25 Homemade Coffee Creamers and Syrups (Without the Nasty Additives)

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Author of Be Ready for Anything and Bloom Where You’re Planted online course

Do you love coffee or know someone who does? How about some fancy homemade coffee creamers to take off the winter chill?

Places like Starbucks have taken flavored coffees to a whole new level. At my local grocery store, there’s an entire refrigerated unit dedicated to decadent flavored creamers. Unfortunately, those creamers are rife with chemicals, including artificial flavors and neurotoxins like aspartame and sucralose.

You aren’t giving someone a “treat” by putting that stuff in their coffee

Here’s the list of ingredients for Coffeemate’s Hazelnut Creamer:

WATER, SUGAR, PARTIALLY HYDROGENATED SOYBEAN AND/OR COTTONSEED OIL, AND LESS THAN 2% OF SODIUM CASEINATE (A MILK DERIVATIVE)**, MONO- AND DIGLYCERIDES, DIPOTASSIUM PHOSPHATE, COLOR ADDED, CELLULOSE GEL, NATURAL AND ARTIFICIAL FLAVORS, CELLULOSE GUM, CARRAGEENAN, DEXTROSE.

Sooooo….there’s no actual cream involved, nor is there any hazelnut mentioned in that chemistry project.  Yum.

Here’s some great news, though: If you possess the ability to heat milk and use measuring spoons and a whisk, the fanciest flavors around can be yours, and at a fraction of the price of the artificial grocery store versions. Be your own barista, and try making some homemade coffee creamers today!

Start with an excellent coffee

Some studies show measurable health benefits for coffee drinkers.  Those who drink more than 4 cups per day have a decreased risk of oral cancer, prostate cancer, and basal cell carcinoma.  Moderate coffee consumption can also reduce your risk of developing Type 2 Diabetes.  Coffee drinkers are also less susceptible to Alzheimer’s and dementia.

Some feel that coffee is not exactly health food, but it is incredibly high in antioxidants.  Also, you can make far better choices than the usual offerings.

You should start with a good quality organic coffee bean.  Green, or unroasted, coffee beans store the longest – if properly stashed away in a cool, dark place in mylar bags with a desiccant and an 02 absorber, it can last for ten years or more.  Roasting coffee releases the oils, which means that the bean immediately begins to age. Here’show to roast your raw coffee beans.

I always have a French press on hand, so that in the event of a power outage, fresh coffee can still be mine (for which my children are very thankful).

Your first step to making creamer is making Sweet Cream

Sweet cream is very basic – it’s simply your dairy or dairy alternative, warmed enough to dissolve your sweetener.

Base ingredients:

  • 3 cups of any combination of the milk of your choice
  • 4 tbsp of your favorite sugar or sweetener for unflavored sweet cream

OR

  • 3 cups of any combination of the milk of your choice
  • 1 of the variations below (all of them include various types of sugar)

Instructions:

First…the milk:

  • Choose organic or hormone-free milk
  • Other options include animal product alternatives like soy milk, rice milk, cashew milk, and almond milk.  If you make the milk yourself you are sure to have a wholesome ingredients list.

The sweetener:

  • You can use basic white sugar.
  • I like to use a less processed sugar like organic TurbinadoSucanat or Muscovado.
  • Try stevia, a low-calorie sweetener made from the leaves of the stevia plant.  (Some people dislike the licorice-like flavor of stevia)
  • Raw honey is always a delicious and healthy option to sweeten anything.
  • I’m a big fan of Agave-5, which is an all-natural, super-low-calorie “syrup” that doesn’t have any nasty aftertaste.

Or add some flavor.

Choose an option from the list below. Stir them into a base of 1.5 cups of milk and 1.5 cups of cream, or three cups of your dairy alternative of choice.

If you don’t want to make a full batch of the creamer, stir just a small amount of the flavorings into an individual cup of coffee and add milk.

Bring it to a low simmer.

Mix the sweetener and flavoring into the milk and bring to a simmer on the stove, whisking constantly until it begins to steam slightly.  Remove from heat, allow to cool, then store in the refrigerator.  Feel free to adjust the amounts for stronger or sweeter flavors. Don’t bring it to a boil, because your creamer will curdle.

