Have you ever run out of milk? Are you a lactose intolerant person?
Are you thinking of using coffee creamer instead of milk in your daily cereals?
You must be thinking what to do and what not to do in such a case.
The simple answer is Yes.
You can surely use a good quality coffee creamer instead of milk for your cereal.
However, it won’t taste the same but there is no harm in replacing milk with coffee creamer.
You can choose any good quality flavored coffee creamer according to your taste.
The one I recommend to use in this case is Coffee Mate Creamer.
Because it comes in wide variety of flavors and it is non-dairy, lactose free, cholesterol free and gluten free as well.
Table of Contents
- FAQ Related to Use of Coffee Creamer in Your Cereals
- Should I Add Coffee Creamer in My Cereals instead of Milk?
- Can You Dilute Coffee Creamer to Make Milk?
- Can You Boil Coffee Creamer?
- Can You Use Coffee Mate instead of Milk Powder in Your Cereal?
- Conclusion
FAQ Related to Use of Coffee Creamer in Your Cereals
Should I Add Coffee Creamer in My Cereals instead of Milk?
Coffee creamer is a non-dairy product which is made up of corn syrup solids, hydrogenated vegetable oils and sodium caseinate.
There is no harm in using coffee creamer instead of milk in your regular cereal.
Better brands may have a touch of milk solids thrown in but basically, it’s the combination of few harmless vegetable oils, some coloring and flavoring.
It can be a better substitute for those who are allergic to dairy products as coffee creamer doesn’t contain any dairy.
If you can’t use milk, then don’t worry.
Here comes the substitute for it and it is a coffee creamer.
My recommendation is to always opt for coffee creamers that are made from non-dairy, gluten free, lactose free and cholesterol free ingredients.
One such coffee creamer is Coffee Mate that comes in variety of flavors.
It is versatile and easy to find at any local market or you can also purchase it online.
Milk can distract the original flavor of different foods such as cereal and coffee due to the presence of fat and protein.
This is why many coffee shops use low-fat milk for foams.
Coffee creamers are cheaper and convenient than milk.
They usually come in the form of powder, refrigerated liquids and more.
Sometimes, companies put forth some efforts to make healthier choices with what type of ingredients to use.
That’s why, it is important to check the ingredients of the coffee creamer when you are buying it.
How to Use Coffee Creamer instead of Milk in Your Cereals?
Generally, coffee creamers are sweeter than regular milk.
Because they contain more sugar and a higher amount of fat content than the milk.
That is why, coffee creamer is creamier than the milk.
If you usually add sugar to your cereal, then you must reduce the amount of sugar whenever you are using coffee creamer for your cereal.
You can also pick creamers with low-fat and low-calories.
Also, milk contains nutrients like calcium and protein.
You can lose these nutrients from a substitution with creamer, since most creamers do not contain vitamins and minerals.
However, a cup of creamer contains lower calories than a whole cup of milk.
Using a coffee creamer is very easy.
You can use a regular coffee creamer or a flavored one as many flavors are available in the market.
You can choose one that you like and the one that is suitable for you.
Just like milk, coffee creamer can be easily mixed with a hot cereal.
But remember, some creamers are sweeter than the others.
So, start with a little quantity and add more according to your taste.
After that, slowly stir it for some time.
You can also add a very little amount of milk or water to the cereal so that the creamer takes the form of a liquid.
If you are thinking to use dry creamer in place of milk then you can just take the same amount of powdered coffee creamer as that of the milk.
Then mix it into your cereal.
However, dry coffee creamer is not an ingredient that most people use everyday.
So, it’s better to go with regular liquid coffee creamer.
After using the coffee creamer, you need to refrigerate the liquid creamer so that it won’t be spoiled.
In case of powdered coffee creamer, you can store it at a normal room temperature.
Recommended Articles for You:
Can You Refrigerate Coffee Mate Creamer? Here is the Answer
5 Main Differences Between Liquid vs Powder Coffee Creamer
3 Smart Methods to Preserve Your Coffee Creamers at Home
Can You Dilute Coffee Creamer to Make Milk?
Well, if you are thinking that you can dilute coffee creamer and convert it into milk then you are wrong.
Coffee creamer is sweeter than the milk as they contain added sugar in it.
Eventually, it would taste much sweeter and creamier than that of milk.
Diluting the creamer will give a liquid texture to it but it won’t completely taste like milk so you can’t make milk out of a creamer.
Thus, it can be used as an alternative for milk but cannot be converted into milk.
Just take half a cup of creamer and half a cup of water to get a whole cup of milk substitute.
