This thick + creamy coconut milk coffee creamer is my absolute favorite non-dairy creamer. It’s rich, ultra creamy, and made with just 2 ingredients + any flavor add-ins or sweetener you’d like.
How do you take your coffee?
Do you love it over ice, cold brewed, hot with steamed milk, with flavors like vanilla or almond, spices like cinnamon or cardamom? Or are you a black coffee drinker, maybe with a little something sweet added? Or maybe you’re more of a tea lover, a matcha drinker, or a golden milk latte sipper?
I’m all of the above. I don’t have one die-hard way that I have to drink my coffee. Sometimes I’m craving the pure, unadulterated, bold flavor of coffee, so I go black. Other days, I want something rich and creamy, so I reach for all manner of milk and cream products to achieve maximum creamy bliss.
Then, out of the blue, I’ll be in the mood for something frothy and blended like cashew coffee or this gingerbread latte. Or, maybe I just want a warm mug of matcha or some straight up tea, darnit (yes, my coffee+ tea cabinet is literally overflowing with options).
Lately, I’ve been loving extra strong coffee brewed in my aero press, poured over ice, with a teeny tiny pinch of pink salt and an equally tiny drizzle of maple syrup. Neither add-ins make the coffee particularly salty or sweet, but somehow just enhance and round out the flavors.
What I’ve discovered is, for my tastebuds, unless I’m drinking it black, heavy cream is the answer in coffee.
I want the coffee flavor to still be very much present, but for the color to be pale and the taste to be nice and creamy.
All the other milks and non-dairy milks just water down coffee, in my opinion.
And every coffee creamer on the market that I’ve tried (and I’ve tried all the organic/artisan/high-quality ones out there) either have a weird goopy texture, are too thin, too sweet, or leave a strange aftertaste in my coffee that’s just plain bad.
But, since I’m pretty particular when it comes to purchasing dairy (organic + local + grass fed for me, please), I find it hard to source out high quality heavy cream on a consistent basis.
Enter coconut milk.
After weeks of experimenting, I finally nailed my perfect homemade coffee creamer.
And it’s all thanks to canned coconut milk, which I can easily find organic and at a reasonable price. (Trader Joe’s has the best price, and though their cans are often separated and a bit chunky, in this recipe, that doesn’t matter at all. Whole Foods carries the next cheapest option for organic coconut milk, FYI. In either case, you’re looking for full-fat coconut milk, NOT ‘light’).
I found that full-fat coconut milk, straight from the can, was still a little too watery, too inconsistently creamy (aint nobody got time for CHUNKS in their coffee, amiright?), and wouldn’t froth well with my hand-held frother. (<– affiliate link)
So, I decided to eliminate some of the water from the coconut milk and replace it with some coconut oil, mimicking the fat content of my beloved heavy cream. To do so, the coconut milk needs to be boiled on the stove for about 20 minutes. This lets some of its excess water evaporate, and gets it nice and warm for the next step: blending it for 30 seconds with a few tablespoons of coconut oil.
At this point you could add any flavor additions you want to the blender, such as:
your sweetener of choice, including but not limited to a few medjool dates, maple syrup, cane sugar, or honey.
spices like cinnamon or cardamom
flavors like vanilla, almond, or hazelnut extract (for all you flavored coffee lovers)
or absolutely nothing at all.
This coconut milk-based creamer is perfectly thick, extra creamy, froths beautifully, and disperses in iced coffee without a single chunk or weird clump of coconut. It isn’t overly coconut tasting, and doesn’t separate in the fridge.
It is truly my dream creamer.
And it’s certainly not limited to use with coffee.
Use it in any drink you love adding cream to, like matcha or tea, and if unsweetened and unflavored, it would make a great heavy cream substitute in recipes like curry or cream of broccoli soup.
While it wouldn’t whip like heavy cream does, it still makes for a delightful creamy addition poured over a bowl of fruit cobbler or any warm dessert.
It also doesn’t solidify in the fridge, but instead stays super thick and creamy, and ready to be used any time you’re in need of a creamy drink.
Whether you’re a die-hard coffee drinker, a matcha lover, or just a person who sometimes needs some thick + creamy goodness in your life, this homemade coconut milk coffee creamer is going to be a game-changer.
I know it was for me.
If you make this recipe, let me know how it turns out! Leave a comment below, or take a picture and share it with me on Instagram. I love seeing my recipes in your kitchen!
- 2 14-oz cans full-fat coconut milk*
- 2 Tablespoons virgin coconut oil
- optional add-ins: dates, maple syrup, or any sugar of choice; spices like cinnamon or cardamom; vanilla or other extracts; a pinch of salt **
- 1. Empty the contents of the cans of coconut milk into a medium-sized saucepan. Be sure to scrape out any thick coconut cream that may be stuck in the cans.
- 2. Heat coconut milk over high until boiling, then reduce heat to medium and let it continue to bubble gently for 20 minutes. This step allows the coconut milk to concentrate, letting extra moisture evaporate, so don't de tempted to skip it in favor of a shorter cook time.
- 3. Once the 20 minutes is up, turn off the heat and let the coconut milk cool slightly before transferring to a blender and adding the coconut oil and any flavors or sweetness of choice. Blend for a full 30 seconds, until coconut milk is very frothy.
- 4. Pour into an airtight container (I usually use a mason jar) and let cool before transferring to the fridge for up to 7 days. Shake jar again before using, just to ensure nothing has settled/separated (though I have yet to have a batch separate). If you'd like to froth this milk for a hot beverage, I recommend warming it in the microwave (just pour the amount you want into an empty mug, microwave for 10-20 seconds), then use a hand-held stick frother to get some nice foam!
- *It is important to choose full-fat canned coconut milk for this recipe. Light coconut milk, or the coconut milk that you find in the refrigerated section won't yield the same results. I find the best price for organic canned coconut milk at Trader Joe's and Whole Foods, just FYI.
- **The amount you add is completely up to you and your tastebuds. I recommend starting small (say, 1 Tablespoon of any sweetener or 1 teaspoon of any spice or extract), then tasting and adding more until you like the sweetness level.