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Do you wonder what’s the vegan substitution for whipped cream? Answer: Coconut Whipped Cream! Yes, you only need canned coconut milk to make it in 5 minutes!
As a person who used to make quite a lot of French desserts like creme choux and mousse, heavy cream was a really important ingredient.
So after I have become a vegan, I thought that I have to give up all of it because, you know, I won’t use heavy cream anymore.
But you know what, in this two-year exploration, I realized that I don’t need to give up everything that calls for heavy cream because there’s a great plant-based substitution for it: Coconut Cream.
The high-fat content of coconut milk is perfect to turn it into the cream. In fact, it’s pretty easy to make. I promise. And no cows suffer.
How to Make Coconut Whipped Cream
Step 1: Get a full-fat canned coconut milk.
Yes, you heard (or read) me. We need the full-fat coconut milk (around 20% fat content), not the beverage kind.
Thanks to the prevalence of Thai cuisine, you should easily find it in supermarkets or Asian grocery stores. I can get it in less than 10 minutes, literally. (No, wait, I stock up some so I should have said 10 seconds.)
Step 2: Refrigerate.
Place the unopened coconut milk into the fridge overnight, better to put it to the deepest spot. This way the fat will naturally separate from the liquid part.
Depending on where you live and the temperature, your coconut milk might already get separated when you buy it. In this case, you can skip this step.
But overall, I still recommend refrigerating the canned coconut milk overnight. It will make the next step faster.
Step 3: Scoop out the upper solid part.
After refrigerating the canned coconut milk overnight, gently take it out.
DON’T SHAKE IT.
Open the can and use a spoon to scoop out the upper solid part into a mixing bowl.
If you’re living in a warmer country like me in Taiwan, your coconut cream might not get solid so well. It’s okay. Just scoop out the upper part that looks creamy and thick.
Step 4: Whip it with a mixer.
Next, we need to whip it so it becomes more like regular whipped cream. So to do this, we need a mixer. You can use a stand mixer or hand mixer.
I personally prefer to use a stand mixer because I can turn it on and walk around to do other stuff while the mixer is working.
Whisk until the coconut cream starts to get light and kind of fluffy, like common whipped cream.
Pro Tip: Use an ice bag to wrap the mixing bowl while whisking. The lower temperature will shorten the whisking time.
Step 5: Use is or store in the fridge until ready to use.
You can use it right away or store the whipped coconut cream in the fridge when you’re about to use.
How to Use Coconut Whipped Cream
Basically, you can use it to replace common dairy whipped cream in most recipes, like mousse, filling, topping.
This is actually the base of the Vegan Coconut Milk Chocolate Mousse.
I also use it in my Starbucks copycat Frappuccino recipe to make my drink look more amazing.
Just keep in mind that the temperature will be a key factor for the texture of the coconut cream. If it reaches high temperature (like 35 C / 70 F), it will start to melt and turn into its original liquid form.
I hope this coconut whipped cream recipe could give you the relief and happy fillings like it did when I first learned about it. 🙂
Recipes using coconut whipped cream：
How to Make Coconut Whipped Cream
Ingredients
- 1-2 canned coconut milk, 400 ml per can
Instructions
- Refrigerate the full-fat canned coconut milk overnight.
- Gently take out the can from the fridge. Don’t shake it. Open the can and use a spoon to scoop out the upper solid part into a mixing bowl. Save the left coconut water/coconut milk for smoothie bowls, curry, or your beverage.
- Use a stand mixer or hand mixer to whip the coconut cream until it starts to look like whipped cream.
- Use immediately or store it in the fridge until ready to use.
Notes
- Storage: Store in the fridge for 2 days.
