Last Updated on March 15, 2024 by brewthatcoffee
The Dutch Bros soft top is their signature drink topping served on their menu. It’s a firm favorite of many of Dutch Bros’ loyal customers. The soft top speaks to the brand’s innovative drink designs and creative entrepreneurial spirit.
Dutch Bros soft top is a fusion of whipped buttermilk, heavy cream, Torani vanilla syrup, and sugar. The recipe, flavor, and consistency are unique to the Dutch Bros brand. The soft top doesn’t dissolve like foam. It slowly steaks down the drink, modifying each sip with delightful taste sensations.
This article details everything you need to know about Dutch Bros soft top and the best drink pairings. Also, it explains the difference between Starbucks’ cold foam and the soft top. For all aspiring bro-istas, there’s a homemade recipe included.
Dutch Bros Soft Top Explained
The soft top is a specialty add-on that can be ordered as an extra, for any desired drink, on the Dutch Bros menu. The soft top is specific to the brand and has grown in popularity alongside the expanding franchise.
Similar to Starbucks’ cold foam, it’s a frothy addition that adds a creamy texture and milky-vanilla flavor to caffeinated beverages. However, its unique ingredients and recipe distinguish it from other renowned coffee houses.
One main feature that makes soft top appealing is the complex, nuanced layers introduced to the drink. The soft top has vanilla extract, tantalizing the pallet in clean, subtle sweeps. So, the optioned addition isn’t too sweet. It enhances the drink without overpowering it.
Also, the drink’s appearance is attractive with the snowy-white, cloud-like foam floating on top. Various multimedia images illustrate the intriguing effect of the soft top, with its brilliant clear white delighting the visual sense.
Thanks to social media platforms like Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube, both the soft top and cold foam have become a global phenomenon. Also, Dutch Bros is famous for its inventive drink designs, which are multicolored concoctions of various flavors.
The soft top consistency distinguishes itself from others as it’s light enough to float yet, thick and full as to carry sprinkles, spices, and syrups. Other coffeehouse drink toppings are frothier and more insubstantial. Although Dutch Bros soft top appears as whipped cream, it’s an entirely different experience in flavor and quality.
The soft top doesn’t dissolve quickly. It slowly, deliciously seeps down into the drink. It maintains its stability and constancy more than any other drink foam top. As gravity slowly forces the soft top down in streaks, every sip is a renewed experience in taste and texture.
Over the years, various drink designs from international coffeehouses have invested in dessert drinks. Yet, the calorie content is extreme, resulting in health concerns. The soft top is a delicious variation of dessert drinks that has reduced calories.
Ingredients
Many Dutch Bros patrons describe the soft top texture as a melted marshmallow. The consistency is due to the dairy buttermilk and double cream. These are thoroughly whipped, which introduces air into the mixture. So, the soft top full-bodied treat is also light and airy.
Buttermilk is an exciting combination ingredient as it’s naturally sour. Sugar is added to the mix, balancing the buttermilk’s acidic quality. The effect is an understated sweet milkiness. The vanilla extract finishes the effect perfectly and enriches each sip with a discerning flavor profile.
Dutch Bros soft top is gluten-free and contains buttermilk, cream, corn syrup, guar gum, hydronated vegetable oil, locust bean gum, modified corn starch, and sugar. Also, it consists of lactose (dairy) and is, therefore, not vegan.
- Buttermilk– Buttermilk works surprisingly well and attests to the brand’s creative spirit. Due to the lactic acid in buttermilk, it’s naturally thick and piquant. The acidic quality of buttermilk allows it to react to bases and presents tiny bubbles throughout the fusion. So, buttermilk is partly responsible for the airy, light character of this specific soft top.
- Sugar– There are about two grams of sugar in a single serving of soft top. The sugar is a great treat and offsets the tangy buttermilk taste.
- Vanilla– Dutch Bros uses Torani vanilla syrup. You can purchase Torani syrup at various grocery stores across the US. The vanilla syrup is a delicate touch to the topping, keeping the formula’s taste understated.
