The Best Lemonade with Cold Foam (Easy Homemade Recipe)

Picture a tall, frosty glass of bright, tangy lemonade crowned with a thick cloud of sweet, velvety cream that you sip through like a dessert. That is lemonade with cold foam, and once you try it, plain lemonade will feel a little incomplete.

I first mixed this up on a hot afternoon when I wanted something that felt like a TikTok worthy cafe drink without leaving my kitchen. This version goes beyond a simple assembly recipe, you will make a honey ginger infused homemade lemonade base, then master a silky sweet cream cold foam that rivals anything from a coffee shop.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

Unforgettable Flavor: The homemade honey ginger lemonade base brings floral sweetness from honey and a gentle spicy warmth from fresh ginger that plays beautifully with the bright lemon and creamy sweet foam.

Perfectly Balanced: The sweet cream cold foam softens the sharp tang of the lemonade and orange juice so every sip tastes creamy, refreshing, and never cloying or flat.

Fully Customizable: You control the sweetness level, how strong you want the ginger to be, and whether you keep it classic or turn it into a copycat style orange lemonade or strawberry lemonade twist.

Cafe-Quality at Home: This drink feels like something you would order at a coffee shop, but it is incredibly simple to make and once you nail the cold foam you can use the same technique for treats like our cozy banana bread iced latte.

Thoughtful Ingredients: The honey ginger syrup is not just delicious, ginger is known for potential digestive benefits, and according to health benefits of ginger it has long been used to help soothe nausea and support overall wellness.

Ingredients and Substitutions

Here is everything you need for a quick glass of orange lemonade with cold foam, which you can pair with our optional honey ginger lemonade base for extra flavor.

Ingredients

For the Orange Lemonade with Cold Foam

• ½ cup orange juice
• 1 cup lemonade
• ¼ cup milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Scroll down for our recommended from-scratch Honey-Ginger Lemonade base recipe!

Ingredient Notes & Substitutions

Lemonade: Any chilled store bought lemonade will work for a quick version, but using it made from a honey ginger syrup gives you a deeper, more complex homemade lemonade that really shines under the cold foam.

Milk for Cold Foam: A mix of heavy cream and 2 percent milk gives the richest, most stable sweet cream cold foam, while skim milk creates a lighter, airy foam, and you can swap in barista blend oat milk or the thick top layer from a can of chilled full fat coconut milk for a delicious dairy free option.

Orange Juice: Fresh squeezed orange juice gives the brightest, most fragrant flavor in this orange lemonade, though a good quality not from concentrate bottled juice is a convenient stand in.

How to Make lemonade with cold foam

Prepare the Lemonade Base

1. Fill a tall glass with ice, then pour in the ½ cup orange juice and 1 cup lemonade and stir until the outside of the glass feels cold and the juices are fully combined.

Make the Sweet Cream Cold Foam

2. In a separate chilled glass or small bowl, add the ¼ cup milk and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, then use a handheld milk frother to whip for about 20 to 30 seconds until the mixture has doubled in volume, looks glossy, and is thick enough to lightly coat the back of a spoon, stopping before it turns stiff or clumpy.

Combine and Serve

3. Gently spoon or slowly pour the vanilla cold foam over the surface of the iced lemonade and orange juice mixture, letting it mound on top, and for a pretty layered look pour it over the back of a spoon before serving immediately.

Mastering Your Drink: From Base to Foam

The Ultimate Honey-Ginger Lemonade Base

If you have a few extra minutes, making a honey ginger lemonade base turns this into a true craft beverage.

For the syrup, combine equal parts honey and water in a small saucepan, for example 1 cup honey and 1 cup water, then add several thin slices of fresh ginger.

Bring the mixture just to a gentle simmer over medium heat, stirring until the honey fully dissolves, then reduce the heat and let it bubble softly for about 5 minutes so the ginger can infuse.

Turn off the heat and let the ginger steep in the syrup for another 10 to 15 minutes, taste for warmth, then strain out the ginger slices and cool the honey ginger syrup completely.

To make honey ginger lemonade, stir together about 1 cup fresh lemon juice, 1 cup cooled honey ginger syrup, and 3 cups cold water, then taste and adjust with more water for a softer flavor or more syrup for extra sweetness and spice.

