Are you ready to learn how to make your own healthy holiday coffee syrups? Ya? Okay, let’s go!
I LOVE COFFEE!!!!!! So much of my life is focused on what I can do to be healthier, but I cannot give up coffee! I have tried to switch to tea, herbal coffee, or decafβ¦.
FAIL!
I have tried to limit myself to only drinking it on the weekendβ¦β¦
TORTURE!
I have realized that coffee is my one vice, I have accepted that fact, and…
MOVED ON!
Since we have firmly established the fact that I WILL ALWAYS drink coffee, letβs explore some practical things everyone can do to make their morning cup of joe a bit healthier…
AKA Homemade Holiday Coffee Syrups! Woot woot!
For those of you who can drink the stuff black, GOD BLESS YOU!
This article isnβt for you! It is for the rest of us who believe that coffee is supposed to be creamy and sweet.
5 things you can do to βhealthifyβ your relationship with coffee:
1. Donβt Drink on an Empty Stomach:
Drink a big glass of water, and put some healthy food in your stomach before you enjoy your daily coffee ritual. Treat coffee like you do dessert, it is a special thing that only comes after meals!
2. Drink Organic (or at least Fair Trade) Coffee whenever possible:
I know it costs more, but if you are going to do it every day, this is the most effective way to make sure you arenβt getting a βside of pesticideβ with each cup.
Related Recipe: 30+ Clean Eating Holiday Recipes
3. Read Creamer Labels:
If you want to put CORN SYRUP SOLIDS, PARTIALLY HYDROGENATED SOYBEAN OIL, and A MILK DERIVATIVE in your coffee each day, I wonβt judge you. But at least make an educated decision about it. There are so many options out there these days! I personally use Organic Half and Half with my own flavor syrups (See my 3 favorites below). If I am in a pinch, I will buy the Natural Bliss Vanilla Creamer.
4. Measure your Creamer:
There are a lot of calories and sugar in that stuff! Donβt pour liberally! Try to stick to the recommended dosage!
5. Drink Responsibly:
If you drink the stuff a pot at a time, you might want to cut back. I try to limit my intake to 1 or 2 mugs per day. Coffee contains caffeine, and the maximum amount of caffeine you should have per day is 400 milligrams. Thatβs roughly the amount in 4 cups (actual 8 oz cups, not 4 ginormous mugs full) per day. It also contains empty calories, and we need to save our precious calories for the stuff that actually satisfies!
Related Recipe: Healthy Holiday Party Recipe Ideas
Now that we have that covered, letβs get to the sweet part of this post: Homemade Holiday Coffee Syrups!
I have tried to make homemade creamers, but they never turned out for me and didnβt store well. So I started making simple syrups with 3-5 ingredients and adding them to my coffee along with some half and half.
It has worked really well for me, and I am excited to share my 3 favorite holiday syrup recipes with you.
Choose from:
Gingerbread (made from homemade gingerbread butter, think cookie butter!)
Peppermint Mocha
Vanilla Bean
Holiday Coffee Syrup Collection #diy #homemade #coffee #latte #holidays Click To TweetThese Holiday Coffee Syrups can be used for other things (like flavoring hot cocoa, pouring over ice cream, or as a dessert topping), but I prefer to use them in my coffee.
Give it a try for yourself, trust me, you will NEVER go back to the corn syrup solids and hydrogenated soybean oil flavored coffee creamers!
Click the Images Below to View the Recipes:
If you love your coffee as much as I do, you will love the clean flavor these syrups add to your coffee experience.
I generally use 1 Tbsp of syrup in each 16 oz cup of coffee, which equals 40-50 calories.
If you add 2 Tbsp of cream to your coffee, your cup is going to have approximately 80-90 calories in it. So definitely use these Homemade Holiday Coffee Syrups sparingly; they are a decadent holiday treat!
Thank you for the great recipes, Sarah! I’ve also tried (unsuccessfully) to give up my daily cup. It’s so nice to have some healthy alternatives to my current creamer! Thanks so much for sharing at Talented Tuesdays!
