Non-Dairy Creamer substitute

Best substitute

Barista-style oat milk

Use the same amount as the non-dairy creamer you are replacing

Best for coffee

Different texture

For coffee, barista-style oat milk is the closest neutral swap at 1:1 and it will not curdle. For real richness, use full-fat canned coconut milk 1:1, accepting a faint coconut note. For pareve desserts, sauces and anything you want to taste creamy rather than milky, blended cashew cream is the best option there is: soak 1 cup of raw cashews, blend with 3/4 cup water, and use it wherever cream would go. For a whippable non-dairy topping, chilled coconut cream is the nearest thing, though it will not hold as stiff or as long as the commercial product.

Other non-dairy creamer substitutes

Ranked, with the exact amount to use

2Full-fat canned coconut milk or coconut cream
Different taste
Use the same amount for liquid creamer; use the thick top layer for whipping
Canned coconut milk sits around 17 to 22 percent fat and coconut cream higher still, which puts it in the same territory as dairy cream and makes it the richest easy option.
What changes
Best for
coffee, pareve desserts, creamy sauces, whipped topping, ganache, ice cream
It genuinely tastes rich, and it also genuinely tastes of coconut, which is fine in a chocolate dessert or a spiced coffee and obviously present in a delicate vanilla one. Refined coconut milk is milder than virgin. Chill a can overnight, scoop the solid top off, and whip it with a tablespoon of sugar for a soft-peak topping.
3Cashew cream
Close match
Use the same amount
Soak 1 cup raw cashews in hot water 30 minutes, drain, then blend with 3/4 cup fresh water until completely smooth.
What changes
Blend longer than feels necessary; graininess is the only failure mode.
Best for
pareve desserts, creamy sauces, soups, coffee, mashed potatoes at a meat meal, ice cream base
This is the best-tasting substitute here and the most versatile. It is thick, neutral and genuinely creamy with only a faint sweet nuttiness, and unlike coconut it does not announce itself. It will not whip. Thin with water for coffee and use it undiluted anywhere heavy cream would go.
4Soy milk or soy creamer
Different taste
Use the same amount
The traditional pareve dairy stand-in and the one most likely to be stocked in a kosher grocery.
What changes
Soy creamer is thicker than soy milk and closer to the real thing.
Best for
coffee, baking, sauces, puddings, pareve desserts
Soy has a distinct beany background note that reads clearly in plain coffee and disappears entirely in a baked good or a spiced dish. Plain soy milk curdles in very hot, very acidic coffee, so warm it first or pour the coffee onto the soy rather than the other way round. Soy creamer resists this much better.
5Coconut milk powder or soy milk powder
Different taste
Use 1 to 2 tablespoons for every cup of coffee
The right answer if what you actually want is powdered creamer, because these are the only substitutes that add richness without adding water and cooling the drink.
What changes
Best for
coffee, tea, camping and travel, instant hot chocolate, dry mixes
Dissolves the same way and behaves the same way in the cup. Coconut milk powder is noticeably richer and clearly coconut; soy milk powder is more neutral and slightly chalky if you underwhisk it. Neither has the added sugar and vanilla of a flavored creamer, so add a pinch of sugar if that is what you are used to.
6Almond milk
Taste and texture differ
Use the same amount using slightly more
The most widely stocked plant milk.
What changes
Very low in fat, usually around 1 percent.
Best for
coffee, tea, cereal, smoothies
It lightens the color of coffee but adds almost no body, so the cup looks grey and watery rather than creamy, and it separates into flecks in hot coffee more readily than oat. Use a generous splash. Perfectly drinkable, clearly the thinnest option on this list.
7Aquafaba or coconut cream for a whipped topping
Taste and texture differ
¾ cup chickpea liquid plus ¼ cup sugar, or 1 chilled can coconut cream plus 1 tablespoon sugar
For a whipped non-dairy topping, whip aquafaba with sugar and a pinch of cream of tartar to stiff peaks, or whip the solid cream from a chilled can of coconut milk.
What changes
Best for
pareve whipped topping, mousse, frosting a cake after a meat meal, trifle
This is the honest answer to the whipped non-dairy topping question: nothing you make at home holds as stiff or as long as the commercial product, which is built on stabilizers. Aquafaba whips very light and airy but weeps within an hour. Coconut cream holds better but softens in a warm room and tastes of coconut. Whip either at the last minute and keep the dessert cold.

