Best Coffee Creamer for Kidney Disease

If you love your morning cup of coffee (or tea!)but are trying to follow a kidney-friendly diet, you might be wondering what kind of creamer is safe to use. Good news: there are plenty of options that can fit into a kidney-conscious lifestyle — you just need to know what to look for.

This post may contain affiliate links through which we may earn a small commission to help keep this website free.

Skip the ads: Kidney Foodie Academy members can access ALL of the Kidney Foodie Grocery Shopping Guides ad-free by visiting this section of the library. Not a member? Learn more about Kidney Foodie Academy here.

What makes a coffee creamer kidney friendly?

Low Phosphorus Coffee Creamer

Many creamers — especially powdered or flavored types — contain added phosphorus in the form of preservatives or emulsifiers. We include a few examples below:

These ingredients are phosphorus additives and should be avoided when possible.

Why? Because phosphorus is a mineral that, when levels build up in the blood, can lead to serious health issues for people with chronic kidney disease — including weakened bones, vascular calcification, and increased risk of heart disease. While phosphorus is found naturally in many whole foods, additive phosphorus is far more concerning because it is absorbed at a much higher rate — up to 90–100%, compared to 30–60% from natural sources.

This means that even small amounts of phosphorus additives in processed foods like creamer can contribute to high blood phosphorus levels, especially if you are consuming multiple sources throughout the day. Avoiding phosphate additives is one of the most effective ways to prevent high phosphorus levels without drastically restricting your diet.

Is coffee creamer high in potassium?

The good news is that the coffee creamers we’ve identified as kidney-friendly — those without phosphate additives — are also very low in potassium. While some oat or soy-based creamers on the market may contain added potassium (like potassium citrate or potassium phosphate), the options listed in this article are not among them.

And it’s worth noting: not everyone with CKD needs to strictly limit potassium. Potassium needs vary based on your lab results, medications, level of kidney function, and several other factors. If you’re interested in learning more ways to prevent high potassium, consider signing up for our free course: 5 Ways to Control Potassium Without Avoiding High Potassium Foods.

If you are someone who needs to be careful about potassium, it’s important to know that the coffee itself is likely to be a more meaningful source of potassium than the creamer. A typical 8 oz cup of black coffee contains around 124mg of potassium (and decaf will contain a similar amount of potassium) — so multiple cups a day can add up quickly.

To learn more about how coffee affects potassium levels, you can check out our post on coffee and potassium.

Is Coffee Mate Bad for your kidneys?

Powdered creamers, including Coffee Mate powdered creamers, contain phosphorus additives, which are bad for your kidneys and cardiovascular system. A teaspoon of powdered creamer contains an estimate 12mg of phosphorus. This may not seem like much, but it adds up if you use more than a teaspoon and then add that to the rest of your day, and the phosphorus is highly absorbable. Coffee Mate does make some liquid creamers that do not contain additives. Check the ingredients lists to verify.

Best Coffee Creamer for Kidney Disease (dairy-based)

Although dairy products are traditionally considered off limits due to potassium content, creamers tend to be relatively low in potassium. If you prefer half-and-half, just pay careful attention to the ingredients to ensure that there are not phosphorus additives.

Heavy Whipping Cream

• Calories: 50
• Protein: 0g
• Carbohydrate: 1g
• Fat: 5g
• Sodium: 5mg
• Phosphorus
  Additives: None
• Potassium: 15mg
• Calcium: 0mg
• Fiber: 0g
• Sugar: 0g

The vast majority of Heavy Cream and Heavy Whipping cream contain no phosphorus additives. I still recommend checking the labels, but out of the 200+ heavy creams in the USDA database, only about 3 of them contained phosphate additives. The rest contain no phosphorus additives. Click the icon below to check prices and reviews for this product.

Check Prices

Land O Lakes Half and Half

• Calories: 40
• Protein: 0.5g
• Carbohydrate: 1g
• Fat: 3g
• Sodium: 15mg
• Phosphorus
  Additives: None
• Calcium: 40mg
• Fiber: 0g
• Sugar: 1g

This is the ONLY kidney friendly half and half in the USDA database. Every other half and half has a phosphorus additive. And if you’re shopping specifically for half and half, be sure that you only pick the Land O Lakes Half and Half that says it is 100% real milk and cream. The 100% is key. The singles versions have phosphates as well as all of their other half and halfs in this brand. Generally speaking, I would just avoid half and half altogether, but if you MUST have it, then choose this one. Click the icon below to check prices and reviews for this product.

Check Prices

Chobani Coffee Creamer

• Calories: 30
• Protein: 0g
• Carbohydrate: 4g
• Fat: 1.5g
• Sodium: 10mg
• Phosphorus
  Additives: None
• Potassium: 0mg
• Calcium: 0mg
• Fiber: 0g
• Sugar: 4g

I thought Chobani only made yogurt, but it seems they have branched out into making kidney friendly coffee creamer too! If you like half and half, but prefer some extra flavor, then these could be a good fit. Made with milk, cream, sugar, and natural flavors and NO PHOSPHATE additives. Be sure you are looking at their dairy based creamer though. Their non-dairy creamers do contain phosphates. Click the icon below to check prices and reviews for this product.

