This homemade, brown sugar creamer is the perfect sweet addition to any coffee or tea for a delicious treat, anytime! It rivals the popular coffee shop version in cost, taste, and ingredient quality.
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This recipe is…
Brown sugar creamer has a deep, caramelized, sweet flavor from the brown sugar and a creamy texture from the half and half. There’s a faint hint of vanilla that accentuates the richer notes of the brown sugar sweetness and a touch of salt that balances everything out.
If you’re looking for more homemade coffee creamers, we’ve got a bunch. See our gingerbread creamer, peppermint mocha creamer, pistachio latte creamer, cinnamon dolce latte creamer, and caramel macchiato creamer.
Five Star Reviews
“This is so good I want to drink it straight.” – Catherine
“Ran out of my store bought creamer and wanted to try to make my own. I found your recipe and tried it! I love it so much more than what I normally buy. It taste like the coffee I buy from my local coffee shop. This will definitely be a new weekly make for me!!” – Savana
“Yummy! Thank you for posting. Such a simple way to ensure knowing exactly what is going into your creamer. And being able to adjust the sweetness!” – Jessica
“So so glad I found this recipe! It’s absolutely delicious and was quick to make. I’ll probably only make this creamer for the foreseeable future. LOL” – Rebekah
Brown Sugar Creamer Ingredients
You only need a few ingredients for this recipe, and I bet that most of them are already in your fridge or pantry. Find ingredient notes (including substitutions and swaps) below.
- Half and half – we used half and half here, but you could use heavy cream or whole milk instead. Know that heavy cream will make for an even richer, thicker creamer, and whole milk will be less creamy.
- Brown sugar – brown sugar or coconut sugar will both work here, but know that brown sugar will make for the sweetest, most caramel-like taste.
A full ingredient list with exact amounts can be found in the recipe card below.
Recipe Variations and Modifications
- Make it dairy-free – to make this creamer dairy-free, grab a dairy-free half and half. Most local grocery stores carry this! If you can’t find it, simply use a can of full-fat coconut milk.
- Make it gluten-free – this recipe is 100% gluten-free as written.
How to Make Brown Sugar Coffee Creamer
The process of making this creamer is incredibly easy! Follow along below for the full how-to.
Step 1: To medium a saucepan on the stove, add all of the ingredients, and whisk to combine.
Step 2: Bring the mixture to a simmer, then turn off the heat. Let the creamer cool, then store it in the fridge in a covered container, like these mason jars, or pour over coffee as you would like!
Recipe Tips
- Adjust the sweetness – use more or less brown sugar depending on your desired level of sweetness.
- Adjust the amounts – this recipe can easily be doubled or tripled to make a larger batch.
- Give it a shake – the sugar should be well incorporated into the mix from simmering the ingredients on the stove, but since it is homemade and does not contain any stabilizers, give it a good shake before pouring.
How to Serve
This creamer is absolutely delicious poured over an iced or hot coffee, but is also really tasty mixed in with black tea for a brown sugar milk tea version.
How to Store
Store the creamer in an airtight jar (think: mason jar) in the fridge. As far as how long you can store it goes, you’ll want to look at the label on your half and half to see its expiration date – keep your creamer in an airtight container in the fridge until you reach that date.
Frequently Asked Questions
While everyone’s meter for sweetness will be different, we found that this brown sugar creamer is incredibly balanced with just the right amount of brown sugar to add a little sweetness to your coffee or beverage of choice without being saccharine.
More Favorite Coffee Creamer Recipes
If you tried this Brown Sugar Creamer or any other recipe on my website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below!
Brown Sugar Coffee Creamer
Ingredients
- 2 cups half and half
- ½ cup brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt fine
Instructions
- Add all ingredients to a medium saucepan on the stove and whisk together.
- Bring the mixer to a simmer, whisking occassionally.
- Turn off the heat and allow the mixture to cool. Store in a mason jar in the fridge and pour over coffee as desired.
Recipe Notes
- Adjust the sweetness – use more or less brown sugar depending on your desired level of sweetness.
- Adjust the amounts – this recipe can easily be doubled or tripled to make a larger batch.
