I'm trying to be vegan and the one thing I can't give up is half and half in my coffee!

Nutpods are awesome! I like it better than real half and half.

Wildwood coffee creamer works. 0 mg cholesterol 0 mg sodium 1g sugar. Taste great.

There's a lot of Vegan creamers now, different flavors and different brands of either almond or coconut milk. There might be even more creamers that are Vegan that I don't know of that aren't soy based, but I'd strongly check them out.

Update on the 1/2 Macadamia nut 1/2 cashew nut recipe. The taste was ok but the creamer separates and needs constant shaking to stay emulsified in the fridge and in the drink. The next experiment was adding probiotics to the cashew creamer. It got very thick and creamy and the cashew taste was removed. So far this is the best creamer. I will try the Macadamia nut again and use a nut bag to filter and then add the probiotic to see what happens. Mac nuts are very expensive so I won't be experimenting too often with them in the future.

I should add, as well, that Organic Valley has a soy creamer without added sugar

I've tried them all, and by far, my favorite is Organic Valley Soy Creamer

I have tried most of the commercial products in the dairy section and gave up. Try making your own raw organic cashew creamer. It is the closest to real half and half so far. Soak 1 cup of cashews overnight. Rinse and add 2 cups water and blend in a Vitamix. I didn't use any sweetener and it tastes very close to real half and half. When using it for smoothies or cooking as a milk replacer, add an equal amount of water. I will be trying 1/2 cashews with 1/2 organic raw Macadamia nuts to see if that tastes closer to the real thing. If that doesn't work, I will be adding some probiotics to see if that makes a difference in the taste.

Yes!! There is finally a vegan (and paleo, and dairy free) half and half alternative!

Check out:
http://www.nutpods.com/

I really dislike the soy & almond creamers on the market. I've been blending a 1/2 tablespoon of coconut oil & a few spoons of my homemade cashew cream into a 1/2 pot of coffee. Makes is creamier tasting.

There is, and must be, a distinction between factory farms and sustainable, humanely -produced pastured meats, and their corellated consumption models. Ne're the twain shall meet (or meat, as the case may be). One is ruining life as we know it; one is the very lifeblood of a holistic, abundant and supremely healthy environment. A grave disservice is done when the two are conflated.

Those that are still in the dark about the dairy industry should watch this video and google factory farms. How else could they supply millions in the US with dairy products. http://youtu.be/GzS8p727gvM

I don't know about the claim that "cows need to be milked" or that they're kept "constantly pregnant", but cow's milk isn't good for the human body and not just because of the fat content. I would suggest you read an article by Dr. Mark Hyman about the high level of hormones in animal milk, especially in cows. These hormones occur naturally in the cow regardless of whether or not it has had hormone treatments. Coconut milk is the best alternative I've found, you could even try coconut cream though I haven't so I couldn't tell you for sure. At the end of the day, it depends on what's important to you. Here's the article if anyone's interested: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dr-mark-hyman/do-milk-and-sugar-cause-a_b_822163.html

The Organic Valley options of soy creamers are great. (This is what i did and it's fantastic!). I would say the original flavor is great, yet a little nutty. The French Vanilla is my choice though.

I like what Petitbleu said. We all have a responsibility to make sure that the animals we eat or who produce our dairy live peaceful, stress-free lives. The meat industry horrifies me, which is why I eat meat rarely so I can buy only from a local butcher who can state with confidence that that animals were raised and killed humanely on local farms. I also never suffer from the slightest twinge of guilt when buying either local goat cheese or imported Swiss gruyere. I only hope the fruits of my work give someone the pleasure of a sliver of fine gruyere produced by alpine cows and their handlers with generations of knowledge and expertise.
I often wonder about the logic of militant veganism---- do you want cows to not exist? You do realize that they will not be released to the wild? If the world were vegan, there might be a few cows in zoos, but they wouldn't be wandering wild. Cows have developed alongside humans for millenniums. I don't know of any ecosystem where herds of cows run free.
Sure, let's be certain that all animals are well-treated. Let's eat less meat and drink less milk so that we can afford to pay small farmers for high quality, ethical products. Let's reform the laws that allow animals to be raised in constricted, stressful conditions. But you cannot convince me that a well-cared for dairy cow with room to roam is better off never being born to begin with.
Rant over. That being said, if you are determined to be pure in your diet, coconut milk is the way to go. But don't hate yourself if you need that occasional tablespoon of cream. Life is too short to be obsessed with purity.

Sorry to join the fracas, but I worked on a goat farm for 4 years as a cheesemaker's apprentice. We cared very, very deeply for our animals. They were treated like royalty compared to most other farm animals--they had all the food they wanted (free choice pasture, hay, and some grain), room to roam and exercise, safety from predation, and all the love they could absorb.
We milked them twice a day because if we didn't they would be in pain, they got to stay with their offspring until it was time to wean them, and we never gave them hormones to make them produce more milk.
We did breed the does every year, but this is very natural. In the wild, they do breed every year and produce offspring at quite an astonishing rate (they're prey animals and so reproduce rapidly). They were impregnated by a buck, not artificial insemination, and after they gave birth they were cared for to make sure they and their offspring were healthy and happy.
We used their high-quality milk to make exquisite cheeses, and in return the goats got a safe, warm, loving environment in which to live and raise young. The animals were the priority. No one else was happy until they were happy.
There's a lot that's wrong with the dairy industry at large, and I know that the situation I worked in was exceptional, but there are some people out there trying to do things the right way. Rather than punishing those who are ethical and hardworking, trying to do right by the animals and their customers, why not acknowledge that there are better and worse ways of doing things and support your local dairy?
If you really are convinced that vegan is the way to go (and I'm not trying to say that being vegan is wrong, because I don't believe that), okay. No need to demonize thoughtful and ethical producers. Like it or not, animal husbandry has been a mark of human civilization for thousands of years. Some people are doing it right. Others not so much.

