Homemade French Vanilla Coffee Creamer
Save RecipeRich and creamy with that hint of aromatic sweetness, my Homemade French Vanilla Coffee Creamer is so easy to make you’ll wonder how you ever went with out it.
Hi Bold Bakers!
Is there anything more classic than french vanilla? Vanilla flavor is something I think the whole world can agree on, and this Homemade French Vanilla Coffee Creamer is here to prove it.
Whether you’re an everyday coffee drinker or not, you will love adding this rich french vanilla flavored creamer to your cup of joe. Rich and creamy with that hint of aromatic sweetness, this is so easy to make you’ll wonder how you ever went with out it.
What is “French Vanilla?”
French vanilla refers to where the vanilla came from, so it is most literally vanilla pods that were grown in France.
[ Out of condensed milk? Make your own! ]
However, in the baking world, french vanilla speaks to the strong and sweet flavor of vanilla. In order to make french vanilla coffee creamer, you do not need to order vanilla beans all the way from France, but you will need good quality vanilla extract and a vanilla pod. If you can’t find vanilla extract I suggest you check out my Bold Baking Basic recipe for How To Make Homemade Extracts, as they are easy to make and will save you money down the line!
How to make French Vanilla Coffee Creamer
French vanilla coffee creamer is not something you’re limited to buying at the store. I much prefer to make my own coffee creamer at home, as then I know there are no artificial ingredients or preservatives.
Making my homemade french vanilla coffee creamer is simply a matter of whisking together sweetened condensed milk, milk or cream, vanilla extract and a french vanilla pod. Once the milk is infused with the vanilla, the flavor is unmatched to the store bought stuff. I love to add this to more than coffee, it does wonders for “adult” hot chocolates and lattes, milk shakes, and more!
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Rich and creamy with that hint of aromatic sweetness, this is so easy to make, and once you do you'll wonder how you ever went with out it.
- 1 3/4 cup (14floz/395ml) milk, of your choice
- 1 can (14oz/395g) sweetened condensed milk
- 1 vanilla pod, sliced in half and seeds scraped out
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
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In a medium sauce pan over medium low heat, whisk together the condensed milk, milk, vanilla pod and seeds.
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Once this mixture starts to come to a simmer, remove from the heat and add in the vanilla extract.
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Cool, then cover and store in an airtight container or jar in the fridge for 6-7 days.
Watch the Recipe Video!
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Hi Gemma
The recipe for the vanilla creamer sounds delish. A question I have is if I wanted a caramel flavor what could I substitute for the vanilla to get a caramel flavor. Can’t tell you how much I enjoy your recipes.
Hi Rebecca,
most of the caramel flavors you buy are artificially made. (https://www.biggerbolderbaking.com/ice-cream-sauce-chocolate-raspberry-butterscotch/) here you will find a caramel syrup, which can be added to coffee, but a simple one is really just this:
1 cup granulated sugar
6 tablespoons or 3 fl ozs of water x 2 – one portion is for the caramel, the second is to dissolve the caramel into a syrup.
1.5 teaspoons vanilla extract – if liked
Pinch of salt.
first you dissolve the sugar in barely simmering water, make sure all of the sugar is dissolved – then you bring to the boil without stirring until the color changes – when it is deep enough for your taste remove from the heat and add back the remaining water – really carefully as it will spit a lot – then return to the gentle heat and stir it until the caramel dissolves. there it is, a simple caramel syrup, delicious with coffee, or try adding sliced banana to this and have it with ice cream!
I hope this is of help,
Gemma 🙂
Do you have a recipe for homemade Italian sweet cream flavor coffee creamer??
Hi Rhonda,
I am not too sure what the flavor of this product is! I think it is a mix of condensed milk and full-fat dairy milk or light cream, but not too sure what the ratio will be. Vanilla may also be a feature of this, it is not clear from the company which makes it.
Do let us know if you try it,
Gemma 🙂
Can Almond Milk substitue for regular milk ?
Hi Larraine,
almost always. Certainly for the creamer, where fat is required coconut milk/cream will be better,
Gemma 🙂
Thank you for the response. Pre- order your new book ! Looking forward to receiving …. thank you again.
