Deliciously Organic - Carrie Korem, FNTP

Healthy recipes, nutrition and thyroid disease information written by Carrie Korem, FNTP

Homemade Dairy-Free Coffee Creamer (No Sugar Added, Paleo)

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You made your requests and I’m here to deliver with homemade dairy-free coffee creamer!

Months ago, I gave out recipes for homemade coffee creamer, receiving a huge response. One common request in the emails and comments asked for dairy-free and sugar-free options.

Many sugar-free, dairy-free coffee creamers on the market are both expensive and loaded with preservatives and massively processed ingredients. Making coffee creamer at home will save you some change in your pocketbook and save you from exposing your body to harmful synthetic ingredients.

After a lot of thought, I chose dates as the sweetener. One cup of dates blended with one cup of hot water produces a sweet liquid paste that can be used in place of maple syrup, agave, honey, sucanat, etc. It’s truly delicious in these creamer recipes, but if you prefer using stevia or xylitol, those make excellent substitutes.

These recipes are complete, but they’re also meant as a guide. If you like your creamer a little sweeter – add more sweetener. If you like your creamer with more spice or vanilla – add a little more. The recipes are very forgiving. Taste as you go and enjoy!

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Dairy-Free Coffee Creamer (Paleo)

Print Recipe

If you prefer a sweeter creamer, than simply add extra date syrup. Prefer it a bit more creamy? Substitute some of the milk with coconut cream. The creamer keeps for about 10 days in the refrigerator.

  • Author: Carrie Vitt
  • Prep Time: 5 minutes
  • Cook Time: 5 minutes
  • Total Time: 40 minutes
  • Yield: Makes about 2 cups
  • Category: Drinks
  • Cuisine: beverage
  • Diet: Gluten Free

Ingredients

Units

For the coffee creamer:

  • 2 cups coconut milk
  • 4 tablespoons date syrup
  • 1 vanilla bean

For the date syrup:

  • 1 cup medjool dates, pitted
  • 1 cup hot water

Instructions

  1. Whisk together coconut milk and date syrup in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Cut vanilla bean in half, and scrape out seeds. Add seeds and vanilla bean to milk mixture. Turn off heat, cover the pot and steep for 30 minutes. After mixture has steeped, strain through a fine mesh sieve, pour into a glass bottle and store in the refrigerator. (If you don’t have a vanilla bean on hand, simply replace it with 1 tablespoon of vanilla extract)
  2. For the date syrup: Place dates in a blender or food processor. Turn blender or processor on and slowly add in hot water. Leave the machine on for about 1 minute, until smooth. Pour into a glass jar and store in the refrigerator.

Nutrition

  • Serving Size: Makes about 2 cups

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This post is linked to Simple Lives Thursday

 

 

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116 Comments

  1. Katy

    I love this! i just put honey and almond milk in my coffee, so these would definitely add a little more flavor!!!

  4. April

    Yum... the Almond Joy one looks like one I may try. How long do they keep in the fridge? And do you mean coconut milk like this: http://www.sodeliciousdairyfree.com/products/product.php?p=so_delicious_cultured_coconut_milk_original or like the kind in the can? Thanks!

    • Deliciously Organic

      I tested all of these recipes with Thai Kitchens coconut milk - in the can. I have a link to the product in the header of the recipe.

  5. Pam

    I had given creamer up a while ago and was just using whole milk and organic unrefined sugar, but these sound much yummier! What kind of coconut milk do you use? Canned or refrigerated, any certain brand? I've never worked with the stuff before.

    • Deliciously Organic

      I tested all of the recipes with Thai Kitchen coconut milk - in a can. I have a link to it in the header of the recipe.

  6. Megan

    Date paste?? I love it. Seems like it would be a budget friendly alternative to honey or pure maple. Thank you so much!!!

  7. Dawn @Life on Purpose and Principle

    Oh these sound amazing yummy! I gave up non-dairy creamer a long time ago and thankfully have a source for inexpensive, organic raw milk nearby so I skim off some of that heavenly cream each week for our coffee. I once saw on a jar of powdered non-dairy creamer a warning because it was flammable! Scary stuff, for sure! Can't wait to try these recipes, they sound soooo good!