However, if you want to make some milk-containing recipe, then substituting coffee creamer can be effective too.
You can add the creamer according to the required quantity and purpose of milk in that particular recipe.
Besides, using coffee creamer won’t have much of an effect on the end product.
Because it is completely harmless and does not spoil your food.
It does have a slight effect on the taste and texture of the recipe that you want to make without milk.
Can You Boil Coffee Creamer?
You can heat Liquid Coffee Creamer (LCC).
Most coffee creamers are made from oil emulsions in non-fat milk/milk-substitute ingredients.
You can surely warm them up long enough to around 85°C in order to prevent fat separation.
This fat separation can render the creamer and can make your food oily.
Heating the creamer to it’s boiling point i.e. 100°C can not only lead to fat separation.
But I would not recommend doing so, because it is not good for your health and can also cause burn or scald inside your mouth.
Hence, it is better to slightly microwave the creamer for merely 30 seconds instead of boiling it.
The other thing you can do is just stick to the room temperature or consume it cold as it is used primarily to lower down a hot beverage.
Can You Use Coffee Mate instead of Milk Powder in Your Cereal?
Coffee Mate comes in either liquid or powder format.
It can also be used as a milk substitute in your cereal for sure.
Coffee Mate is made from non-dairy, lactose-free, cholesterol-free and gluten-free ingredients.
It has about 20 calories per tablespoon.
It is also called as a coffee whitener or a non-diary creamer.
It usually comes in two forms – light and regular.
The light form doesn’t taste very good but has a very low amount of fat.
It comes in both liquid and powdered forms and it also comes in different flavors.
Coffee Mate mainly contains water, sugar, coconut oil, sodium caseinate, dipotassium phosphate, mono and diglycerides, artificial flavor and beta-carotene (color).
Ingredients of other similar brands may differ from each other but these are the basic things that are used in a Coffee Mate.
However, it is usually not much better than using fresh milk.
It can only be used as an alternative to milk if you are allergic to dairy products.
It is available in a variety of flavors from which you can choose the one that suits your taste.
If you love almond flavor, then I recommend you to try Califia Farms almond unsweetened milk.
It is soy-free, dairy-free, gluten-free, carrageenan-free, non-GMO, kosher and vegan by nature.
This particular one is unsweetened which you must try out.
You can also get this in Hazelnut, Pecan caramel and Vanilla flavor.
And, most importantly this gives only 10 calories per serving.
It contains almond milk, coconut cream, sunflower lecithin, and other natural flavors.
Other important ingredients are calcium carbonate, sea salt, potassium citrate, locust bean gum and gellan gum.
Which Coffee Creamer Brand is Best to Add in Cereal instead of Milk?
There are wide range of coffee creamers available in the market.
They are usually made up of sugar, water and vegetable oil.
Many manufacturers combine these ingredients with some additives, such as vanilla extract, carrageenan or cellulose gum, to diversify the flavors.
They usually come as refrigerating liquids or in powdered forms.
You may be confused about which brand to pick as there are a variety of creamers available at the market.
Here are my top 3 favorite coffee creamers that I would like you to try with your cereals.
1. Nestle Coffee-Mate French Vanilla Liquid Coffee Creamer
2. Nestle Coffee-Mate Original Coffee Creamer
3. Califia Farms Vanilla Almond Milk Coffee Creamer
Conclusion
By now, you must have understood that there is no harm in using a coffee creamer instead of milk in your regular cereal.
It offers a welcome change of taste to your daily cereal and you can enjoy some new flavors too.
Make sure to follow all the required measures that I mentioned above.
A stroll down the refrigerated aisle of your local grocery store will quickly reveal shelves upon shelves of different types of coffee creamers.
Coffee creamer is completely dairy-free and perfect for lactose intolerant people.
But remember that it is heavily processed and loaded with added sugar.
Select the ones with low-fat and low-calories.
Now, you can get varieties of coffee creamers that contain different ingredients and some are also available as sugar-free and fat-free.
You can find numerous flavored varieties of coffee creamer, such as French vanilla, butter pecan, and pumpkin spice.
They can be added to many recipes to enhance the flavor and texture of the dishes.
You can also use unflavored coffee creamer as a non-dairy milk substitute.
The best coffee creamer choice for me to add in my cereals is of course Coffee Mate.
I recommend you to try this next time instead of milk in your cereals.
References:
https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/cream-vs-half-and-half-vs-coffee-creamer
https://www.quora.com/What-is-the-difference-between-coffee-creamer-and-milk