This recipe for Homemade Coffee Creamer is made with 4 simple ingredients and tastes much better than store-bought creamer. Naturally rich and decadent, use it in your favorite morning brew! Pairs perfectly with my Overnight Kefir Coffee Cake.
This homemade coffee creamer is my favorite part of the morning!
It’s rich and decadent and made from only 4 simple real food ingredients. It’s perfect when you’re ready to ditch the store-bought creamer full of not-so-great ingredients and swap for a better-tasting healthy coffee creamer.
I can whip it up in about 3 minutes and it tastes WAY better than Coffee-mate.
HOMEMADE COFFEE CREAMER RECIPE
My homemade coffee creamer recipe starts with whole milk and heavy whipping cream. The ratio I have below gives me the right amount of creaminess, just how I like it – thick and delicious. A liquid celebration of the morning poured into my coffee mug!
If you want a thinner creamer, use less cream, and more milk. Feel free to adjust the ratio until the consistency is just right for you.
And it’s so easy to make dairy-free with canned coconut milk. Just swap out the cream with full-fat canned coconut milk and canned lite coconut milk for milk.
This recipe also calls for vanilla, which is something else that you can adjust to your liking. Do be careful when adding more. There’s a fine line between more vanilla and that liquor aftertaste. Trust me on that one.
You can use a vanilla bean to make your own coffee creamer by scraping out the insides with the tip of a knife. Give your coffee creamer a sweet, warm, and rich flavor!
INGREDIENTS FOR VANILLA FLAVORED COFFEE CREAMERS
The ingredients are simple and easy to find…nothing too fancy, and MUCH better than store-bought creamer.
- Whole milk. You can use any milk including skim milk, but the closer you get to whole milk, the more creaminess you’ll achieve.
- Heavy cream. I like using heavy whipping cream over half and half, again for the creaminess factor.
- Maple syrup. A great substitute in drinks for sugar.
- Pure vanilla extract. Here’s how to make Homemade Vanilla Extract.
- Vanilla bean powder. Completely optional, but totally worth the splurge if you plan to make creamer regularly.
WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN VANILLA EXTRACT AND VANILLA BEAN POWDER?
Vanilla extract is just that – extract of vanilla in a liquor base. A little goes a long way!
BUT…the secret to this amazing vanilla coffee creamer recipe is vanilla bean powder.
It gives it the sophisticated taste of French vanilla coffee creamer. It is optional if you don’t have it or can’t find it.
WHERE DO YOU FIND VANILLA BEAN POWDER?
I inherited vanilla bean powder from my mother-in-law, who was given some by a neighbor. I think she got it at Williams Sonoma. You can buy it off Amazon here and while the price is a bit hefty, that bag will go A LONG way.
My jar is 1.5 oz and it’s lasted me nearly a year. It would likely last me longer if I hadn’t made so many scones over the holidays!!
Even still, if vanilla bean powder is too much of a splurge for you, skip it for now.
HOW TO SWEETEN FLAVORED COFFEE CREAMER
I chose to sweeten this creamer with maple syrup instead of honey because I think the flavor of maple syrup simply tastes better in this recipe. I like honey, but it doesn’t taste good with milk in my opinion.
The recipe calls for 1 tablespoon because I’ve been drinking my coffee sweetener-free for so long, but you can add more if you’d like, 1/2 tablespoon at a time.
Some other recipes call for Sweetened Condensed Milk, but I prefer to keep it simple with this recipe.
This homemade French vanilla coffee creamer makes coffee creamy and delicious, with only a few simple ingredients. Keep it in the refrigerator and use it with your morning coffee all week!
HOW TO MAKE HOMEMADE COFFEE CREAMER
Step 1: Combine milk, syrup, vanilla, and vanilla bean powder in a mason jar and shake like crazy.
Step 2: Add heavy cream and stir gently until well combined.
Step 3: Store in the fridge for up to 1 week. Swirl the mixture gently before pouring it into your favorite beverage – enjoy!
THAT’S IT! Use in hot coffee, iced coffee, or over oatmeal!
