# Recommend a substitute for cream in coffee **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** coffee\ **Created:** [January 17, 2009, 12:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-substitute-for-cream-in-coffee/481676 "2009-01-17T00:17:15Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Tess\_of\_the\_Derbyville](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8dc957/32.png) [@Tess\_of\_the\_Derbyville](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tess_of_the_Derbyville)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2009, 12:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-substitute-for-cream-in-coffee/481676/1 "2009-01-17T00:17:15Z")
I love the taste of real cream in my coffee but I’m trying to lower my cholesterol intake. Skim milk and non-dairy creamer don’t cut it and I’ve tried some god awful “dairy alternative” from the health food store. Any suggestions for a decent substitute for the rich taste of cream? ---
**Author:** ![tr0psn4j](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/958977/32.png) [@tr0psn4j](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tr0psn4j)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2009, 1:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-substitute-for-cream-in-coffee/481676/2 "2009-01-17T01:13:01Z")
Not really a cream substitute but more expensive coffees are easier to drink without cream. ---
**Author:** ![salinqmind](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3ec8ea/32.png) [@salinqmind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/salinqmind)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2009, 1:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-substitute-for-cream-in-coffee/481676/3 "2009-01-17T01:32:41Z")
No, there is no substitute for cream that’s low in cholesterol and tasty. You might try whole milk. Depending on how much you put in your coffee, how bad healthwise could it be, half a cup a day? Or fat free half and half? Avoid the white powder stuff, that’s really bad for you. Coffee Rich is supposed to be OK, though. I put light eggnog in my coffee all of December. It was vile on its own, but good in coffee. ---
**Author:** ![omni-not](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/8dc957/32.png) [@omni-not](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/omni-not)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2009, 1:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-substitute-for-cream-in-coffee/481676/4 "2009-01-17T01:32:55Z")
I always use what we call Half and Half here in Canada. I assume that this is equivalent to your ‘real cream’. Does the trick quite nicely. And I agree with **tr0psn4j** , inasmuch as better quality (which doesn’t _always_ mean more expensive) coffee IS easier to drink without the benefit of anything else (be it cream, cream substitute, sugar, etc.) When I was younger (and less savvy!), I used evaporated milk. I am quite sure I would find it to be nothing short of yucky, should I use some today. I didn’t know better, way back then…😃 ---
**Author:** ![Headrush042](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a5b964/32.png) [@Headrush042](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Headrush042)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2009, 1:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-substitute-for-cream-in-coffee/481676/5 "2009-01-17T01:48:28Z")
I tried soy milk once. It was weird, but not unpleasant. Not to my tastes, though, so I haven’t done it again. ---
**Author:** ![tr0psn4j](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/958977/32.png) [@tr0psn4j](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tr0psn4j)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2009, 1:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-substitute-for-cream-in-coffee/481676/6 "2009-01-17T01:56:38Z")
> [@omni-not](#): > > I always use what we call Half and Half here in Canada. I assume that this is equivalent to your ‘real cream’. Does the trick quite nicely. > > And I agree with **tr0psn4j** , inasmuch as better quality (which doesn’t _always_ mean more expensive) coffee IS easier to drink without the benefit of anything else (be it cream, cream substitute, sugar, etc.) > > When I was younger (and less savvy!), I used evaporated milk. I am quite sure I would find it to be nothing short of yucky, should I use some today. I didn’t know better, way back then…😃 Eh yeah, higher quality coffee. I was distracted while typing that post. Fortunately, most of the time expensive and higher quality is usually the same thing. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Moto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9de0a6/32.png) [@Mr.Moto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Moto)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2009, 2:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-substitute-for-cream-in-coffee/481676/7 "2009-01-17T02:22:26Z")
> [@omni-not](#): > > When I was younger (and less savvy!), I used evaporated milk. I am quite sure I would find it to be nothing short of yucky, should I use some today. I didn’t know better, way back then…😃 Thai and Vietnamese iced coffees use this - they taste great. ---
**Author:** ![ExTank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/35a633/32.png) [@ExTank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ExTank)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2009, 2:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-substitute-for-cream-in-coffee/481676/8 "2009-01-17T02:30:15Z")
Dog’s milk. It’s full of marrowbone jelly, and never goes off. ---
**Author:** ![tarragon918](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/d26b3c/32.png) [@tarragon918](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tarragon918)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2009, 4:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-substitute-for-cream-in-coffee/481676/9 "2009-01-17T04:52:53Z")
I use canned evaporated milk - it gives the flavor of cream but isn’t cream. But yes, it is rich. Probably cholesterol-laden too. ☹ Bah, I’m still using it! And it tastes good in coffee, believe me. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![lissener](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lissener/32/6139_2.png) [@lissener](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lissener)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2009, 4:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-substitute-for-cream-in-coffee/481676/10 "2009-01-17T04:55:14Z")
