Healthy Gingerbread Coffee Creamer (Sugar-Free)
Give your coffee (or tea!) a taste of gingerbread cookies with this homemade creamer! Cozy and sweet with festive spices throughout, it’s luxuriously creamy and smooth. It's really quick and easy to make too. Perfect for the holiday season! Store it in a glass jar or airtight container in the refrigerator. It should keep for a few days, if not closer to a week.
Ingredients
- 2 cups (480mL) unsweetened cashew milk
- ¾ tsp ground ginger
- ⅛ tsp ground cinnamon
- ⅛ tsp ground nutmeg
- ⅛ tsp ground cloves
- ¼ tsp liquid stevia (or adjusted to taste – and see Notes!)
- ¼ tsp caramel extract (see Notes!)
Instructions
- Add all of the ingredients to a medium pot, and whisk to combine. Cook over low to medium-low heat, stirring frequently, for 3-6 minutes or until completely heated through. Transfer the mixture to a glass measuring cup. Let it cool completely to room temperature, stirring occasionally. (To speed up the process, place the measuring cup in the refrigerator.) Once cooled, thoroughly whisk the mixture to reincorporate the spices. Transfer to a glass jar or an airtight container, cover, and refrigerate until ready to use.
Notes
IMPORTANT FLAVOR NOTES – READ BEFORE BEGINNING: I designed this creamer to have balanced flavors that complement coffee nicely and blend well into the background. You can easily adjust the ingredient amounts to suit your tastes though — this recipe is very adaptable and forgiving!
For a stronger spice flavor, increase the ginger to 1 teaspoon.
For a sweeter flavor, increase the liquid stevia by ¼ to ½ teaspoon (depending on how sweet you like your creamer and/or coffee!).
IMPORTANT CARAMEL EXTRACT NOTES – READ BEFORE BEGINNING: I wanted to create a truly sugar-free gingerbread creamer made without molasses. The caramel extract is what mimics the sweet molasses-like flavor of gingerbread cookies. (See the “Secret ingredient” header in the “Ingredients to Make Healthy Gingerbread Creamer” section of my blog post above for more info!) Some grocery stores stock caramel extract near the vanilla extract. I bought mine online here.
If you’d like to create a flavor as close to gingerbread cookies as possible and don’t want to use caramel extract, molasses will be the best substitute. You’ll need to add more molasses compared to caramel extract because the latter is more concentrated in flavor. Try 1-3 teaspoons of regular unsulphured molasses (not blackstrap!), or adjust that amount to suit your tastes.
You can also omit the caramel extract and not substitute anything for it, but keep in mind that your creamer will lack that gingerbread cookie-like flavor and will mainly taste cozy and spiced — although still festive and delicious!
MILK NOTE + ALTERNATIVES: I prefer unsweetened cashew milk because it’s thicker and creamier than many other milks, which yields a wonderful creamer consistency.
Unsweetened almond milk (regular or vanilla) may be substituted for the unsweetened cashew milk, although it is noticeably thinner in consistency. Any other milk, including dairy-based ones, may be substituted, although they often substantially change the Nutrition Information (see the link below).
SPICES NOTE: I highly recommend Saigon cinnamon! (← I buy it online there, and it’s really affordable.) It tastes slightly stronger, richer, and sweeter than regular cinnamon. It’s practically the only kind I now use in my baking and recipes!
SWEETENER ALTERNATIVES: Many stevia brands and products have different sweetness levels, so they're not necessarily 1-for-1 substitutes for each other. For the best results, I recommend using the same one I do. I buy mine online here because that's the best price I've found. (It’s one of my favorite ingredients, and you’ll use it in all of these recipes of mine too!) If substituting another stevia product, you may need to adjust the amount.
Any other sweetener may be substituted for the liquid stevia. You'll want to use your sweetener's equivalent of 2-3 tablespoons of sugar. (If using the molasses alternative for the caramel extract, as mentioned in the “Caramel Extract Notes” at the top of this section, start with your sweetener’s equivalent of 1-2 tablespoons of sugar to compensate for the molasses.)
HOW TO STORE: Store this creamer in a glass jar or airtight container in the refrigerator. (The 12-ounce jars I use are no longer sold in stores, but these are similar.) It should keep for at least a few days, if not closer to a week or more. If the spices settle to the bottom while refrigerating, simply whisk the creamer before using, and the spices should reincorporate back into the creamer.
SERVING SIZE NOTE: In the Nutrition Information below, the larger serving size compared to traditional coffee creamer (usually around 1 tablespoon) is to account for the cashew milk being thinner than heavy cream.
{gluten-free, dairy-free, egg-free, vegan, clean eating, low fat, low calorie, sugar-free}
DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE?I'd love to hear what you think of it in a comment below! If you take a picture, tag @amys.healthy.baking on Instagram or use the hashtag #amyshealthybaking.