DIY COFFEE CREAMER VARIATIONS
Make different flavors of coffee creamer by using a different extract. Substitute almond extract, hazelnut extract, or even peppermint extract!
You could even add a little cinnamon or cocoa powder or Pumpkin Pie Spice to mix up the flavors even more!
QUESTIONS ABOUT HOMEMADE COFFEE CREAMER
Can I use a vanilla bean and sweetened condensed milk for homemade creamer?
Some coffee creamer recipes call for a vanilla bean (split lengthwise and scraped out with the end of a knife), with a can of sweetened condensed milk (or you can make your own), and half and half. You can certainly make it with these ingredients as well if you happen to have them on hand.
Just combine all ingredients and simmer on medium heat, then turn to low for 5-7 minutes. Keep covered and let stand for 15 minutes for flavors to blend.
Is coffee creamer bad for you?
Store-bought coffee creamers contain a lot of unnecessary and bad-for-you ingredients. Homemade coffee creamer is made with only 4 real food ingredients, making it a great healthy addition to your morning cup of coffee!
What’s in store-bought coffee creamer?
Coffee-Mate creamer ingredients vary slightly depending on the flavor, but you will typically find:
•Water
•Sugar
•Partially Hydrogenated Soybean and/or Cottonseed Oil
•Micellar casein (a milk derivative)
•Mono and diglyserides
•Dipotassium phosphate
•Natural and artificial flavor
•Cellulose gel
•Cellulose gum
•Carrageenan
That’s too many ingredients for a simple coffee creamer. Plus hydrogenated oils are one of the ingredients we avoid in our home.
Is it cheaper to make homemade coffee creamer?
Usually no. It may depend on the price of ingredients in your area, but I’ve found the cost of homemade to be about the same as commercial. I do value the cleaner ingredients, so it makes sense for me to make it myself. (Here are some thoughts on making homemade vs buying food)
Can I make dairy-free vanilla creamer?
Yes! Just swap out the heavy cream with full-fat canned coconut milk and instead of milk use canned lite coconut milk or other non-dairy milk.
HERE ARE SOME OTHER DIY COFFEE DRINKS:
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Homemade Coffee Creamer
This recipe for Homemade Coffee Creamer is made with 4 simple ingredients and tastes much better than store-bought creamer. Naturally rich and decadent, use it in your favorite morning brew! Pairs perfectly with my Overnight Kefir Coffee Cake.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 10 minutes
- Yield: 3/4 cup 1x
- Category: Beverages
- Method: Mix
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
- ¼ cup whole milk
- ½ cup heavy cream
- 1 Tbsp maple syrup
- 1 Tbsp vanilla extract
- ¼ tsp vanilla bean powder
Instructions
- Combine milk, syrup, vanilla extract, and vanilla bean powder in a mason jar and shake like crazy.
- Add heavy cream and stir gently until well combined.
- Store in the fridge for up to 1 week. Swirl the mixture gently before pouring it into your favorite beverage – enjoy!
Notes
Make different flavors of coffee creamer by using a different extract. Substitute almond extract, hazelnut extract, or even peppermint extract!
You could even add a little cinnamon or cocoa powder or Pumpkin Pie Spice to mix up the flavors even more!
And it’s so easy to make dairy-free with canned coconut milk. Just swap out the cream with full-fat canned coconut milk and canned lite coconut milk for milk.
Nutrition
- Calories: 28
Jeff
Tiffany,
I made your creamer to the recipe, the only thing I done differently was use a nutri bullet blender to blend it
It was kinda thick and lumpy, more like ice cream ? Maybe it was because I didn’t just do the manual method of shaking it up by hand ? I tried adding more milk to thin it out but that wasn’t helping.
Any advice would be a help .
Thanks
Angela
I’ve been making this since I found the recipe about a year ago and absolutely love it.
Brittany @ Team Crumbs
Hello Angela!
We’re so glad you enjoy this recipe! Thank you for letting us know. 🙂
Leslie M
Do you think this recipe could be made with chocolate? My MIL is coming over and likes a chocolate creamer so I’m curious if I could just add that into this recipe?! 🤷♀️
Karen @ Team Crumbs
Leslie,
We’ve never tried that variation, but yes, that would be tasty! Let us know!
