Healthy Homemade Coffee Creamer
Posted Mar 17, 2019, Updated May 12, 2024
This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.
This Healthy Homemade Coffee Creamer Recipe is easy to make with 4 ingredients, and it’s even more delicious than store-bought creamers!
A good friend once said to me, “drinking tea is like getting a friendly handshake, but drinking coffee is like getting a warm hug.” It’s so so true.
I look forward to the warm embrace of a good cup ‘o joe every morning with my breakfast. ย Iย do like a touch of sweetness and creaminess in my coffee, which is why I created this homemade coffee creamer recipe.
It tastes amazing but has no artificial ingredients, preservatives, etc.
If you’re a creamer user like me, you will love that this Paleo Vanilla Coffee Creamer is just slightly sweet but adds a wonderful, deep, complex, vanilla flavor to your coffee!
Healthy Coffee Creamer: Ingredients & Substitutions
As always, I recommend making this recipe exactly as written! But here are a few substitutions that are possible.
- Coconut milk: lite works well, but full-fat is best.
- Almond milk.ย The almond milk is added to this recipe to ensure that it doesn’t solidify when stored. In this case, any other nondairy milk can be used in place of almond milk.
- Coconut sugar:ย Maple syrup or honey may be used in place of some (or all) of the coconut sugar.
- Vanilla beans:ย If you want to make this quicker and easier, substitute 1 teaspoon vanilla extract for the vanilla bean. Add the extract once the sugar is dissolved and you remove the mixture from the heat.
How to Make Coffee Creamer
Let’s walk through the steps in making this healthy vanilla coffee creamer and don’t forget to watch the video.
Begin by putting the ingredients (except for vanilla beans) into a small saucepan and whisking to combine.
Next, warm the mixture until it just begins to boil then remove the pan from the heat. Be very careful not to actually let it boil, because it will result in a big mess!
Next, scrape the seeds from the vanilla bean and stir them into the warm paleo coffee creamer mixture. Then add the whole vanilla bean pods.
After the vanilla beans and pods are added, cover the pot, and let it sit for 30 minutes for the vanilla bean flavor to really infuse into the healthy coffee creamer.
Choose a large glass jar and place a fine mesh metal sieve over it. Strain the vanilla coffee creamer into the jar and discard the vanilla bean pods.
How to Deseed a Vanilla Bean
To remove the seeds from a vanilla bean, follow these instructions:
- Cut the bean in half (as pictured below).
2. Carefully slice each piece of the vanilla bean lengthwise with a very sharp knife. Make shallow cuts that do not go all the way through the pod.
3. Use a small spoon and scrape out the seeds on the inside of the bean.
4. Stir the spoon with the vanilla seeds into the coffee creamer mixture and repeat with the remaining pod pieces!
Using Vanilla Extract
If you use vanilla extract instead of vanilla beans, I still recommend gently warming the ingredients on the stovetop and whisking them until the mixture is smooth.
However, if you use vanilla extract you do not need to use a strainer or let the mixture sit on the stovetop for 30 minutes to infuse! Simply whisk it in!
Store
Store the homemade creamer in a glass jar with a lid in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.ย
Freeze
Pour the healthy coffee creamer into an ice cube tray and freeze until hardened.
Transfer the frozen cubes of creamer to an airtight container or bag. Remove one or two cubes at a time to use in your morning coffee. I do recommend warming the frozen homemade coffee creamer in the microwave in your coffee mug before adding the coffee so that it doesn’t cool it off.
Homemade Coffee Creamer Recipe FAQs
If you’re curious about the benefits of making your own coffee creamer, check out this article from Prevention Magazine, where this very recipe was featured, “5 Worst Things in your Coffee Creamer – And What You Should Use Instead.”
While some store bought varieties are not good (at all), this homemade paleo coffee creamer IS totally healthy! It’sย dairy-free, refined-sugar free, vegan and paleo! It adds the perfect flavor and creaminess to your coffee without sacrificing health or taste! PLUS it is only 4 ingredients and is crazy easy!
Absolutely! We use coconut milk or coconut cream in this recipe and it turns out amazingly creamy and ultra delicious! Coconut milk is my favorite base for coffee creamer!
