Vanilla Coffee Creamer

Published October 15, 2021

Breakfast at my dad’s house growing up was a big deal. We would gather around the octagon dining room table, the same one he and his brothers’ ate at, and had waffles with fresh fruit and bacon.

After everyone finished eating, we would lounge in our wooden chairs, telling stories and debating topics, watching the light stream in through the window as the morning turned to early afternoon.

We would have a “smackerel” of treats — vanilla sugar cookies with icing, pound cake, coffee cake, a melt-away from the bakery up-town. But the best part was a boiling cup of coffee from the old metal percolator pot.

Since I was still young, I would have a quarter of a cup in my narrow Norman Rockwell mug, to which I added a heaping pour of International Delight French Vanilla Creamer.

It was delicious and sweet, and if I was feeling extra wild, I would add a teaspoon of sugar to make a white mug of sweetness to pair with my dessert.

Over the years, my cup of coffee has evolved. I don’t add sugar — though I’ll spring for flavoring like caramel and pumpkin. And while I clung to the coffee creamer, I realized that all of that flavor was artificial, too sweet, oily, and — let’s be honest — not healthy.

So I started to research: Can you make your own coffee creamer?

It was surprisingly easy and while not as unique as the stroopwafel flavors from International Delight, this coffee creamer adds the necessary sweetness and vanilla flavor to my morning cup of coffee, without the oils and artificial flavors.

Ingredients for Vanilla Coffee Creamer

This recipe is easy! It only uses three ingredients. You can substitute the whole milk for any other milk that you prefer. I found that whole milk had more flavor than oat milk.

Vanilla is my preferred flavor, but you could add a dash of cinnamon, or a splash of chocolate or caramel sauce, if you want your creamer to be a different flavor.

How to Make Vanilla Coffee Creamer

Tools for this Dish

• Can opener

• Storage container (for extra condensed milk)

• Measuring spoons (plus a tablespoon for stirring)

• Small bowl to incorporate ingredients

• Serving pitcher or container for finished creamer

Cooking Notes

Why not use the entire can of condensed milk at once?

You may be thinking, “Kristen, why would I only use two tablespoons and make a small serving of creamer when I have a whole can?”

I don’t know where you get your milk from — but I found the grocery store milk that I bought did not last more than a week. So if I used an entire can of condensed milk, I would then have a giant serving of coffee creamer that would go bad because the milk did not last long enough for me to use it.

I found that, while it was more work, I would make about a week or two’s worth of creamer (depending on how sweet you like your coffee), which means I wouldn’t have to worry about the milk spoiling before I used it.

I’ve also found that buying Costco milk lasts much longer. I would double this recipe if I had Costco milk, because it is much better quality.

What do I do with the condensed milk after it’s opened?

I scooped the unused condensed milk into a container and stored it in the fridge. Then, when I needed to make more creamer, I would measure two tablespoons from the container to make my next batch of creamer. I found that the condensed milk lasted for weeks in the fridge and was enough for several batches of the creamer.

Can I use real vanilla bean in my creamer?

You can use any flavoring you want for your homemade creamer. Real vanilla bean pods are expensive, so I used vanilla extract. This gave me the vanilla flavor I wanted — in addition to the sweetness of condensed milk.

My creamer tastes too sweet, how do I fix that?

Condensed milk is a sweet ingredient. If you find that two tablespoons makes your creamer too sweet for you, you can increase the amount of milk you use for the creamer.

When you make your next batch of coffee creamer, you can use 1 tablespoon of condensed milk and see if the sweetness is to your liking. I found that two tablespoons of the condensed milk were perfect for my taste.

The Final Product

Recipe Score

I give the vanilla coffee creamer recipe a 9/10:

• Recipe Level

  • Easy: There is no cooking involved with this recipe. You only have to measure your ingredients and put them in a pretty container for storing in the refrigerator.

• Ingredients

  • This recipe is great for customizing. You can use your favorite milk if you don’t like whole milk. Vanilla is my preferred flavor but I imagine any extract or sprinkle of spices (like cinnamon) would pair well with the condensed milk.

• Prep

  • There is no prep involved for this recipe.

• Flavor

  • 9/10: This recipe was perfect for me to satisfy my preferences. It is sweet (from the condensed milk), with a hint of vanilla flavor. The whole milk adds the splash to my coffee that makes it the perfect cup.

K. Martinelli Makes Vanilla Coffee Creamer

Looking for more recipes?

Leave a comment below if you’ve tried my homemade vanilla coffee creamer recipe. If you’re looking for your next recipe to try, click here to browse all my videos.