Check Prices

Darigold Creamer

• Calories: 30
• Protein: 0g
• Carbohydrate: 4g
• Fat: 1.5g
• Sodium: 5mg
• Phosphorus
  Additives: None
• Potassium: 16mg
• Calcium: 12mg
• Fiber: 0g
• Sugar: 4g

This dairy based creamer contains milk, cream, sugar, and natural flavors making it a kidney friendly creamer. It comes in several flavors: French vanilla, Almond Roca, Vanilla Caramel, Hazelnut, and Sweet Cream. Click the icon below to check prices and reviews for this product.

Vital Proteins Collagen Creamer

• Calories: 140
• Protein: 10g
• Carbohydrate: 4g
• Fat: 9g
• Sodium: 55mg
• Phosphorus
  Additives: None
• Calcium: 120mg
• Fiber: 0g
• Sugar: 1g

This is not actually dairy based, but since it isn’t completely plant-based, I’m going to put it here. This is a powdered creamer that contains collagen protein as well. If you are on dialysis, this may be a good way to get in some extra protein. If you are not on dialysis, we do not recommend this creamer. It is too high in protein. Also, if you are prone to calcium oxalate kidney stones, you should avoid this creamer. Click the icon below to check prices and reviews for this product.

Check Prices

Coffee Mate Natural Bliss

• Calories: 35
• Protein: 0g
• Carbohydrate: 5g
• Fat: 1.5g
• Sodium: 5mg
• Phosphorus
  Additives: None
• Potassium: 0mg
• Calcium: 0mg
• Fiber: 0g
• Sugar: 5g

While the vast majority of Coffee Mate products contain phosphorus additives, their Natural Bliss line of creamers are all kidney friendly. Click the icon below to check prices and reviews for this product.

Check Prices

Kidney Friendly Coffee Creamer You Can Buy (non-dairy)

If you prefer a non-dairy creamer, just keep an eye out for phosphorus additives and added sugars.

Califia Farms Almondmilk Creamer

• Calories: 30
• Protein: 0g
• Carbohydrate: 4g
• Fat: 1g
• Sodium: 15mg
• Phosphorus
  Additives: None
• Calcium: 0mg
• Fiber: 0g
• Sugar: 4g

At the time of writing this, all of the Califia Farms CREAMER products contained no added phosphates. I put CREAMER in all caps because many of their other products contain phosphorus additives, so it is just the creamers that I’m talking about here. They come in many different flavors like French Vanilla, Cookie Butter, Hazelnut, Caramel Macchiato, as well as an unsweetened version if you’re trying to limit your sugar. Click the icon below to check prices and reviews for this product.

Check Prices

Califia Oatmilk Creamer

• Calories: 25
• Protein: 0g
• Carbohydrate: 4g
• Fat: 1g
• Sodium: 10mg
• Phosphorus
  Additives: None
• Potassium: 0mg
• Calcium: 20mg
• Fiber: 0g
• Sugar: 3g

Califia Farms also makes several oat-based kidney friendly creamers. Click the icon below to check prices and reviews for this product.

Check Prices

Silk Almondmilk Creamer

• Calories: 25
• Protein: 0g
• Carbohydrate: 4g
• Fat: 1g
• Sodium: 15mg
• Phosphorus
  Additives: None
• Potassium: 0mg
• Calcium: 0mg
• Fiber: 0g
• Sugar: 4g

Silk makes several flavors of almond-based kidney friendly creamer including: Vanilla, Hazelnut, Sweet & Creamy, Caramel, Creme Brulee, and Pumpkin Spice. These have no phosphorus additives making them low phosphorus coffee creamers. Click the icon below to check prices and reviews for this product.

Check Prices

Silk Oatmilk Creamer

• Calories: 25
• Protein: 0g
• Carbohydrate: 4g
• Fat: 1g
• Sodium: 15mg
• Phosphorus
  Additives: None
• Potassium: 0mg
• Calcium: 0mg
• Fiber: 0g
• Sugar: 4g

Silk also makes oat based kidney friendly creamers that come in several flavors: vanilla, oatmeal cookie, sweet oat latte, and maple brown sugar. Click the icon below to check prices and reviews for this product.

Check Prices

Laird Superfood Creamer

• Calories: 80
• Protein: 1g
• Carbohydrate: 7g
• Fat: 6g
• Sodium: 10mg
• Phosphorus
  Additives: None
• Potassium: 100mg
• Calcium: 10mg
• Fiber: 0g
• Sugar: 5g

This powdered coconut-based kidney friendly creamer comes in several flavors including: Vanilla, Cacao, Original, Pumpkin Spice, Turmeric, and Unsweetened. Click the icon below to check prices and reviews for this product.

Check Prices

So Delicious Creamer

• Calories: 15
• Protein: 0g
• Carbohydrate: 0g
• Fat: 1g
• Sodium: 10mg
• Phosphorus
  Additives: None
• Potassium: 0mg
• Calcium: 0mg
• Fiber: 0g
• Sugar: 0g

This unsweetened creamer is kidney friendly with no phosphorus additives. It also comes in a vanilla flavor. Click the icon below to check prices and reviews for this product.

Check Prices