Want to add a delicious coffee creamer to your morning coffee? Instead of testing different flavors and brands, check out this complete guide to making coffee creamer at home.
Not only are we going to go through the classic coffee creamer recipes, but we’re also going to dive into some alternatives to mix things, along with a few amazing coffee pairings.
Why Make Your Own Coffee Creamer?
Okay, so first things first — why make your own coffee creamer? There are plenty of pre-made creamers in the store, so why bother?
Well, the ones in the store are often over-processed with up to a full teaspoon of sugar per serving. That's a lot. Keep in mind that according to the American Heart Association, women should only have six teaspoons per day, and men should only have nine teaspoons per day.
There are also other health implications —most processed coffee creamers have emulsifiers and preservatives (on top of the extra sugar) to ensure a long shelf life. This is practical for delivering huge bottles to the masses, but it’s not great for your health over a prolonged period of time.
Realistically, if you’re making coffee creamers at home, you don’t need all these stabilizing extras, you just need the core ingredients: milk, cream, and sweeteners. From there, you can add all kinds of different flavorings from vanilla to caramel to spices for the holiday season! Once you have the base, it’s super easy and affordable to customize your homemade coffee creamer.
Another bonus is cost. Coffee creamer isn't exactly expensive, but it soon adds up. Each 32 oz bottle costs around $4-6, whereas you can make the same at home for a lot less — and to your exact specifications. Besides, everything you need to make coffee creamer is probably in your house right now.
1. Basic Homemade Coffee Creamer Recipe
Now you know how easy it is to make coffee creamer at home, here’s our favorite basic creamer recipe that’s bound to become a staple in your kitchen.
From here, you can customize it however you like with spices, flavorings, or different sweeteners like Stevia, maple syrup, or agave. You can also use whole, skim, or any plant-based milk you like. So whether you're vegan or looking to avoid lactose or refined sugar, you can mix and match different options to meet your dietary needs.
Tools & Ingredients You’ll Need
- Milk — Any kind (even non-dairy) works, but full-fat is richer.
- Cream — Use heavy cream or substitute full-fat coconut milk for a non-dairy option.
- Sweetener — Use regular granulated sugar, though other sweeteners can be substituted. You may need to alter the amount.
- Vanilla — To add a touch of flavor.
- Other flavorings — Depending on taste. Feel free to be creative or use one of our alternative recipes below.
- Saucepan — To dissolve the sugar and blend the flavors.
- Whisk — To combine ingredients and make the creamer smooth.
- Container with lid — To store the coffee creamer in.
Step-by-Step Guide: Homemade Coffee Creamer
- Combine 1 cup of milk with 1 cup of cream.
- Add ⅛-¼ cup of your preferred sweetener (to taste).
- Heat the mixture in a saucepan over medium heat, stirring often, to dissolve the sugar.
- Remove from heat and stir in 1 tsp of vanilla extract for flavor.
Related Guides: How to Make Egg-Foam Coffee Creamer
2. Flavored Coffee Creamer Variations
Okay, let’s be honest, it can be hard to admit but most of us secretly love the seasonal drinks at places like Starbucks. However, these can be expensive. If we can incorporate these flavors into our homemade coffee creamer, we’ll save a lot of money — and they’re healthier.
Some of the most common flavored coffee creamer variations only require two extra ingredients, and they completely transform your morning coffee into something magical.
Here are the most popular flavored coffee creamer variations:
Pumpkin Spice
Add 3 tablespoons of pumpkin puree and 1 teaspoon of pumpkin pie spice. Add extra sweetener if needed. Add all ingredients (including creamer using the recipe above) into a saucepan. Heat over medium heat, stirring constantly. Once it boils, remove from the heat and allow to cool.
Caramel
Heat the homemade coffee creamer in a saucepan, but do not boil. Once it’s hot, whisk in 6 oz of caramel and stir until combined. Remove from heat and allow to cool.
Peppermint Mocha
Add ⅓ cup of sugar and ⅓ cup of water into a saucepan over medium heat. Heat until sugar is dissolved and remove from the heat. Whisk in the cocoa powder and both extracts. Allow to cool, then stir into the homemade coffee creamer.
Gingerbread
Mix the following ingredients in a saucepan:
- 2 tablespoons molasses
- 1 tablespoon ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground cloves
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
Add the homemade creamer into a saucepan and stir in the above ingredients. Heat until hot, stirring often. Allow to cool and then store in a sealed jar or container.
White Chocolate Mocha
For this one, you need to alter the original recipe a bit. But don't worry, it's still easy, and you won't regret the extra effort.
Instead of making the homemade creamer according to the above directions, substitute the 1 cup of cream and the sugar for one 14 oz can of sweetened condensed milk. Pour it into a saucepan with 1 cup of milk, 1 teaspoon of vanilla, and 6 oz of high-quality white chocolate.
Heat the mixture on medium-low heat until the white chocolate is melted and creamy.
These coffee creamers are great for enjoying at home but also make an awesome gift or stocking filler for the sweet coffee lover in your life!
Storing Homemade Coffee Creamer: How to Keep it Fresh
Once you’ve made your delicious homemade coffee creamer, you’ll want to keep it as fresh as possible for as long as possible.
