I Tried 9 Store-Bought Holiday Coffee Creamers And Ranked Them Worst To Best

Winter is nearing, and the holiday festivities are well on their way. Perhaps you're planning a holiday buffet or trying your best not to stress about hosting a festive party. With all that hubbub, we deserve to take a moment and fix ourselves a toasty cup of coffee — although I know plenty of people like to sip iced coffees year-round, if that's your jam. No matter what temperature you like your coffee, it doesn't hurt to add some seasonal spirit to it in the form of store-bought holiday coffee creamers. 

But which one do you pick, and which offers the best, most jolly flavor? I tested nine options from seven brands to see which one takes the cake — I mean, the cup. I judged them primarily on flavor, how it impacted my cup of joe, whether I could taste the advertised notes, and whether it added any merriment to my drink. Occasionally, the consistency plays a part in the ranking. I used specific coffee-to-creamer measurements (which I talk about toward the end in the methodology section) to give each creamer a fighting chance, but you can ramp up the flavor of any one by liberally pouring it into your mug. Your next cup of coffee will be much more celebratory with one of the top creamers on this list.

The festive-looking Nutpods Gingerbread Latte creamer is dairy-free, made of an almond and coconut base. The vegan-friendly creamer has a faint aroma that smells mainly of almond milk, but I don't detect much spice at all, nor do I taste it. I'm a big fan of gingerbread, but it needs to taste, well, gingery and spiced. There's a tinge of spiced flavor that comes in a little after swallowing the coffee, but it isn't particularly strong or noticeable. It provides a mellow enhancement to a black cup of coffee, but I wouldn't be able to figure out what it is in a blind taste test.

While not unpleasant in any way, the flavor of this Nutpods creamer left me underwhelmed and didn't deliver any kind of gingerbread latte vibe that its name suggests. It offers a touch of sweet creaminess, and that's about it. Perhaps you could amp it up by loading more into your drink, but as it stands, I wouldn't reach for this creamer because it failed to bring its advertised flavor.

Starbucks' almond and oat milk Sugar Cookie Latte creamer has a rich, sweet, creamy taste when you sip it by itself. Once added to coffee, it offers those same notes, but they come in slightly duller. It almost tastes like I just added a hint of sweetened oat milk to my drink — certainly not bad, but it doesn't provide anything more than that. And it certainly doesn't feel like I'm slurping on a sugar cookie, either.

I've had a lot of Starbucks creamers, and the Sugar Cookie Latte creamer isn't the best or worst from the brand's selection. I'd place it somewhere in the middle. But for this holiday-specific list that is dependent on holiday flavors and strength, it doesn't fare too well. It brings a sugary touch to my coffee, but there's nothing merry or fun about the flavor. If you told me it was a vanilla-ish creamer, I'd say yeah, that tracks. I prefer the overall taste to Nutpods' Gingerbread Latte, but there are some more interesting iterations on this list.

Coffee Mate has lots of creamer flavors, and its Peppermint Mocha flavor did pretty well in a previous ranking. The brand offers seasonal creamers throughout the year, but this is not one of them. The gingerbread man in a knit sweater with candy canes on the packaging, though, is seasonal to give your fridge a hint of holiday cheer. The non-seasonal packaging just depicts coffee, chocolate curls, and peppermint candies. Interestingly, this peppermint mocha flavor has a white hue, which I don't typically see when something is supposed to be mocha — aka, chocolatey. 

The creamer has a minty mocha aroma on the nose, complemented by a creamy mouthfeel due to the micellar casein milk derivative. While it is technically a non-dairy creamer, it has a thicker consistency than the other dairy-free options previously mentioned in this ranking. This creaminess gives it a slight boost. Once added to coffee, though, the chocolate profile is muted, and I get a stronger hint of mint than anything. It doesn't make the coffee taste unpleasant by any means, but you'd probably have to add a lot to taste both elements. Coming up later, there's another peppermint mocha creamer that does a better job at delivering both. However, this Coffee Mate iteration brings the most to the (tasting) table than anything thus far.

Nutpods makes its second appearance with its Holiday Nog flavor. This, too, is an almond and oat blend creamer with a mildly thick consistency and a slight bubbly texture once shaken. By itself, it smells similar to eggnog, which is both interesting and surprising considering the product (like all Nutpod creamers) is vegan. The eggnog aroma is barely there once added to the coffee, but it provides a nice sweetness, mild richness, and a je ne sais quoi enhancement that a cup of coffee wouldn't have. It's not very strong, but it ramps up toward the end of the sip. 

I like the unique flavor, which gives it a slight boost in the ranking. But otherwise, I still crave more from Nutpods' special edition creamer, much like the rest of the lower-ranked items. So far, nothing has made my coffee taste like the joy of Christmas morning, and I'm still holding out that something will. As a plus, Nutpods also sells an unsweetened Holiday Nog, which may be enticing to some consumers.

The Califia Farms Organic Holiday Spice creamer shows a picture of cardamom pods and cinnamon on the bottle, along with some other unknown dark brown ground spice. The ingredients list it as having the two spices, plus ginger, which I clearly wouldn't have guessed from the packaging. The almond creamer has a pleasant, spiced cardamom aroma on the nose, which I really like — it's different from other cinnamon, clove, or nutmeg-heavy drinks you see this time of year. 

While I enjoy the cardamom notes when taking a sip of the creamer by itself, and the complex spiced flavor, most people aren't typically drinking it alone. I wanted to taste it more in my drink, so you would have to be very liberal with how much you pour into your cup of joe. However, if you like to add spices to your coffee, this offers a lighter and similar result. Although it is not anywhere near as creamy as some of the other options because of that almond base, I like the nuanced flavor. It tastes mildly merry, and the cardamom extract brings a memorable aspect that sets this at the top of the ranking thus far.

