This skinny pumpkin spice coffee creamer recipe has no artificial ingredients and tastes amazing.

When I started eating healthier, one of the things I dreaded giving up was my beloved flavored coffee creamer. I actually didn't give it up for the first year because I didn't realize just how easy it was to make at home.

I started by making my own powdered coffee creamer, which is really easy. I had made coffee creamer before, but it wasn't, well, creamy. I like cream in my coffee, and I don't think skim or 2 percent milk cuts it. My powdered coffee creamer uses coconut oil, so it is creamy and doesn't taste like coconut.

I always have my powdered creamer, but sometimes I also make a liquid. While the powdered tastes great, I prefer using a liquid for the taste.

In years past, I always bought pumpkin spice coffee creamer. This year, I decided that I didn't want the extra ingredients, so I set out to make my own. Now I wish that I'd started making my own years ago!

SKINNY PUMPKIN SPICE COFFEE CREAMER RECIPE

As much as I love my skinny PSLs, I need the convenience of a liquid creamer for the mornings. There's one available in the stores that is really yummy, but store bought pumpkin spice coffee creamer has some ingredients that I don't want. The brand that I usually buy lists its top ingredients as water, sugar, and vegetable oil.

I'm trying to avoid white sugar, and I have no idea why vegetable oil belongs in a coffee creamer, but I digress.

It also has "natural flavors". Natural is good, right?

Not necessarily. Foods can have natural ingredients that are found in nature but aren't really things we would normally eat. And we have no way of knowing what they are.

I have no idea what the natural flavors are in the name brand coffee creamer. They would be derived from something that I would eat, or they could be from ground up bug wings. We have no way of knowing.

It also has dipotassium phosphate and carrageenan. Both are thought to be safe, but they are questionable ingredients. Carrageenan may cause inflammation in the body, so I avoid it.

By making my own skinny pumpkin spice coffee creamer recipe, I can control the ingredients. I don't use any chemicals or ingredients with chemicals.

NUTRITION INFORMATION

Making your own coffee creamer also means fewer calories and carbs. Using half and half yields the same amount of fat per serving, but the reduction in carbs and being able to swap out the sugar makes this a better food choice.

The name brand pumpkin spice coffee creamer has 35 calories, 5g carbs, and 1.5g fat per tablespoon.

This skinny pumpkin spice coffee creamer recipe made with half and half has 21 calories, 1.5g carbs, and 1.5g fat per tablespoon.

MILK CHOICE

I use half and half or heavy cream. I'm eating fewer carbs, so I prefer the higher fat milks. I use a lot less creamer when there's more fat, so it's a tradeoff for me.

You can also use coconut milk or almond milk. Use the milk that you're comfortable with.

SWEETENER

I use coconut sugar for the sweetener. Coconut sugar tastes the most like white sugar and doesn't have an aftertaste or bitter taste like some other sweeteners do.

Coconut sugar is said to have a lower glycemic index than other sweeteners.

One problem with coconut sugar is that it doesn't dissolve well. Since you heat this up, it helps it dissolve better.

You can also use liquid stevia or other sweetener of your choice.

PUMPKIN SPICE

You can use a premade pumpkin spice, or you can just make your own. I make my own with bulk spies from the Amish bulk food store that I frequent.

You'll need:

4 teaspoons cinnamon
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Just mix it up and measure out half of a teaspoon for the recipe.

INGREDIENTS

1 1/2 cup half and half (or almond milk or coconut milk)
2 tablespoons organic pumpkin puree
2 tablespoons coconut sugar
1/2 teaspoons pumpkin spice
1-2 cinnamon sticks (optional)

DIRECTIONS

STEP #1

Put milk, pumpkin puree, coconut sugar, and pumpkin spice in a saucepan. Whisk together. Then add cinnamon sticks. I did not use cinnamon sticks this time, but it does give it an extra kick of cinnamon.