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During my time as a barista at a local coffee shop, I became familiar with LOTS of specialty coffee drinks.
Espresso con panna.
Shot in the dark.
Americano.
Double-tall, skinny, half-caf caramel macchiato, extra hot, hold the whip cream, but add caramel drizzle…
…you get the idea.
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But one of my FAVORITE drinks to make didn’t even involve coffee.
It was called a “steamer,” and it was simply steamed milk sweetened with a flavored syrup. The two most popular flavors requested were almond and vanilla–> both of which are delicious. Granted, these were more often than not ordered for children… but I think it’s just because the adults didn’t know what they were missing!
In case you’re one of those adults, here’s my dairy-free twist on the traditional steamer. I recommend you try it ASAP.
The star of the show?
Homemade coconut milk.
Did you know you can make coconut milk at home just by blending organic shredded coconut with pure water? I use the same ratio I do for making almond milk–> 1 cup shredded coconut + 4 cups filtered water.
Blend until creamy, then strain through a nut milk bag or mesh strainer, discarding or saving the leftover coconut pulp for another use.
Store your milk in a sealed container in the fridge for up to a week.
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Now that you’ve got your coconut milk ready, it’s time to make a steamer!
Creamy Coconut Steamer
serves 1
Ingredients:
1 cup coconut milk (or non-dairy milk of choice)
1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon pure almond extract
1 tablespoon pure maple syrup, or liquid stevia to taste
Directions:
Combine the coconut milk, vanilla and almond extracts, and sweetener in a saucepan over high heat.
Stir often until piping hot, then pour into a mug to serve!
Ingredients
- 1 cup coconut milk (or non-dairy milk of choice)
- 1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon pure almond extract
- 1 tablespoon pure maple syrup , or 10 drops liquid stevia
Instructions
- Combine the coconut milk, vanilla and almond extracts in a saucepan over high heat. Stir constantly until piping hot, then pour into a mug and sweeten with liquid stevia, to taste.
- Serve warm, and enjoy!
Nutrition
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Hope you enjoy it as much as I do!
This is delicious and just what I was looking for! I used to love steamers back in the day — I used to get mine made with the caramel sauce from Starbucks, with regular milk. Times have certainly changed but it is a comforting drink still.
I love making this in the fall, so warm and tasty!
Hello Megan,
This is fantastic recipe to make coconut milk at home from shredded coconut instead of buying in cans! Thank you, will give it a try. What should I do with the left over (probably tasteless?!) pulp?
Thanks,
Michael.
Question???….after dried in a dehydrator of course, could one use the dry coconut pulp leftover from making coconut milk in place of store bought coconut flour in recipes?
I tried to make coconut milk and after putting it in the fridge, it turned hard, just like the coconut butter in the jar. How do you keep it from getting hard? I would like it to pour. Went back to making almond milk.
Seems like I’ve seen you mention somewhere else that you also make a chocolate version of the coconut milk? What (& in what amounts) do you add to create that variation? Cocoa and stevia maybe?
My first attempt flopped, my coconut was rotten on the inside and the bag of dried coconut is made with sugar, so I have to return that bag to the store. I just never thought to read the ingredients list for dried coconut…go figure!
So as with your almond milk coffee cream, do you use coconut oil to emulsify the coconut milk/cream? Also will I get same results using fresh coconut vs dried coconut? Always a fan, thanks!
If you use fresh young coconut meat, I actually wouldn’t strain it because it should create a really thick and creamy texture, rather than having flecks of dried coconut floating around. In that case, you also wouldn’t need any added coconut oil as an emulsifier. With the dried coconut version, which you should strain, you could definitely add the coconut oil for a thicker result.
Thankfully I had all the ingredients on hand already….so I could make my own Coconut Milk Creamer! Can’t wait to use this in my coffee tomorrow morning!