I'm not judging these creamers based on packaging, but you have to admit this one with cartoon Kevin from "Home Alone" is pretty darn tootin' adorable. International Delight's Frosted Sugar Cookie creamer is smooth, rich, and very sweet on the tongue by itself. Therefore, it gives a strong sugar cookie-adjacent flavor that lingers after swallowing the coffee — more so than the Starbucks sugar cookie version I mentioned earlier. This iteration, made with a milk derivative, sodium caseinate, provides a milky color, not much of an aroma, and an overall nondescript sweetness to my coffee. 

While I wouldn't necessarily be able to pinpoint what flavor it's supposed to be if I didn't know it was a frosted sugar cookie, it delivers a creamy mouthfeel and comforting flavor that the other options haven't captured thus far. I appreciate that a small amount of creamer goes a long way, so this intensity comes to International Delight's benefit. The strength and richness are big reasons why International Delight made it onto our list of the best vanilla creamers, as well as top hazelnut coffee creamers. It's safe to say it remains a staple with its holiday flavor.

When I tried the Chobani Cookie Butter coffee creamer by itself, I thought it would rank first. It's luscious, rich, spiced, and sweet in a way that made my eyes roll in the back of my head with happiness. I could chug it by itself. It's made with cream, so it has a more decadent mouthfeel than anything I've had at this point in the ranking. While the ingredients don't offer any information on what gives it the cookie butter flavor (other than "natural flavors"), the creamer does indeed taste and smell like cookie butter. It's festive, delicious, and I figured it'd be a clear winner, but it didn't come in as prominently once added to coffee.

That said, it still presents a phenomenal, lightly spiced, complex taste and creamy touch mixed into my drink. It's neither too mild nor overwhelming. It tastes satisfying and gives me a sense of wintery joy when I drink it, so it's clearly the best holiday creamer of the bunch — so far. I'd also consider this to be one of the more unique flavors to add to a cup of coffee, as gingerbread, peppermint mocha, and even eggnog aren't too revolutionary.

By itself, Starbucks' seasonal Peppermint Mocha creamer didn't inspire me too much. I felt similarly in a previous Starbucks coffee creamer ranking, where the pep-moch came in sixth out of 12. But for the purpose of holiday-specific flavors, it made its presence known in my coffee and gave the most peppy, seasonal flavor compared to any of the lower-ranking picks. That's what truly counts, and a big factor I sought out in this ranking. The nonfat milk, heavy cream, and buttermilk-based creamer delivers on both its promised flavors — mocha (aka, chocolate) and peppermint — unlike Coffee Mate's attempt, which was more pepperminty than anything. You can taste both notes in your coffee, and that makes a scrumptious combination. 

The beautiful blend enhanced my beverage with every sip tasting just as uplifting and jovial as the next. I like that it's not heavily minted to make it taste as though you dropped toothpaste into your morning cup of joe. Instead, the chocolate notes come in to bring balance with that minty freshness. Starbucks' creamer hit everything I was looking for in a holiday item, but there was one creamer that beat it, thanks to a more complex and merry flavor. And it's a brand I hadn't tried before.

Are you as shocked as I am that the two creamers with the lowest and highest rankings are both gingerbread flavors? It came as a surprise to even me, the person sipping on all these liquids. So why did Planet Oat Gingerbread creamer do so well when pitted against eight other options? Two words: It delivers.

I started by tasting it alone, as I did with all the other creamers. It has a rich mouthfeel and a spiciness in both its aroma and flavor that gives it a holiday touch. And it continues to shine once added to a mug of coffee, where it (still) provides a pleasant spiced flavor that (still) feels jolly and like you're celebrating the holidays. The keyword, of course, is: still. The gingerbread essence (noted as natural flavors on the ingredient list) remains constant, offering a subtle warmth to every sip of coffee. It's not overbearing, but that means you can add a small amount and still get that seasonal flavor profile in your cuppa.

The oat milk base also brings a creaminess that mimics that of some of the dairy-based creamers on this list. Store-bought holiday coffee creamers can be a convenient way to jazz up a basic drink, and this Planet Oat Gingerbread is a simple way to make your morning feel merry and bright. The morning after my taste test, this was the first creamer I reached for to add to my morning mug of caffeine.

There are plenty of creative ways to use coffee creamer in anything from smoothies to oatmeal to pancake batter, but I stuck to coffee for the purpose of this ranking. I researched holiday and seasonal creamers and compiled a list, seeking out a range of flavors rather than purchasing a variety of peppermint mocha ones. I visited three stores to find my picks and ended up having to make some swaps based on availability.

For my tasting process, first, I shook up the creamers or followed any directions on the packaging. Then I tried each creamer by itself to get a taste of it to establish a flavor baseline. And lastly, I added the creamer to a strong cup of coffee. I used exact measurements to ensure the same amount of coffee-to-creamer ratio: 1 tablespoon of prepared coffee with ½ teaspoon of creamer. 

The ranking itself was determined by the flavor of the creamer mixed into strong coffee. I factored in whether it delivered its advertised flavor profile into my drink, how strongly I could taste it, and if it invoked any kind of holiday joy. Consistency of the creamer comes up a couple of times as well. While I may mention the creamer's aroma and flavors on its own, this is more to add context to how it performed once incorporated into the coffee drink. Some creamers were strong and delicious alone, but were muted in the coffee, meaning they didn't rank as high.