Leslie
I made it plain and with cocoa added both were so delicious! I’m saving this recipe!
jeff
I am looking forward to trying this.
Jeff
I made this tonight in the nutri bullet just to blend it all together.
I don’t what I’ve done wrong but it has clumped up, kinda thick ?
I added more milk hoping that would help
Thin it out.
Anyone got any idea?
Cameron
If I wanted to do this sugar free (I’m on keto) is there a way you would recommend doing that?
Kyare - Team Crumbs
A liquid form of stevia or monk fruit.
Maria
Thank you for this recipe. I am trying to get my health back. I didn’t realize my coffee creamers hsd a lot to do with it, I needed my creamers! I tried drinking the coffee black but it just isn’t working! So I’m thankful for this healthy creamer recipe that I can make and feel good about drinking! This is making a big difference !
Ps
I like to add canned pumpkin to it once in awhile and it taste great!
Karen @ Team Crumbs
Hi Maria!
Thank sounds great! Thank you for sharing with us. 🙂
Diane L.
I just came across this recipe and I am a vanilla in my coffee lover so I am excited to put this together! Any vanilla creamer I’ve tried taste terrible to me..fake, weird chemical vanilla flavor even when it is supposed to be real vanilla in it. Trying to reduce added sugar in my daily coffee habit, so going to give this a try! Thank you!
Brittany
This stuff is SO GOOD. I doubled the recipe tonight, and after tasting it I plan on making it and keeping it in the fridge all of the time. I love that it is one more step towards my ultimate dream of zero processed sugar.
Oh and I haven’t gotten vanilla powder yet so I couldn’t add that – i’m sure it will taste even better then!
Mollybea
On Amazon there’s a lot of reviewers that say some of the powder they get in this brand really stinks very badly. And some say they’ve gotten it that it doesn’t stink and the same person says they got a bad batch and was rancid and smelled like poop. Any experience with any of this?
Haven’t made this yet but really want to give up my artificial creamer.
Tiffany
I haven’t repurchased this yet Mollybea, as the one bag lasts a LONG time. Did you see if they have a return policy? That might help with your fear of a bad batch. 🙂
Hannah
Planning to whip this up soon. I’m planning on modifying it a little. Using 1% milk, and half and half. Probably more half and half though. I don’t want it to be too thin.
Out coffee creamer doesn’t seem to contain trans fats, (yay!) but the third ingredient is palm oil. (No!) Considering it’s a fat free creamer, I’m a bit scared. Thankfully, my dad agreed to try out different creamers. I hope we’ll both like this one. If we do, it’s be the winner.
Then we can start trying other flavours like salted caramel. 🙂
Kristen
Could this be made dairy free with almond milk maybe?
Tiffany
You can, but it definitely won’t be as thick. I’d suggest starting with 1/2 cup almond milk and adding canned coconut cream (the solids from a can of coconut milk) one tablespoon at a time until you get the desired consistency. The vanilla flavor should be fine!
Courtney Remmenga
Hi Tiffany!
I love your website! And I love this idea. But, cream buyers who care about avoiding additives: check your labels! This may be a regional issue – but it is SO hard to find heavy whipping cream here in the Pacific Northwest that isn’t made with additives, including carrageenan. You mentioned Costco: the Darigold heavy whipping cream at our Costco has carrageenan plus a handful of other additives. 🙁 I thought people might want to be aware. I personally never thought to check the ingredient label on cream (of all things!) until after we did a Whole30, and I got into the habit of checking EVERYTHING. I was so surprised, especially at what is added to so many dairy products. I used to be semi-picky about store bought ice cream, trying to avoid additives and making my own when possible… Only to find out the stuff I made at home had the exact same additives, due to the heavy cream I was using!! D’oh! 😉
Oddly enough, the commercial half-and-half around here usually does *not* have any extra additives. Only the heavy cream. 🙁 It just means that my coffee is usually blessed with half-and-half until I get to splurge on unadulterated cream from a local dairy… 😀
Hannah
I noticed our heavy cream has carrageenan too. I think the half and half does as well, but I’m not totally sure. Our ice cream used to have it, but I got my mother to switch to a different kind that doesn’t. It’s actually the better quality by the same brand. Everyone prefers it now.