Make fancy homemade coffee creamer

  1. Mocha Java:  2 tbsp of cocoa powder, 4 tbsp of muscovado (or brown) sugar
  2. Mexican Mocha Java: 2 tbsp of cocoa powder, 4 tbsp of muscovado (or brown) sugar, 1 tsp of cinnamon
  3. Nutella aka Chocolate Hazelnut: (we make our own “Nutella” from scratch with a food processor)  4 tbsp of Nutella or an organic chocolate hazelnut spread – no other sweetener needed
  4. Gingerbread: 2 tsp molasses, 2 tbsp of muscovado (or brown) sugar, 1/2 tsp each of ginger, clove, and cinnamon
  5. Almond Toffee:  4 tbsp of sugar of choice, 1 tsp of  almond extract
  6. Vanilla Latte:  2 teaspoons of pure vanilla extract, 4 tbsp of turbinado (or white) sugar
  7. Great White North Maple Java: 6 tbsp of pure maple syrup
  8. Mocha Mint: 2 tbsp of cocoa powder, 1/2 tsp of pure peppermint extract, 4 tbsp of turbinado (or white) sugar
  9. Cinnamon Roll: 2 tsp of cinnamon, 1 tsp of vanilla extract, 4 tbsp of muscovado (or brown) sugar, and a dash of salt (yep, salt)
  10. Caramel “Mockiatto”:  6 tbsp of muscovado (or brown) sugar, a dash of salt, 1 tbsp of cocoa, and 1/2 tsp of pure vanilla extract
  11.  Amaretto: 1 tbsp of almond extract,  4 tbsp of turbinado (or white) sugar
  12.  Cherry Amaretto: 1 tbsp of almond extract,  4 tbsp of turbinado (or white) sugar, 1/2 tsp of cherry extract
  13. White chocolate mocha:  1 cup of white chocolate chips, 1 tsp of cocoa  (melt the chips into the milk, whisking constantly)
  14. Mint white chocolate:  1 cup of white chocolate chips, 1 tsp of  pure peppermint extract
  15. Black Forest: 2 tbsp of cocoa, 4 tbsp of muscovado (or brown) sugar, 1 tsp of cherry extract
  16. Chocolate coconut mocha: 2 tbsp of cocoa, 4 tbsp of turbinado (or white) sugar, 2 tsp of coconut extract (or replace half of the milk with coconut milk)
  17. Irish Cream: 2 tbsp cocoa, 1 tsp pure vanilla extract, 1/2 tsp almond extract, 2 tbsp of instant coffee,  4 tbsp of turbinado (or white) sugar
  18. Eggnog: 1 tsp of pure vanilla extract, 2 tsp of rum extract, 1 tsp of nutmeg
  19. Pumpkin Pie Latte: 3 tbsp of  pumpkin puree, 1 tsp of pumpkin pie spice, 1 tsp of cinnamon, 4 tbsp of muscovado (or brown) sugar, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  20. Hazelnut:  1 tsp of hazelnut extract, 1 tsp of pure vanilla extract, 4 tbsp of turbinado (or white) sugar
  21. Frangelico Cream: 1 tbsp of cocoa,  1 tsp of hazelnut extract, 1 tsp of pure vanilla extract,  and 4 tbsp of muscovado (or brown) sugar
  22. Chai Latte:  Simmer 3 Chai tea bags in creamer mixture with 4 tbsp of muscovado (or brown) sugar
  23. Chocolate Raspberry:  4 tbsp of seedless raspberry jelly, 2 tbsp of cocoa
  24. Almond Joy: 2 tbsp of cocoa, 4 tbsp of turbinado (or white) sugar, 1 tsp of  almond extract, and  2 tsp of coconut extract (or replace half of the milk with coconut milk)
  25. Salted Caramel: 6 tbsp of muscovado (or brown) sugar, a dash of salt

Top it off with a dollop of whipped cream and a drizzle or sprinkle of something, if you really want to channel your inner barista.

Make shelf-stable flavored syrups.

Some folks only have fancy flavors on occasion, so whipping up a big batch would be rather wasteful. For a shelf-stable coffee flavoring, try making a flavored syrup.

Syrups, like the kind at the fancy coffee places can be easily homemade.  You need to make a syrup base: with 1/2 cup of turbinado (or white) sugar and 1 cup of water, then add 1-2 tsp of any kind of extract you want – you are only limited by the extracts available to you: vanilla, rum, coconut, cherry, almond, etc.