Chill this homemade lemonade thoroughly before using it in your orange lemonade with cold foam so the foam floats beautifully on top.

A Guide to Perfect Cold Foam

Cold foam loves cold tools, so keep your milk, bowl, and even your frother cup chilled for the thickest, most stable foam.

A handheld milk frother is the easiest way to make sweet cream cold foam, just move the tip up and down slightly in the milk mixture until it thickens and doubles.

If you do not own a frother, a French press works well, add the cold milk mixture, then pump the plunger up and down quickly for 20 to 30 seconds until foamy.

A small blender can also whip cold foam, blend on high for about 30 seconds, just keep an eye on it so you stop before it turns into whipped cream.

For a very low tech method, pour the milk and flavorings into a jar, seal tightly, and shake hard for 30 to 60 seconds until it turns frothy and thick.

Flavoring your foam is where you can get playful, add vanilla extract for classic sweet cream cold foam, a spoonful of strawberry purée for a strawberry cold foam, or a pinch of lemon zest to echo the lemonade base.

You can also whisk in a small amount of fruit jam, matcha powder, or even a tiny splash of honey ginger syrup to tie the whole drink together, keeping in mind that more sugar will make the foam slightly heavier.

If you are curious about the science of why temperature, fat, and protein matter so much, you can dig into the secret to a thick, stable foam for a fun, nerdy look at what is happening in your glass.

Pro Tips & Troubleshooting

Pro Tips for Success

• Use COLD Ingredients: Very cold milk and a chilled glass help the proteins trap tiny air bubbles, which is the secret to a thick, stable cold foam that sits on top of your lemonade instead of sinking.
• Do Not Overfill: Leave at least 2 inches of space at the top of your glass after adding the lemonade and ice so the foam has room to mound up without overflowing.
• Zest in the Foam: Add a tiny pinch of fresh lemon zest to the milk and vanilla before frothing to tie the flavors together and echo the bright citrus in the lemonade.
• Balance is Key: Taste your lemonade base before topping it, adjusting with a splash more water, syrup, or lemon juice so it is perfectly balanced on its own, then crown it with foam.
• Boost the Body: For an extra luxurious texture, add a small splash of heavy whipping cream to the milk before frothing, which gives the foam more richness and staying power.

Troubleshooting: Foam Fails?

“My foam is thin or runny”: This usually means the milk was not cold enough, the fat content was too low, or you stopped whipping too soon, so chill the milk and tools thoroughly, use at least 2 percent milk or a bit of heavy cream, and froth again until it thickens.

“My foam dissolved instantly”: Often the lemonade was too warm or you poured the foam in too fast, so make sure the lemonade is very cold over plenty of ice and slowly pour the foam over the back of a spoon so it gently floats on top instead of mixing in right away.

Serving & Storage

Serving Ideas

This lemonade with cold foam is at its best when you serve it straight away over plenty of ice so you get that temperature contrast between icy citrus and cool, creamy foam.

Garnish the drink with a sprinkle of fresh lemon zest on top of the foam or a thin lemon wheel on the rim to hint at the flavors inside and make it look cafe ready.

For a little snack pairing, it is lovely with buttery shortbread cookies, a tender scone, or even a slice of our popular lemon blueberry cake which echoes the citrus notes.

If you love pretty drinks, you can also float tiny edible flowers on the foam or tuck a twist of orange peel along the side of the glass.

Storage and Make-Ahead Instructions

The honey ginger syrup and lemonade base are very make ahead friendly, store the strained syrup or mixed lemonade in a clean jar or pitcher that is stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to about a week for best quality.

Cold foam, on the other hand, is best made to order since it deflates and separates as it sits, so froth only what you plan to use and assemble your drink just before serving for the creamiest texture.

Conclusion

With a fragrant honey ginger lemonade base and a cloud of sweet cream cold foam on top, this drink proves that lemonade with cold foam can be both simple and truly special.

Once you try it, you will see how easy it is to play with different juices, fruit purées, and foam flavors, and if you are in the mood for another show stopping sip, try following it up with our stunning color-changing butterfly pea lemonade.

If you make this recipe, leave a comment below and let me know how you liked it and what flavors you tried.

FAQ