Last weekend, my grandparents drove up from their home in San Diego to visit. They left mid-morning on Friday, and knowing the trip usually spanned about 8 hours of whizzing through the monotonous yellow fields and farmland of I-5, we expected them to arrive around dinnertime.
Partway through the afternoon, we received a few text messages from Grandpa. He explained that the traffic through LA had been exceptionally thick and that a small fire on the Grapevine prompted police and firemen to close down a lane or two on the right side, which caused cars and trucks to slow to a snail’s pace of 3 miles an hour while crawling up the steep mountain pass.
Oh boy.
Their van finally pulled into the driveway around 10:30 pm, over 12 hours later, and they retold a more elaborate version of their trip’s story as we lounged on the comfy sofas and chairs in the living room, everyone trying their hardest not to doze off from fatigue. We all agreed that sleeping in on Saturday morning sounded like a great idea—along with an extra cup of coffee or two!
We spent most of the weekend reading novels and newspapers, slowly snacking and sipping coffee, and watching Postseason baseball all day long (my grandma was the one who taught me to keep score as a 9-year-old and basically started my obsession!). Everyone loved the hours of quiet relaxation and rejuvenation, especially after the long week at work and crazy drive up here!
While our family conversed and interacted, I started to notice certain traits my dad had inherited from Grandpa. Things like his strong intuition (that’s almost always right!), his analytical mind that excels at problem solving, his creativity and eye for design, his love of sports and appreciation of art, and the methodical way he starts the day with coffee and the newspaper.
Ever since I can remember, Dad would pour himself a few cups of black coffee in the morning and sip it while sitting in his favorite armchair. Although the brand varied, he always bought a dark roast flavor and never added any milk, cream, or sugar. I assumed Grandpa drank his the same way…
So I was surprised to learn that he always took his coffee with milk or cream! When I found out on the second-to-last day of their visit, I offered Grandpa some of this Skinny Pumpkin Spice Coffee Creamer to add to his morning cups, and half of the batch disappeared before they drove back home.
That’s quite the compliment!
To make this coffee creamer healthier, you’ll skip the heavy cream and use one of my favorite dairy alternatives instead: unsweetened cashew milk. It has a thicker consistency than most regular milks, although not quite as thick as heavy cream, and it’s ideal for coffee. Even better, unsweetened cashew milk has only 25 calories per cup, as opposed to the 50 calories per tablespoon of heavy cream. Whoa!
To that, you’ll add pumpkin purée, spices, and sweetener. I used vanilla crème stevia drops, and they add a wonderfully rich vanilla note to the creamer. Stevia is a no-calorie, plant-based sweetener, and you can find this one that I used at most health-oriented grocery stores. It’s very concentrated, so although the bottle is small and costs more than you might expect, it has the sweetness equivalent of 6 cups of sugar!
Now cook that over medium-low heat for a few minutes until all of the ingredients are hot and well combined. The cashew milk doesn’t always bubble as much as dairy milk, so if it hasn’t started to simmer after 10 minutes, that’s okay! Pull the pot off of the stove anyway.
While the creamer cools, the spices sometimes settle at the bottom of the container. Once the creamer reaches room temperature—or has completely chilled, that’s fine too!—simply whisk the creamer a few times, and the spices should reincorporate back into the creamer.
Now all that’s left to do is brew your coffee, and you’ll have a sweet cup of caffeine that basically tastes like pumpkin pie!
And when you make your own, remember to snap a picture and share it on Instagram using #amyshealthybaking and tagging @amyshealthybaking IN the photo itself! (That guarantees I’ll see your picture! ?) I’d love to see your coffee creamer and feature it in my Sunday Spotlight series!
| Skinny Pumpkin Spice Coffee Creamer | | Print |
- 2 cups (480mL) unsweetened cashew milk
- ¼ cup (61g) pumpkin purée
- ½ - ¾ tsp ground cinnamon, or to taste
- ⅛ tsp ground nutmeg
- ⅛ tsp ground ginger
- ¼ teaspoon vanilla crème stevia, or adjusted to taste
- Add all of the ingredients to a medium pot, and whisk to combine. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring frequently, for 5-7 minutes or until completely heated through. Transfer the mixture to a glass measuring cup, and let it cool completely to room temperature. (To speed up the process, place the measuring cup in the refrigerator.) Once cooled, whisk the mixture to reincorporate the spices. Transfer to a glass jar or an airtight, cover, and refrigerate until ready to use.