- Whipping Cream– Whipping cream, otherwise called heavy cream, or double cream, ensures that the soft top both complements the base drink’s milky nature and is full-bodied enough to support the spices, sprinkles, and syrups desired by Dutch Bros patrons.
What The Dutch Bros Soft Top Tastes Like
Essentially, the soft top doesn’t alter the base drink flavor. Dutch Bros is predominantly a coffee center drive-through. So, the soft top adds a creamy, slightly-sweet vanilla flavor designed to complement your milky coffee beverage. The texture is fluffy, silky, and light.
Therefore, the primary purpose of the Dutch Bros soft top is to add creamy consistency and not so much to add flavor. It’s meant to be an indulgence that isn’t too excessive. It’s a welcome balance to the over-the-top dessert drinks on many coffeehouse menus.
Calories, Sugar, & Caffeine Info
Dutch Bros soft top isn’t a low-calorie option. Yet, you can customize it by requesting the bro-ista for a specific low-calorie drink. For example, you can ask for less cream or a buttermilk substitute, like non-fat dairy or plant-based milk (soy, almond, or oat). Other customized options for the soft top include either blended or whipped.
Although easily tailored, the soft top is still high in sugar, fat, and calories. There are 50 calories, four grams of fats, four grams of saturated fats, three grams of carbohydrates, two grams of sugar, and 15mg of sodium in two tablespoons of soft top.
Keep in mind that Dutch Bros drinks are generally laden with sugar, so the extra calories might not be a healthy recommendation. In relation to many dessert drinks, milkshakes, and mochas, the soft top is the more appealing choice. It’s enticingly subtle-sweet and can be customized as a guilt-free option.
The nutritional content in a single serving of a Dutch Bros soft top:
- 50 calories
- 4g of fats
- 4g of saturated fats
- 3g of carbohydrates
- 2g sugar
- 15 mg of sodium
How Much It Costs As An Add-On
Usually, a Dutch Bros soft top costs $5. Yet, the prices of these soft tops vary slightly across the US. Generally, a small-sized cup is $2, a medium serving is $3, and a large cup is $5.
Recommended Dutch Bros Soft Top Drinks
You can order a soft top with any drink on the regular and seasonal Dutch Bros menu. However, certain drinks have soft top as a part of their recipe. Also, their secret menu has a soft top for many in-demand concoctions.
Soft top drinks on the menu:
- Cocomo- This coconut mocha drink combines coconut syrup, a chocolate milk blend, and soft top.
- Cotton Candy Frost- This drink combines ice cream, blue raspberry syrup, white chocolate sauce, and soft top.
- Golden Eagle-This trendy beverage consists of coffee espresso and caramel breve. It’s layered with soft top and caramel sauce drizzle.
- Iced Campout Cold Brew- This drink blends nitro-fused cold brew coffee, chocolate milk, marshmallow syrup, and chocolate drizzle.
The best drinks for a soft top extra:
- Almond Bar- The Almond Bar consists of white chocolate and almond syrup.
- Annihilator- Chocolate and macadamia nut breve
- Caramelizer- This beverage combines espresso, chocolate milk, caramel sauce, and whipped cream topping.
- Dream Weaver- Hazelnut and white chocolate
- Dutch Cocoa- All the Dutch Bros Dutch Cocoa items are well served with the soft top addition.
- Gem Berry- The Gem Berry has vanilla, blackberry, and raspberry syrups.
- Islander- Like the Cocomo, the Islander contains coconut for tropical flavors, balanced well with chocolate macadamia nut and vanilla.
- Molten Lava- The Molten Lava combines cinnamon and dark chocolate. The soft top will introduce light, fluffy layers to the delectable, spicy dark mix.
- Ninja- The Ninjas consist ofcrème de menthe syrup and white chocolate sauce in a traditional ice-cream shake.
- Nutty Irishman- This drink contains Irish cream and hazelnut syrup.
