cold Brew?
A basic one has 3 things, cold brew, vanilla and ice. Most people add milk or cream too.
Cold brew is coffee steeped in cold water for 12-18 hours. That’s why it’s so smooth. The vanilla can be syrup, extract or a real bean.
Cafes normally go a bit further with vanilla sweet cream, which is just cream, milk, vanilla syrup mixed together
What Does Vanilla Cold Brew Taste Like?
It tastes a bit mellow, a little sweet and very easy to drink:
- Cold brew already leans chocolatey and nutty
- Vanilla softens that nuttiness without hiding the coffee
A medium or dark roast works best here. Our best roast for cold brew guide explains why.
3 Ways to Add Vanilla
Most recipes show only one method, but each different method gives different cups:
| Method | Taste | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Vanilla syrup | Sweet, obvious vanilla | Quick cafe-style glasses |
| Vanilla extract | Warm and light | Low sugar |
| Vanilla bean | Deep, rounded | Big batches |
We use extract for everyday glasses. Half a tsp is plenty, as more starts to taste sharp. Also, you can try beans too; they taste lovely but are super pricey.
One Glass of Vanilla Cold Brew Recipe
To make a vanilla cold brew, you’ll need these things:
You’ll need
- 8 oz cold brew
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1 tbsp heavy cream
- 2 tbsp whole milk
- Ice
Steps
- Stir the sugar and extract into the cold brew until the sugar melts
- Then, fill a glass with ice and pour the coffee in
- Shake the cream and milk in a jar
- Then, pour it over the top and enjoy
Thin cold brew makes a watery glass once the ice melts. We switched to concentrate and the problem went away. Our cold brew concentrate guide has the ratio.
Which Milk Works Best for Vanilla Cold Brew?
It depends on your choice and what you enjoy:
- Whole milk is the creamiest; it’s what we use most
- Oat milk is a close second and tastes naturally sweet
- Almond milk is lighter but can taste thin against strong coffee
- If you like dessert-style glass, go for half milk and half cream
Plant milks also differ a lot by brand, so if you’re counting calories, do check the carton.
One of the most important things: just remember that every swap changes the numbers in the table below.
Vanilla Cold Brew vs Vanilla Sweet Cream Cold Brew
A plain vanilla cold brew has vanilla flavor stirred into the coffee, while the sweet cream one adds a layer of vanilla flavored cream on top:
| Vanilla cold brew | Vanilla sweet cream cold brew | |
|---|---|---|
| How it’s made | Vanilla stirred into the coffee, with a little milk if you like | Vanilla in the coffee, topped with a vanilla cream mix |
| Taste | Light, smooth, coffee comes first | Rich, creamy, dessert-like |
| Look | Evenly mixed | Pretty swirl as the cream sinks |
| Fat and sugar | Lower | Higher |
| Best for | Everyday sipping | A treat |
Common Vanilla Cold Brew Mistakes
These are the ones we made first:
- Too much extract: it turns bitter and a bit medicinal. Stay at half a teaspoon
- Cold sugar: it sinks to the bottom. Mix it in a splash of warm water first
- Weak coffee: the vanilla takes over. Use concentrate for a stronger base
- Adding cream early: it can taste flat after a day or two. Pour it in per glass
Is Vanilla Cold Brew Healthy?
It can be, depending on what goes in the glass.
- Black coffee has almost no calories
- It’s the sugar and cream that make this drink feel like dessert
A grande vanilla sweet cream cold brew at Starbucks comes in at 110 calories, 14g sugar, 5g fat, that page might be updated, so do check the app for the updated version.
Making it yourself, you decide how much sugar and cream go in. We usually cut the sugar first, since that’s the part we notice least. Keep an eye on the caffeine too, especially if coffee makes you jittery.
Homemade Vanilla Cold Brew Calories Breakdown
Here’s where each calorie in the glass above comes from:
| Ingredient | Amount | Calories (approx.) |
|---|---|---|
| Cold brew | 8 oz | Under 5 |
| Heavy cream | 1 tbsp | ~50 |
| Whole milk | 2 tbsp | ~19 |
| Sugar | 1 tsp | ~16 |
| Vanilla extract | 1/2 tsp | ~6 |
| Total | ~95 |
- Heavy cream is about 340 calories per 100g in USDA data
- Vanilla extract is around 12 per teaspoon (source)
- Milk uses the USDA figure of about 149 per cup, scaled down
- Sugar is our own math, 4g at about 4 calories a gram
Want it lighter?
Skip the cream and use 3 tbsp milk; that lands around 55.
Vanilla Cold Brew Concerns
Is cold brew stronger than iced coffee?
Often, ounce for ounce, because it uses more grounds per cup of water. One study found concentrate had up to 30% more caffeine than hot drip, though beans and grind size change that. Our cold brew vs iced coffee post goes deeper.
Can I make it sugar free?
Yes. Use extract alone or a sugar free syrup. Extract isn’t calorie free, but a half teaspoon is tiny.
Conclusion
A good vanilla cold brew is just coffee, a little vanilla and some cream. Start with the recipe above, then tweak the sweetness until it feels like yours. It took us a few glasses, and yours will probably land somewhere different.
Want it milkier next time? Try our cold brew latte. Then keep a jar of cold brew in the fridge and make your first vanilla cold brew tomorrow morning.
