Pumpkin Spice Coffee Creamer is a dairy and sugar free alternative for the coffee lover who can't tolerate milk or refined sugars.
The season of fall coincides with the flavors of pumpkin and many of us just can't get enough. If you're a coffee lover as I am, what you decide to put INTO your coffee can make a world of difference to making or breaking a good cup of joe! Being dairy sensitive can play a role in enjoying that morning cup of coffee as well. Being sugar-free is also the next obstacle to which creamer you choose in your coffee. There are many dairy free alternatives of coffee creamer that you may like, but for me I've not found one yet that I liked, so making my own has been a quest, a long, long one at that.
When I first went sugar-free about 9 years ago now, I went for what I thought was a good alternative, products using Splenda, like Sugar-Free Flavored Coffee-Mate. I didn't realize I had a problem, not even for the fact I would buy 3 bottles a week and seemed to continually need "more" of it in my coffee. The day my hubby finally said to me, "Would you like some COFFEE in that cup of cream" woke me up enough to realize I was addicted to that stuff as well as all products containing Splenda. You may have never read my bio and how I became sugar-free, but it's a good read if you're a fan of Splenda.
Over the years I've tried plain half and half, but since it upsets my stomach I just can't tolerate it every day. I've tried coconut milk, almond milk, evaporated canned milk since I like it creamy, but to no avail. The soy creamer I found that I enjoy is made and only found at Trader Joe's which is not as close to me to shop there on a weekly basis. I've tried other soy creamers from Whole Foods and Stop & Shop but all contain some form of sugar and I'm not a fan.
Hence the saga begins to start making it myself. So I did what most food bloggers do when beginning a new recipe, research what others have done and for me look at the ingredient list on the creamer I do enjoy in my coffee and try to duplicate it at home. Not an easy task since I'm accustomed to a creamy smoothness but without added sugars. This recipe is an accumulation of probably at least a dozen different experiments of testing. You can easily adapt the flavors, remove the "Pumpkin" spices and simply keep it as a vanilla flavored creamer if you so choose. But since it's fall, what better way then to begin with a pumpkin flavored creamer!
Now just a word of caution, you will not get that light color change you may be accustomed to when adding only a few tablespoons, seen here in the above picture. The color will be on the darker side so as long as that doesn't bother you, this recipe and you will get along well. If you prefer no sweetness in your coffee at all, remove the vanilla stevia. It's only slightly sweet, not overpowering here and I feel the vanilla flavored stevia really brings the pumpkin spices alive. You could make the recipe without as I said, then add your choice of sweetener to your individual cup each time you make coffee, up to you.
My hubby who takes his coffee without any sweetener enjoyed a cup of this even though I have stevia in it. Like I said, it seems to be only slightly sweet in here and brings out the pumpkin spices.
Topped here with a little Dairy Free Whipped Cream and a sprinkle of cinnamon!
Here's something I added to so you can change this basic recipe into two other wonderful winter flavors, Peppermint & Mocha! Just remove the pumpkin spice and other warm spices as well as vanilla extract and vanilla stevia and replace with the ones mentioned below.
Pumpkin Spice Coffee Creamer {Dairy & Sugar Free}
Ingredients
- 5 cups unsweetened almond milk I used vanilla flavored Blue Diamond Almond Breeze
- 3 teaspoons arrowroot powder
- 1 teaspoon Pumpkin Pie Spice
- ¼ teaspoon cardamom
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon vanilla liquid stevia
Instructions
- In a medium size sauce pan, whisk all ingredients together and bring to a boil.
- Simmer and continue to stir mixture until thickened, about 15 minutes.
- Mixture should be reduced by about a cup.
- Makes 4 cups.
- Keep refrigerated.
Amy Hinton
Could you omit the vanilla stevia?
Brenda
You could leave it out then you may want to add a sweetener or not.