How to Make Homemade Coffee Creamer – [9 Variations]

If you happen to be a coffee addict, like I am, you’ll quickly come to realise that it can be quite an expensive habit. Especially when you’re constantly looking to improve your coffee drinking experience by experimenting with exotic or seasonal flavour additions from time to time.

In my case this usually involves buying an bottle of coffee creamer, using it a couple of times to satisfy my craving and then letting it languish in the fridge till it goes bad. What a horrible waste of resources!

Well, not anymore! I have discovered (rather late in the day) that it is possible to make your own customised coffee creamer at home for literally a fraction of the price. It is an unbelievably simple process too.

All you need are a couple of base recipes for vanilla coffee creamer. Use this as a starting point for an endless combination of flavours that meet your tastes. No more limited store-bought options. The best part is you can do away with all those extra chemicals in store bought creamers and save a few dollars along the way. Win win! So let’s get started.

French Vanilla Coffee Creamer Recipe 1

Ingredients

• Half and half – 2 cups*
• Maple syrup – ¼ cup
• Vanilla extract – 2 tsp

Method

• Add the half and half and maple syrup to a small saucepan and place it on the stovetop on very low heat
• When it is just warmed through take it off the heat and stir in the vanilla extract. Set aside to cool
• Once cooled, store it in a glass jar in the refrigerator. It will stay good for 5 to 7 days

*If you do not have half and half combine 1 cup of milk with 1 cup of heavy cream and proceed with the recipe as given

French Vanilla Coffee Creamer Recipe 2

Ingredients

• Sweetened condensed milk – 1 can (approx. 1 and ½ cups)
• Milk – 2 cups
• Vanilla Extract – 1 tbsp

Method

• Add the sweetened condensed milk and milk to a small saucepan and place it on the stovetop on very low heat
• When it is just warmed through take it off the heat and stir in the vanilla extract. Set aside to cool
• Once cooled, store it in a glass jar in the refrigerator. It will stay good till the use by date of the milk that you used

From here on you can try any number of variations to that suit your fancy. A few of them are given below

#1 – Caramel Vanilla Coffee Creamer

• Start with French Vanilla Creamer Recipe 1
• Reduce the maple syrup by 2 tbsp
• Add 3 tbsp of brown sugar
• Proceed with the recipe as given

#2 – Cinnamon Vanilla Coffee Creamer

• Start with French Vanilla Creamer Recipe 1
• Add 2 tsp of ground cinnamon
• Proceed with the recipe as given

#3 – Chocolate Almond Coffee Creamer

• Start with French Vanilla Creamer Recipe 2
• Add 2 tbsp cocoa powder
• Add 1 tsp of almond extract
• Warm it through on the stovetop stirring till the cocoa powder dissolves completely
• Store in a glass jar in the refrigerator once cooled

#4 – Chocolate Peppermint Coffee Creamer

• Start with French Vanilla Creamer Recipe 2
• Add 2 tbsp cocoa powder
• Add 1 tsp of peppermint extract
• Warm it through on the stovetop stirring till the cocoa powder dissolves completely
• Store in a glass jar in the refrigerator once cooled

#5 – Chocolate Chip Cookie Coffee Creamer

• Start with French Vanilla Creamer Recipe 2
• Add 3 tbsp cocoa powder
• Add 2 tbsp of light brown sugar
• Warm it through on the stovetop till the cocoa powder and brown sugar dissolve completely
• Store in a glass jar in the refrigerator

If you are looking to make a ‘grown-up’ version you could even add a teaspoon or two of a liqueur such as Amaretto or Kahlua to any of these creamer recipes to  give your post dinner coffee a nice pop!

Healthier Non Dairy Coffee Creamer

If you’re trying to make this a little bit healthier, there is a recipe for a coconut milk based creamer that you could try.

Any non dairy milk such as Almond, Cashew or Soy can be substituted for coconut milk with equally good results. You can even use this recipe as the base for trying out different flavour combinations.

Ingredients

• Full fat coconut milk – 1 can (approx. 1 and ½ cups)
• Maple syrup – 2 tbsp
• Vanilla extract – 2 tsp

Method

• Add the coconut milk and maple syrup to a small saucepan. Place it on the stovetop on very low heat until just warmed through
• Take it off the heat, add the vanilla extract and stir through
• Set aside to cool and store it in a glass jar in the refrigerator. This will last for about 5 days

Homemade Powdered Coffee Creamer

All these creamers mentioned above work great! But if you want something that is a little more shelf stable and does not need to be refrigerated then this following recipe is perfect for you.

Ingredients

• Full fat milk powder – 1 cup
• Powdered or Icing sugar – ¼ cup (adjust quantities to taste)
• Melted coconut oil – 2 tsp
• Vanilla powder – 1 tbsp*

*You can add any powdered flavour of your choice here – cocoa powder, cinnamon, nutmeg – all work very well

Method

• Add the milk powder, sugar and any flavoring that you use to a bowl and whisk to combine
• Slowly drizzle the coconut oil into the mixture while whisking constantly. Whisk till no lumps remain
• Store in an airtight container at room temperature and use a scoop or two at a time

Once you try the homemade version of your favorite coffee creamer I’m sure you will never go back to the grocery store version. They really are that good!