Thank you Larraine, I am so looking forward to having the book in my hand too, it was a long birthing process!
Gemma 🙂
I am trying to go non-dairy and no or low sweetners. Can this work with almond, cashew, or coconut milk? What other options are there?
Hi Rochell,
Yes! there are no issues with swapping out the milk for this type of recipe. Use what you have available to you, and enjoy!
Gemma 🙂
Hi Gemma
I made the vanilla creamer without the vanilla beans, as I couldn’t find them locally, it’s really yummy just with vanilla extract!! Thank you!
Yes, that’s a great substitute so glad you enjoyed it!
Hi there, I was just wondering if warming it helps calm the sweetened condensed milk taste? I tried one a few years ago and it just tasted like sweetened condensed milk.
Hi Betina,
condensed milk is indeed really sweet, it is a step on the way to a caramel. I suggest you try evaporated milk, or a blend of this and condensed milk to get it to your taste. It will be thinner, but it may work well for you,
Gemma 🙂
If you use vanilla bean paste, do you simmer that in with the milk like the bean pod or add it at the end with the extract?
P.S. Love your recipes. The ice cream is my favorite. I’m an ice cream junky and very picky so I’m thrilled to find such a simple yet creamy and delicious recipe that doesn’t require me to get out my Ice cream machine. 🙂
Hi Beth,
great question! Nope, you don’t ned to simmer the paste like you would a pod. There is no infusing needed here.
P.S delighted you like my recipes 🙂
Gemma.
Hi Gemma, I’m so excited to try out this recipe. But i cant get vainilla pods where i live will the flavor be to subtle if i just use vainilla extract?
Hi there,
A good quality extract will work really well in this recipe, go for it!
Essence is a different thing, and that really will not give an authentic flavor.
I hope this is of help,
Gemma 🙂
Sooo I tried the French vanilla (of course lol) creamer recipe with Madagascar vanilla and as always it was a hit !
Very useful
Thanks a lot!
Fatima
Thank you Fatima for this lovely review,
Gemma 🙂
Hi Gemma,
where is the link to purchase the vanilla pods to make the french vanilla coffee creamer?
Hi Linda,
Here’s the link : https://amzn.to/2To0f9a . Unfortunately due to bad weather and mother nature vanilla pods are pretty expensive right now. These are the most reasonable I could find.
Gemma.
Hi Gemma,
Never heard of coffee creamer here in France.
I can’t wait to try it .
I love new experimentations in kitchen!
Thank you Gemma for all your recipes
I’ve tried many of them and I was never disappointed.
Fatima
Hi Fatima,
A lot of the good food ideas we have have come to the US from France! It is time we sent some of our great ideas back to you, like a little gift 😉
Gemma 🙂
Oh that’s kind of you ☺️
I gave my review after trying the recipe in another comment (didn’t see that I could reply to your comment)
Fatima
Good to have your input Fatima,
Gemma 🙂
Gemma, i wanted to say thank you very much for sharing some amazing home made coffee creamer recipes and i look forward to sample
Ing your other recipes. God Bless you all.
Great! I’m thrilled to hear you liked them. Thanks for trying them out.
Best,
Gemma.
Do you have other creamer recipes? The flavors I use most often are coconut, mocha, and hazelnut. I would love to be able to make those as well! Thanks!
I don’t Kelly but they were so popular that we will probably make another video. I’ll keep your flavors in mind.
Best,
Gemma.
Haven’t tried these yet, but SO happy to find this recipe! All the good flavors in the store are either out of stock or being discontinued and one brand insists on using Palm Oil in their creamer – which is bad for the environment and the collection of palm nuts causes death of local wildlife (ie orangutans) and destruction of their habitat. So I ref!use to buy that brand! This looks easy and sounds so good! Can’t wait to give it a try – maybe using almond milk? Will update the rating once I’ve made it, but gave it a “3 stars” because of the ingredients and simplicity.
Hi Pat,
Thank you for rating this recipe, I appreciate it.
Yes, I do get the concerns about palm oil, and I think it is being addressed at government level in may places now. We have one world between all of us, we need to take care of it.
Thank you for being in touch,
Gemma 🙂