Does Coffee Creamer Need To Be Refrigerated?
Coffee Creamer is a widely used alternative to milk or dairy cream, which enhances the taste and texture of the coffee. It is popular among people who take coffee not for its intense effect but as a mood booster.
Coffee creamer does not contain cream, besides the word cream in its name, but is made with water, vegetable oil, added sugar, artificial flavorings, and preservatives.
Whether coffee creamers need to be refrigerated depends on their ingredients and nature. Powdered coffee creamers do not contain a suitable environment for bacterial growth or contamination so they can be stored at room temperature without a refrigerator.
However, liquid coffee creamers containing dairy content, such as milk-derived casein protein, must be stored in the fridge.
Non-dairy liquid coffee creamers can also be stored at room temperature when the seal is not opened. Once the bottle is opened and creamer is used, the remaining must be refrigerated to avoid contamination.
What is a Coffee Creamer Made Of?
The most commonly used ingredients in making coffee creamer include water, vegetable oil, processed sugar, artificial flavors, and several preservatives to increase the shelf life.
However, all the coffee creamers do not necessarily contain these ingredients. You can easily find creamers that lack sugar, artificial flavors, or preservatives.
There are also different ingredients in making dairy and non-dairy coffee creamers. Non-dairy coffee creamers do not contain dairy products and are marketed as lactose-free products.
But they do contain milk-derived proteins, like sodium caseinate, to give coffee a whitened look and texture.
How Do You Store Coffee Creamer?
How you store coffee creamer depends on the properties of the creamer. If the creamer is powder in nature, the process and prevention of storing it is easy compared to liquid creamers.
You can keep the powder in its company packaging or pour it into an empty container and place it somewhere at room temperature.
Liquid creamer is convenient to use in coffee but has a downside: it requires a suitable environment for storing it. Here is a list of guidelines that you must follow when storing liquid coffee creamer:
Keep The Lid Closed
If you bought the coffee creamer but are not using it, wait to open the seal until you need to use it. After using the creamer, close the cap of the coffee creamer bottle tightly to prevent the entry of air or contaminations.
Store in The Refrigerator
Once you have opened the bottle cap, do not store it on the kitchen shelf. Coffee creamers, especially those containing dairy products, can go bad quickly if not stored in the refrigerator.
Protect From The Sunlight
Not all coffee creamers require refrigerators, and you can store them anywhere at room temperature but away from sunlight. Sunlight can result in spoilage of the contents of the coffee creamer and make it harmful to consume.
Read The Instructions
Most coffee creamer manufacturers print storing instructions on the bottle depending on the ingredients used. Read and follow those instructions to keep the remaining bottle content safe for later use.
Some other points to consider when storing coffee creamer include avoiding frequent changes in the storage area’s temperature, checking the expiry dates on the packaging, and performing a smell test before using it in the coffee.
Does Coffee Creamer Go Bad If Not Refrigerated?
A powdered coffee creamer does not require a refrigerator and can be stored at room temperature anywhere in a hygienic environment. Some of the liquid creamers that are free from dairy products also stay fresh outside the refrigerator before using for the first time.
However, the coffee creamer that contains dairy products as a primary ingredient, such as several milk derivative proteins, is comparatively sensitive to the surrounding environment. These products can go bad quickly if not refrigerated and stored in an environment susceptible to contamination.
How Long Can Coffee Creamer Be Left Out Of The Fridge?
A coffee creamer that is powder in nature can be left out of the fridge for several weeks to two to three without causing any damage to the quality. Unopened non-dairy coffee creamers containing milk derivative proteins also have a longer shelf life.
Opening the lid for the first time makes it sensitive to bacterial attack, and it cannot stay fresh outside the fridge after a few hours.
Manufacturers recommend storing dairy coffee creamers in the fridge as they are sensitive to heat and open air. Leaving a dairy coffee creamer outside the refrigerator for more than two hours spoils the creamer. You must store such coffee creamers in the fridge after using them.
How Do You Keep Creamer Cold Without A Refrigerator?
