People who like their coffee black likely cringe at the idea of adding any ingredients to their beautifully brewed cup of coffee. Alternatively, certain individuals require some additional ingredient to their cup of coffee to make it pleasurable to drink, which is totally acceptable.
Those who enjoy putting things in their coffee may opt for something like sugar or honey to give it some flavor, but there are more options than just these sweeteners to put in your cup of joe. A good creamer can drastically enhance your cup of coffee, giving it a tastier flavor and a more creamy consistency.
An apparently inexhaustible amount of both dairy-based and non-dairy coffee creamers is available. You may struggle to make up your mind which one is the ideal for elevating the taste of your cold or hot drink with so many alternatives.
That is the reason why we have come here in order to guide you through the different coffee creamer choices and assist you in figuring out which one to try.
Creamer vs. Milk
Aren’t creamer and milk pretty much the same things? Not really. Both coffee additives are delectable, yet there are a handful of traits that distinguish them from each other. Keep in mind that, for the sake of simplicity, only liquid creamer and whole milk will be examined in this article.
The main contrast between creamers and milk is that creamers are usually not derived from dairy, whereas milk is a dairy-based item. Creamer tends to have a thicker and richer texture than milk, and usually has a higher fat content and additional components, such as sugar, flavorings, or dyes that milk does not contain.
The way they taste also separates these two liquids. Milk is a drink that has a mild sweetness to it but not a lot of flavor, while creamer is usually quite sweet and comes in a variety of flavors, such as hazelnut or mocha.
A Word on Nutrition
Adding milk or creamer to a cup of coffee will significantly change the nutritional value of the beverage, even if a minimal amount is used. Pay close attention to the calorie content in the coffee creamer section if you’re trying to watch your weight; too much in your morning brew can quickly sabotage your diet plan!
When tracking the caloric content of your diet, creamer stands out as the product with the highest number of calories, due to the presence of milk fat that gives it a thick texture and makes your coffee richer in flavor. Milk is the second highest calorically-dense food, although the precise quantity relies on the type of milk you are using.
If you request skim, one percent, or even two percent milk, the amount of calories will be lower than that of whole milk because whole milk typically consists of a higher fat content (whole milk falls between three and four percent).
Don’t become so obsessed with tracking the calories in your food that you don’t allow yourself to have any pleasure in what you eat. If you prefer to put cream or milk in your coffee, that’s fine, however you should make adjustments to your eating plan to take this into account, especially if you are attempting to slim down.
Analyzing Coffee Add-Ins
Let’s take a closer examination of what you can use to add flavor to your coffee.
Got Milk?
As Forrest Gump famously quipped, milk and coffee seem to be a harmonious pairing “like peas and carrots.” Yet, there is a lot more to learn about milk than what is visible.
In many parts of the world, cow’s milk is usually what people choose to put in coffee, but there are other alternatives available.
Cow’s Milk
This is the most common milk used in coffee. Adding milk to your morning mug of coffee can increase its sweetness and viscosity, with the final flavor largely determined by quite a few factors, such as how the cows were taken care of by the farmers, the level of butterfat within the milk, and its freshness.
Goat’s Milk
Goat’s milk is simpler to process than bovine’s milk, and rather than possessing the sweetness of cow’s milk, it has an earthy flavor. This add-in goes best with medium-roasted beans.
Buffalo’s Milk
It’s not widely practiced, but buffalo’s milk can make your coffee taste divine. Plus, buffalo’s milk is fatty. So, it can add much-desired creaminess to your coffee. This stuff has a tasty combination of sweetness and acidity, and it is definitely worth sampling if it is attainable.
Whole Milk
Unless you ask for something else, the milk your barista is most likely to use is one that will make your order richer and sweeter. Whole milk is dense, containing between three and four percent of fat.
Reduced-Fat Milk
Milk that has had its fat content reduced is typically either 1% or 2%, but there are options that contain even less fat, like 0.5%. This milk has just the right amount of sweetness and thickness so your coffee will have more body without being an unhealthy source of fat and calories.
Skim Milk
For those monitoring their caloric intake, skim milk makes a delicious accompaniment to their morning coffee as it is completely free of fat. Though it tastes a lot better than whole or low-fat milk, skim milk is not nearly as thick. If you like a creamy cup of coffee, this may not be an ideal option.
Non-dairy Milk Alternatives
Almond Milk
The addition of almond milk can provide coffee, desserts, and other foods with a hint of sweetness and a nutty taste. Crazy for non-dairy creamer? Almond milk is the perfect option for you, as it contains the least calories of all milk substitutes. In addition, it is rich in Vitamin E, which helps fight off the free radicals that may cause disease.
Oat Milk
Oat milk has a pleasant and delicate taste similar to cow’s milk, so it can be used in place of cow’s milk in any recipe. It’s simple to prepare this at home too; all that’s required is oats, water, and something sweet to add if desired.
Cashew Milk
Although tasty, cashew milk is not the optimal beverage for people needing to up their protein intake due to its very limited protein content. Nevertheless, the lavish, velvety, and with almond-like nuances milk is a wise choice for Roasty viewers keeping track of their carbohydrate or calorie consumption.
Coconut Milk
All of the dairy-free milk options available lack high amounts of protein and carbohydrates, but coconut milk has the least. It’s not unusual to spot coconut milk and its delicate taste in South Asian cuisine, and it has also become a popular choice for those looking to lessen their carbohydrate consumption when added to their coffee.
Soy Milk
Soybeans and/or soy protein isolate are used to create soy milk, which holds an amount of protein similar to that of cow’s milk, yet has a creamy and mild flavor. The primary contrast between cow’s milk and soy milk is their calorie content, fat levels, and carb quantities, with soy milk having roughly half the quantity of these components as cow’s milk.