You need to make a syrup base: with 1/2 cup of turbinado (or white) sugar and 1 cup of water, then add 1-2 tsp of any kind of extract you want – you are only limited by the extracts available to you: vanilla, rum, coconut, cherry, almond, etc.

  • 1/2 cup of turbinado (or white) sugar
  • 1 cup of water

Simmer the ingredients above to dissolve the sugar, then add 1-2 tsp of any kind of extract you want – you are only limited by the extracts available to you. You can mix them based on the recipes above, or you can try single flavors.

Look for pure extracts without artificial ingredients

What are your favorite flavors of coffee creamers?

Do you like flavored coffees? Do you make homemade coffee creamers? If so, what is your favorite and how do you make it at home? Let’s talk about it in the comments below.

Daisy Luther

Daisy Luther

Daisy Luther is a coffee-swigging, globe-trotting blogger. She is the founder and publisher of three websites.  1) The Organic Prepper, which is about current events, preparedness, self-reliance, and the pursuit of liberty on her website, 2)  The Frugalite, a website with thrifty tips and solutions to help people get a handle on their personal finances without feeling deprived, and 3) PreppersDailyNews.com, an aggregate site where you can find links to all the most important news for those who wish to be prepared. She is widely republished across alternative media and  Daisy is the best-selling author of 5 traditionally published books and runs a small digital publishing company with PDF guides, printables, and courses. You can find her on FacebookPinterest, Gab, MeWe, Parler, Instagram, and Twitter.

Leave a Reply

  • Daisy,

    Thank you for posting this!

    I love the flavored creamers. Now, I can make them myself.

    Hope you and your family have a Merry Christmas!

    Sincerely,
    KY Mom

  • Excellent article, thanks !
    I would like to emphasize however that packaged in vacuum, coffee in beans as well as ground will keep very long as without oxygen there is no oxygenation. It’s an excellent method also for long term storage of most any dry food, I think.

    “Roasting coffee releases the oils, which means that the bean immediately begins to age.”

  • My favorite drink is tea, and I’ll drink just about any real tea–no tisanes. Lemon, no sugar is always a good option for me, but not with jasmine green. That is best plain, as is Assam. My husband switched from coffee to hot chocolate a number of years ago. It was due to my new hot chocolate recipe. I apologize to all coffee lovers. It was not my intent. It was for the grandchildren.

    Have pity on me. Most of our adult children and their spouses have turned to the darker roast side. They are coffee aficionados and have all of the accoutrements (Espresso machines and special coffee) to make the “perfect” cup! One even buys cream directly from a dairy farm. It is so rich and thick that you would think it was marshmallow fluff until you tasted its creamy goodness.

    Sigh. :-)) Have a great Holiday!

  • Daisy, I found it very easy to mix the ingredients in a blender bottle and shake it up w/o the need for heat. Worked really well for me with milk, sugar and almond extract.

  • The reason why aspartame is beneficial for use is because it is approximately 200 times sweeter than sugar. Therefore a very small amount is required to achieve the same level of sweetness without the added calories or change in blood sugar levels, making it ideal for controlling weight and blood sugar.

    Although a lot of misunderstanding surrounds the ingredient, aspartame is among the most studied and reviewed ingredient and has been extensively tested, proven safe, and approved by all major regulatory agencies around the world. In addition, leading health organizations including (but not limited to) American Diabetes Association, the National Cancer Institute, and The Obesity Society supporting its use, despite claims of diabetes, carcinogenicity, and weight gain that have been tirelessly tied to the ingredient.

    Therefore, as a result of vast body of evidence supporting the safety of aspartame, consumers should have every confidence in enjoying aspartame containing products without fear of adverse health effects.

    • Sorry, Sweetener Council Person, but the tests you are referring to are the ones paid for by the industry. Many other tests prove exactly the opposite of safety. These organizations you cite are sadly corporate mouthpieces too. In fact, one cancer organization, Susan Komen, just recently said organic food might CAUSE cancer. There is absolutely no credibility in any of these sources that you site.

      Aspartame is poison. It is a neurotoxin, and it kills brain cells. So if you only kill a couple of brain cells at a time, is that okay with you? If it is only a “little” bad for you, is that okay too? Ingesting poison even in small amounts is not “beneficial”. I’ll tell you what is ideal for controlling weight and blood sugar: natural foods, straight from the farm. Meat, vegetables, some dairy products, fruit, and occasional grains are beneficial. NOT ASPARTAME.

