It’s hard for me to decide which dairy-free creamer recipe is my favorite. Homemade almond milk creamer is wonderfully smooth with a light nutty finish, and hemp creamer adds incredible body with a unique yet addictive flavor. But this light coconut milk creamer has so many merits that I’ve come to rely on it. It’s easy, it’s perfectly creamy, it has zero waste, and it uses everyday pantry ingredients.
And unlike most vegan creamer recipes that are made with coconut, this one is not excessive in fat or coconut flavor. It’s smooth, seamless, and worthy of enjoying every day. It also works great in recipes!
The Light Coconut Milk Creamer Recipe that We Can’t Live Without
After testing countless batches of sweetened condensed “milk” for Go Dairy Free: The Guide and Cookbook, I realized that these luxurious “milks” could be transformed into the perfect coffee creamer. I reduced the sweetener, added extract, and voila—a luxurious dairy-free coconut creamer. Here are some additional options to help this light coconut milk creamer work for your everyday needs.
How to Use Full Fat Coconut Milk
If you don’t have a can of lite coconut milk on hand, you can use full fat. Simply pour the contents of your can into your blender or a large bowl. Fill the can with water and add it to your blender or large bowl with the coconut milk. Blend or whisk until smooth. This makes a double batch, so you can increase the sweetener to 1/2 cup and the extract to 1 to 2 tablespoons, or to taste. Or you can simply use 1/2 can of coconut milk and 1/2 can of water, and use the remaining coconut milk in another recipe!
Sweetener Options
I use cane sugar or agave nectar for the cleanest taste. You can substitute another sweetener, like maple syrup, honey, or coconut sugar. Just keep in mind that they will influence the flavor more. I don’t recommend using a sugar-free sweetener, as they don’t tend to thicken and cook like sugar.
Special Diet Notes: Light Coconut Milk Creamer
By ingredients, this recipe is dairy-free / non-dairy, egg-free, gluten-free, tree nut-free, peanut-free, soy-free, vegan, vegetarian, and optionally paleo (with sweetener suggestions above). It’s also low-FODMAP friendly.
- 1 (14-ounce) can lite coconut milk
- ¼ cup cane sugar or agave nectar
- Pinch salt
- ½ to 1 tablespoon vanilla, almond, peppermint, maple, or hazelnut extract, to taste
- Put the coconut milk, sweetener, and salt in a small saucepan and whisk to combine.
- Place the saucepan over medium heat, and bring the liquid to a gentle boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer, whisking occasionally, for 5 to 10 minutes. It should thicken just a bit to a rich milk beverage consistency.
- Remove the pan from the heat and whisk in the extract. Let cool completely.
- Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. It will thicken as it chills.
For More of My Recipes, Get Go Dairy Free!
2 Comments
I don’t know why there are no comments here, but I appreciate this recipe. I am going to try it. It is simple and fast. I am trying to lower carbs and dairy products for health reasons, but I need my coffee to be creamy. I haven’t mastered a taste for black coffee!
I don’t sweeten my coffee so I will use this unsweetened with a bit of vanilla.
Thank you for this great idea!
I use leftover veggie/fruit/non-dairy milk smoothies that I have stored in the fridge to pour over my cereal and hot grains. It is amazing!