    • Deliciously Organic

      Flammable? Wow! It has also been linked to heart disease so I stay away from powdered milk/creamer of any sort.

  8. Anne @ Quick and Easy Cheap and Healthy

    Thanks for these! I'm currently dairy-free, so this will be great. Can't wait to buy some canned coconut milk and try it. Regarding So Delicious coconut milk... I've tried it in my coffee and although it seems thick enough, it's actually really thin and doesn't flavor the coffee much. It's basically like adding water, at least in my opinion. I think the canned will work much better.

    • Deliciously Organic

      I agree, that's exactly why I chose the Thai Kitchen coconut milk. Gotta have thick "cream" for your coffee, right? :)

  10. Leah

    WOW!!! Thank you so much. I recently found out I was intolerant to the dairy protein Casein and have been struggling to make my coffee satisfying using rice or soy milks. I am going to try all of these!!

  12. the urban baker

    wow, Carrie, these are fantastic flavor combos. Do I see a line of dairy free "deliciously organic" coffee creamers lining our super market shelves in our future? Hmmm, I think so! x

  16. artha

    Have you tried date syrup? It's so nice and smooth and would be perfect for this! organics are for everyone has it online, but some middle eastern stores have it too. i like the consistency so much better then the paste and it is 100% date - no sugar, or water added to it.

  18. Dawn @Life on Purpose and Principle

    I just read over the recipes again and see that you have fresh dates listed for the date paste...what about dried dates? I don't know if I can get fresh dates around here...I have some dried, organic medjool dates I thought I'd try but don't want to waste them if that won't work. Would it be sweeter than using fresh dates?

    • Deliciously Organic

      I used medjool dates to test these recipes. I changed the ingredients to read "medjool dates" instead of fresh, so there isn't any confusion. Thanks for bringing this up!

  20. Jaime

    I'm new to non-dairy creamer as well. It's good to see some more people interested in this. I'm working on a flavor inspired by my husband - Hot White Nuts. Just a couple squirts always does me fine.

  21. Tiff

    Date paste? Hmmm...sounds good! I always liked to put a little fudge paste in my creamer. The more runny it is the better! It is good to have a little chunkines to it as well...something to nibble on when drinking coffee. Hope this help!

  22. FROG

    Just curious, are these truly sugar free? I am looking for additional flavors outside of French Vanilla/Hazelnut. I live rural and will have to order or travel to find coconut milk and don't want to waste time/gas if it add sugar. Thanks!

    • Deliciously Organic

      Yes, they are truly sugar free if you use the right ingredients. There could be coconut milk out there that contains sugar and I know that there are processed vanilla extracts that contain sugar, but as long as you buy pure vanilla extract and a good coconut milk then it will be sugar free. By the way, I live in a very remote location and I use Amazon Prime for a lot of my shopping needs. I've found it's saved me hours upon hours of driving and it's cheaper than filling up my car with gas!

  23. Natasha @ Saved by the Egg Timer

    Love the date paste additions and directions. I will for sure give that a try! I use heavy cream and coconut milk combos in mine too, depending on te flavor and what I have. The organic coconut milk is more budget friendly that grass fed cream and are both delish.

  24. Stephanie

    Oh I just might have to take up coffee drinking regularly! Most non-dairy creamers from the store still contain milk derivatives, so I don't use them not to mention all the other junk in there! Thank you so much.

  25. Paula

    I used my reuseable coffee filter screen to push the creamer through. I think I am going to use the paste that was filtered and left behind in my oatmeal tomorrow. It has so much sweetness and cinnamon left from the recipe. Lots of great fiber too!

    • Deliciously Organic

      Hi Connie, I don't use powdered creamer because it is a processed food. I know there are lots of creamer recipes out there using powdered creamer. You could Goggle it and I'm sure you'll find lots of options!