      • Oh my gosh…thanks for standing up to the sweetener council person-can’t believe they had the nerve to put that garbage on here!!!

      • Aspartame most certainly IS a POISON and I am living proof. I was once a Diet Coke addict and drank it for about 20 years. I now suffer terrible chronic pain from RSD (Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy) and need an electric wheelchair.

        I BEG YOU TO CONTINUE TO TELL THE TRUTH ABOUT ASPARTAME TOXICITY – IT HAS DESTROYED MY LIFE. I HAD TO STOP WORKING, I AM LIVING ON PAIN MEDICATIONS, I HAVE A FEEDING TUBE IN MY STOMACH, MY IMMUNE SYSTEM IS SHOT AND I HAVE A VERY DIFFICULT TIME TO FOCUS SO I CAN’T DO THE THINGS I USED TO ENJOY LIKE NEEDLECRAFT, READING, CRAFTING AND SO ON.

        ASPARTAME SAFETY IS THE BIGGEST HOAX THE GIANT FOOD COMPANIES EVER INFLICTED ON THE WORLD AND I AM LIVING (NOT A Q

      • OMyGracious!!! Thank you!!!! I saw that comment and instantly wanted to jump in & refute the lies. How wonderful it was to see you didn’t skip a beat with a reply in TRUTH!!! I APPLAUD YOU!!!! Many blessings in 2017~

    • Hi Sweetner Council and Daisy – aspartame is definitely a toxic substance – you definitely need to look at the authenticity of your source, Sweetner Council – it is used in all diet sodas and it is a killer to your cells!! Daisy you are absolutely right!!

      Take care, Amee

      • Researching polysorbate 80 and carrageenan in coffee creamers is what first started me down the healthy food pathway. Those are some nasty substances, and they are just about everywhere.

        “… the FDA knows the drugs they approve as safe are killing 100,000 Americans every year, like clockwork, the FDA ALSO KNOWS THOUSANDS OF SCIENTIFIC PUBLISHED STUDIES ARE LIES. The FDA knows that huge numbers of studies on drug safety are faked. […]

        “It is simply no longer possible to believe much of the clinical research that is published, or to rely on the judgment of trusted physicians or authoritative medical guidelines. I take no pleasure in this conclusion, which I reached slowly and reluctantly over my two decades as an editor of The New England Journal of Medicine.”

        Marcia Angell, MD, “Drug Companies and Doctors: A story of corruption.” NY Review of Books, Jan. 15, 2009. […]

        Six years ago, John Ioannidis, a professor of epidemiology at the University of Ioannina School of Medicine in Greece, found that nearly half of published articles in scientific journals contained findings that were false.”” …

        Source: How medical crimminals are faking medical science every day – by Jon Rappoport

    • I use half milk and half cream most of the time but you can use any combination you want. If you’re counting calories you can use 100% milk. 🙂

  • I’m lost so is it 1.5 cups milk/cream or is it a total of 3cups? and how much sweetener do we use it doesn’t say it just says to use one of the fallowing as a sweetener?? or is the amount of sweetener used listed with the flavors? This post is great but very confusing at the same time… suggestion would be to list an example like to make plain vanilla creamer you would “…..” and list all the ingredients so we can better understand as i see im not the only one confused

    • I was confused like you so I reread it lol The post above yours answers the milk/cream question and the very top of the page answers the sugar question. The milk/cream thing is this 3 cups total. If you want to do cream and milk you can in any amounts that equal up to 3 cups or all milk. Sugar is this, after choosing your pick from the list of ones to use in which for example I chose honey, you use 4 TBSP. Then add your flavor ingredients.
      For Example: Cinnamon Roll
      3 cups of milk
      4 TBSP raw honey
      2 tsp of cinnamon, 1 tsp of vanilla extract, 4 tbsp of muscovado (or brown) sugar, and a dash of salt (yep, salt)
      I hope I could help 🙂

  • Yum! I have tried making my own coffee creamer before, and let’s just say it was kind of a disaster. I will try it again using some of your fabulous recipes.

  • Great recipes! If I choose to use all milk, is it 3 cups of milk then? And don’t add any extra sweetener apart from what is in the recipes, right? Sorry…it is a little confusing but I’m excited to try them!

    • Hi! I’m sorry the instructions were confusing. 🙂

      Yes, 3 cups of whatever milk you use
      Sweeten as per the recipe (you can adjust this to taste – I use a bit less, but a friend uses a whole lot more)

      I hope you enjoy them!

