Homemade Pumpkin Coffee Creamer

You can make flavorful homemade pumpkin coffee creamer in less than 15 minutes and enjoy it all week long. Made with real pumpkin puree and no artificial flavorings or preservatives, you can feel good about adding a splash to your coffee!

I originally published this recipe in 2015 and have since added new photos and a few more success tips.

glass mug of pumpkin coffee creamer in coffee with whipped cream.

Nothing compares to a steaming-hot cup of coffee on cool mornings. Add some pumpkin coffee creamer and maybe some apple cider donuts, and you have a sweater-weather dream come true.

While there are plenty of pumpkin spice coffee creamers at the grocery store these days, and the pre-made packaged stuff is certainly convenient, homemade pumpkin coffee creamer is surprisingly quick and easy to make. Plus, it keeps for a week in the refrigerator, so one batch will last for multiple mornings of that mmm-moment worth getting out of bed for!

Readers are raving about this homemade coffee creamer:

One reader, Grace, commented: “So easy! And sooo good!! I love how the amounts of maple syrup in this recipe is not too sweet at all! And more importantly I love that we control the wholesome ingredients. Perfect flavor and wonderful smell!! ★★★★★”

One reader, Argie, commented: “Well I just made this and it’s delicious! Goals, avoid paying $6 for a pumpkin spice latte when I can make one at home that’s richer, cheaper, and easier. Sweetness is great, not nearly as sweet as those commercial PSLs… ★★★★★”

homemade pumpkin spice coffee creamer in glass jar.

Why You’ll Love This Homemade Pumpkin Coffee Creamer

  • Outstanding pumpkin flavor from pure pumpkin puree
  • Cozy, warming spices
  • Real, natural, recognizable ingredients—no preservatives or mystery ingredients
  • Takes only 15 minutes to make
  • Feel free to freeze in an ice cube tray to add to hot coffee
  • Keeps in the refrigerator for up to a week
  • Can be made dairy free

You Need Just 5 Ingredients

  1. Half-and-half, Whole Milk, or Heavy Cream: For extra rich flavor and the creamiest texture, use heavy cream. It’s delicious that way! But I usually use half-and-half for something a little lighter. You can also use whole milk. See below for best nondairy alternatives.
  2. Pumpkin Puree: You don’t need a whole can, so you’ll have some left over. Here are recipes to make with leftover pumpkin puree.
  3. Pure Maple Syrup: You’ll appreciate that we’re using a natural sweetener in this creamer. Make sure it’s the real deal, not the bottle labeled “pancake syrup.”
  4. Pumpkin Pie Spice: You can use either store-bought or homemade pumpkin pie spice blend.
  5. Cinnamon Sticks: Two cinnamon sticks infuse this creamer with so much warming flavor. I always keep some on hand in the fall, for making homemade apple cider and honeycrisp apple sangria, too!
cinnamon sticks, maple syrup, spices, and cream on peach surface.

How to Make It

You just need a saucepan and a whisk, and in less than 15 minutes of cooking, you have the perfect blend of fall flavors for your morning coffee.

That’s all you do!

cream mixture in pot with cinnamon sticks on beige-patterned linen.
pouring pumpkin spice creamer into coffee.

Dairy-Free Pumpkin Spice Coffee Creamer

The base of coffee creamer is, obviously, dairy cream or half-and-half. For a dairy-free alternative, try using coconut milk, cashew milk, oat milk, or almond milk. Full-fat coconut milk will give you the thickest, creamiest result; other nondairy milks may be on the thinner side.

coffee drink in glass mug.

One favorite way to enjoy coffee in the fall? Add a splash of homemade pumpkin creamer, then top with whipped cream and a sprinkle of cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice. Talk about dreamy.

Print
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pumpkin coffee with whipped cream and cinnamon stick.

Homemade Pumpkin Coffee Creamer

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star 4.4 from 29 reviews
  • Author: Sally McKenney
  • Prep Time: 10 minutes
  • Cook Time: 5 minutes
  • Total Time: 15 minutes
  • Yield: 1 and 3/4 cups
  • Category: Beverages
  • Method: Cooking
  • Cuisine: American
Save Recipe

Description

Make homemade pumpkin spice coffee creamer in less than 15 minutes! It has incredible flavor thanks to real pumpkin puree. 