Unsweetened vanilla almond milk may be substituted for the unsweetened cashew milk, although it is much thinner in consistency.
Any other milk, including dairy-based ones, may be substituted, although they will substantially change the Nutrition Information (see the link below).
Any other sweetener may be substituted for the liquid stevia. You'll want to use the equivalent of 2-3 tablespoons of sugar. Add 1-2 teaspoons of vanilla extract if using a sweetener without vanilla flavoring.
{gluten-free, vegan, clean eating, low fat, low calorie, sugar-free}
View Nutrition Information + Weight Watchers Points
Hi! sorry if I missed it in the post but how long does this creamer last in the fridge after making it? it sounds delicious!
I’m honored that you’d consider making my recipe, Julie! I’ve actually included that bit of information in the paragraph of text directly underneath the recipe title in the recipe box. I know it can be really easy to miss that detail! (It happens all the time, so don’t feel badly at all!) 🙂 I’d love to hear what you think of this creamer if you decide to try making it!
Hi! If I use oat milk instead of cashew do you think it will affect the recipe (besides the slight difference in milk tastes)?
I’m honored that you’d like to try my recipe, Kennedy! I actually don’t have enough experience with oat milk to know, and I don’t want to lead you astray. I’d love to hear what you think of this creamer if you end up making it!
I’m sorry if I’m missing this, but what is a serving size with this?
I’m honored by your interest in my recipe, Michelle! The full nutrition information (including the serving size!) is actually included directly underneath the recipe box. I know it can be really easy to miss! 🙂 I’d love to hear what you think of this creamer if you decide to try making it!
You mentioned using almond milk as a substitute, but what about oat milk? Is it the same consistency as cashew milk? If not what should i use to thicken it up?
Sorry, just read that you’ve never used oat milk lol. I’ll try and see how it works out anyway.
I’m honored by your interest in my recipe, Amber! I’d love to hear how your coffee creamer turns out if you ended up making it with oat milk!
I made this the first time and didn’t like the spices being at the bottom of my cup. McCormick has a pumpkin pie spice blend extract! I ordered it and made this again this morning. Oh My Goodness!!! This has to be the seat creamer I’ve ever had!
I’m so honored that you’d call this the best creamer that you’ve had Sarah! That’s such a huge compliment. 🙂
Glad to hear the extract worked for you! The spices can sometimes settle to the bottom of the creamer while it cools off, but if you give it a brisk stir (or shake it, if you’ve store it in a bottle!), then they should reincorporate really well. Just in case you ever have that issue again! 😉
Why do you heat up the mixture?? Why can you
just blend everything in the electric mixer and it
will be already to use??
That’s the way I would do it, but I guess I
am missing an important factor. So I am
wheat to find out why my way wouldn’t work
in this recipe.
I really appreciate your interest in my recipe, Mae! If you don’t heat the mixture, then the spices generally settle to the bottom of the mixture, regardless of how much you shake, stir, or blend it. (I was lazy the first few times I tried making this creamer and didn’t heat it, so I have firsthand experience with that! 😉 )
I’d love to hear what you think of this creamer if you try making it!
Oh My! I bet I passed them going the opposite direction!
We were on the 15 Freeway going North for 4..FOUR hours to spend the weekend with our son and daughter inlaw! Normally a 90 min drive!
Just reading your post if felt for them! Hope the drive back wasn’t too bad! We’ll do a lot to spend time with our kids!