I have been eating a plant based (vegan) diet for 5 years - except for coffee. It took me 3 years to drop the 1/2 and 1/2 habit! I have now been enjoying my cup of coffee in the morning more than ever, and it doesn't have any creamer in it! I tried every one of the above mentioned creamers, and did not like any of them; flavor, no flavor; almond, soy, whatever! Couldn't do it! Finally, I just decided it was time to stop! I slowly put less and less 1/2 and 1/2 in my morning cup, and now, I can't imagine it any other way!

Humans don't have to be pregnant to produce milk. It's a supply and demand system if you keep nursing you keep a milk supply. Are we sure the same isn't true for dairy cows on farms. I say this as a nurse, breastfeeding mom, vegetarian and I grew up with farms. Yes I did the same research and saw vegucated too. Also I go for coconut milk as to much soy can build up pseudo estrogen in your body. Unless you limit soy but it can be hard as vegans.

"the cows have to be milked". Yes, since they are in constant, artificial "pregnancy mode" in order to continually produce milk. After birth, male calves are often immediately taken away to be fattened up in small pens for veal. After mom stops being a "good producer", she is taken to a vile, stinking feed lot to await shipment for "processing". Perhaps you should go witness that yourself and see if it fits your idea of "humane"?

Even if a cow is living life on a nice, green pasture, well loved by her owners, the bottom line is that she is kept constantly pregnant for the business of dairy, quickly loses her calves so that she can be impregnated again ( and you have to wonder what happens to her calves, where do they go?) and meets the same sad end as the other cows. These are the sad facts that finally convinced me that this product, for me, isn't worth the suffering of the animals.

If there were a way to keep cows producing milk without this constant cycle of misery, then that would be great, wouldn't if? Because the products sure taste good. But many have looked into actual industry practices and concluded that they want no part of it. Good for silvrwys for being brave enough to face facts.

This, I'm sure, is not what you're looking for, but I think you have to ask yourself why you want to be vegan and what it means to you.

If it's for health reasons, will a couple of tablespoons of half and half a day really make that much of a difference? (And it's hard for me to believe that half and half is worse for you that any of the processed products.)

If it's because you want to avoid any product that exploits animals, can you find a local dairy that treats its animals humanely? I mean, the cows have to be milked. Can you allow yourself the pleasure of half and half in your coffee? Isn't that morning coffee one of the most pleasurable things in your life? Why would you give it up?

So Delicious creamer is great in terms of texture, but is pretty sweet, their unsweetened drink is good in terms of flavour, but thins things down a little too much.
Kikkoman Pearl unsweetened soy milk is good if you're not avoiding soy, as is the trader joes soy creamer, but that's a little sweeter.
I've been liking the Silk Pure Almond for my coffee lately though.
On the other hand... being vegan except for a little half and half in your coffee in the morning is perfectly acceptable in my books... maybe buy the more expensive humanely raised organic stuff and figure it's still a net gain.

I don't drink coffee or half-and-half, but if I did, I would probably get So Delicious coconut milk creamer. Coconut milk out of a can can be too fatty and clumpy for coffee, resulting in kind of an oil slick on the top of your cup. Sometimes "light" coconut milk in a can will work.

But the So Delicious creamer has emulsifiers and thickeners added so that it has the same consistency and behaves the same way as regular creamer. I'm not sure if this brand is available near you...otherwise, I would suggest almond milk.

I'll second the coconut milk, especially one of the higher fat brands. If you're going for a real treat, try Coconut Bliss ice cream! Also, it's possible you might want to try a new coffee. I work for a coffee company so of course I tend to branch out into all sorts of varieties, but a truly good well-balanced cup often convinces people they don't want any sweetener at all. At least, that's what I often observe in customers.

I am with HLA and coconut milk - so good!

unsweetened almond milk might be your ticket. they even make their flavors unsweetened if you care for a hint of vanilla or chocolate without extra sugar. either way, blue diamond makes the best almond milk i've ever had. in some things its even hard to taste the difference, especially with cereal or lattes.

i hope this helps!

http://www.bluediamond.com/index.cfm?navid=52

Trader joes makes a soy based creamer that is unsweetened so its a great subsitute for half and half, give it a try. My roomate is vegan and I'm lactose intolerant and its perfect for cooking aswell

Try coconut milk. Transfer it from the can into a container you can shake well. It's very creamy, and barely sweet.

I know you said you don't like soy creamers, but I am not vegan and I use Silk in my coffee every morning. I am at the point where I hate when I am away from home and have to use dairy creamer. If you haven't tried Silk, I strongly recommend it!!