Stir In One Dairy-Free Coffee Ingredient For A Creamier, Sweeter Cup (Without All The Extras)

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When it comes to non-dairy creamers, coconut milk is queen — but it might soon be dethroned. Though coconut is certainly one of many delicious fruits perfect for elevating your coffee, it has a fairly distinct coconutty aroma and flavor not everyone enjoys. Sweetened condensed oat milk, on the other hand, sweetens your coffee with little more than a light nutty flavor you may not even notice. Since oats cook down into a dense, silky texture when combined with water, it makes sense they'd do the same when blended smooth, cooked, strained, and fortified with sugar.

This makes sweetened condensed oat milk the perfect plant-based option for those who love a sweet, creamy cup of java in the morning, as it offers a tasty, simple way to achieve just that. Thicker and creamier than ordinary milk and already infused with sugar, this option eliminates the need to fuss with measuring sugar and creamer individually, allowing you to simply dollop a little into your mug and move on with your day.

Many grocery stores stock cans of sweetened condensed oat milk alongside the original dairy version, or you can source high-quality brands online. You can also make it yourself with one of the many video tutorials available online. However you get your hands on it, you can use it as is or zhuzh it up with flavors inspired by your favorite commercial creamers. 

Though there's nothing wrong with fortifying your coffee with this oat milk product's unadulterated sugary, creamy goodness, this type of sweetened condensed milk is perfect for making homemade coffee creamer, as you don't have to worry about cloying coconut notes shining through. In fact, the oat milk brings earthy warmth to your homemade creamer without distracting from the main flavor.  

It's okay to stick to classics like vanilla and caramel, but you can also draw inspiration from your favorite slow cooker apple-cinnamon oatmeal or an heirloom recipe for oatmeal raisin cookies to keep things on theme. All you need are a few drops of the right extracts (yes, apple-flavored baking extract exists, and it's on Amazon) and a sprinkle of the right spice blends. Or try recreating expensive artisanal coffee creamers like lavender and honey, rose and white chocolate, or orange blossom. Floral flavors go especially well with oats and oat milk, as the nuttiness helps keep it from tasting like potpourri. 

When making your homemade creamers, taste as you go to keep flavors balanced. It may also be a good idea to lightly warm everything to help the flavors marry a bit. Flavored or not, store leftover sweetened condensed oat milk in an airtight container in the fridge, where it will remain fresh for up to a month. Squeeze bottles are particularly convenient, as you can just stream it into your coffee on the go. Sweetened condensed oat milk also freezes beautifully for up to 12 weeks, allowing you to portion it into ice cube trays for blending into iced and frozen coffee-based beverages and smoothies.