If you get a good coffee, it’s really possible to learn to love it black. And I’m a lifelong cream lover, who refused for years. Now, I prefer it. If the coffee’s good, you can really taste it black. ---
**Author:** ![LVBoPeep](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/858c86/32.png) [@LVBoPeep](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LVBoPeep)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2009, 5:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-substitute-for-cream-in-coffee/481676/11 "2009-01-17T05:09:14Z")
I drink fat free half and half, or if I can’t find it, plain half and half. After drinking reg. cream for a long time, and then switching to half and half, I find the heavy cream too thick now. Nice for a treat, but when I am finishing off some that I used for a baking recipe, I’ll usually switch back to the half and half for my second cup of coffee. I don’t really taste a huge difference between the reg. half/half and the fat free stuff either. ---
**Author:** ![Markxxx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5daacb/32.png) [@Markxxx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Markxxx)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2009, 10:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-substitute-for-cream-in-coffee/481676/12 "2009-01-17T10:41:41Z")
Unless you’re dumping a cup or so of cream in your coffee, you’re not getting a huge amount of cholesterol. So cut it elsewhere I say this as a coffee lover you won’t find anything that comes close. So either cut the cholesterol elsewhere or simply get used to the taste of skim milk ---
**Author:** ![Martini\_Enfield](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/martini_enfield/32/11123_2.png) [@Martini\_Enfield](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Martini_Enfield)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2009, 10:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-substitute-for-cream-in-coffee/481676/13 "2009-01-17T10:50:05Z")
What’s wrong with normal milk? 😕 ---
**Author:** ![Ferret\_Herder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e47774/32.png) [@Ferret\_Herder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ferret_Herder)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2009, 11:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-substitute-for-cream-in-coffee/481676/14 "2009-01-17T11:49:44Z")
> [@omni-not](#): > > I always use what we call Half and Half here in Canada. I assume that this is equivalent to your ‘real cream’. Does the trick quite nicely. You’d probably find our “real cream” packaged as “whipping cream” in the dairy section with the half-and-half, probably the carton right next to it. ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2009, 12:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-substitute-for-cream-in-coffee/481676/15 "2009-01-17T12:20:05Z")
My Mom used evaporated/condensed milk. As did my grandmother, & my great-grandparents. I love it in coffee. ---
**Author:** ![Sublata](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/7cd45c/32.png) [@Sublata](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sublata)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2009, 1:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-substitute-for-cream-in-coffee/481676/16 "2009-01-17T13:17:45Z")
I’ve been using 1% milk + a shot of vanilla extract. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Moto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9de0a6/32.png) [@Mr.Moto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Moto)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2009, 1:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-substitute-for-cream-in-coffee/481676/17 "2009-01-17T13:26:06Z")
> [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](#): > > My Mom used evaporated/condensed milk. > As did my grandmother, & my great-grandparents. > I love it in coffee. “Carnation Milk is the finest in the land. It comes in a little red and white can. You got no nasty hay to pitch. Just punch two holes in the son of a bitch.” ---
**Author:** ![AuntiePam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@AuntiePam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AuntiePam)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2009, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-substitute-for-cream-in-coffee/481676/18 "2009-01-17T16:23:05Z")
**Mr. Moto** , 😛 That’s what my grandma did, without the profanity. Why no lip on cans of canned milk anyway? I use liquid Coffeemate. I don’t know how it stacks up healthwise, but I don’t drink enough coffee to worry about it. Especially since my coffee comes with a cigarette. ---
**Author:** ![MacTech](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c0e974/32.png) [@MacTech](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MacTech)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2009, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-substitute-for-cream-in-coffee/481676/19 "2009-01-17T17:14:55Z")
> [@ExTank](#): > > Dog’s milk. It’s full of marrowbone jelly, and never goes off. plus, no bugger’ll drink it… I used to use creamer products in my coffee… until I discovered the simple French Press, if you’re using a french press to make coffee, you won’t _need_ to use creamer at all, coffee from a FP is light-years different than coffee from a drip machine, the FP preserves the essential oils that give coffee it’s unique taste and mouthfeel, thiose oils are absorbed by the paper coffee filter used in drip machines, leaving a bitter, unpleasant swill behind I used to drink coffee with lots of creamer and enough sugar to make it a coffee-flavored candy bar, since switching to the FP, all I add is a _little_ sugar, enough to cut the bitterness, nothing more try the French Press, you may be surprised ---
**Author:** ![omni-not](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/8dc957/32.png) [@omni-not](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/omni-not)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2009, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-substitute-for-cream-in-coffee/481676/20 "2009-01-17T17:17:13Z")
Incidentally, my associate told me that he uses **powdered skim milk** :eek: in his coffee. This kind of revelation has me conflicted between shuddering and hurling:D (I usually alternate, depending on my mood) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-substitute-for-cream-in-coffee/481676.md?page=2)