That’s up to you – after all, you’re the one choosing the ingredients. You can easily add natural and healthy flavorings to your coffee creamer, so the “unhealthiest” ingredients are usually in the creamer’s base. Let’s consider the options.

Condensed Milk

Most recipes for homemade coffee creamers use sweetened condensed milk as a base. It’s easy to understand why; the sugar used to sweeten it also acts as a preservative to extend its expiration date. Most coffee drinkers also find condensed milk more satisfying, both because of its creaminess and because of its taste.

Homemade creamer that uses sweetened condensed milk as a base won’t contain the oils and problematic ingredients found in off-the-shelf products. And since it’s basically nothing more than concentrated milk, it provides even more protein, vitamins and minerals (like B2, B12, calcium, magnesium and zinc) than regular milk.

However, it’s still loaded with calories and carbs. Sweetened condensed milk contains 90 calories and 15 grams of carbs (plus 2.5 grams of fat) before anything else is added – and many recipes suggest mixing it with skim milk, which adds more calories and carbs to the mix. And obviously, any creamer made with condensed milk isn’t dairy-free, so it’s not suitable for the lactose-intolerant.

Evaporated Milk

One way to create homemade creamer that’s better for you is to use evaporated milk instead of condensed milk as a base. Evaporated milk is essentially unsweetened condensed milk that’s been homogenized, so it doesn’t contain the added sugar that contributes so many calories and carbs. There are about 40 calories and three grams of carbs in a serving, making it a healthier choice than condensed milk.

Naturally, there’s a downside: because evaporated milk is unsweetened, you’ll need to add other ingredients to equal the sweetness of condensed milk. Then again, isn’t adding other delicious ingredients one of the best reasons to make your own creamer? (That is, other than the fact that the ingredients will cost less than a package of commercial creamer.)

Non-Dairy Milk

Coconut milk is the base ingredient of choice for most vegans or health-conscious coffee drinkers. It makes a delicious coffee creamer, but it also contains nearly 70 calories and seven grams of fat per serving.

Unsweetened almond milk, cashew milk and similar choices might sound like good ideas, but here’s the problem: the nut milks you buy in the grocery store are generally too thin to make a good creamer base. You have to combine them with other ingredients like heavy cream, coconut milk or coconut cream, maple syrup or pureed dates, in order to get the right consistency – and that means adding calories, carbs and/or fat.

If your goal is finding the “healthiest” base for homemade coffee creamer, evaporated milk is probably the best choice. But since you’re making your own creamer, why not make your own base, too?

Make Your Own Sweetened Condensed Milk

This one will be much lower in calories than store-bought condensed milk, but it will be much higher in fat. Hey, you can’t always have everything!

• Whisk one cup of whole milk with 3/8 cup sugar substitute. Allulose is the best choice.
• Simmer over low heat and whisk until the milk is reduced by half, about 30 minutes.
• Stir in four tablespoons of butter (there’s the fat!) and cool.

Here’s another homemade condensed milk recipe that’s even better for those on keto.

• Combine 1¼ cups of heavy cream, 3/8 cup sugar substitute and two tablespoons of butter.
• Cook over medium heat, while whisking, until the mixture reaches a boil.
• Reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes. Cool in refrigerator.

Make Your Own Dairy-Free Almond Base (or Creamer)

Here’s one that’s low in calories and fat, and it’s also perfect for keto dieters. Prep time is short, but the total time to make it is a full day. Plan ahead for this one.

• Cover half a cup of blanched almonds with water in a container with a lid, and soak for 24 hours in the refrigerator.
• Drain the almonds and rinse them completely.
• Blend the almonds with 1¼ cups of water for several minutes, until creamy, then strain.
• To turn this base into a creamer, just add two tablespoons of sweetener (much less if using stevia or monk fruit extract, of course) and ½ teaspoon of hazelnut extract, vanilla extract or almond extract. Refrigerate in an airtight container and stir before use.

