Well, I’m happy to tell you that not only is it possible for you to make a hot vanilla latte at home but it’s also very quick and easy. All you need to do is froth a vanilla flavored creamer—either powdered or liquid—and add it to your cup of coffee. The process of frothing just adds bubbles or air to the creamer to make it foamier.

And yes, you can froth creamer.

Like most full-time working adults, I make and drink coffee on a daily basis (I treat myself to Starbucks every now and then, but I do most of my coffee-making at home).

As of late, I’ve been frothing creamer and adding it to my morning coffee—rather than my typical splash of cold milk and sugar—in order to enhance my coffee-drinking experience. All I can say is that frothed coffee creamer has changed the coffee game for me, and it may very well change your coffee game, too.

If you are interested in learning a bit more about my reasoning behind choosing to use frothed creamer rather than plain milk and sugar, as well as a few tips and tricks on how to froth creamer at home using a French press and handheld electric frother, then read on.

Why Creamer?

Why not creamer may be a better question.

Creamer is typically thicker than milk, has a longer shelf-life than milk, can oftentimes be more flavorful than milk, and may be steamed and frothed using the same methods as milk: You can use your espresso machine, your French press, a handheld electric frother, or an automatic milk frother.

If you’re using your espresso machine or automatic milk frother, it is not necessary to heat up the creamer prior to frothing since the machines will do this for you. However, if you are planning on using your French press or electric handheld frother, you need to heat up the creamer—either using the stovetop or microwave—prior to frothing.

On another note, if you are in a coffee funk and plain milk and sugar just aren’t doing it for you anymore, swapping to flavored coffee creamer might be able to pull you right out of that funk. I prefer vanilla creamer, but there are endless flavor options: White chocolate, butter pecan, pumpkin spice, mint chocolate chip.

Be aware of those dreaded creamer concentrates, though. Although creamer concentrates are similar to creamer, they cannot be frothed.

Let’s get to Frothing

If you’re somewhat of a coffee connoisseur, you probably already own an espresso machine or an automatic milk frother, which are by far the easiest methods for frothing creamer. If you have an espresso machine, you can simply use the built-on attachments for steaming and frothing creamer. If you have an automatic milk frother, you basically just pour your creamer of choice into the automatic milk frother and it does the work for you.

I would highly recommend using your espresso machine or automatic milk frother to froth your creamer if you have the opportunity.

Personally, I do not own an espresso machine or an automatic milk frother, so I’ve resorted to using other means to froth creamer. I’ve found that the easiest ways—aside from the espresso machine and automatic milk frother—to froth creamer are by either using my French press or handheld electric frother.

Perhaps you are in the same boat as me. If so, then you may find the following discussions of how to froth creamer using a French press and handheld electric frother useful.

French Press

A French press can do everything: It makes the perfect cup of coffee, it steeps tea, and—for me—it’s ideal for frothing creamer.

Frothing creamer with your French press is simple: Just heat up the amount of creamer you wish to add to your coffee (typically this should not be more than 1/3 the volume of your French press), pour the heated creamer into your clean French press, place the lid on the French press, and gently plunge up and down until the desired frothiness is reached.

After this, all you need to do is add the frothed creamer into your cup of coffee.

The French press might be ideal for the coffee-drinker who hates coffee clutter—like myself—since you can use it for more than one coffee-related task: You can use it to actually make your cup of coffee and also to froth the creamer. This will ultimately save space on your kitchen counters and leave them looking clean and clutter-free.

Handheld Electric Frother

If you’re not a French press kind of person—perhaps you prefer classic drip coffee or instant coffee—then an electric handheld frother may be a good alternative.

In order to froth your creamer using a handheld electric frother, you just need to heat up the amount of creamer you wish to add to your coffee, transfer the creamer into a cup separate from your coffee (you do not want to add the creamer to the same cup as the coffee initially as the creamer will not froth properly when mixed with coffee), immerse the end of the handheld electric frother into the creamer, turn on the frother, and gently froth the creamer—moving the frother from side-to-side and up and down—until it reaches the ideal consistency.

After this, you can simply add your coffee directly to the cup with the creamer.

One benefit of using a handheld electric frother is that—much like the French press—it doesn’t take up much room on your counter or in your drawers. Unlike the French press, though, the handheld electric frother is a bit easier to clean.