How to Make a Banana Cream Top (Banana Cold Foam)
If you are a matcha or coffee lover, you have probably noticed the latest trend taking over your social media feeds and local coffee shops: the banana cream top, also known as banana cold foam.
- 1 large overripe banana (speckled with brown)
- 1 1/4 cups heavy whipping cream
- 1/2 teaspoon fine ground sea salt
- 1/4 cup (4 tablespoons) agave syrup
- Peel and tear the banana into small pieces and place them into a food processor, blender, or tall container.
- Pour in the heavy whipping cream, agave syrup, and sea salt.
- Blend the mixture on medium-high speed until completely smooth. Continue blending just until it thickens into a rich, luscious consistency that is thick but still pourable (similar to melted ice cream). Using an immersion blender, it takes about 30 seconds.
- Spoon or pour generously over your favorite iced drink.
People are swapping out standard cream for this rich, banana-infused foam that sits at the top of the drink. It is the perfect little extra that makes your homemade iced coffees, matchas, and teas feel fancy.
Best of all? Skipping the coffee shop lines and making it at home is incredibly simple and saves some serious cash.
What You Need for Banana Cold Foam
You only need a few basic ingredients to bring out your inner barista:
- Heavy Whipping Cream: The base for that luxurious, velvety layer that slowly melts into your beverage.
- Overly Ripe Banana: Look for dark, speckled bananas. They mash easily and provide a lot of natural sweetness.
- Sweetener: Because the banana is naturally sweet, you only need a touch of added syrup. I love using agave syrup, which pairs wonderfully with the banana flavor. If you don’t have agave, maple syrup is a fantastic substitute. Both of which is easily available at my second-home, Costco.
- A Pinch of Salt: I’m using sea salt. Just a dash to balance the sweetness and enhance the flavors.
How to Make Banana Cream Top
To make the foam, I use an immersion blender to process the banana and whip the cream at the same time. It takes just seconds! If you do not have an immersion blender, a standard food processor or electric mixer will also work perfectly. Hand mixing might be tiring and not recommended.
Just combine your heavy cream, mashed banana, sweetener, and salt, then blend until you have a creamy, thick, “banana-y” topping.
The Secret to the Perfect Flavor Balance
When I first tested this recipe, I actually used too much banana. It turns out, “too much banana flavor” is definitely a thing, and it can easily overwhelm your drink.
After tweaking the ratios, I found the sweet spot: using just one ripe banana per batch. And here, a batch is about 5 servings. It creates a cream top that perfectly complements your coffee or matcha without overpowering the main ingredient.