Ingredients

  • 1 and 1/2 cups (360ml) heavy cream, half-and-half, or whole milk*
  • 2 heaping Tablespoons (about 35g) pumpkin puree
  • 2 Tablespoons (30ml) pure maple syrup (or more, if you prefer sweeter creamer)
  • 1 and 1/2 teaspoons store-bought or homemade pumpkin pie spice*
  • 2 cinnamon sticks


Instructions

  1. In a small saucepan over medium heat, whisk together heavy cream, pumpkin, maple syrup, and pumpkin pie spice. Add cinnamon sticks and increase heat to medium-high. Bring to a boil, whisking occasionally, for 1 minute, then remove from heat and let creamer cool in the pan for 5 minutes. Pour through a fine-mesh sieve if the creamer looks separated.
  2. You can use the creamer in your coffee right away, and keep in mind that it’s not super sweet as is, so you can add sugar to your coffee if you take it that way. You can also top your coffee with whipped cream and a sprinkle of cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice, too.
  3. Store leftover creamer, without cinnamon sticks, in a tightly sealing jar in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. Shake well before using.

Notes

  1. Special Tools (affiliate links): Saucepan | Whisk 
  2. Dairy-Free Creamer: Try using coconut, cashew, oat, or almond milk. The creamer won’t be as thick.
  3. Pumpkin Pie Spice: I add 1 and 1/2 teaspoons of spice, so you can really taste it. Feel free to start with less, and then add more to taste. You can buy pumpkin pie spice from the store or use homemade pumpkin pie spice. If you don’t have either and wish to use the individual spices in this recipe, use 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon, 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger, 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice, 1/8 ground nutmeg, and 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves.
sally mckenney headshot purple shirt.
About the Author

Sally McKenney

Sally McKenney is a baker, food photographer, and New York Times best-selling author. Her kitchen-tested recipes and step-by-step tutorials have given millions of readers the knowledge and confidence to bake from scratch. Sally’s work has been featured on TODAY, Good Morning America, Taste of Home, People, and more.

Read More

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Reader Comments and Reviews

  1. Joy says:
    October 12, 2021

    Thank you Sally! I like pumpkin spice creamer- but was reading the ingredients list- and it was kind of scary! You don’t have a recipe for peppermint mocha creamer do you?

    Reply
    1. Lexi @ Sally's Baking says:
      October 12, 2021

      Hi Joy, we don’t have a recipe for peppermint mocha creamer at this time. But let us know if you find one you love!

      Reply
  2. Vicki Lohr says:
    October 5, 2021

    If you are storing in the fridge why does it need to be cooked first?

    Reply
    1. Trina @ Sally's Baking says:
      October 5, 2021

      Hi Vicki, cooking the ingredients helps combine the ingredients and allows the flavors to really come together.

      Reply
  3. Eileen says:
    October 3, 2021

    Hi Sally,
    Loved this recipe! Very tasty and I used it on the very delicious Pumpkin Coffee Cake! My question: When I put the refrigerated coffee creamer in my hot coffee this morning, the coffee curdled. I used fresh half and half. Do you know why this would happen? I was surprised as cold half and half doesn’t curdle. Thank you!

    Reply
    1. Sally @ Sally's Baking says:
      October 5, 2021

      Hi Eileen, does the creamer look curdled or has it just separated from the hot coffee? That’s happened to me before and I just had to really stir it back together.

      Reply
      1. Eileen says:
        October 8, 2021

        Hi Sally,
        The pumpkin creamer looked curdled. I tried stirring it, but it still looked as if the creamer had gone bad ( which wasn’t the case!). I’ll try making it again 🙂

  4. Julie says:
    September 27, 2021

    Hi Sally. I love your recipes and really appreciate that you add the weight measurements as we don’t do cups here in the UK. You have listed a few non-dairy milks but I wonder if you think this would also work with oat milk. Thanks!

    Reply
    1. Lexi @ Sally's Baking says:
      September 27, 2021

      Hi Julie, we haven’t tried it with oat milk but can’t see why that wouldn’t work. Let us know if you give it a try!

