9 Healthy Coffee Creamer Alternatives

If you love coffee, you might have a favorite creamer that brings extra taste and silkiness to your daily brew.

While many creamers are tasty, several well-known options contain high amounts of added sugar and ingredients such as high fructose corn syrup, oils, carrageenan, along with artificial flavors, sweeteners, and dyes — additives that many people choose to avoid.

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

Many people pour in far more than the suggested portion. That means using 2 tablespoons (30 mL) of these creamers could add about 10 grams — roughly 2.5 teaspoons — of added sugar to your cup.

Diets high in added sugars are associated with greater risk of weight gain, metabolic syndrome, depressive symptoms, and other health issues, so limiting added sugar — including what’s in your creamer — is wise (3, 4, 5, 6).

The good news is that making your own coffee creamer at home is easy. There are also several low- or zero-sugar ready-made creamers available.

Below are 9 healthier coffee creamer options.

1–4. Homemade coffee creamer options

Rather than buying commercial creamers, consider preparing your own at home.

Homemade versions are straightforward and let you decide which ingredients to include or omit. The best part is you can try different bases and flavorings to suit your taste.

Here are four creamer recipes you can make in minutes.

1. Vanilla coconut milk creamer

Canned coconut milk is an excellent foundation for DIY coffee creamers. It’s creamy and provides the thick mouthfeel of store-bought products.

This vanilla coconut milk creamer is extremely simple.

Pour a can of coconut milk into a glass jar, add 1–2 teaspoons (5–10 mL) vanilla extract, seal, and shake for about 30 seconds. If you like it sweeter, add a small amount of maple syrup or honey.

Store in the refrigerator for up to a week.

Shop for Native Forest unsweetened organic coconut milk online.

2. Coconut pumpkin spice creamer

If you love pumpkin flavor year-round, this pumpkin spice creamer from Thyme and Joy is a must-try.

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. Combine all ingredients in a high-speed blender and blend until smooth.
2. Keep in an airtight container in the fridge for 7–10 days.

3. Date-sweetened chocolate cashew milk

Commercial chocolate creamers often contain lots of added sugar, but this recipe from Nyssa’s Kitchen uses simple components and dates for sweetness instead of refined sugar.

Ingredients

• 1 cup (150 grams) cashews, soaked overnight and drained
• 4 cups (945 mL) filtered water
• 3–4 pitted dates (or a little 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 soaked cashews with cold water.
2. Add cashews, water, dates, cacao, vanilla, cinnamon, and salt to a blender.
3. Blend on high for about 2 minutes until silky, smooth, and slightly frothy.
4. Refrigerate for up to 4 days.

4. Homemade powdered creamer

If you like powdered options, try this powdered creamer that uses coconut milk powder — though you may wish to add less sweetener than the recipe suggests. You can swap in dairy milk powder if preferred.

To prepare powdered creamer, pulse coconut milk powder in a food processor or blender with flavoring agents such as cacao powder, vanilla bean powder, cinnamon, or pumpkin pie spice.

If adding a granulated sweetener like monk fruit, date sugar, or coconut sugar, grind it to a fine powder before mixing with the coconut milk powder.

Store powdered creamer at room temperature in a sealed jar.

Shop for KOS organic coconut milk powder online.

5–9. Store-bought coffee creamers

If you prefer a ready-made creamer, make sure to check the nutrition facts and ingredient list carefully.

Look for products with under 2 grams of added sugar per serving and without added oils, artificial colors, or high fructose corn syrup.

Below are several better-for-you commercial creamers.

5. Nut Pods

Nut Pods creamers are dairy-free and gluten-free and contain no added sugar. Their unsweetened vanilla creamer has only 10 calories, 1 gram of fat, and zero carbs per 1-tablespoon (15 mL) serving (7).

By contrast, the same amount of International Delight vanilla creamer has 35 calories and 5 grams of added sugar (1).

Nut Pods’ sweetened lines use erythritol, a sugar alcohol that doesn’t raise blood glucose. Flavors include French vanilla, pumpkin spice, hazelnut, caramel, and cinnamon swirl (8).

Shop for Nut Pods creamers online.

6. Laird Superfood creamers

For powdered options, Laird Superfood creamers are worth considering.

They use macadamia nut powder as a base combined with coconut or milk powder and are flavored with ingredients like Ceylon cinnamon, cacao, and Madagascar bourbon vanilla. They also include aquamin, a seaweed-derived mineral source with calcium and magnesium (9).

Laird Superfood offers unsweetened and lightly sweetened varieties. The sweetened versions have just 2 grams of sugar per 1-tablespoon (7-gram) serving.

Shop for Laird Superfood creamers online.

7. Elmhurst oat creamers

Elmhurst, known for shelf-stable nut milks, also makes plant-based coffee creamers.

Their creamers are dairy-free, gluten-free, and come in several flavors.

The unsweetened original has 0 grams of added sugar, while French vanilla, hazelnut, and chai spice flavors contain only 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 produces creamers that supply collagen protein. These coconut-milk-based powders offer 5 grams of protein and under 1 gram of total sugar per 12.5-gram scoop and are available in mocha, coconut, and vanilla (11).

Note that each scoop provides about 70 calories, so it’s wise to use a single scoop per serving.

Shop for Vital Proteins collagen creamers online.

9. Malk Unsweetened Oat + Almond Malk Creamer

Malk produces nut milks with a short list of high-quality ingredients.

Their Unsweetened Oat + Almond Malk Creamer has only five ingredients — filtered water, organic gluten-free rolled oats, organic European almonds, natural vanilla flavor, and Himalayan salt (12).

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

Malk products are available in many grocery stores, including Whole Foods.

The bottom line

If you’re fed up with a high-sugar creamer, try making your own with a handful of simple ingredients.

Alternatively, pick one of the healthier premade creamers mentioned above.

Just one thing

Try this today: If you can’t bring yourself to give up your usual creamer, start by reducing the amount. For example, if you typically add 3 tablespoons (45 mL), try using just 1 tablespoon (15 mL). That small change markedly reduces your sugar intake.