Coffee for life. π
So fun to have those different flavors, I love the idea of the gingerbread one. Thanks for sharing this with us at Savoring Saturdays linky party. Hope to see you back again on Friday! Have a wonderful rest of the week.
Hi Sarah,
The water trick is such a good tip especially twenty minutes or so before eating. Thanks for linking up at Talented Tuesday.
Cheers,
AJ
Yum. Good coffee syrups make coffee great.
I gave up coffee for almost a year once on the advice of my yoga teacher but I hated it! Now, like you, I try to keep it to one or two cups a day. I love the idea of your syrups – I occasionally treat myself to a store bought syrup but your homemade versions sound much more delicious and healthier too! Pinned and shared. Thank you for being a part of the Hearth and Soul Hop!
You have to try the Gingerbread version, April! Simply divine! Happy Holidays to you π
These look amazing! I am so making the peppermint mocha one asap! *also a starbucks addict*
I am making that one this coming week! I am feeling in the Christmas spirit and peppermint mocha just has to be a part of it π Can’t wait for you to taste it…YUM!
i LOVE flavored creamers but i don’t like the artificial ingredients in them! all of these look so good, especially the gingerbread one!
Rachel, the gingerbread syrup is totally out of this world. We just had our first snow of the season today and I am craving Christmas flavors π I.must.make.it. lol I can’t wait for you to try it too!
Omgosh! Ladies truly after my own heart! Love and need my coffee but your tips are very helpful as I’ve been wanting to try healthier means and the flavors sound delicious! Thank you for yet another amazing idea! Merry Christmas!
Desiree, we adore you! So glad you found our blog π We just know you will love the coffee syrups. I just made another batch of Peppermint Mocha Syrup last week….drooling…;)
These all sound amazing, especially the Vanilla Bean Coffee Syrup. I really enjoy vanilla flavor in my coffee, tea, everything! π
Betsy, thanks for visiting! The Vanilla Bean Syrup is great just by itself, but yes, definitely delicious in drinks as well π Merry Christmas to you!
Thanks for the tips and for the collection of recipes. Pinning!
Heather, I just made another batch of the Peppermint Mocha Syrup last night. It just never disappoints! Merry Christmas and stay in touch!
Oooohhhh.. You had me at coffee! I really need to remember to drink a big glass of water before gulping my coffee in the morning.
Great recipes and I love the pictures π
Thanks for coming and linking up at The Weekend Social. Please be sure to come back next week starting Thursdays at 9PM EST The Midnight Baker ! I hope to see you there!
Judy@ http://www.bakeatmidnite.com
Going to try this, need to cut down on my coffee, I drink by the pot not the cup. I really think this will help me.
Shirley…You Go Girl! Just take it slow, don’t wake up and decide “Today I will drink a 6 oz cup rather than a whole pot.” Your body has grown used to how you have been treating it, so cut back a little bit each day until you reach your desired level. Best of luck. Keep us posted! -Sarah
perfect yummy drinks for the holiday season. Thank you for sharing at the Thursday Favorite Things blog hop. xo
Thanks for stopping by Katherine! It has been such a blessing getting to know fellow bloggers. As I had written on your beautiful blog it is so classy and well done that it really helps us to be inspired and learn from all the great things you are doing! Merry Christmas to you and we will see you at your party this Thursday π
Oh yummy! I can’t decide which to try first.
visiting from Foodie Friends Fridays
Hi Audrey, thanks for stopping by! Doesn’t every flavor make your mouth water?!?! I look forward to opening the fridge just to catch a peek at the sweet little things. π After you make them be sure to let us know which was your favorite! Take care π
I want to make the Gingerbread Coffee Syrup for the Holidays. What a treat it would be to have a nice new flavor in my coffee!
Julie, it is definitely a treat and like you said a welcomed new flavor for the season π Let us know how you like it! Take care π