Our Least Favorite Vanilla Coffee Creamer Should Stay On The Shelves

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Not everyone likes their coffee black, which is where creamer comes in. But, if you're wondering which one to purchase, fear not, because The Takeout ranked 13 different vanilla coffee creamers, because in terms of flavored creamers, vanilla is a sturdy place to start. After all, consider the fact it's the foundation of so many other flavors. But 13 products is a lot, and one of them just couldn't hang with the rest. The odds were stacked against it right out the gate, as it's artificially sweetened with a name-brand sugar substitute, and contains a fair amount of artificial additives by default. 

But what it all comes down to is how it tastes, and unfortunately, we found that Splenda Sugar-Free French Vanilla Coffee Creamer was just downright bad. In fact, the taste was so overpowering that it actually made us feel a bit nauseated. While health-conscious coffee lovers might consider buying Splenda Sugar-Free French Vanilla Coffee Creamer, due to the impressive low-calorie and keto-friendly nutritional stats, other creamers on our list fared better on this basis, and were tastier too.

Although the Splenda Sugar-Free French Vanilla Coffee Creamer was a total bust, other creamers featuring sugar substitutes (not including a completely unsweetened product) fared much better. The best of the sugar-free bunch was Coffee Mate's Zero Sugar French Vanilla Coffee Creamer, which landed in a respectable fifth place overall. It may be artificially sweetened, but this creamer thankfully doesn't have a strong artificial aftertaste, unlike the sickening Splenda variety, which Walmart customers notably also complained about. In fact, as one reviewer noted, "This took the taste of my favorite coffee, Laughing Man Dukale's Blend, and made it taste completely different, completely horrible." Another wrote, "Too sweet. No flavor."

In contrast, Coffee Mate's Zero Sugar French Vanilla Coffee Creamer really shines thanks to its delectable creaminess and light vanilla flavor, which we even considered to be better than the full-sugar stuff. This is an impressive feat to pull off, since artificially sweetened products typically can't hold a candle to good old fashioned sugar. As such, those watching their sugar intake don't need to worry that they're compromising with Coffee Mate's Zero Sugar French Vanilla Coffee Creamer, especially as it's miles better than Splenda's Sugar-Free French Vanilla Coffee Creamer, which we simply cannot recommend. But, if you happen to have any of either variety left over, try using coffee creamer to make a deliciously creamy slam-dunk cocktail.