What is Non-Dairy Creamer?

Non-Dairy Creamer is Non-dairy creamer, sold as coffee whitener, powdered creamer or as a whippable liquid base, is a dairy-free blend of oil, sugars and emulsifiers whose whole job is to add fat and opacity to coffee or dessert without any milk in it.

Cooking tips

Match the substitute to the job, not to the label. If you want a coffee whitener, oat milk. If you want richness in a dessert or a sauce, cashew cream or coconut cream. If you want something whippable, coconut cream. One substitute does not cover all three uses the way the commercial product does.
To stop any plant milk from splitting in coffee, put the milk in the cup first and pour the hot coffee onto it, or warm the milk gently before adding. Curdling is caused by heat plus coffee acidity hitting cold protein all at once.
Coconut cream whips only if it is properly cold and properly separated. Refrigerate the unopened can 12 hours, do not shake it, scoop off the solid white layer and leave the watery liquid behind. Cans labeled coconut cream separate more reliably than coconut milk, and light coconut milk will not work at all.
Cashew cream freezes and reheats better than any dairy-free cream, which makes it useful for pareve sauces you want to make ahead. It thickens as it sits, so keep a little extra water on hand to loosen it.
Whether a given product counts as pareve is a matter of its certification, not its ingredient list, and some non-dairy creamers carry a dairy-equipment designation despite the name. Check the hechsher on the package and follow your own community's practice rather than assuming from the words on the front.

Frequently asked questions

What is the best non-dairy creamer substitute for coffee?

Barista-style oat milk if you want neutral and reliable, or full-fat canned coconut milk if you want real richness and do not mind a coconut note. Both go in 1:1. Oat milk is the only one that reliably resists curdling in hot acidic coffee without any technique on your part.

Can I just leave the creamer out?

In coffee, yes, you will simply be drinking it black, which is stronger and more bitter. In a recipe, it depends what it was doing. If it was supplying fat and body to a dessert, sauce or pudding, no, leaving it out gives you something thin and watery, so use cashew cream or coconut milk instead.

What can I use instead of non-dairy whipped topping for a pareve dessert?

Whip the solid cream from a chilled can of coconut cream with a tablespoon of sugar, or whip aquafaba with sugar for something lighter. Neither holds as long as the commercial stabilized product, so whip it just before serving and keep the dessert refrigerated. This is the least-bad option rather than an equal one.

Can I use non-dairy creamer substitutes in baking?

Yes, and baking is the most forgiving use. Soy milk, oat milk, cashew cream and coconut milk all work in cakes, muffins and quick breads at 1:1 with the liquid the recipe calls for, and the background flavors mostly cook out. For a rich custard or ganache, use cashew cream or coconut cream rather than a thin plant milk.

Is powdered creamer different from liquid creamer?

Yes, in one way that matters: powder adds fat and opacity without adding water, so it does not cool or dilute the coffee. If that is what you liked about it, coconut milk powder or soy milk powder at one to two tablespoons per cup is the only real match. Any liquid substitute will thin the drink slightly.

Related substitutes

More dairy alternatives substitutes

Non-Dairy Creamer substitute

Other non-dairy creamer substitutes

2Full-fat canned coconut milk or coconut cream

3Cashew cream

4Soy milk or soy creamer

5Coconut milk powder or soy milk powder

6Almond milk

7Aquafaba or coconut cream for a whipped topping