Kitchen Hack: A Healthy, Safe Way To Sweeten Your Coffee

Have you ever opened your almond beverage, only to notice that it says it can only stay opened in the refrigerator for 7 to 10 days before it needs to be discarded? I rarely get to the bottom of the carton before it’s time to throw it out since I mostly use almond beverage in my coffee and occasional smoothie.

In an effort to avoid throwing out a half-used carton of almond beverage, I started making my own frozen coffee “creamer.” The added nutritional benefit is that I am able to sweeten my coffee and eliminate the added sugar and trans fat included in many commercially prepared flavored creamers. This also saves time during my morning routine since I am able to throw an ice cube in my coffee (added plus: that won’t water it down), walk out the door and enjoy immediately.

Here are the quick steps:

  1. Pour unsweetened, original almond beverage into large ice cube trays (mine hold ½ cup of beverage).
  2. Add ½ teaspoon of vanilla or almond extract to each ice cube compartment.
  3. Sprinkle a dash of cinnamon or nutmeg into each ice cube compartment.
  4. Freeze overnight and add one large ice cube to hot coffee every morning. Stir ice cube into coffee and enjoy!

Additional Tip: You can use these almond beverage ice cubes to make a variety of smoothies as well.

For a complete shelf life guide, download the Is My Food Safe? app.


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Lori Zanini, RD, CDE
Lori Zanini is the creator of For The Love of Diabetes, a fast-growing online diabetes management program. She is the author of the best-selling book, "Eat What You Love Diabetes Cookbook" (Sonoma Press, November 2016) and a past National Media Spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. She is the nutrition expert & dietitian for Tone It Up, JulianneHough.com, and is regularly featured in various media outlets. She is based in Los Angeles, where she lives with her husband and very busy toddler.