  27. Carey

    In response to Stacey's question above, (and perhaps others' wonderings as well) which I had been really struggling with as well, I found this evidence that the Native Forest brand of coconut milk is the only one that it is BPA free! I am thankful for it, as I've missed using coconut milk! Now, my question is, using your traditional base, (regular dairy and sugar version) would it work to use the hazelnut and vanilla proportions to make hazelnut syrup? Or do you have a more "from scratch" way to get hazelnut flavor? (LOVE This whole concept by the way, as I boycott Nestle, and their creamer seems to be a major issue in friends not joining me! Now if only you could come up with a substitute for the silly Quik drink. My husband refuses to give it up, or let me try to recreate it! Ha!)

    • Deliciously Organic

      You can use a hazelnut extract to make hazelnut creamer, just substitute it for the vanilla extract in the French Vanilla recipe. I also tried it by steeping hazelnuts, but it's a bit too cost prohibitive. :) The silly quick drink. Now there's a challenge! Not sure if I can recreate that one, but I'll do some brainstorming! :)

    • CareyPence

      Would the replacement for quick have to be powdered? If not I've been making my own chocolate syrup (like Hershey's) for our chocolate milk, its very good and we can make it more or less chocolaty or sweet. :) To find the recipe I just did a google search. My recipe roughly is 3/4 c cocoa powder, 1 c water, 1 1/2c pure cane sugar (I use demerara), dash or salt and 1t vanilla. Boil first 3 ingredients for a couple mins then add salt and vanilla at end when removing from heat.

    • Deliciously Organic

      The sweetener used in these creamers is date paste, and you might have tiny little bits of dates floating in the creamer. I direct the cook to strain the creamer so that it's completely smooth.

  29. Beth

    Coconut milk is also available in a frozen form, additive-free to boot. It's also easy to make your own with hot water, coconut and a good blender. The lower your water to coconut ratio the creamier the milk... I use a little more water than coconut but I'm using it in soup and sauce applications where creaminess can be achieved by reduction. I just make up a batch and freeze it into ice cubes so it's convenient to throw into anything I'm cooking in whatever quantity I want. http://nomnompaleo.com/post/7098536883/which-brand-of-frozen-coconut-milk-tastes-best

  30. Melanie

    I am diabetic and also can't have dairy is the coconut milk low calorie? I would love to make these but also need to watch my carb count an sugar intake.

    • Deliciously Organic

      I don't have the calorie or sugar count on these recipes. You can enter the recipe into a recipe software and it should be able to tell you the nutritional facts.

  31. Aisak

    I am currently doing P90X and have to stay within 1800 calories. I hadn't been doing that. I thought my vanilla non dairy creamers were 10 cals each and figured I couldn't beat them in my tea at night (working graveyard). I always used 3 and sometimes have 2 cups of tea. OMG, I just found out they are 40 cals each. Thats 240 calories I am overdoing and I could use them on food. Ugh. I found your site looking for organic creamers because of trying to stay away from the hydrogenated oils. I loved the mil recipes but alas I am lactose intolerant. I am so glad you came up with sugar free and dairy free alternative as well. I'll probably wind up using stevia and I might give these a try with kefir since I make my own at home. It is tolerable for lactose intolerant people because the kefir grains eat the lactose. It is also nice, thick and creamy even though I make it with skim milk. Best of both worlds. Thanks for pointers. I am so excited. P.S. if anyone is interested in how to make kefir or what it is check out my article and video: http://www.4usnaturals.com/how-to-make-kefir-kefir-yogurt-with-cheesecloth/2738

  32. Lisa

    OMG!! I found you via Pinterest and am now a follower...this is fantastic!! we are HUGE coffee drinkers...military wife and 2 girls here too!! I'm lactose intolerant so this is fantastic...I will be busting this out for sure...just ran out of creamer so perfect timing!!! thanks again!

  33. karen

    Yesterday I was craving a Latte' but didn't want to spend money to get one. I wanted something with a little spice, too. And, since I'm not using the imitation stuff anymore, I had to get creative. Sitting on my counter was a tin of TJ's mulling spices. I grabbed a saucepan, put some mulling spices in a little tea defuser (no straining required), poured in some milk, steamed it till it was hot, then whipped up the foam with my little hand held whipper, poured into my coffee and the results were heavenly! Steamed milk, a little foam, spices of the season and I used a little stevia to sweeten it, in the milk as I heated it, not much is needed because the warm milk becomes a little sweet, too.