- Give it a shake – the sugar should be well incorporated into the mix from simmering the ingredients on the stove, but since it is homemade and does not contain any stabilizers, give it a good shake before pouring to combine any separation.
- Use heavy cream or milk – if you want an extra creamy version of this recipe, use heavy cream in place of the half and half. If you prefer a less creamy version, substitute whole milk.
- Make it dairy free – use full fat coconut milk to make this recipe dairy free.
- Substitute the brown sugar – use coconut sugar in place of the brown sugar for a nuttier, less sweet flavor.
Nutrition
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I made this and it is so delicious! It tastes like desert. I have been looking for a homemade coffee creamer and this is the Best one/
YAY! We are so so happy you love it, Mandee!! Thank you so much for taking a moment to share this with us!
You actually cannot see this full recipe because of the ads.
Thanks for the feedback, Chris! We’re looking into it now.
Holy sh!t…so so good! I’ve made it twice now. Today I used both, half & half and heavy cream and doubled the salt & it is just fabulous!!
Wahoooo! We’re so glad you love it, Sharlee!
So so glad I found this recipe! It’s absolutely delicious and was quick to make. I’ll probably only make this creamer for the foreseeable future. LOL
Wahooo! We’re so glad you love it, Rebekah!
Love it!! So easy to make, I have it cooking now. I can’t wait to taste it, smells amazing! I was wondering have you tried with monk fruit brown sugar? does it ruin or change the consistency?
The recipe seems super simple! I just have a question: considering that the recipe yields eight servings, what could be considered one serving? 2 tablespoons of the milk blend? Can I also make other flavors like add one and a half teaspoons of unsweetened cocoa powder and make a chocolate or change the flavoring to complement the milk that I use?
Hi! There are about 32 tablespoons-worth of liquid here, so 1 serving would be a 1/4 cup. I hope that helps!
Recipe states bring to a simmer. Is that over medium heat?
Yep!
I’m so upset that I ever bought the store bought with the ingredients I couldn’t even pronounce! This is absolutely fantastic! I used 1/2 canned unsweetened organic coconut milk and 1/2 heavy cream. It’s thicker than regular creamer but takes WAY less to have a cup of “hits your soul” delicious coffee!! YUM!
We’re so glad you love the creamer, Lori! Thanks so much for taking the time to share this with us!
I tried this and it is sooooo good!! I’ve had it in my coffee everyday this week!
You should make other creamer recipes like pumpkin spice, chestnut praline, vanilla bean, mocha…… I would be all over it!! Thank you for this recipe!
We’re so glad you love it, Abby! We’ll keep those creamer flavors in mind!!
This is absolutely delicious! I use equal parts leftover from the morning brewed coffee & this creamer, on ice, and it makes a perfect 2nd cup treat. Thanks!
Yum!! We’re so glad you love it, Claudine!
How many cans of coconut milk should I use?
If you’re subbing coconut milk for the half and half, you’ll do a 1:1 sub – 2 cups worth. -Team FF
Would Almond milk work or would it not be thick enough?
Almond milk is a great non-dairy substitute! It may not be quite as creamy, but will be just as tasty! -Team FF
This was delicious! I’m adhering to sweeteners from the Mediterranean eating plan so I used coconut sugar. I thought it tasted very similar to brown sugar. I’ve long been a fan of cinnamon in my coffee. I think I’m going to spice it up with a little cayenne next time 🙂
Love that, Cami! Thank you for sharing!
So good! I normally drink black coffee, but this has been a nice addition to hot or iced coffee at home!
So glad you are enjoying, Caitlan! Thank you for taking the time to share with us. -Team FF
In the picture of ingredients, it looks like maybe cinnamon? But there is no mention of that in the recipe. Could you clarify? Looks absolutely delicious!
Thank you for bringing that to our attention, Suzy! We’ve updated the recipe card to include the 1/4 teaspoon of cinnamon. Sorry for the confusion! -Melissa
How long is the creamer good for the in the refrigerator?
Hi Caitlan! The creamer is good for up to 7 days. You can also go by the expiration date of the half and half you use. Enjoy! -Team FF