Vital Proteins Collagen Creamer: Frothy Coconut & Cinnamon Iced Coffee

There are hundreds of ways to take your coffee, and everyone has different tastes. To quote my favorite movie, You’ve Got Mail, the way you choose to make or order your coffee can be an “absolutely defining sense of self.”

This Vital Proteins Frothy Coconut Collagen Creamer and Cinnamon Iced Coffee recipe that I made is packed full of healthy benefits and it tastes amazing!

My Coffee Background

(Scroll down to recipe if this part doesn’t interest you…) I worked for Starbucks for most of my 20’s and learned pretty much every way coffee can be made. I even earned my Coffee Master Apron, which is basically an unofficial degree in coffee.

When I first started working there, I used to love all of the insanely sweet drinks like the Caramel Frappuccino, but the more I learned and tasted the more refined my palate became. Eventually black iced coffee with a packet of Stevia was the only way I wanted my coffee. Occasionally, I would sneak in an iced latte into my morning routine, but for the most part I had given up dairy and sugar syrups for health reasons.

Brewing Iced Coffee

I never made coffee much at home until recent years, my post-Starbucks era. I experimented and tried different brewing methods and finally landed on using a Ninja Coffee Bar. Let me tell you, I NEVER use anything else at home now! My husband likes using a Chemex, but I love the ease and speed of the Ninja. We received the Single Cup Brew System as a gift from our wedding registry last year and the only mornings I haven’t used it are the mornings that I have worked out of town and stayed in a hotel. It has a “brew over ice” option and will brew a single cup of iced coffee (can I get a hallelujah!).

Finally A Healthy Coffee Creamer

Though I have enjoyed drinking my black iced coffee with stevia, I do sometimes get a hankering for a creamer. I usually dismiss the craving because most creamers on the market are terrible for you and loaded with sugar.

Enter Vital Proteins Collagen Creamer!

Get $10 off to shop at Vital Proteins with my referral link!

This drink is Whole30, Keto, and Paleo friendly. No added sugar, Dairy and Soy Free, Gluten Free, and Carrageenan Free. It is not, however, Vegan. Make sure to read all of the ingredients before trying to make sure it is suitable for your diet.

What Is Collagen?

Collagen is the main structural protein in the extracellular space in the various connective tissues in animal bodies. As the main component of connective tissue, it is the most abundant protein in mammals, making up from 25% to 35% of the whole-body protein content. (Wikipedia)

Why Is It Important?

To sum it up briefly, collagen aids in hair, skin, nail, and joint support. As we get older, our body’s natural supply of collagen decreases and taking a supplement is necessary.

The Recipe: Frothy Coconut & Cinnamon Iced Coffee

So, this recipe was actually a happy accident. I had brewed my iced coffee with my Ninja Coffee Bar and scooped out some Collagen Creamer, and realized very quickly that it doesn’t dissolve well in cold liquid. I sat there pouting for a second because I was disappointed and didn’t know how to fix it. It was chunky and sticky, not at all how it would be in a hot coffee and I should have seen this coming.

Then I remembered that I like to use my NutriBullet to stir and break up stuff like that sometimes, so I dumped it into the bullet and turned it on to let the blade stir and break up the chunks for only about 5-10 seconds. This resulted in some major micro-foam, which is the kind of foam you want in a velvety smooth cappuccino. If you like foam – it’s what your latte dreams are made of.

What you need:

1. A way to make iced coffee at home.
2. Your favorite coffee (buy it pre-ground, unless you own a grinder). I used Caribou Mahogany Blend this particular day.
3. Sweetener if desired. I used one packet of Stevia in the Raw.
4. Vital Proteins Coconut Collagen Creamer (also available in Vanilla).
5. A blender (I highly recommend NutriBullet for this) or milk frother to break up the collagen and create the micro-foam.
6. Cinnamon powder.

 

Steps:

1. Brew your iced coffee. Depending on your brewing method (see below for options), this can be done within minutes or brewed overnight.
2. Choose your cup or glass and fill it 3/4 full of iced coffee (do not add ice yet, just the coffee). You’re using your cup/glass as a measuring cup, so once you have determined how much 3/4 is for that glass, pour the coffee into your blender. If you’re using a milk frother, just leave the coffee in your glass and make sure you have room for the foam at the top.
3. Add 1-2 scoops of Collagen Creamer. (2 scoops is the recommended serving, but I have been using 1 scoop for a lighter taste). There is a scoop that comes inside the canister.
4. Add any desired sweeteners.
5. Now you must use your blending method of choice to stir in the powder and create the micro-foam. I use my NutriBullet because it’s fast and easy, and there is no mess. A milk frother should work, though I have not tried that. And I do believe a regular blender would work, but I do not know how frothy it will come out.
6. Pour the foamy contents back into your drinking glass or cup. You may add ice before or after you pour, though you may not even want to add ice at all. My drink as pictured above does not have any ice in it. It was already cold and I didn’t want to mess with the frothiness. Later on, after I had enjoyed about half of the drink I did add a few cubes to keep it cold.
7. Sprinkle cinnamon on top (you may also want to have cinnamon inside the drink too, if so, add a 1/2 or 1 teaspoon of cinnamon in step 4).
8. Enjoy!

Final Thoughts

It’s a fairly simple recipe. I will stress the fact that it is VERY important to blend the creamer into the coffee with a blender or milk frother. The consistency will not come out the same if you only stir it with a spoon. If you don’t care for foam, I still recommend making it this way and then letting the foam fall. After a few minutes the coffee and foam will start to separate and the foam eventually disappears. This is especially true when you add ice and stir.

Leave me a comment if you enjoyed this recipe!

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