  34. Christina Mullins

    Thank you so much for these recipes! Do you know if you can freeze the creamers once you make them?

    • Deliciously Organic

      I haven't tried it, but I don't think they will freeze well. If you do give it a try, let me know!

  35. Not Plain Jane

    Yippee! I made my date paste tonight and just finished whisking the cinnamon streussel creamer! Can't wait to strain it and get it in my joe in the a.m.! Question: How long can the date paste survive in a glass jar in the refrigerator? I see that the creamers themselves last 1 week; just wanted to check on the paste itself! Thank you for inspiring me to make something I would only dream about!!

  36. Daryl

    I just came across your recipes for creamers from Pinterest. I love your recipes. I've been drinking my coffee black because I don't like the creamers and all its preservatives. I also can't buy milk here that is not ultra-pasteurized. I cook with coconut milk all the time and have it as a staple in my pantry. Thank you for the great ideas.

  37. Stephanie

    I actually put some of the cinnamon streusel coffee creamer in my plain greek yogurt and thought it to be a great addition with just the right amount of sweetness.....didn't care for it in my coffee.

  38. Kathie

    Thank you for posting these. I am currently trying to eat healthier, get away from processed foods and eliminate sugar from my diet (diet as in what I eat, not a fad to lose weight). I can't wait to try this out in my coffee!

  39. Zavh

    I just wanted to voice some concern for those who are diabetic, these should really be labeled "No Sugar Added, " not "sugar-free." There is still definitely sugar in any of the recipes that contain any part of a fruit. Coconut milk is pretty low in sugar relative to other fruit, I'll give you that. But dates typically contain around 15 grams of sugar, EACH! to put that into perspective, a teaspoon of refined sugar only has 4 grams of sugar. Any dried fruit is very very high in sugar content. Please don't misunderstand this as a complaint about these recipes, they are all fantastic. I've been sweetening with dried fruit for months now. It is better for your health to use dates to sweeten rather than refined sugar, but it will cause your blood sugar to rise just like any sugar does. my sources for if you wanna check for yourself: http://trueharvest.com/medjool-dates-organic-1646.html

    • Deliciously Organic

      Thank you for your comment. I agree that dates cause a rise in blood sugar and never intended to claim that these creamers wouldn't cause any rise in blood sugar levels. I had hundreds of requests from readers for a sugar-free version (no honey, maple syrup, sucanat, etc.) for my creamer recipes, and sweetening with a fruit, such as dates, proved to be the best solution. If one is diabetic they need to consult with their physician to know what is best for their body.

  40. Julie

    Just made the vanilla and it was fabulous! Resisted buying even the natural creamer at the grocery store. Having become a vegetarian (my family still cannot believe a woman who would eat steak for breakfast could just stop eating meat!) and only eat clean foods now, this has been a lifesaver. This was the one item I refused to give up! Thank you for pointing out the difference between processed foods and real food! If you're doing P90X, may I suggest a switch to a totally clean diet, 6 meals daily and stop counting calories! I eat tons of food!

  41. Molly

    Thank you for sharing the recipes, they sound like great alternatives. I've been searching for a homemade creamer that can be both sugar free (or no sugar added) and also low fat because I've had gastric bypass and am sensitive to both sugars and fats. Unfortunately, coconut milk is a no-no for me. :( Can you think of a product that would be a good substitute? I've tried powdered rice milk and powdered soy for creamers to make my own flavours but neither are easy to use or tasty. And liquid soy creamer is great but expensive.

    • Deliciously Organic

      I would try almond milk. It won't be as creamy as a full fat cream or milk, but it's better than the alternative! :) I wouldn't use any soy product because most soy in the U.S. is genetically modified and is also a thyroid suppressant. Powdered milks are an oxidized food and have been linked to heart disease. So, sticking with a natural product is probably best. Homemade almond milk could be a good option too and won't have any preservatives in it that the store bought brands will have.

  42. Lauren

    Ok, I have what may be a ridiculous question, but I tried the french vanilla recipe today and it didnt seem creamy at all! I used the coconut milk you suggested and when refridgerated it did get thick, but when I added it to my coffee it didn't turn that great light creamy brown I love. So my question is did you use all the coconut milk (the liquid on the bottom) or did you just use the thick stuff on the top?

