The Best Coffee Creamers For People Who Want Less Sugar

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Sometimes it seems like no matter how mindful I try to be about making healthy food choices, I end up too busy to read nutrition labels or measure out ingredients. The American Heart Association recommends that women have no more than 25 grams of sugar per day, which means that I should stick to around 8 to 10 grams of added sugar or natural sugar per meal. I drink at least two or three cups of coffee each morning, so if I use high-sugar creamers, I'll end up exceeding 25 grams within just a few hours of waking up — obviously not ideal for my heart health.

I am definitely not going to give up coffee any time soon, but flavored coffee creamers have way more added sugar than you might have guessed. So it was important to me to find a low-sugar coffee creamer that I actually enjoyed. The problem I encountered was that most sugar-free creamers tasted chemical and artificial, and many had a weirdly thick or syrupy consistency that I didn't love.

I ended up trying a ton of different brands to find the best low-sugar flavored coffee creamer without that artificial sweetener taste. I wanted ones that had less than 10 grams of added sugar, but ideally less than 5 grams per serving. I also wanted to avoid creamers that were super expensive or hard to find in grocery stores. After literally years of taste-testing, I have found five coffee creamers that are perfect for people who want less sugar.

nutpods' Unsweetened Peppermint Mocha Coffee Creamer is my go-to during the holidays, but it's only available seasonally. The Toasted Marshmallow flavor, which Tasting Table awarded the number-one spot in our ranking of seven zero-sugar coffee creamers, is available year-round. It has zero sugar, so it's not too sweet to use for multiple cups of coffee throughout the morning. Its subtle vanilla and coconut flavors remind me of freshly baked white cake. While I can't taste an overwhelming marshmallow flavor, that's fine with me because I think if it were too strong, it would overpower my coffee.

What I love most about this one is that it has a good consistency. It's not too thick or too thin, and of all the options I've tried, it reminds me most of the texture of real cream or half and half. I've tried it in hot and iced coffee, as well as in espresso drinks like lattes. It froths as well as most dairy creamers using the wand on my espresso machine, but I'm not sure how well it would fare in a milk frother. Another selling point to me is that I can find it at more than one grocery store, and it's not too expensive. It's sold at Target, Safeway, Kroger, Sprouts, and Whole Foods, as well as on Amazon, where you can get an 11-ounce carton of nutpods Toasted Marshmallow Almond + Coconut Coffee Creamer for under $4. 

This is my favorite among the many grocery-store pumpkin spice creamers. I actually usually avoid pumpkin spice flavors because they're a little too sweet for me, but I make an exception for this. It doesn't contain any artificial sweeteners, so I don't detect that cloying chemical taste that a lot of reduced-sugar creamers have. It's also made with real milk, cream, and cane sugar, with no preservatives, artificial flavors, or oils. The cinnamon isn't overwhelmingly spicy, and the pumpkin notes are subtle. Overall, it's the perfect blend of fall flavors, and it really gives my coffee an extra punch during the colder months.

With just 3 grams of added sugar per serving, it's also a bit healthier than most seasonal coffee creamers. I've found that it can be easily frothed to create cold foam, and adding it straight to hot or iced coffee works well too. Its texture is creamy and not too rich, and because it contains real milk and cream, it is very close to the consistency of traditional half and half. You can pick up a 25-ounce carton of Too Good & Co. Pumpkin Cinnamon Coffee Creamer for less than $5 at Walmart, and you can find it at Target for roughly the same price.

I really loved the Natural Bliss Zero Sugar products, but I can't find them anywhere anymore, and I'm not sure if the company stopped making them. Luckily, the brand offers 10 other flavors that are all fairly low in sugar, and two plant-based options made with oat milk and almond milk. All of the Natural Bliss coffee creamers are tasty, but some people prefer bolder flavors. 

I appreciate some subtlety, however, which is why I love this Chai Vanilla Latte creamer. I love chai tea, and this product is made from real milk and cream and a blend of ginger, cinnamon, and vanilla with no artificial colors or flavors. Because I don't use flavored coffee, the warming spices really shine through nicely. I also find it a welcome alternative to other brands' vanilla flavors, as it has more depth.

As with the Too Good & Co. creamers, the fact that this includes real milk and cream makes a huge difference. It has a thicker, creamier texture than sugar-free options that rely on soybean or other oils, like Coffeemate Zero Sugar Creamers. The simple, natural ingredients mean that it froths up nicely with the steaming wand as well, so I can use it to make hot mochas and lattes. One serving has 4 grams of added sugar, and you can buy a 32-ounce bottle of Natural Bliss Chai Vanilla Latte Creamer at Walmart for under $5. You can also find it at Safeway, Kroger, and Target.

Tasting Table placed Silk Oat Creamer at number four in our ranking of 10 oat milk creamer brands, but I actually think that this flavored version is superior to the traditional vanilla option. In fact, this is the one overly-sweet creamer I can stand, and I think it's because it so perfectly mimics the flavor of an oatmeal cookie. The texture isn't my favorite, as it's a bit too thick for my preferences, as well as a little coarse or grainy. Once it's blended into a hot coffee drink, however, I don't notice as much.

It's dairy-free, gluten-free, carrageenan-free, and non-GMO with no artificial flavors or colors, and each serving has just 4 grams of added sugar. Made primarily from oat milk, cane sugar, sunflower oil, and pea protein, it is creamy and rich. A little goes a long way in my experience, so I don't end up overusing it like I do with other dairy creamers.

Oat milk doesn't froth as well as dairy milk, but I have been able to create a thick foam for espresso drinks. I also love adding a splash of this coffee creamer to transform my morning oatmeal without using sugar or butter. You can find it at Sprouts, Kroger, and Target, where it costs between $5 and $6 for a 32-ounce carton.

Although Chobani has a line of Zero Sugar creamers, they have a bit of an artificial taste to me despite the fact that they are made with stevia extract, which I usually like. Luckily, the brand's traditional creamers aren't too high in added sugar. This flavor is my favorite among all of Chobani's coffee creamers. Made from milk, cream, cane sugar, and natural flavors with 5 grams of added sugar, it's rich, creamy, sweet, and a little salty.

If you love the Caramel Macchiatos at Starbucks but can't afford to buy one every day, this creamer offers a great alternative. I regularly use it to make a cheaper version of this iced espresso drink at home. I pull four shots of espresso, add them to a 12-ounce cup, dump in some ice, and add half Chobani creamer and half skim milk. I top the drink with a drizzle of Torani Zero Calorie Caramel Beverage Sauce. 

This creamer has the best consistency of all five of the options I've recommended. As a bonus, it also froths well (though the foam is a little thinner and more watery than milk or cream), so it can be used for hot caramel macchiatos, mochas, and lattes. The downside is that it's the most expensive option as well. You can get a 32-ounce carton of Chobani Caramel Macchiato Coffee Creamer at Walmart for around $6, and you can find it for around that price at HEB, Target, Kroger, and Safeway.