If you make and love our recipes, it would mean so much to me if you would leave a comment and rating! And don’t forget to follow along with us on Instagram, Pinterest, Facebook, and Youtube – be sure to tag @joyfoodsunshine and use the hashtag #joyfoodsunshine so we can see your creations!
Homemade Healthy Coffee Creamer Recipe
Ingredients
- 13.5 ounces coconut milk
- 2 Tablespoons Almond Milk (unsweetened, vanilla)
- 3 Tablespoons coconut sugar
- โ teaspoon fine sea salt
- ยฝ vanilla bean
Instructions
- Shake up a can of coconut milk then pour it into a small saucepan.
- Add almond milk and stir to combine.
- Add the coconut sugar & a pinch of salt, whisk to combine.
- Cook over medium-low heat until the mixture just starts bubbling and sugar is dissolved (donโt let it boil or youโll have a coconutty mess all over your stove)!
- Cut the vanilla bean in half lengthwise and scrape out the seeds. Add seeds to the milk mixture and stir.
- Put the whole vanilla bean into the pot and cover with a lid.
- Let the mixture sit for at least 30 minutes, or until cooled to room temperature.
- Using a fine mesh strainer, strain your creamer as you pour it into a glass jar. Discard beans.
- Store in a glass jar with a lid in the refrigerator! Give it a shake before adding it to your favorite coffee!
Video
Notes
- Coconut milk: lite works well, but full-fat is best.
- Almond milk.ย The almond milk is added to this recipe to ensure that it doesn’t solidify when stored. In this case, any other nondairy milk can be used in place of almond milk.
- Coconut sugar:ย Maple syrup or honey may be used in place of some (or all) of the coconut sugar.
- Vanilla beans:ย If you want to make this quicker and easier, substitute 1 teaspoon vanilla extract for the vanilla bean. Add the extract once the sugar is dissolved and you remove the mixture from the heat.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This looks so good! Hubby is a huge fan of coconut. This would be perfect to make for his morning coffee. I’ve been making my own creamer for a few months now and never thought to use coconut milk before. Thanks for sharing!
Oh wow! I can’t wait to give this a try. I don’t use coffee creamer anymore because of how innately bad it really is, but this could be a nice fix for when I JUST need it, haha.
Sometimes you need a little sweet creaminess in your coffee! ๐ No need to deny yourself anymore!
Laura, do you use coconut cream or coconut milk?
I use both with great results!
Ok, good to know. Your recipe says coconut milk. Canโt wait to try this out! Looks amazing ๐
Really, either one can be used! I use coconut milk AND cream, both with great results!
Well, you had me at “I have a thing for vanilla beans. When I want to make something that isnโt chocolate (gasp) I still want it to have a rich flavor.” I am a HUGE chocolate fan, but I’m also crazy about vanilla beans. Have you ever made vanilla bean butter? Wicked good and seriously addictive. As in, “Hey, what can I put this on now?!” As for my coffee, I don’t so much drink coffee as I drink coffee-flavored creamer, so this recipe sounds fabulous (especially since coconut is another of my love languages). So glad I found you on Turn It Up Tuesday! Heading to your FB page now!
Elizabeth! Vanilla bean butter sounds amazing! Sounds like you and I have a lot in common… ๐ I do like a rich dark cup of coffee, but I have to have a little sweet creaminess in there too! <3 ๐
This look delicious! I love that you added fresh vanilla bean, Pinned ๐ Thank you for joining the Link-up!
This looks SO good! As soon as I’m done with my Whole90, I’m making this creamer. Thanks for sharing!
Wow! Whole90?! I’ve only heard of Whole30! You go girl!!!
Thank You so much for sharing this awesome paleo creamer! Pinning!
Sounds Delicious…I will give it a try! Thanks for sharing with the Thursday Blog Hop!
Yum! This looks so creamy. Definitely pinning this!
Thanks Katie! I hope you enjoy it! ๐
Coffee creamers aren’t really a big thing here but they definitely should be, this looks yummy! (and it’s paleo too!)
I just love coconut and it tastes great in coffee, too!
This recipe is a winner. ๐
Sinea โฅ
I agree completely about coconut! I hope you enjoy a great cup of coffee with this! ๐