Aldi's Cold Foam May Be The Starbucks Clone You Needed

Before 2018, it was fairly common to order your Starbucks drinks with whipped cream on top. But ever since the coffee chain introduced it to locations nationwide, cold foam has also become an increasingly popular option. Though many customers are convinced that Starbucks' cold foam is simply under-whipped whipped cream with better marketing, the truth is there's actually a difference between the two. And that means if you were to attempt to recreate a Starbucks drink at home with a can of whipped cream, it wouldn't quite taste the same. That's where Aldi's product comes in.

Whipped cream, as many people may already know, is heavy cream that's been whipped until stiff peaks form, but cold foam is typically made with nonfat milk instead. Because there's a different fat-to-protein ratio, when whipped, the consistency is more like foam than cream. Starbucks' version however is somewhat creamier than traditional cold foam, as it does contain some heavy cream, according to a former Starbucks barista on TikTok. Aldi's canned version also seems to be made in a similar way, as customers have quickly been noticing.

Unlike Dunkin', which is known to use canned cold foam — Reddi-Wip brand Sweet Foam, to be exact — Starbucks makes its cold foam in-house. Therefore, if you want your homemade iced coffee to taste more like Starbucks, you'd have to make the cold foam from scratch. At least that used to be the case before Aldi came out with its Barista Cold Foam as part of the store's Barissimo Coffee line.

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Aldi's cold foam comes in what appears to be a whipped cream can, but the consistency, as one TikTok showcases, does actually resemble Starbucks cold foam, not milk froth or whipped cream. The price of a can varies slightly from location to location, but generally speaking, Aldi's cold foam costs around $5. Based on Instagram comments, the product is in short supply at nearly all stores, but if you manage to get your hands on a can, you likely won't be disappointed, especially if you like the coffee chain's cold foam.

Aldi's cold foam comes in two flavors: Sweet Vanilla and Mocha Fudge. Because Starbucks makes its cold foam with vanilla syrup, Aldi's sweet vanilla cold foam tastes the most similar out of the two. Customers on Reddit especially like that the Aldi cold foam isn't overly sweet, making it comparable to Starbucks', which only relies on vanilla syrup as a source of sugar.

If you enjoy Starbucks' chocolate cold foam on your drinks, you'll probably enjoy Aldi's mocha fudge flavor too, however it isn't a perfect dupe. Whereas Starbucks flavors its chocolate cold foam with chocolate malt powder, Aldi uses coffee flavoring in addition to chocolate, giving the cold foam a more mocha-like rather than chocolatey taste. Still, customers are impressed that it doesn't taste artificial despite coming out of a can. "I normally don't like chocolate flavored stuff, but the mocha fudge foam is outstanding!" one Redditor wrote. Though a handful of comments across social media have also pointed out that it's technically cheaper to make your own Starbucks-style cold foam at home, there's no denying that the Aldi's product makes it more convenient.