- Picture Perfect- Picture Perfect is ideal for a soft top, designed with caramel and chocolate sauce drizzled on the inner cup surface. As the soft top fusion slowly caresses down within the coffee base, each sip is a revelation of creamy chocolate caramel delight.
- Strawberry Lavender Frost- Soft top is the ideal finishing for a Strawberry and Lavender Frost- an imaginative combination of distinct strawberry flavor and delicate lavender sensations.
- Trifecta- The Trifecta consists of caramel, dark chocolate, and white chocolate. The vanilla-infused soft top will cleanse the palate.
- Tuxedo- The Tuxedo is not as complex as the Trifecta. It contains dark chocolate and white chocolate.
- White Angel- The White Angel consists of white chocolate, coconut, and vanilla. A soft top finish will enhance the intricate flavor profile.
Can You Buy Dutch Bros Soft Top For Home?
Yes, you can buy Dutch Bros soft top for your home. Rich’s On Top® is available for purchase online at Amazon. It’s a soft top whipping that’s like Dutch Bros in taste and texture. Described as naturally flavored sweet cream, it’s a buoyant whipped cream lather that sits on top of any drink.
This ready-to-pour iced velvety top finish comes in a box of 12 cartons. Also, there’s no need to blend further or froth. Just shake and pour. You can take a page from Dutch Bros-inspired book and be imaginative with homemade cocktails, iced tea, and smoothies.
It sells for about $70 (excluding shipping), which is pricey. Yet, if you’re an aspiring bro-ista, you’ll find it worth the cost. It’s a high-quality product that has no artificial colors or flavors. Rich’s On Top®, soft whip topping, is silky, light, and slightly sweet, with hints of vanilla.
What’s The Dutch Bros Soft Top Equivalent At Starbucks?
As mentioned above, the Starbucks equivalent for the Dutch Bros soft top is their cold foam. Cold foam is specific to the Starbucks brands and is made with a specialized blender. It blends non-fat dairy milk or plant-based substitutes into a creamy foam.
Cold foam doesn’t use cream or other ingredients and relies on its blender for its unique effect. It uses heat to whip up the non-fat milk. The foam remains intact and doesn’t rapidly dissolve. This is due to the non-fat quality of the milk, as it’s a more consistent and stable structure.
Homemade Dutch Bros Soft Top Recipe
The homemade Dutch Bros soft top recipe is easy to make. You must simply follow a few steps. As mentioned above, you can buy Torani syrup from local grocery stores or online. So, the recipe is effortless to simulate.
If you require a more varied flavor profile, like hazelnut or chocolate, you can always add different Torani syrups to your soft top. The Torani flavor range is extensive and includes sugar-free options and purest-made sauces. The syrups are made from the finest ingredients, like pure sugar cane, cold-filtered water, and natural flavors.
Ingredients
- 3 Tablespoons half-and-half (A whipped mixture of full-cream milk and cream)
- 2 Tablespoons buttermilk
- 2 teaspoons caster sugar
- ½ teaspoon Torani vanilla syrup
Instructions
- Pour the buttermilk, half-and-half, caster sugar, and Torani vanilla syrup into a mixing bowl.
- Blend the mixture with a milk frother for 30 seconds. Remember to introduce air into the mix to keep the constancy light and fluffy. Steady the frother at the mixture’s surface to form foam double the size of the blend.
- Pour the fusion over your desired drink and enjoy!
Conclusion
Dutch Bros soft top is unique to the drive-through coffeehouse brand. Its buttermilk, double cream, sugar, and Torani syrup recipe is a delicious add-on for any Dutch Bros menu items. The foam doesn’t dissolve, and the texture is stable enough to hold spices and syrups. The blend gently flows down in streaks throughout the drink- making each sip a flavor sensation.
Resources
Authentic Coffeehouse Flavor | Torani
Authentic Coffeehouse Flavor | Torani
Starbucks Cold Foam Vs. Sweet Cream: What’s The Difference? (tastingtable.com)