9 Healthy Coffee Creamer Alternatives

If you’re a coffee lover, you may have a go-to creamer that adds flavor and creaminess to your daily cup of joe.

Although coffee creamers are delicious, some popular creamers are high in added sugar and contain ingredients such as high fructose corn syrup, oils, and carrageenan, as well as artificial flavors, sweeteners, and colors, which many people prefer to avoid.

For example, both International Delight and Coffee Mate vanilla-flavored creamers contain 5 grams of added sugar per 1-tablespoon (15-mL) serving (1, 2).

Most people use much more than the recommended serving size. As such, you could be consuming 10 grams — or 2.5 teaspoons — of added sugar if you use just 2 tablespoons (30 mL) of these creamers in your coffee.

High added sugar intake is linked to an increased risk of weight gain, metabolic syndrome, depressive symptoms, and other negative effects, so it’s best to limit your intake of added sugar as much as possible — including in your coffee creamer (3, 4, 5, 6).

Fortunately, it’s easy to make your own coffee creamer at home. A number of low sugar or zero-sugar premade coffee creamers are available as well.

Here are 9 healthier coffee creamer alternatives.

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Instead of spending money on premade coffee creamers, try making your own at home.

Doing so is simple and lets you control which ingredients are added and left out. The best part of making your own creamer is that you can experiment with different flavors and bases depending on your preferences.

Here are 4 creamers you can whip up in just a few minutes.

1. Vanilla coconut milk creamer

Canned coconut milk is a perfect base for homemade coffee creamers. It’s thick and has the rich texture of store-bought creamers.

This vanilla coconut milk creamer recipe couldn’t be any easier.

Simply dump a can of coconut milk into a glass jar. Then add 1–2 teaspoons (5–10 mL) of vanilla extract, seal the jar, and shake for 30 seconds. Optionally, add a small amount of sweetener like maple syrup or honey.

Keep this mixture in your fridge for up to a week.

Shop for Native Forest unsweetened organic coconut milk online.

2. Coconut pumpkin spice creamer

For people who enjoy pumpkin-flavored coffee year-round, this pumpkin spice creamer recipe from Thyme and Joy is essential.

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup (120 mL) coconut cream
• 1/2 cup (120 mL) almond milk
• 1/4 cup (56 grams) pumpkin puree
• 1/8 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/8 teaspoon vanilla bean powder
• 1 pinch sea salt

Directions

1. Blend all ingredients in a high speed blender until fully combined.
2. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 7–10 days.

3. Date-sweetened chocolate cashew milk

Store-bought chocolate-flavored coffee creamers are often high in added sugar, but this version from Nyssa’s Kitchen is made with simple ingredients and sweetened with dates, not sugar.

Ingredients

• 1 cup (150 grams) cashews, soaked overnight in water and drained
• 4 cups (945 mL) filtered water
• 3–4 pitted dates (or a small amount of maple syrup)
• 1/4 cup (30 grams) cacao powder
• 1 teaspoon (5 mL) vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt

Directions

1. Rinse cashews with cold water after soaking them overnight.
2. Add cashews to a blender with water, dates, cacao powder, vanilla, cinnamon, and sea salt.
3. Blend on high for about 2 minutes, until smooth, creamy, and frothy.
4. Store in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.

4. Homemade powdered creamer

If you prefer powdered creamers, you’ll love this homemade powdered creamer that uses coconut milk powder — though you may want to use less sweetener than the recipe calls for. (You can use milk powder in place of coconut milk powder if you’d prefer.)

To make your own powdered creamer, simply pulse coconut milk powder in a food processor or blender with ingredients of your choice, such as cacao powder, vanilla bean powder, cinnamon, or pumpkin pie spice.

If you choose to add a granulated sweetener like monk fruit, date sugar, or coconut sugar, be sure to blend it into a fine powder before mixing it into the coconut milk powder.

Store powdered creamer at room temperature in a sealed container.

Shop for KOS organic coconut milk powder online.

If you prefer to purchase premade coffee creamer, it’s important to read the nutrition facts and ingredient lists on coffee creamer labels.

Try to choose brands that have less than 2 grams of added sugar per serving and are free of added oils, artificial colors, and high fructose corn syrup.

Here are a few healthy store-bought coffee creamers.

5. Nut Pods

Nut Pods creamers are dairy-free and gluten-free and contain no added sugar. The company’s unsweetened vanilla creamer contains just 10 calories, 1 gram of fat, and zero grams of carbs per 1 tablespoon (15 mL) (7).

In comparison, the same serving of International Delight vanilla creamer has 35 calories and 5 grams of added sugar (1).

Nut Pods’ sweetened creamers use erythritol, a sugar alcohol that doesn’t affect blood sugar levels. The company’s flavors include French vanilla, pumpkin spice, hazelnut, caramel, and cinnamon swirl (8).

Shop for Nut Pods creamers online.

6. Laird Superfood creamers

If you prefer powdered creamers, Laird Superfood creamers are a great option.

They’re made with a base of macadamia nut powder plus coconut or milk powder and flavored with ingredients like Ceylon cinnamon, cacao, and Madagascar bourbon vanilla. They also contain aquamin, a seaweed-derived source of minerals such as calcium and magnesium (9).

Laird Superfood creamers come in unsweetened and sweetened varieties. The sweetened products contain just 2 grams of sugar per 1-tablespoon (7-gram) serving.

Shop for Laird Superfood creamers online.

7. Elmhurst oat creamers

Elmhurst is best known for its shelf-stable nut milks, but the company offers plant-based coffee creamers as well.

Its creamers are dairy-free, gluten-free, and available in a variety of flavors.

Its unsweetened original flavor contains 0 grams of added sugar, while its French vanilla, hazelnut, and chai spice flavors have just 1 gram of added sugar per 1-tablespoon (15-mL) serving (10).

Shop for Elmhurst oat creamers online.

8. Vital Proteins collagen creamers

Vital Proteins makes coffee creamers that provide collagen protein. These coconut milk-based creamers contain 5 grams of protein and less than 1 gram of total sugar per scoop (12.5 grams) and come in mocha, coconut, and vanilla flavors (11).

Keep in mind that these products contain 70 calories per scoop, so it’s best to stick to a single scoop.

Shop for Vital Proteins collagen creamers online.

9. Malk Unsweetened Oat + Almond Malk Creamer

Malk makes nut milks with limited, high quality ingredients.

This brand’s Unsweetened Oat + Almond Malk Creamer contains just five ingredients — filtered water, organic gluten-free rolled oats, organic European almonds, natural vanilla flavor, and Himalayan salt (12).

It provides just 10 calories per 1-tablespoon (15-mL) serving.

You can find Malk products in many grocery stores, including Whole Foods.

If you’re tired of your high sugar coffee creamer, try whipping up your own using just a few simple ingredients.

Otherwise, try one of the better-for-you premade coffee creamer products listed above.