You may experience a condition where you can not store coffee creamer in the refrigerator but want to keep the creamer cold to avoid a favorable environment for contamination. In such situations, you can consider these options to keep the creamer cold:
- Store coffee creamer in an insulated container that can protect the creamer from sudden and extreme temperature changes. Protect the container from direct sunlight and keep the lid closed to avoid heat inflow.
- Use readily available ice packs to cover the coffee creamer bottle. Ice packs will not only help to avoid increasing coffee creamer temperature but instead lower the temperature noticeably.
- Evaporation can help to lower the temperature and keep the coffee creamer cold. Surround the coffee creamer container with wet, thick clothing. Evaporation from wet cloth will result in a cooling effect on the container inside.
What Coffee Creamer Does Not Need To Be Refrigerated?
A powder coffee creamer does not need to be refrigerated and can stay fresh and contamination-free at room temperature. Powder lacks moisture that is necessary for microorganisms and other germs to grow. That is why these coffee creamers have years of shelf life until they go bad.
If you have a sealed, non-dairy liquid coffee creamer, you can store that at room temperature without needing a refrigerator. However, manufacturers recommend keeping the remaining content in the fridge once you open the bottle for the first time.
Does International Delight Coffee Creamer Need to be Refrigerated?
International Delight gives clear instructions about storing their coffee creamers on their website. According to the company, you can keep their unopened packages outside the refrigerator in a dry and hygienic place.
The coffee creamer should be stored in the fridge when you open the pack. Except for their singles, these instructions apply to all the coffee creamer products of International Delight.
Can You Warm Up Creamer?
You can warm up a liquid creamer before adding it to coffee or any beverage. You can do so by putting the container into a microwave oven, but remember that the temperature shouldn’t be high enough to cause burn when handling.
A warmed coffee creamer dissolves well with hot beverages like coffee and gives a better flavor and texture.
How Long Does Coffee Mate Creamer Last Once Opened?
When the Coffee-Mate creamer is a powder, it can last for a month or two once opened. For liquid Coffee Mate creamers, the recommended time until the creamer stays fresh after opening is two weeks.
However, these durations should not be considered absolute values as several factors can shorten or extend these durations. Coffee creamer may not stay fresh and usable when stored in an environment prone to contamination.
FAQs
Is Creamer For Hot Or Cold Coffee?
Depending on your desire, you can use Creamers for hot and cold coffee. It gives flavor and texture to the coffee and is a favorite choice among people who prefer something other than an intense taste of coffee.
Does Coffee Mate Liquid Creamer Need To Be Refrigerated?
Coffee-mate liquid creamer can be stored outside the fridge only when not opened. Once you open the lid, keeping the liquid creamer outside the fridge may spoil the creamer.
Can You Freeze Coffee Creamer?
Some coffee creamers have a “Do Not Freeze” tag on them because of temperature-sensitive ingredients in them. You should avoid freezing them, but other than that, you can easily freeze a coffee creamer, which can stay fresh for longer durations.
Is Creamer Ok If Left Out Overnight?
When the creamer bottle is opened once, leaving the creamer out overnight is not a good idea. When an opened dairy creamer is left out, it can only stay fresh and reusable for the next two hours.
How Do You Use Leftover Creamer?
When you are done making a coffee, and there is still creamer left in the bottle, tightly seal it and place it in the refrigerator. You can use the remaining creamer for the next two weeks.
Can You Drink Coffee Creamer After 14 Days?
Most manufacturers recommend using coffee creamers for 14 days once you open the bottle. You should store the creamers in the refrigerator for these 14 days and avoid using them after this period.
Why is Creamer Not Refrigerated?
A powder creamer is not refrigerated as it lacks a suitable environment for bacterial growth. You can leave an opened power coffee creamer on the kitchen shelf, and be useable for months.
Does Coffee Mate Creamer Need To Be Refrigerated?
A liquid dairy coffee mate creamer needs to be refrigerated once opened for use. The maximum duration it can stay fresh outside the fridge is 2 hours.
Final Thoughts
Coffee Creamers are exciting options to personalize the taste of your coffee and enjoy it. Most of the creamers must be refrigerated because of their dairy content.
However, you can keep the powered coffee creamer in a dry and room temperature environment, which will be useable and fresh. It is essential to read the instructions on the package of every creamer bottle and follow them when storing it for later use.
