When it's too hot for hot coffee, make some cold-brew coffee, and sweeten it with this homemade vanilla sweet cream coffee creamer.
For quite a while, I only drank my coffee hot, even on the most brutal days of summer. I couldn't imagine drinking coffee cold. I broke down and tried iced coffee once. It was okay, but I still preferred my coffee hot.
Then I tried cold-brew coffee, and my opinion completely changed. While iced coffee is just regularly-brewed hot coffee that is chilled and served with ice, cold-brew coffee is made with, well, cold (or room temperature) water, and brews over 12 to 24 hours. The result is coffee that's mellower and less acidic.
My favorite coffee chain has a menu item that consists of cold-brew coffee and sweetened vanilla creamer. The coffee is so smooth and easy to drink! I could drink two a day, which is bad for my wallet, and borders on a dangerous amount of caffeine.
I've been making cold-brew coffee at home for about two years now, using Cook Like a Champion's recipe, but I've been using store-bought coffee creamer. But those creamers never really replicated the flavor of the sweet cream cold brew at the coffee shop.
This creamer is so simple: just three ingredients. No cooking. Just stir to combine. It will keep in a sealed container in the refrigerator for up to two weeks, which is more than enough time if you typically drink a glass of cold-brew once a day.
Simple fill a glass with ice, fill with cold-brew coffee, leaving enough room for your vanilla sweet cream coffee creamer. Add enough to suit your taste and enjoy!
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Vanilla Sweet Cream Coffee Creamer
Ingredients
- 14 oz sweetened condensed milk
- 16 oz heavy cream
- 1 tbsp vanilla extract
Instructions
- Combine all ingredients in a bowl and whisk until combined.
- Pour into a carafe and store in the refrigerator.
I made it with 10% coffee cream, vanilla and honey to taste. Was delicious and way less calories and fat.
What is coffee cream?
Half and half
How long will it last in the refrigerator?
Judy, it should last about two weeks.
Compared to buying the creamer at the store,is it considered cheaper to make it yourself?
Hi Kourtney,
It really depends on the cost of the ingredients in your area. Some prefer to make their own, no matter the cost, to control the level of sweetness, or the amount of sugar, or to substitute for allergies, etc.
- Coleen
Hi there. How many calories is this?
Excited to make this.
I made this and it was great. Tastes just like the vanilla sweet cream at a certain coffee chain who's name rhymes with Carbucks.
Thanks for your feedback! Comments like this make my day 🙂
YES!! This is exactly what ive been looking for!!! Its perfection!
Can you put other flavors in like chocolate, caramel, pumpkin spice, etc for a little variety?
Yes, you can replace the vanilla extract with other flavors, such as hazelnut extract, or even flavored syrups (Torani would be one example) for caramel, pumpkin, etc. I haven't done it myself, so I can't guide you on whether it would be an even 1-to-1 replacement, so start with a little, taste, and add more as needed.
For chocolate, I would keep the vanilla extract, and add a couple of tablespoons of cocoa powder. You might need to warm the condensed milk and cocoa powder over medium heat to get the powder to dissolve.
I started making my own cold brew a while ago and love, love it! I can't wait to try this recipe to compete my morning coffee ritual.
Can you replace the sweetened condensed milk or not put it in to make it sugar free?
Use half and half instead and it works great
I made this last night and my mornings will now never be the same. To save some money on buying a vanilla sweet cream cold brew, I tried this with my work's free coffee and it is AMAZING. I also put this in some tea in the afternoon for another pick me up.. Wow. So good!
Have you ever tried to froth it to make the Sweet Cream Cold Foam? I order my iced coffee with the Vanilla Sweet Cream Cold Foam not just the cream.
Hi Kathy,
No, I haven't tried that. Starbucks uses fat-free milk to make their cold foam. I don't know if using condensed milk would result in the same texture.
I’ve tried to froth it and it does froth!!! You need a frother that will froth cold milk.
This was a really good recipe. I followed it but used half/half it turned out good. A little goes a long way, it was a bit too sweet for me, was glad I had a new bottle of Stoks iced espresso coffee. For me next time I will adjust to a tsp of vanilla I can always add more and I will add more of a heavy cream.
Should the creamer be put in something that sealed air tight or is plastic wrap ok. Can't wait to try this I love the coffee shop one and it would be cheaper to do it myself.
I would recommend something that seals vs. plastic wrap just because of the possibility of accidental spillage.
Hi!
Has anyone had any luck steaming this with an espresso machine steaming wand? I love Vanilla Sweet Cream and am trying to add it to my espresso but would of course like both to be steamed. I didn't have much success steaming it this morning, however I'm pretty new to espresso machines...
Thanks!
There are new dairy-free condensed milk and heavy cream options that I went for -- both a coconut variety. The heavy cream was "Let's Do Organic" brand; the condensed milk, "Nature's Charm" brand.
The creamer smells and tastes good by itself -- a nice mix of coconut and vanilla! But it did not mix in as a liquid with my cold brew ;(. It fell hard to the bottom of the cup. Then, when I mixed it, some of it broke up into "coconut pulp" that floated to the top of the cup. And after putting what seemed like more than enough in, the sweetness wasn't there and I was hesitant to go further.
NOTE: I did not put in vanilla syrup, which is what the inspiring company does when they make it. Perhaps that's the difference (?).
Anyhow, I was really excited, so this comes as a bummer. Sharing in case anyone else was considering this so they know ahead of time. Also, if anyone has ideas of a way to overcome this, please advise!
The "So Delicious" brand coconut milk creamer (original) in lieu of the "Let's Do Organic" heavy cream got rid of the ground pieces of coconut and appropriately lightened the weight of the concoction.
Still can't taste the sweetness in the cold brew without a LOT of the concoction. So, will be doing the inspiring chain's trick of a few pumps of vanilla syrup with just a few drops of the sweet cream. (Perhaps that's as intended.)
I asked a barista what was in theirs once and they said heavy cream, 2% milk and vanilla syrup. I’ve tried making it at home and can’t get it quite right! 🙁 I even buy “Carbucks” cold brew from the store. Maybe I need to try plain vanilla extract instead of the “carbucks” vanilla syrup I bought? Do you add anything to sweeten the cold brew like they do? Or just add the creamer?
Hi Mindy,
No, I don't add any additional sweetener.
Thanks for the delicious recipe! Taste perfect!
Do you think I can freeze the leftovers? It makes a lot and I don’t drink coffee often enough to go through. Thank you!
I don't see why not! Just give it a good shake after thawing in case any separation occurred that might affect the texture.
I made this just last night. Followed the recipe to a "T". I was excited to try it in my cold brew coffee this morning, and it was very thick and chunky. Literally looked like I used leftover old melted ice cream. I poured it over my cold brew and did not even begin to self blend of drop to the bottom of the coffee. It just sat on the top of the coffee. I had to stir it in and it made my coffee thick and chunky. It did not have a very good vanilla taste and was not very sweet. I tried adding a little milk to the creamer and it did not seem to thin out. I'm willing to try again, but not sure what went wrong.