If you are a pumpkin and coffee lover you've come to the right place. This Dairy-Free Pumpkin Creamer tastes amazing, is simple to make and is good for you too!
If you are trying to change over to a healthier diet, one of the hardest things to give up can be coffee creamers.
I regularly hear from people who are trying to break their creamer habit. But it's hard. Those creamers are addictive. And there's a reason for that. They are made with chemicals that are meant to make you come back for more.
But it can be done and this Vegan Pumpkin Creamer recipe is just what you need to get you there. Not only is it tasty and healthy, but it's also dairy-free.
Those folks who don't eat dairy, for whatever reason, must often feel left out of the pumpkin-filled fall festivities.
- No pumpkin ice cream.
- No traditional pumpkin pie.
- No pumpkin pie spiced creamer.
My heart truly aches for you no-dairy-allowed-pumpkin-lovers. I adore the big orange squash too, and could easily keep Starbucks in the PSL (that's Pumpkin Spice Latte, for those of you who don't know) business beyond November if they only gave me the chance.
It's not fair to have to choose between severe abdominal pains, going against your food convictions, or consuming lab-grown, GMO soy milk when ordering your favorite latte. And you certainly shouldn't have to forgo the season altogether! That simply wouldn't be fair.
When I was younger and complained about something being not far, my mom used to say “life isn't fair.” Hearing that only fueled my fury at the uneven score, driving me to find a way around whatever obstacle stood in my path.
Today, non-dairy drinkers can rejoice in a new found alternate route for making it through the pumpkin-flavored season.
Why Make this Dairy-free Pumpkin Creamer
Basically, the main reason to make this vegan pumpkin creamer is that it's soooo much healthier than the store bought creamers. And that's not an exaggeration at all.
Get a load of these ingredients:
Water, Sugar, Vegetable Oil (High Oleic Soybean and/or Partially Hydrogenated Soybean and/or Partially Hydrogenated Cottonseed), and Less than 2% of Sodium Caseinate (a Milk Derivative), Natural and Artificial Flavors, Mono- and Diglycerides, Dipotassium Phosphate, Cellulose Gel, Cellulose Gum, Carrageenan
First of all there's sugar. Not helpful.
Then, there's the soybean oil–that's GMO for sure. Meaning it's loaded with glyphosate too.
Then, there's the natural and artificial flavors. Hmmm…what's in there, I wonder?
And we haven't even gotten to the mono and di stuff.
Enough already.
Instead, you can have a whole food healthy coffee creamer that's lip licking good.
In fact, this creamer tastes so good that even dairy drinkers may be tempted to slurp up this pumpkin creamer with a straw–no coffee needed!
That did happen, by the way. Consider yourself warned!
Uses for this Dairy-Free Pumpkin Creamer
- stir into hot chocolate
- use in tea
- drizzled over warmed baked oatmeal with apples
- stirred into hot cereals like this traditional breakfast porridge or this Cream of Rice Cereal
- drizzled on pancakes (like these 3-Ingredient Buckwheat Pancakes) or simply add to the batter
- a healthy fresh fruit dip
- heat up as a fondue alternative
- drizzle on ice cream
- stir into healthier powdered sugar to make a 2 ingredient icing
- mixed in to mashed sweet potatoes
- omit the sweetener for an alfredo sauce over spaghetti squash, zoodles, or traditional pasta noodles
or make the heavy cream version (a lot of it), add some canned pumpkin, and create your own dairy-free pumpkin ice cream!
Other Healthy Dairy-free Pumpkin Recipes
Besides this Vegan Pumpkin Spice Creamer, there are some other great healthy pumpkin recipes here that you can choose from.
Pumpkin Snickerdoodles
Healthy Pumpkin Custard
Soft Pumpkin Cookies
Homemade Pumpkin Pie Spice
Autoimmune Paleo Pumpkin Pie Spice
Healthy Pumpkin Recipes Roundup
Recipe Notes
- Nut Allergy Options:
If allergic to cashews, try macadamias or blanched almonds. Those nuts are lower carb too. Use organic dried, unsweetened coconut for AIP. When using coconut milk, however, the creamer will need to come to room temperature before using it since the fat from the coconut will coagulate at the top when refrigerated. Hemp milk is a possibility too, but since I have not personally tested that one, you may need to adjust the sweetener and spices. - Sweetener Alternatives:
See this post on Choosing Maple Syrup. Use vegetable glycerine or approx. 1 scoop of stevia (read this post on How to Use Stevia) or 1 1/2 Tbsp xylitol for a low-carb option. - DIY Option for Pumpkin Pie Spice:
Make your own pumpkin pie spice using this recipe or this AIP pumpkin pie spice. - Thickness Tips:
This non-dairy cream alternative has a similar consistency to half and half. If you need something a bit thicker, perhaps for a recipe calling for heavy cream, add less water during the blending process. Just go slowly with adding water because you can always add more water if needed, but it's hard to go the other way!
Pumpkin Pie Spiced Creamer - Dairy and Sugar Free
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup cashews
- 2-3 cups filtered water
- 1 1/2 Tbsp maple syrup
- 2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
Instructions
- Place cashews in a container and cover with filtered water. Allow to soak for 3-6 hours. This softens the nut and makes it easier to blend. Plus you can benefit from the breakdown of phytic acid. Also check out How to Soak and Dry Nuts and Seeds.
- Drain nuts and place in a blender. Add enough filtered water to just cover the nuts.
- Add maple syrup (or other sweetener) and spices and blend thoroughly.
- Store safely in the refrigerator for up to five days.
- Add 2-3 tablespoons to your favorite cup of coffee or tea (or this rich and nutritious coffee substitute) and enjoy!
Nutrition
The above nutrition facts are estimates only. Please read my Nutrition Disclaimer here.
Hope you enjoy this as much as we do!
What Flavor Creamer do YOU crave?
How would YOU use this pumpkin creamer?
Tiffany is a frugal foodie, balancing the desire to feed her family healthy food while being a good steward of her finances. She realized it was possible to eat nourishing, traditional food on a budget if she made baby-sized changes in the kitchen. She continues to work hard at mastering real foods without going broke and shares her journey at Don’t Waste the Crumbs.
Hey! So do you discard the water you used to soak the cashews? Then add just enough new filtered water to cover the cashews when you blend? Or use the filtered water you soaked the cashews in? Sorry, just confused ?.
Thanks 🙂
Hi there! In the recipe card it says to discard the water and then cover the nuts just enough when blending. Hope that helps and that you enjoy it!!