    • Deliciously Organic

      I use all of the milk in the can (liquid and solid). I'm not sure why it didn't dissolve and make the coffee "creamy". I've never had that issue.

  43. L

    This also makes an AWESOME ice cream! I made a bunch in order to use up a whole can of coconut milk and froze it in jars. Then forgot about it. Well, I needed some creamer one day and hadn't thawed it. It scooped out like hard ice cream so of course I had to try it like that... YUM! It would probably have a better consistency if you used an ice cream maker to churn it, but of course that requires more time/effort and probably quadrupling the recipe.

  44. Joanne

    This is just what I was looking for... I used 1.25 cups of 18% cream and 3/4 cup of 1% milk, as this is what I had on hand... but it tastes delish!! I had given up the store-bought stuff due to the horrific ingredients, but this will be even better tasting I think!

Trackbacks

  10. Through the magic of twitter, someone heard my cry for non-trans-fat coffee creamer et voila! Will give these a try. http://t.co/hfnnCEPR
  12. Organic, Real Food on a Budget – Homemade Dairy Free, Sugar Free Coffee Creamer http://t.co/1OTEIrvd
  17. Fantastic! “@emilysegal: Organic, Real Food on a Budget – Homemade Dairy Free, Sugar Free Coffee Creamer http://t.co/yyFsL4ea via @
  18. Organic, Real Food on a Budget – Homemade Dairy Free, Sugar Free Coffee Creamer http://t.co/19kRML2P via @sharethis
  19. I'm feeling good enough today to want to make something tasty. This looks perfect. I have been missing tasty... http://t.co/YEAw4WzM
  21. Organic, Real Food on a Budget – Homemade Dairy Free, No Sugar Added Coffee Creamer http://t.co/YB6nuMnX via @sharethis
  29. Looking for tasty ways to add cream to your coffee? These can be made and stored in the fridge! http://t.co/frkkwPLq
  37. Cannot wait to make this!!! Organic, Real Food on a Budget – Homemade Coffee Creamer (Dairy Free,Paleo) http://t.co/3F5PBIg2 via @sharethis
  38. [...] got this recipe and many others from this GREAT website called Deliciously Organic and here is the recipe from her site for this Coffee Creamer: ALMOND Joy Coffee Creamer   For the [...]
  43. […] Finally, my 3 year old reminds me that he’s hungry because the crackers that he had for breakfast wasn’t keeping him full… Oh yes! And I still haven’t had my coffee yet! Hmmm… I am in the middle of cleaning, and really don’t feel like leaving the house. With a quick look into the fridge to see what we have on hand, I decide that I’ll see if I can find any coffee creamer recipe’s online that are dairy free. (I know I had some print out’s somewhere in my stash of recipes, but I couldn’t seem to remember where that was with the lack of coffee). With some patience and luck I stumbled across these amazing recipes! Carrie at  Deliciously Organic has, in my humble opinion, the most amazing recipes, and the coffee creamer recipes are right up on the top of my list. In the past I made the recipes found here that are made with dairy, but since I only had Almond milk in the fridge I opted for this dairy free version. […]
  46. […] Homemade Dairy-Free, Paleo, Sugar Free Coffee Creamer …2011. 6. 14. – Months ago, I gave out recipes for homemade coffee creamer, receiving a … Many sugar-free, dairy-free coffee creamers on the market are both expensive ….. Or do you have a more “from scratch” way to get hazelnut flavor?https://deliciouslyorganic.net/homemade-dairy-free-sugar-free-coffee-creamer-recipe/ […]
  47. […] Homemade Dairy-Free, Paleo, Sugar Free Coffee Creamer …2011. 6. 14. – Making homemade dairy-free coffee creamer at home will save you some change in … Or do you have a more “from scratch” way to get hazelnut flavor? … I am diabetic and also can’t have dairy is the coconut milk low calorie?https://deliciouslyorganic.net/homemade-dairy-free-sugar-free-coffee-creamer-recipe/ […]