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
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