Gingerbread Coffee Creamer
If gingerbread is part of your winter tradition, you’re going to love this simple recipe for Homemade Gingerbread Coffee Creamer.
Gingerbread Creamer gets its flavor inspiration from freshly-baked gingerbread cookies and gingerbread loaf.
Just like spiced, homemade, holiday goodies, this creamer recipe has lots of ginger, brown sugar and molasses.
My favorite way to enjoy it is mixed with espresso or a splash in hot coffee.
Since this homemade creamer is syrup and cream all in one, it’s all you need.
Why You’ll Love this Homemade Creamer
- Unlike store-bought creamers that often contain oil, this homemade gingerbread coffee creamer has real cream and milk. Since it’s cream-based, you can steam and froth it, too.
- Making gingerbread creamer at home means you can easily adjust the recipe according to your taste. Want a more intense ginger flavor? Add more ginger or steep it longer. Don’t like even a hint of nutmeg? Leave it out. You’re in control.
- Your favorite coffeeshop (Starbucks, I’m looking at you), may choose to not add gingerbread to it’s seasonal flavor rotation. And the grocery stores only stock gingerbread creamer during the holidays. But with this recipe, you can enjoy gingerbread lattes whenever you want.
Gingerbread Coffee Creamer Recipe
This recipe makes 14 fluid ounces of gingerbread coffee creamer and is easily multiplied.
Ingredients
Making the creamer is as simple as combining homemade gingerbread syrup, cream and milk.
Here’s what you need.
- Fresh Ginger
- Brown Sugar
- Molasses
- Cinnamon
- Nutmeg
- Heavy Cream
- Milk
Ginger: You have two options when it comes to ginger: fresh ginger root or ground ginger.
I recommend using finely chopped, fresh ginger for this recipe.
Ginger root has a strong, spicy punch whose flavor stands out when mixed in drinks.
On the other hand, ground ginger is less intense, almost sweet, and better for baked gingerbread treats.
Brown Sugar: My preference is to make gingerbread creamer with dark brown sugar since it has more of a molasses flavor compared to light brown.
However, this recipe already has molasses in it, so if light brown sugar is all you have on-hand, use it.
Molasses: You can’t make gingerbread anything without molasses.
For this creamer recipe, and most recipes with molasses such as pecan pie, use unsulfured, original molasses.
According to Bon Appétit, unsulfered molasses “gives a sweeter, tamer, more natural flavor” and everyday original molasses “is the tamest in flavor and works well to boost other supporting flavors.”
Cinnamon: You can use cinnamon sticks or ground cinnamon. I prefer whole cinnamon sticks since they’re easy to strain out.
Heavy Cream and Milk: The base of this homemade creamer is simply heavy cream and milk.
It’s thick without being overly goopy and works equally well splashed in a cup of coffee or steamed and frothed.
I’ve seen other homemade creamer recipes that call for sweetened condensed milk.
You can certainly substitute that in for the heavy cream if desired, but I find that the molasses/brown sugar gingerbread syrup part of the recipe add are sweet enough.
Step-by-Step Instructions
- Chop the ginger. Peel and finely chop fresh ginger. Set aside.
- Make homemade gingerbread flavored simple syrup. To a small saucepan, add brown sugar, molasses and water. Bring to a gentle boil over medium heat, stirring frequently until sugar is dissolved. Reduce to a simmer. Add chopped ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves (if desired) and simmer for 10-15 minutes with lid off. Remove from heat.
- Combine gingerbread and cream. Pour heavy cream and milk into the syrup mixture. Let steep for about 10 minutes, then strain the creamer to remove pieces of ginger and cinnamon.
- Store creamer in refrigerator. Put creamer in a sterilized jar and store in the refrigerator until the earliest cream/milk expiration date.
Detailed recipe and instructions are in recipe card at bottom of post.
Making the Gingerbread Simple Syrup
Combining Gingerbread and Cream
Recipe Notes
- Substitute ground ginger for fresh: Replace chopped ginger root with 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger, to start. Add more according to taste.
- Substitute ground cinnamon for cinnamon sticks: The standard substitution ratio for cinnamon is 1/4 ground per cinnamon stick. Use that as a starting point and adjust according to taste.
- Optional nutmeg and cloves: You can skip the nutmeg and cloves if desired, but they do give the creamer more depth of flavor.
Ways to Use Gingerbread Coffee Creamer
Use gingerbread creamer as you would any flavored creamer, splashed in hot-brewed coffee.
Since this creamer is all cream, it also makes the most delicious gingerbread lattes!
For an iced gingerbread latte, simply add brewed espresso to a glass, fill it with ice, pour in some gingerbread creamer, and top it with a dusting of cinnamon.
To make a hot gingerbread latte, steam or froth the gingerbread creamer and pour it over espresso. Finish it with a dusting of cinnamon.
For gingerbread cream cold brew coffee, fill a glass with cold brew and ice.
Then froth up some cold gingerbread creamer until it has the consistency of melted ice cream. Finally, layer the gingerbread cold foam on top of the cold brew.
For tips on making cold foam, take a look at this recipe for Starbucks vanilla sweet cream cold foam.
More Coffee Creamer Recipes
- Sugar Cookie Coffee Creamer
- Peppermint Mocha Coffee Creamer
- Caramel Macchiato Coffee Creamer
- Italian Sweet Cream Coffee Creamer
- White Chocolate Coffee Syrup (Mocha Sauce)
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Gingerbread Coffee Creamer
Homemade Gingerbread Coffee Creamer is a flavored creamer recipe inspired from warm spiced gingerbread cookies. Made with fresh ginger, molasses and cinnamon, this creamer adds a touch of the holidays to coffee, espresso, tea and other drinks.
Ingredients
- 1/3 cup water
- 3 tablespoons brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons molasses
- 2 teaspoons ginger, finely chopped
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg (optional)
- 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves (optional)
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1/4 cup whole milk
Instructions
- Peel and finely chop fresh ginger. Set aside.
- To a small saucepan, add brown sugar, molasses and water. Bring to a low boil over medium heat, stirring frequently until sugar is dissolved. Reduce to a simmer. Add chopped ginger, cinnamon stick cloves and nutmeg (if desired) and simmer for 10-15 minutes with lid off. Remove from heat.
- Pour heavy cream and milk into the syrup mixture with spices. Steep for about 10 minutes, then strain the creamer to remove pieces of ginger and cinnamon.
- Store gingerbread coffee creamer in a sterilized jar in the refrigerator until the soonest cream/milk expiration date.
Notes
- Substitute ground ginger for fresh: Replace chopped ginger root with 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger, to start. Add more according to taste.
- Substitute ground cinnamon for cinnamon sticks: The standard substitution ratio for cinnamon is 1/4 ground per cinnamon stick. Use that as a starting point and adjust according to taste.
- You can make gingerbread coffee creamer without nutmeg and cloves, but they do add more depth of flavor.