      Reply
      1. Julie says:
        October 12, 2021

        Hi! I made it both with heavy cream as in the recipe, which was outstanding, and a few weeks later made it with oat milk. I have to say the original recipe with the cream is so decadent and delicious. Making it with oat milk has less fat/calories and is still very tasty but it does not thicken up like the cream does. Both have lovely flavors but I would say making it with cream is a much nicer texture and is definitely more indulgent.

  5. Amber says:
    September 21, 2021

    I took one sip and said OH WOW. It is so good. Considering making another batch just to make it into whipped cream. Then I got some for my coffee and some for my ice cream. Why not, right?

    Reply
  6. Laura says:
    July 12, 2021

    This is one amazing coffee, thanks for sharing. Keep up the good work. I doubt it tastes as good as yours but I followed the recipe and it tastes amazing. Thanks for the recipe, seriously, thank you! Never thought I’ll enjoy pumpkin coffee so much. It has such a.. Christmas(?) flavor..

    Reply
  7. Jamie says:
    February 22, 2021

    Has anyone tried it without using the pumpkin? I’m thinking of doing that to get more spice flavor and then it should last longer? Would I even still need to heat it at that point?

    Reply
  8. Nicole Jones says:
    October 15, 2020

    Sally,

    I am allergic to the protein in milk so i have to use almond milk. Can I use that as an alternative to the other milks?

    Reply
    1. Stephanie @ Sally's Baking says:
      October 15, 2020

      For a dairy-free alternative, try using coconut milk, cashew milk, or almond milk.

      Reply
  9. Tiana says:
    September 23, 2020

    This was so good!!! I added a couple pinches of my favorite spices (aka ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves) and it was fantastic! The only thing i don’t love about it is that once it cooled the texture was a little gelatinous. I wonder if i cooked it to long. What do you think? Thanks for another great recipe!! Happy Baking!

    Reply
    1. Sally @ Sally's Baking says:
      September 27, 2020

      Hi Tiana! I’m glad you enjoyed this homemade coffee creamer! I haven’t experienced that texture before. Did you use pure pumpkin puree? It could have cooked too long though.

      Reply
  10. Kathy Boykin says:
    September 17, 2020

    Do you have the nutritional information (calories, fat, etc.) for this recipe?

    Reply
    1. Hilari @ Sally's Baking Addiction says:
      September 17, 2020

      Hi Kathy, I’m so happy you gave this recipe a try! I’m unsure of the nutritional info of this recipe, but there are many great online calculators like this one: https://recipes.sparkpeople.com/recipe-calculator.asp

      Reply
  11. Tiana says:
    September 15, 2020

    Hi! Can i half this recipe?

    Reply
    1. Stephanie @ Sally's Baking says:
      September 15, 2020

      Sure can!

      Reply
      1. Tiana says:
        September 15, 2020

        Thank you! I’m very excited to try this! Would love to see more creamer recipes! Thanks again!

  12. Ashley B. says:
    October 26, 2019

    I’m 8 months pregnant and have been craving pumpkin lattes like crazy! I made this recipe this morning as written (using half & half) and it came out great and was so easy! I love the flavors and appreciate that it is only mildly sweet from the maple syrup. Thanks for this recipe!

    Reply
  13. Jeri Klein says:
    October 6, 2019

    This is to die for! The commercial pumpkin pie spice creamers do nasty things to my digestive system. This recipe does not. And, I might try using skim milk to make a pumpkin drink to enjoy warm or cold.

    Reply
  14. Angela says:
    September 23, 2019

    Made this and it is amazing! So much better than any store bought! Do you happen to have nutrition info?

    Reply
    1. Sally @ Sally's Baking says:
      September 23, 2019

      Hi Angela! I don’t, sorry! Feel free to calculate it using an online recipe calculator.

      Reply
  15. Maria says:
    September 18, 2019

    Fantastic! I have always wanted to know how to make this!

    Reply
  16. Jessi says:
    September 14, 2019

    So yummy!! I need more creamer recipes from you!

    Reply
  17. J L says:
    September 5, 2019

    Perfect! I used a generous shake of ground cinnamon and instead of the maple syrup used a squirt of Splenda Zero liquid (after it cooled). Dee-lish!