      Dasiy

  • Thanks for the recipes. They sound delicious and I’ll certainly be trialling a few of them. Can you clarify please….how many individual cups of coffee would you get from one ‘batch’ as per the recipe?

    • EzPez. It really depends what color you like your coffee. Some people prefer only a splash of cream while others like a substantial amount. This lasts us 2-3 morning’s worth of coffee. 🙂

  • Since these are all natural ingredients I am assuming it would probably spoil long before the chemically made creamers…Can anyone tell me how long the homemade ones stay good? I would like to make some but am afraid most of it would spoil before I can drink it all since I only drink about 4-7 cups of coffee a week.

    • Hi Sara – I think it would be about the same lifespan as regular cream. I would suggest you make half batches. 🙂

      Daisy

  • Love your website…how bout lavender/white choc. flavor. I made your caramel mockiatto and it was a big hit (delicious) Thanks! Dawn

  • Thanks for the alternatives coffee creamers, Daisy! I usually drink a couple cups of coffee while I’m at work. Coffee alone can be healthy, but I can’t tolerate the strong taste, so I dilute it with creamer. Perhaps these alternatives will be better for my diet!

    Alex Jennings |

  • Hello I am so glad I found this website it is so refreshing to find that people are doing things like this for themselves I tried three of the recipes you have and I love them they are great now I will be making them myself from now on. Thanks again and I will be experimenting with new and different flavors. Keep up the good work.

    Edward

  • I was really addicted to a macchiato caramel creamer about a year ago but kept getting bad migraines after drinking it. This year I picked up a different brand and figured I’d try again but no go… bad migraines. I tried the macchiato recipe you have here using Almond Milk and it’s pretty freakin’ fantastic!! Thanks for sharing!!!

    • YAY! I’m glad you’re having no issues. I have similar problems with the store-bought creamers and I suspect it is the addition of aspartame or other artificial sweeteners that is the trigger for me.

  • Daisy,
    I like my coffee with creamer but I am trying to get healthier. What would you suggest to use to make a creamer that is similar to the store purchased Creme Brulee?

    • Cathy – for Creme Brulee, experiment with the vanilla creamer recipe but use brown sugar to give it that caramelized flavor. 🙂

  • Really great! I love coffee, but flavour recipes are hard to find. I love my honey and I’m thinking about buying a stevia plant, so I can just pick some leaves myself, instead of needing to buy the highly processed garbage the supermarkets sell. Also, non-GMO sugar is usually found in tropical regions such as India and Australia, as the climate is right for literally tons of sugar cane to be grown, instead of needing sugar beets, which flourish in more temperate environments like Europe and the US. Keep the great articles coming 🙂

  • Thank you so much for sharing! I enjoyed the vanilla latte syrup today, and am looking forward to the salted caramel tomorrow, and the Mocha Java when I get some cocoa powder. Again, thanks!

  • Try the Sweet Leaf, Sweet Drops, English Toffee sweetened w/Stevia. Awesome flavor then I add some F.F. Cream . Makes my coffee soooo smooth/tasty. No Hydrogenated Oils or Sweeteners.

  • When i saw the word “syrup” being Canadian i hoped for a recipe for a maple syrup. But i didnt realize that a lot of people use other flavoured syrups.
    I’m down to 1 cup of coffee a day (heart patient) & i use turbinado sugar from the bulk food store (altho their price has crept up to supermarket level, but less packaging). If I do have a 2nd cup I use Swiss water process decafinated instant.

  • Your “shelf stable syrup” isn’t going to last long at that concentration.

    That’s half of the concentration of simple bar syrup (1 sugar:1 water) and a quarter of the concentration of simple syrup, USP used by pharmacies to formulate syrup medications. SS, USP is 850 g table sugar in enough water to make 1 liter. (85% wt/volume or 65% volume/volume)

    Using household measures, it’s approximately 2 Cups sugar to 1 Cup water. Even at that concentration, it’s best to keep it refrigerated after packing it hot and to use it quickly. You can add flavors to it. My dad made fake maple syrup for pancakes by adding extracts of butter & maple.

  • Thanks so much Daisy for all these fantastic coffee creamer recipes.
    I love my coffee and love creamers but since don’t want all the unwanted ingredients I’ve stuck to milk, adding a bit of cinnamon and other creations but you’ve given me lots of options and can’t wait to try all of them.

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