It’s a scary world out there. Everything seems to have strange additives or hidden sugars/trans fats/saturated fats. Or palm oil. That’s not good either.
Krista
Hi Tiffany – Just found your site as I was looking for a cheat to making Buttermilk as I never have any of the real stuff when I want to bake and you saved the day. I also found the Vanilla Bean Creamer you make & yayyyy! I stopped using margarine because of the hydrogenation process so finding a creamer cheat is a blessing as I can also take coffee thru IV 24/7 (lol). For the creamer do you use Heavy Cream or Light Cream and does it really matter? Thanks so much for all this info.
Tiffany
Hi Krista!! I’ve only ever used heavy cream because I’ve never seen light cream in my grocery stores. 🙂 Thank you for your kind words and encouragement!! ♥
Rick
This tastes excellent! I used a top quality extract and 100% vanilla powder (read ingredients of what you purchase because most are sugar with a little actual vanilla powder). The vanilla ingredients were really expensive but well worth it and the powder goes pretty far. I could not believe how good this tasted without a bunch of chemicals to mimic the real vanilla flavor. Add this to DIY iced coffee and you will never drink any other coffee and creamer combination.
Tiffany
Thanks for the raving review Rick!
Karena
That looks amazing! I never use coffee creamer (too sweet!), but I will be trying this. I have also never even heard of vanilla bean powder – I will definitely be getting some of that, too.
I don’t know if you’ve tried it yet, but if not, I recommend cold-brew coffee. It is so smooth – I never feel the need to add milk/cream/creamer to it. I got the best info from this site: http://www.americastestkitchenfeed.com/do-it-yourself/2011/08/how-to-make-cold-brew-coffee/ – I usually brew a 2x concentrate because that is what fits best in my french press – and if I do get a wild desire to add some milk, I can do so without diluting the coffee flavor.
J. Chester
By making it your self you can also avoid ultra pasteurization. I find ultra pasteurization changes the taste and texture just a bit and they don’t act as well in recipes. This is a personal opinion. You may have had better experiences. Thank you, you are holding my hand as I start this new venture.
Linda
I have vanilla bean paste. Can I use that?
Tiffany
You probably could Linda. Be sure to whisk really well so you don’t get clumps!
Lori
I am going to make this! Where do you purchase your vanilla beans?
Thank you!
Chris
I keep my homemade vanilla extract in a dropper bottle. I put a few (10, I really like vanilla) drops in my cup before I pour coffee. Then ci add milk as desired. No need to make creamer.
Tiffany
Good idea with the vanilla extract Chris 🙂
Robbie
Why not just use half & half instead of milk and heavy cream? Taste and or thickness?
Karen @ Team Crumbs
Hi Robbie,
Yes, we like the creamy texture. But also we are careful about buying store-bought half & half because it often contains additives that we don’t want. Hope this helps.
Patty
Do you think I can use vanilla bean paste instead of the powder?
Tiffany
That would likely work Patty! Just mix well, and I’d start with smidge less since you can always add more. 🙂
Liv
Does the vanilla bean powder add a lot of vanilla flavor? I made this without it and I’m not really getting a strong enough vanilla flavor but didn’t want to add too much more vanilla extract. Trying to decide if the powder is worth purchasing? Thanks!
Tiffany
I think it does Liv – I can really taste the vanilla flavor on day 2. I made it the other day with 2 Tbsp of vanilla instead of 1, and omitted the powder and thought that it needed more syrup to offset the extract. Do you have any vanilla beans on hand by chance?
San
This sounds delightful. I do use creamer (and have been going back and forth trying to cut it out of my life – unsuccessfully so far). I usually just use the “original creamer” (because the flavored ones are extra sweet), but I love vanilla-anything and definitely need to try this. Thanks so much for sharing!