Regardless of whether you make it with dairy or plant-based milk and cream, you’ll need to keep it in the fridge and use it within one week.
You should also keep your coffee creamer in an airtight container and don’t let it sit out. The longer it’s out of the fridge, the more susceptible it is to bacteria, shortening the overall shelf-life of your coffee creamer.
S storing and maintaining the freshness of your coffee creamer is summed up in the following steps:
- Store in an airtight container.
- Keep refrigerated and use within one week.
- Shake well before each use.
It’s important to shake before each use as the cream and milk may have separated, and the sweetener may have sunk to the bottom, especially if you're using honey, maple syrup, or something else with a syrup base.
When you make your creamer, it’s important to use fresh ingredients. Using week-old milk or creamer will impact the flavor and shelf-life of your creamer. The fresher the ingredients, the better the flavor is going to be.
Signs That Your Creamer May Have Spoiled
There are a few ways to know that your creamer may have spoiled, and it’s largely the same as determining when your milk has gone bad.
The key things to look for include:
- Bad sour smell
- Chunky Texture
- Off-white color or signs of mold growth
If you open the airtight container and it smells sour, it’s probably spoiled and you should avoid using it. Again, if after you’ve shaken your creamer, and it looks chunky, you should definitely not use it. And finally, if it looks a different shade or just not quite right, err on the side of caution and throw it away.
Best Practices for Batch Preparation
A lot of the freshness and shelf-life of your coffee creamer will rely on the batch preparation. Make sure that everything you're using, from the container to the spoons, is properly cleaned and sterilized before use. This ensures that no bacteria or nasties will make their way into your creamer.
It’s also best to keep the creamer in darker packaging as the product will have less exposure to light — something else that can speed up the deterioration process.
Finally, we’d recommend labeling your container with the date you made it and a date a week ahead as the best-before date. This will lessen any confusion over when you made it and make it easier to determine when it should be thrown out.
Pairing Coffee Creamer With the Right Coffee
When you have such a sweet and delicious coffee creamer, you need the perfect coffee to go with it. While we have a ton of great blends here at Cafely, for these homemade creamers, we’d recommend pairing them with our SaiGon OG blend.
This SaiGon OG blend is a beautiful mix of punchy, strong robusta, smooth and flavorful arabica, and rich peaberry notes, creating an amazing, bold brew.
The sweetness and the rich cream bring out the more nuanced and subtle flavors of the peaberry and arabica beans while still giving a beautiful, strong cup of coffee that robusta beans are known and beloved for.
Other coffees work well, depending on your preferences. If you prefer the lighter notes of an arabica, try our DaLat coffee.
Related: What’s the Difference Between Robusta & Arabica Coffee?
FAQs: Making Coffee Creamer
Here are some quick, frequently asked questions that you might want to consider.
1. Can I use non-dairy milk to make coffee creamer?
Yes, you can use non-dairy milk to make coffee creamer. In fact, almond, soy, and oat milk are excellent alternatives, and some include their own sweetener to lessen the amount of extra sugar or syrups that you add.
2. How can I make a sugar-free coffee creamer?
The beauty of homemade creamers is that you can customize them to your exact tastes. Substitute sugar with Stevia, erythritol, or monk fruit sweetener. Alternatively, you can use natural syrups like agave, honey, or maple syrup to avoid refined sugar.
3. What is the best way to flavor homemade coffee creamer?
The best way to flavor homemade coffee creamer is by using natural extracts like vanilla, almond, or coconut. There are many other flavorings you can add, so check out a grocery store’s baking section and see what’s there.
You can also use powdered spice mixes to enhance flavors, but using extracts gives the best flavor boost.
4. Can homemade creamer be frozen for later use?
Yes, homemade coffee creamer can be frozen in an airtight container for up to 3 months. Make sure that you leave it in the refrigerator to defrost when you want to use it rather than leaving it on the side in your kitchen.
5. Is homemade coffee creamer healthier than store-bought?
Typically, yes, homemade coffee creamer is healthier than store-bought options. This is because it lacks preservatives and artificial flavors, and you can control the sugar level in each batch.
6. How do I make a vegan coffee creamer?
To make vegan coffee creamer, you can use coconut cream and plant-based milk as the base and then add agave, sugar, or maple syrup as a sweetener.
Our recipe for vegan Vietnamese coffee tells you how to make vegan sweetened condensed milk.
7. What are some creative flavors for coffee creamer?
Some creative flavors for coffee creamer include mixing spices like cinnamon or nutmeg or adding more decadent flavors like chocolate. You can also create seasonal coffee creamer by adding pumpkin spice mix or peppermint extracts to the blend.
8. Can I use honey as a sweetener in my coffee creamer?
Yes, honey is a great natural sweetener for creamers. Just be sure to shake the coffee creamer container before using it, as honey has a habit of sinking to the bottom.
9. How long does homemade coffee creamer last in the fridge?
Usually, homemade coffee creamer lasts for up to one week if stored properly in the fridge. Of course, this is a guideline, and if your creamer smells or looks funny, it's best to just throw it away.
10. What's the best container in which to store homemade coffee creamer?
The best container to store homemade coffee creamer is either a glass bottle or an airtight plastic container. Make sure that your container is sterilized before use and has an airtight lid for maximum freshness.
