Teach Me Tuesday: DIY Coffee Creamer



Some may enjoy their coffee as black as their winged eyeliner, while others prefer adding a little sweet and creamy extras. Neither one is better than the other as a whole, but those who drink their coffee in a more “pure” form may have it a little easier when it comes to the accouterments needed to enjoy their morning brew. For those of us who like to add a little something to liven up our cup of Joe, it can be difficult, especially when you have a restricted diet.



White Ceramic Mug Filled With Brown Liquid on Heart-shaped Coffee BeansI have been living the gluten free and vegan life for a few years now and cannot see myself going back. However, one issue that I had when switching over was a lack of tasty coffee creamer options that didn’t cost an arm and a leg (either literally by how much sugar they contained, or how hard they hit the pocketbook). I tried a few recipes that I found online, but many of them seemed to take too much time and effort, not to mention more than a few ingredients. I was looking for something easy that was affordable and customizable. I couldn’t find any that really met my criteria, so I put on my creative chef hat and came up with a recipe that fit my needs.


The first version I made was around the winter holiday season. I love eggnog. I mean I LOVE it. I would be the first to buy a carton when it hit the shelves and would add it to my coffee for a tasty holiday treat. Well, eggnog is often made with milk and, duh, eggs, so I had to come up with something that had the flavor, as well as mouthfeel. Since I made that version, I have tried close to a dozen different flavor recipes. The trick is to keep the base recipe simple, then you can customize with your personal preference of spices. I keep my creamer in a blender bottle and it works great!

Vegan Customizable Coffee Creamer

  • 1 can coconut milk (full fat seems to thicken up the best)
  • 1 cup non-dairy milk of choice
  • Spices of choice
  • Extracts or flavorings of choice

Sliced Coconut with CandiesCombine all ingredients in a blender and blend on high for 1 minute. Refrigerate and shake the container prior to each use. It is important that the coconut milk is the kind in a can, rather than the coconut milk that you would typically find in the refrigerated section of your local grocery store.

Looking for an eggnog vibe? Add cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and ginger, along with a splash of vanilla extract. You can also add sugar-free beverage flavors, which come in flavors such as iced cinnamon roll, s’mores, and chocolate. The variety is nearly limitless.

White Cup Filled by Coffee
What are some of your favorite coffee creamer flavors? Do you use ready-made coffee creamers? What is your favorite non-dairy milk to use in baking, cereal, or  to your cup of coffee?

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Find Your Voice

Image
Image via Brent Jones It can be a challenge to find your voice. Even after you find it, you will soon realize that holding onto your voice can be even trickier than finding it in the first place. We are inundated by images about what we are supposed to be, do, and how we’re expected to act. In an attempt to refrain from rocking the boat, we’ll go along with the crowd, putting forth a united voice. Don’t get me wrong, a choir of strong voices can help to further causes and can be helpful when it comes to advocating, as it’s more difficult to ignore the masses when compared to ignoring the single voice. However, if we go along with the rest of the crowd, our individual voice may be lost in the noise. Finding and using our voice can be scary, especially if we are used to going along with what is viewed as “right” or “correct” in society. We enter several different groups within society, such as work, school, neighborhood, city, state, and country. If you dare to act against the soci
Read more

It's Okay to Need Meds

Image
Picture via Pinterest As someone who lives with a number of chronic health issues, it is almost inevitable that medications and supplements would also be part of my daily routine. Just like we buckle our seatbelts when going for a ride and wash our hands after using the bathroom, medications can help to increase our safety, as well as our health-related quality of life. I know that there are some schools of thought that see any medication as evil poison, despite the extensive research that happens before a medication hits the pharmacy shelves. I am not one to ignore facts and statistics. Heck I have my MS degree in clinical psychology, which includes a specialization in applied research. Facts and statistics are the core to the future I was working towards for much of my adult life. I say was, because due to my various conditions, it would make it nearly impossible to hold down most jobs, let alone the research PI position I was working towards. Okay, back to the topic of m
Read more

I Am Deeply Loved by the Gods and Goddesses

Image
I Am Deeply Loved by the Gods and Goddesses Today’s affirmation highlights the role feeling loved and supported plays in our lives and how the absence of such can prevent us from achieving our goals. While there are certainly people who have achieved great successes in life without support from a loving family and circle of friends, the presence of love and support might make these goals easier to achieve. Love and kindness to ourselves and others can be looked at as rare superpowers in a way, as our society places more weight on achievement and “success,” often overlooking the supports that serve as the foundation of change. Although today’s affirmation mentions gods and goddesses, it also applies to ourselves and those who we consider to be our tribe, our family, our gaggle of misfits. Likewise, if you call upon the support of a higher power of whichever belief system you may have, it is that sense of nurturing love that you experience. If we are able to venture outside of our c
Read more