Our earlier descriptions of standard creamer base ingredients sounded pretty good to you? Let’s see how to turn them into yummy homemade coffee creamer.

There are all sorts of ways to take ingredients like condensed milk, regular milk, cream or non-dairy milk and turn them into a quick-and-easy, delicious homemade creamer base. Here are just a few.

• Combine one 14-ounce can of sweetened condensed milk with 1½ cups skim milk. Blend or shake in a mason jar to mix thoroughly. (Almond milk can be substituted for the skim milk.)
• Combine ½ cup heavy cream, ½ cup unsweetened almond or cashew milk and ¼ teaspoon pure stevia or monk fruit extract. Mix thoroughly and refrigerate.
• Simmer 13½ ounces (one can) of coconut milk for 15 minutes. Add 1/3 cup maple syrup and simmer another 10 minutes. Mix in ½ to ¾ cup almond milk. (The calories are strong in this one!)

Ready for the really good stuff? Let’s cook up some complete homemade coffee creamer recipes.

Coffee-Mate and International Delight creamers have been popular for decades – but the companies took sales to a new level when they began crafting specialty flavors of coffee creamers.

There’s no reason you can’t do the same – that is, take your DIY creamer base to a new level by adding your favorite flavors. And these creamers aren’t only terrific for use in black coffee; try adding them to espresso, iced coffee, or even a homemade latte. You won’t be disappointed.

Here are some suggestions; just remember that if you’re on keto or another low-carb diet, you’ll have to be careful to use keto-friendly ingredients.

Simple Homemade Coffee Creamer Flavorings

• Milk chocolate creamer: Two tablespoons chocolate syrup, one teaspoon vanilla extract.
• Dark chocolate creamer: Two tablespoons chocolate syrup, one teaspoon cocoa powder.
• White chocolate creamer: One cup of powdered white chocolate.
• Chocolate almond creamer: One teaspoon of almond extract, one tablespoon of cocoa.
• Vanilla creamer: Two teaspoons pure vanilla extract. (Add vanilla beans from a fresh pod to make French vanilla coffee creamer.)
• Coconut creamer: Two teaspoons coconut extract.
• Hazelnut creamer: Two teaspoons hazelnut extract.
• Cappuccino creamer: One teaspoon almond extract, ½ teaspoon almond extract.

Gourmet Homemade Coffee Creamer Flavorings

• Peppermint mocha creamer: Two teaspoons peppermint extract, one tablespoon cocoa powder, two teaspoons instant coffee.
• Pumpkin spice creamer: 1½ teaspoons pumpkin pie spice.
• Caramel macchiato creamer: One tablespoon caramel extract.
• Cinnamon roll creamer: One teaspoon cinnamon, one tablespoon vanilla extract, one teaspoon almond extract.
• Almond Joy coffee creamer: Two tablespoons chocolate syrup, one teaspoon almond extract, one teaspoon coconut extract.
• Strawberry cheesecake coffee creamer: One tablespoon strawberry milk mix, ¼ teaspoon cinnamon.

As a reminder: many of these coffee creamers won’t be low-calorie, low fat or low-carb. That’s the bad news.

The good news? There are great creamer alternatives for those on keto or other diets.

The explosion of interest in keto dieting has led to an explosion of products designed specifically for the low-carb diet market.

And that includes coffee creamers. You can find a number of keto-friendly creamers on Amazon or in some supermarkets; many of them are even quite tasty, in addition to being good for your health.

One of the best is Super Creamer. It’s made by the same company that produces keto-friendly, ready-to-drink Super Coffee, with most of the same key ingredients: cream, milk protein, zero-carb monk fruit sweetener, and the MCT oil that helps keto dieters lose weight quickly.

There may not be candy- or pastry-inspired varieties, but the sweet cream, coconut mocha, hazelnut and French vanilla flavors (among others) will add a tasty twist to any cup of coffee. They’re low-calorie, zero-carb, zero-cholesterol, low-fat – and the easiest way to add healthy creamer to your coffee without having to do any extra work in the kitchen.