    Reply
  18. Kala says:
    August 22, 2019

    I used agave instead of maple, and I loved it! Thank you for such an easy and versatile recipe that tastes like gourmet heaven. I found its best to make when I’m making my overnight oats. I like to add pumpkin purée to my oats with yogurt for the pumpkin spice oats. So this is perfect to make
    At the same time 😛

    Reply
  19. Janet Milburn says:
    May 9, 2019

    Is there any reason that this recipe can’t be placed in the freezer?
    I have done this with Coffee mate Pumpkin Spice it doesn’t
    actually freeze but when stirred into my coffee, it turned out fine.

    Reply
    1. Sally @ Sally's Baking says:
      May 13, 2019

      I always use it before I would need to freeze it so I haven’t actually tried, but I don’t see why you couldn’t! I would thaw in the refrigerator one day before you wish to use it.

      Reply
      1. Dee says:
        September 24, 2019

        Could possibly use an ice tray for controlled servings if freezing it.

  20. Kenani Ya'aqob Genre says:
    October 15, 2018

    Dear Sally, I’m unable to eat maple syrup, I’ve had severe pancreatitis that almost killed me with major organ stoppage, so I look for sugar substitutes, not artificial sugar, which is basically poison to people, there are many more bad things in sugar substitute than sugar, I have tried date sugar which is lower in sugars, but maybe not enough. Thank you..

    Reply
    1. Sally @ Sally's Baking says:
      October 17, 2018

      Date sugar or coconut sugar work, but they may leave a grainy texture until used in hot coffee. Honey would be great too.

      Reply
    2. Kayla B says:
      August 14, 2019

      I use Monk Fruit to sweeten. My husband found a Maple syrup sweetened with Erythritol (extracted from algae) on Amazon. Both of these sweeteners are natural sweeteners with very low to no glycemic impact.

      Reply
  21. Erin says:
    September 25, 2018

    Do I have to use cinnamon sticks or can I use just plain old powdered cinnamon?

    Reply
    1. Sally @ Sally's Baking says:
      September 27, 2018

      A couple pinches of ground cinnamon work in place of the cinnamon sticks.

      Reply
  22. Margaret says:
    September 17, 2018

    Thanks Sally

    Reply
  23. Margaret says:
    September 16, 2018

    I’m on a Keto diet and can’t have the maple syrup. How do you think it will be without the maple? I usually drink my coffee black, so I’m used to no sugar.
    Thanks

    Reply
    1. Sally @ Sally's Baking says:
      September 17, 2018

      Hi Margaret, you can leave it out though you will lose a little maple flavor. Maybe add some maple extract if you’re allowed to eat that?

      Reply
    2. Wendy says:
      September 10, 2020

      Margaret..use sugar free maple syrup.. keto friendly

      Reply
  24. Kris kelly says:
    December 4, 2017

    I also had the issue where it came out SUPER thick, like, it comes out of the container slow it’s so thick. Not sure why this happened? 

    Reply
    1. Lora says:
      September 15, 2018

      Was it the syrup that you used? I just made this today and mine came out decently. There was just a layer on the top that became thicker.

      Reply
    2. Christina says:
      October 2, 2019

      Did you use heavy cream? Heavy cream does that and the more you shake it the thicker it gets… it’s what you use to make whipped cream.

      Reply
    3. Wendy Wilson says:
      September 10, 2020

      Mine is thick and not creamy.. lots of pumpkin left behind after ever drink . Did i overcook?

      Reply
  25. Earl Williams says:
    November 28, 2017

    Sally
    This is very, very good adding such great fall flavors to my morning coffees. Love it. Whole new experience for me.
    Thank you very much.

    Reply
  26. Argie says:
    November 13, 2017

    Well I just made this and it’s delicious! Goals, avoid paying $6 for a pumpkin spice latte when I can make one at home that’s richer, cheaper and easier 🙂

    Sweetness is great, not nearly as sweet as those commercial PSLs, love that I’m getting my veggies in with this along with a healthy dose of spices! Great recipe, thanks!

    Reply
  27. Dana says:
    October 24, 2017

    I had a tiny bit of pumpkin leftover from the chocolate chip pumpkin bread recipe. The bread is so good!  I made the creamer and it was amazing!  I usually don’t love flavored coffee but it was really good.  Thanks for all the great ideas.  I bake your recipes at least once a week (or twice) and my family is loving it.

    Reply