What is the Healthiest Coffee Creamer?

What is the Healthiest Coffee Creamer?

December 17, 2018   19 Comments

What is the healthiest coffee creamer? A reader sent me this question and I had no idea how to answer it.

I drink my coffee either black or with a little bit of milk so the world of coffee creamer is a new one. I had walked past a cooler with many different types in my supermarket but I had never stopped to take a look.

What did I find? There are some crazy products out there! Check this out:

Strawberry cheesecake in your coffee! Who thought of that? I am thinking that someone was noticing how well strawberry cheesecake goes with coffee and thought - hey! Let’s do this!

But, is it a good idea? I did not buy it because I was looking for healthy coffee creamer and the sugar content in this product seemed high to me. One tablespoon is three teaspoons and this product included one teaspoon of sugar in every tablespoon (1/3 sugar per serving). To me, that seems like a lot to put in a cup of coffee but I hate sugar in my coffee.

My guess is that strawberry cheesecake is better on the side than in the coffee.

There was also this:

Notice how it says “Himalayan”? Wow! I suppose that makes this super sugary creamer better but I would still avoid this. Or you could climb in the Himalayas and burn so many calories that this might be a good choice.

Since I ruled out these fun options - I was left with coconut milk creamer and almond and coconut milk creamer. Neither of these products had added sugar which was important for the “healthy” rating.

Both of these products will have less sugar than cow’s milk or cream and are only 10 calories for a tablespoon.

First, I gave this coconut milk creamer a try.

This So Delicious Coconut Creamer did taste like coconut (not like milk) so it is important that you like the flavor of coconut in your coffee (which I did not). This had a wee bit (less than 1 gram per tablespoon) of added sugar but I could taste the sweetness.

Overall, I did not like it. Just like I am not sure you should put Himalayan sea salt in your coffee - I don’t think coconut is a good choice either. Perhaps I like the flavor of coffee more than other people.

But as far as health goes this is a good choice. Here is the nutritional information.:

For one tablespoon = 10 calories, 0.5 g fat, 0.5 g saturated fat, <1 g carbohydrates, <1 g sugar, 0 g protein, 0 g fiber, 0 mg sodium, 0 Freestyle Pts

The second choice is my favorite. This one has a very cute bottle:

This is Califia Farms Almondmilk Creamer and it is made with almond milk and coconut cream. It did not taste like coconut! It did have a nutty flavor that complemented my coffee well.

I would say that if you are trying to avoid animal fats (cows milk) and are looking for a creamy replacement - this is a very good choice. It was not cheap ($4.69) but it will keep in the fridge much longer than milk.

Here are the nutrition facts:

For one tablespoon = 10 calories, 0.5 g fat, 0.5 g saturated fat, 0 g carbohydrates, 0 g sugar, 0 g protein,0 g fiber, 15 mg sodium, 0 Freestyle Pts

Please share your healthiest coffee creamer! I couldn’t find many but I bet you all know of ones that I should try.

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19 Comments:

I love the sweetened Califia creamer! It is my favorite, but unfortunately even sprouts and Whole Foods don’t always carry it. The only kind I can find at my local grocery store is the sweetened hazelnut version. I have a dairy allergy so I am limited to coconut or almond creamers. I buy Califia Farms Almondmilk Coffee Creamer with Coconut Cream, Dairy Free, Whole30, Keto, Vegan on Amazon buy the case and it’s pretty good too.

on December 18, 2018

I read the ingredients,most have chemicals and I pass them up. I’d rather use organic milk or half and half.

on December 18, 2018

Almondmilk at room temp and frothed with a little frother! The best with cinnamon sprinkled on top

on December 18, 2018

My favorite way to drink coffee (which is now my breakfast) is to mix with a Premier Protein shake. I buy them at Costco but have seen at Walmart and other grocery stores. So yummy, 150 calories, 30 g protein, and 1g sugar! I drink three cups of coffee a day (5 am, 10 am, and 2 pm), so I mix a third of the shake each time.

