Frothy, creamy coffee is by far my favorite way to start the day. Earlier this year I made it a morning routine to wake up earlier, make my coffee, watch the Today show and slowly enjoy a morning before rushing off to work! Throughout my coffee making journey the last few months, I’ve been experimenting with a variety dairy-free creamer. I didn’t want to sacrifice that rich, creamy flavor by eliminating dairy. Scroll through to count down my favorite options at this point. (And comment on my Instagram post if you have any others I should try!)

#11: Trader Joe’s Almond Beverage

You know I’m the biggest fan of Trader Joe’s, but I have to admit, not every product is a winner. This Almond Beverage tasted like watered down almond milk with a bizarre level of saltiness and maple syrup flavor. Honestly, would have rather just had black coffee!

#10: Califia Farms Almondmilk Creamer

I have heard nothing but great things about Califia Farms, but I did not love this creamer. The hazelnut flavor was too strong and sweet for me, even when I only added a splash. I personally prefer my creamer or milk to compliment the coffee flavor instead of overtake it.

#9: So Delicious Dairy Free Coconutmilk Creamer – French Vanilla

This was creamy and not too sweet! I was a little hesitant about the coconut flavor since I don’t typically love coconut, but the French Vanilla added a complementary flavor to the coffee. I also did like this a lot in my tea. Only downside was no froth!

#8: Almondmilk Non-Dairy Beverage

I have bought this almond milk from Trader Joe’s for years for everything from cereal to overnight oats to chia seed pudding to coffee. After exploring the other options though, this fell farther on my list of favorite non-dairy additions to coffee. I do like having it in the fridge though for breakfast and cooking needs!

#7: Vital Proteins Collagen Creamer

I have seen so many bloggers and Instagrammers jumping on the collagen trend that I had to try! During Whole30 especially, I was curious to try the non-dairy, Whole30-approved Collagen Creamer made with coconut milk. You add a scoop of this powder to your coffee or matcha, whisk or blend, and get a creamy drink with 10 grams of collagen. The collagen helps keep you full and is beneficial for joints, hair, skin, nails, bones, etc. If you love coconut, you’ll like the coconut flavor a lot. Vanilla was good, too, but little flakes of vanilla bean that sunk to the bottom of my mug and I didn’t love that. Downside: Each case says it makes about 10 drinks and it’s about $30… a little pricey!

#6: Califia Farms Almondmilk Unsweetened Vanilla

Now THIS almond milk was a winner, so much so that I found myself taking sips of it straight from the jug – crazy I know! The unsweetened flavor still highlighted the natural sweetness from the almonds and the vanilla was just the perfect touch. I liked having this in my fridge for coffee, smoothies and breakfasts. Not the most creamy in coffee, but a good go-to for versatility.

#5: Vital Proteins Unflavored Collagen Peptides

If we’re talking froth, than this is where it’s at! I add one scoop of the regular unflavored beef collagen to a blender with hot coffee, a little cinnamon, one teaspoon of coconut oil, and a splash of any non-dairy milk in my fridge, then blend on high for about one minute. The result makes for the picture above – SO frothy as if it were a cappuccino. You get the benefits of collagen, plus that froth I miss from a whole milk cappuccino. Done! Only downside, daily clean up of both a coffee machine and a blender.

#4: Nutpods Dairy-Free Creamer

These are on every Whole30 resource you’ll find as a favorite dairy-free creamer. I mistakenly bought a three pack and opened all at once because I wanted to try them, only to find out they technically last for about 7-10 days… whoops! I really liked all three flavor profiles for different reasons, but I think French Vanilla or the Original would be my favorite. They are so luxurious, just like you would want in a creamer. You can order the three pack online or I found them sold individually for like $3 at my local health store!

#3: Milked Walnuts

Why stick to almond milk when you can try all the other nut milks, too? This walnut milk was so rich, creamy and lightly sweetened… so good that I wanted to drink a glass of it on its own! With a splash of this coffee or tea, I was in heaven and not missing diary one minute. It got me thinking about making my own walnut milk, so stay tuned for that coming soon.

#2: The Original Oatly Oat-Milk

Oh my gosh you guys, I am obsessed with oat milk lately! While it’s rare to find at coffee shops, and sometimes rare to find at the store, it’s such a gem when you can get your hands on it. The creaminess and nuttiness of oatmeal transfer into this thick, luscious milk and it adds a beautiful compliment to coffee. It has more weight than an almond milk, mimicking a whole milk consistency, which makes it scrumptious in lattes. The Oatly website has a tracker so you can find which coffee shops use it, I keep seeing it pop up more and more at my specialty markets and stores in NYC, but don’t fret, you can also make it easily at home!

#1: New Barn Barista Almondmilk

This is hands-down number one in my book. New Barn’s barista blend of almond milk is rich, creamy and the best version of milk-meets-creamer that I’ve found. If you couldn’t tell by the name, this blend of almond milk is made especially for baristas, but you can have it right at home, too! It’s sweetened just a little bit, but I feel okay adding just a splash to my morning coffee. If you’d rather try their unsweetened regular almond milks, those are an option, too. I’m still trying to track down a permanent supplier in the city because I just love it!

What is your favorite kind of dairy-free creamer or milk? I would love to hear any and all recommendations. Hopefully this inspires you to try a new flavor, kind of milk and most especially, to take a little time for your own morning routine each day.

Love food. Love self. Love life.
Gabriela