Coffee Creamers
It’s clear why individuals opt to put coffee creamer in their drinks; they need a substitute for milk or cream that provides the smoothness and uniformity they favor.
How can a liquid be made with the same thickness as that of milk or cream without actually using milk or cream? Get ready to be surprised.
Surprisingly, Starbucks’ creamer still includes non-fat milk, buttermilk, and heavy cream. You may think of it as being unfaithful, but it is one method of accomplishing the task.
The majority of other major businesses achieve the same result by employing copious amounts of oil and sugar. (Incidentally, Starbucks uses vegetable oil in its creamers, too.)
Why Is There Oil in Coffee Creamer?
Cream contains a lot of fat, and milk has a decent amount of it. The oils obtained from plants which are used in the making of most creamers are very similar in chemical structure to dairy products, thus allowing coffee drinkers to experience their usual taste and texture when they start their day with a cup of coffee. Oil also lengthens the shelf life of non-dairy creamers.
If that sounds like an unhealthy substitution, it is. Until recently, creamers often contained hydrogenated or partially-hydrogenated oils which are more commonly referred to as trans fats, which are highly disliked.
In the past few years, trans fats have been prohibited from being used in a variety of items and have instead been replaced with somewhat healthier “high-oleic oils”. You may still find traces of trans fats in certain powder creamers, though. The high-oleic oil in liquid coffee creamer is more beneficial to a person’s health, but that doesn’t signify that it’s something somebody would want to include in their daily drinks.
Why Is There Sugar in Coffee Creamer?
The primary cause for the presence of sugar in coffee creamer is not necessarily due to its effect on consistency or the perception of “mouthfeel”; however, these factors do play a role.
The vast majority of current coffee whiteners are more saccharine than the original dairy products they have taken the place of, due to their main appeal being taste. It is clear from the variety of flavors, which are mostly sweet, that these flavors will include either sugar or an alternative substitute.
When it comes to the nation’s best-loved labels, Nestle Coffee-Mate and International Delight contain added sugar regularly. Coffee-Mate frequently utilizes corn syrup, which is simply another way to say glucose that has been derived from corn instead of sugar cane.
Due to a greater desire for healthier options, the main creamer makers have started to offer new items. Product available now include coffee creamers which have labels of zero-carbohydrate, low-carbohydrate, sugar-free, low-sugar, zero-sugar, or low-calorie.
You need to watch what you buy closely to make sure the creamer you’re getting isn’t full of sugar. Even if the label states ‘low-calorie’ or ‘zero sugar’, that does not always guarantee the contents are healthy. We’ll discuss that in more detail shortly.
What Else Is In Coffee Creamer?
To be frank, there are a variety of other ingredients that you may not want to add to your coffee.
Milk Derivatives
It is possible that a non-dairy creamer could still contain ingredients that are derived from milk. Sodium caseinate and micellar casein are both derived from milk, being the constituents that remain after the lactose (milk sugar) is taken out. Products which contain these ingredients are legally acknowledged as not being dairy products, but not entirely devoid of dairy.
Creamers made with casein are actually sin lactosa, so they won’t be an issue for people with lactose intolerance. However, these do contain dairy products, so this could be a problem for those who have allergies to milk proteins. They’re also off-limits for vegans.
Emulsifiers, Thickener, Buffering Agents, Artificial Flavors
Various additives, such as mono- and diglycerides, dipotassium phosphate, polysorbate 60, and carrageenan, are added to creamers in order to prevent them from clotting, separating, or going bad whilst in storage. Most commercial brands of coffee creamer contain them, though not all do. Many also contain artificial flavorings.
The government has marked these ingredients as being safe, but they do not compose a natural product. Also, there has been a cause for concern surrounding carrageenan, the ingredient responsible for thickening.
It is not likely that the Coffee-Mate or International Delight sold at grocery stores will cause any health issues. It is not particularly beneficial to put “zero-sugar” coffee creamer into your body on a regular basis.
Nutrition and Zero-Sugar Coffee Creamers
Our major concern is sugar, but just because a sugar-free, cholesterol-free coffee creamer has no sugar, doesn’t imply it’s necessarily healthy. Carbs, calories, and fat matter, too.
Let’s explore options of no-sugar creamers from the Coffee-Mate and International Delight brands. More specifically, let’s look at their nutrition facts labels. Several of their types come with 1-2 grams of fat, a maximum of 20 calories, and less than 1 gram of carbohydrates per helping. They have significantly less in their creamers that contain sugar.
But that’s sort of misleading. They say one tablespoon is a single helping, yet it does not make coffee lighter in color in the same manner a helping of milk or cream does. To make a full serving, you need three tablespoons of creamer. This will give a total of 2-6 grams of fat, 45-60 calories, and up to three grams of carbohydrates.
That’s not great.
Here’s our word to the wise. When choosing a coffee creamer, don’t limit yourself to ones with no sugar—think about the overall nutrition of the product.
Not All Zero-Sugar Coffee Creamers Are Good For You
It is logical to have your coffee without any cream or sugar when attempting to slim down or eat nutritiously.
Not using cream or sugar in your coffee will not be the only factor that determines if somebody is either overweight or slim. But every little bit helps.
What if you don’t like black coffee, though?
Choosing milk is a preferable option, yet it still contains sugar. Most non-dairy creamers contain sugar. Even non-sugary coffee creamer can contain unhealthy components.
A substitution would have to be made for the sugar in order to make a commercial coffee creamer that contains no sugar.
Undoubtedly, there are a lot of sugar substitutes without calories that can be utilized, however the biggest producers employ either sucralose or ace-K. Both sweeteners have been declared as “Generally Recognized as Safe” by the government, however, neither is perfect.