Homemade Better-For-You Coffee Flavorings

I typically drink black coffee, but every so often I do like to have a more fun drink. AND I REALLY LIKE TO MAKE IT MYSELF.

Prior to being an at-home barista, I would frequent Starbucks for my Friday treat. I’ve gone through phases of using their sugar-free syrups, one pump of the regular syrups, no syrup, soy milk, coconut milk and others to try and find the “healthiest” option. But, let’s be real – nothing I did was going to make those drinks healthy or any better than something freshly made at home. 

And besides, I’d rather spend that $4.00 on a happy hour glass of wine, ya know what I mean?

So, let’s talk about why the flavor options at coffee shops are not amazing and why coffee creamers from the grocery store (yes, even the sugar-free ones!) have room for improvement.

And I’m giving you the secret to my BEST flavored homemade coffee creamers below, too!

I also want to mention that you CAN eat healthy and make creative recipes from your regular grocery store. You don’t need a specialty store or have to spend a lot of money. You’ll see here that I bought O Organics® and Open Nature® products at my local ACME Markets, and you can also find them exclusively at the Albertsons Companies family of stores, including Albertsons, Safeway, Jewel-Osco, Vons, Pavilions, Randalls, Tom Thumb, Shaw’s, Star Market, United Supermarkets and Carrs/Safeway.

OK so first, let’s take a look at vanilla syrup. Seems pretty simple and harmless, right?

Ingredients: SUGAR, WATER, NATURAL FLAVORS, PRESERVATIVE: POTASSIUM SORBATE, CITRIC ACID, COLOR: CARAMEL

SUGAR, first ingredient. Natural flavors - did you know that MSG can actually be labeled as a natural flavor? I don’t know how that is possible, but it is. Colors - not the best thing to be eating - there just so you think “oooh, this looks delicious”.

“Okay, but they have sugar-free options!”  This is true! Let’s look at one:

Ingredients: WATER, NATURAL AND ARTIFICIAL FLAVORS, MALTODEXTRIN, CELLULOSE GUM, CITRIC ACID, SUCRALOSE, PRESERVATIVE: SODIUM BENZOATE

Here, we have natural AND artificial flavors. Plus, sucralose (a chemical-fake-sugar) that has been shown to lead to digestive issues which are not fun.

How about the non-dairy creamers from the grocery store? 

Did you know that they are flammable? LOL As in, you can use them to help start a campfire (google it!). Judging by these ingredients, it totally makes sense:

Ingredients: CORN SYRUP SOLIDS, HYDROGENATED VEGETABLE OIL (COCONUT AND/OR PALM KERNEL AND/OR SOYBEAN), SODIUM CASEINATE (A MILK DERIVATIVE)**, LESS THAN 2% OF DIPOTASSIUM PHOSPHATE, MONO- AND DIGLYCERIDES, SODIUM ALUMINOSILICATE, ARTIFICIAL FLAVOR, ANNATTO COLOR

Here, there is sugar, different oils and other strange ingredients which I cannot pronounce. All of which are not natural and again, can lead to digestive issues at the least. This looks like something you would play with in chemistry class, not put in your coffee, right?!

Not a plain, black coffee drinker? I get it, I wasn’t for a while, either. Here’s how you can become your own barista and make the healthiest, yet tastiest coffee treats ever:

1. Start with good coffee. Coffee is HEAVILY sprayed by pesticides, so let’s try to keep them away from something you drink DAILY. Get organic coffee if you can.  Even better – organic coffee that you then cold brew, to cut back on the acidity! 

2. Opt for almond or coconut milk and stay away from commercial dairy milk filled with unnecessary hormones. O Organics® Almondmilk Plain Unsweetened, or O Organics® Coconutmilk Plain Unsweetened are great options from ACME.

3. Flavor it with raw honey, pure maple syrup, stevia OR one of the better-for-you combos from the list below!

Here are my top 5 favorite combos:

1. Good ol’ Vanilla - 1 drop pure vanilla extract, 1 dollop pure maple syrup

2. Mint Chocolate Chip - 1 drop pure peppermint extract, 1/2 teaspoon pure maple syrup, 1 teaspoon cocoa powder

3. Pumpkin Spice - 2 shakes pumpkin pie spice, 2 shakes cinnamon, 1 drop pure vanilla extract (optional – mix 1 teaspoon pumpkin puree into your milk before adding remaining ingredients)

4. Cinnamon Roll - 3 shakes cinnamon, 1 drop pure vanilla extract, 1 drop stevia or dollop of pure maple syrup, small pinch of salt

5. Mocha - 1 teaspoon cocoa powder, 1/2 teaspoon pure maple syrup, 1 drop pure vanilla extract

Try to get all liquids to around the same temperature before combining. That means – if you want an iced drink, cool your coffee over ice before adding the milk; if you want a hot drink, warm up the milk before mixing. When I make these over ice, I put everything in a mason jar with a lid and shake it up. To make it even fancier, you can whip up some coconut cream to top off your delicious creation!

BONUS: If you have the time to blend your coffee flavors up quickly, add in some nut butter! This makes the depth of flavor much more pronounced, adds to the nutritional element and also makes it a thicker flavoring. For example, you could use the Open Nature® Cashew Butter or Almond Butter found at ACME Markets, about 1 tbsp!

Enjoy! And let me know about your experiences or if you have any other yummy coffee combos in the comments below!

Visit acmemarkets.com/exclusivebrands to find a store near you and discover more meal prep tips and recipe ideas.

Flavored Coffee Creamers

Vegan, Gluten-free

Servings: Many!

Time: 10 minutes

• 1.5 cups O Organics® Almondmilk or Coconutmilk Plain Unsweetened

• 2 tsp maple syrup

• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Flavor Options:

Peppermint:

- ¼ tsp peppermint extract 

- additional 1 tbsp maple syrup

Pumpkin:

-  ¼ tsp cinnamon 

-  ½ tsp pumpkin spice blend 

-  2 tbsp pumpkin puree 

-  pinch of salt 

-  optional additional 1 tbsp maple syrup

Mocha:

- 2 tbsp cocoa powder

- pinch of salt

- optional additional 1 tbsp maple syrup

Peppermint Mocha:

- 2 tbsp cocoa powder 

- ¼ tsp peppermint extract

- pinch of salt 

- optional additional 1 tbsp maple syrup

Add base ingredients into the pitcher of a blender and blend on high for 30 seconds (you want to blend for this amount of time to really mix up the milk and make it frothy). 

Blend in the flavor options if you wish (separate the mixture into different bowls if you want to make several kinds!). 

Taste and adjust seasoning and sweetness as needed. When done - keep refrigerated in an airtight container for about a week.