On the weekends, I put a tbsp of heavy cream in my coffee- it took me a little time to get used to the sweet not being there, but it's a decadent way to start a Saturday now!

on December 18, 2018

I think I've tried them all. I really really don't like what almond milk did to the taste of my coffee but the Califia was the best of them. The absolute favorite for me is Oat milk. Some of the fancier coffee houses have it now. It is so creamy and has it's own natural sweetness. If you have a frother it froths nicely too. Market Basket and Target have been carrying it. I've now gotten used to no sweetener but I used to use a tsp of maple syrup. I hope this doesn't cause my oat milk to dissappear off the shelves. They have 3 varieties: low fat/regular and chocolate.

on December 18, 2018

I have switched over to Ripple Half & Half. Not thin like milk, but more like real half & half. I love almond milk in my cereal and oatmeal but not in my coffee. Just a splash of this is great. They make a milk as well, but I haven't tried it.
https://www.ripplefoods.com/original-half-and-half/

on December 18, 2018

I use Anderson Erickson HAlf & Half in my coffee-Per Tbsp: 20 calories, 3g fat, 1g sugar, 1g protein. Not overly sweet and just creamy enough!

on December 18, 2018

I've been trying to eliminate this last vestige of animal products since embracing plant-based eating [namely coffee milk/creamer and the occasional cheddar]. With a fridge full of various plant milks for different uses, just this week I ran short of my dairy cream and resorted to plain unsweetened soy milk. Surprise! I found it very rich and creamy! This is major for me. I had only bought the soy milk, for a trial, due to DHA fortification. I didn't like it in my smoothie, as hoped. Too beany. But surprisingly not so in coffee. So, I accidentally found a perfect non-dairy coffee ''creamer''. I had tried a number of the others including Califa, so it baffled me why I hadn't considered the original non-dairy milk. I love my morning cuppa even more now [esp with a pinch of pumpkin spice this time of year]. Oh, and for now, I'm liking almond milk for smoothies, and cashew milk for gravies and soups. The world of milk is an ever-changing one! Thank you for your research Lisa. It's always fun and your commenters add so much good research too. <3

on December 18, 2018

I dont drink coffee, but my BFF swears by Nutpods.
https://www.nutpods.com/collections/dairy-free-creamers

on December 18, 2018

Trader Joe's also has a non-dairy coconut creamer. I live in Canada where, sadly, there aren't any TJ's, but every time I've had the chance to go to TJ's, I pick up a small carton of their coconut creamer. I find that it isn't too sweet, and does give a nice creaminess to my coffee.

on December 18, 2018

I'm a lifelong Coffeemate original creamer lover, and sometimes buy the Kroger or Walmart house brands. Recently when shopping at Whole Foods, I bought some Silk soy non-dairy creamer and I love it! Really mellow and delicious. Reminds me of the cream restaurants served back in the day that came in a tiny glass container with a cardboard top. Anybody old enough (like me) to remember that?

on December 18, 2018

We use Coffee-mate Natural Bliss, Vanilla flavor all-natural coffee creamer. The ingredients are: nonfat milk, heavy cream, sugar and natural flavor. It's tastes good and you don't have to use a lot of it to flavor you coffee.

on December 18, 2018

I thought we weren’t supposed use so many almond products for ecological reasons. California is the major grower, almonds need a lot of water, and CA has so much drought. Anybody else hear about this?

on December 18, 2018

Thanks !!! Now could you find a healthy AND TASTY powdered creamer -- I don't like that creamers cool my coffee down too much. Thanks in advance for your help !!!

on December 18, 2018

What about Coffee Mate "Sugar Free" Hazelnut creamer?

on December 18, 2018

Well I tried Califa creamer and did not like it. It was thin and did not remind me of cream or 1/2 and 1/2. Also tried Elmhurst milk that was awful too. If you make your own it will taste way better. Except can’t put in coffee - it curdles because of the acidity.

on December 24, 2018

You could try a healthy dairy free creamer like thrive creamer. Really tasty powder creamer that mixed really well and comes infused with vitamins for a healthy tasty boost. Try the hazelnut

on June 13, 2019

What are the ingredients in thrive?

on June 13, 2019

What if you're allergic to nuts? Almonds, coconuts...etc

on July 1, 2019

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