Easy step by step guide to making vegan whipped cream using canned coconut cream. Better than any whipped cream you’ve had before!
Vegan whipped cream – ooh la la.
Whipped cream has so many uses and when you find yourself going vegan or dairy-free, you might be worried about what there is to replace it!
Whipped coconut cream is it.
Making your own vegan whipped cream is an essential skill when it comes to making vegan desserts.
And I’m going to show you two ways of making it, the plain delicious whipped cream way, or the sweetened whipped cream way.
Really depends on what you’re eating it with. Eating it with a super sweet dessert? Then there is no need to sweeten your cream. Eating it on something relatively plain? Then you may want to sweeten your cream!
Wherever you would have used regular whipped cream – use this instead!
Vegan whipped coconut cream can be piped onto cakes, cupcakes or vegan pies. In these photos I’ve demonstrated a couple of different types of piping tips to show you how it can look on top of a delicious vegan apple cake (and vegan brownies in our video).
Ingredient Notes
- Coconut cream – canned coconut cream is the best for making vegan whipped cream, better than coconut milk. Coconut cream has a lower water content, so basically you’ll get more bang for your buck. Full fat canned coconut milk can also work but the best results are generally going to come from using coconut cream. If you’re in the USA then Savoy brand works well.
- Powdered sugar – is only needed if you want to sweeten your cream. Powdered sugar works best since it dissolves into the cream really easily.
- Vanilla extract – this is also an optional ingredient, but if you’re adding powdered sugar then adding some vanilla extract tops it off beautifully.
How To Make Vegan Whipped Cream
You will find full instructions and measurements in the recipe card at the bottom of the post. This is a summary of the process to go along with the process photos.
- First you need to refrigerate a can of coconut cream overnight. Place it into the coldest part of your refrigerator and leave it there at least overnight.
- After your coconut cream has chilled in the fridge for at least 12 hours, then remove the can from the fridge, being careful not to shake it. Open it up and you’ll see the cream should have all risen to the top and hardened.
- Depending on the brand of coconut cream you’re using, whether the cream is super hard, or just slightly firmed up, can be quite variable.
- Scoop only the cream part out into the bowl of your stand mixer, leaving the watery part behind.
- As you can see above, the cream in this can was very solid, and once scooped out, it leaves a fair bit of the separated water section behind.
- Once scooped into your stand mixer, start off on slow speed and then gradually increase speed until you have a nice thick whipped cream consistency.
Tips For Making The Best Vegan Whipped Cream
If the cream is really hard once it’s separated from the water in the can, it can sometimes create more of a thick cream cheese consistency than a whipped cream consistency. You can add a little of the water from the can back into the cream to thin it out ever so slightly and create a better whipped cream consistency.
Some brands of coconut cream can over-whip if you go too long and start to separate. If your cream is quite thick to start off with, you might not need to whip it for long at all, as with the batch you see pictured above.
If your cream is very floppy and barely firm at all when it separates from the water in the can, then it might not whip well at all. In this case, whip it for a longer time to see how firm you can get it, and once you’ve got it as firm as possible, you can add in ¼ – ½ tsp xantham gum and whip that in, it will thicken it up fast and can save it from being a dud batch.
Experiment with different brands until you find a good one. Unfortunately sometimes you find a great one and then the manufacturers change the formula slightly and then it doesn’t work so great anymore (happened to me recently!). If you find a brand of coconut cream that works great for making vegan whipped cream, then just leave a few cans in the top of your fridge permanently. This is what I do, so I’m always ready to whip up a batch of whipped cream on short notice.
Some brands just don’t work well at all. Some might look like they’re going to work but then when you try and whip them, they start to separate and look all grainy. Experiment until you find a brand that works great for you.
Coconut creams in a carton won’t work for this at all.
Another option you have if you can’t be bothered with experimenting to find a good brand to use is just to get a can of coconut whipping cream. It also needs to be chilled before it will work, but it works great every time!
Storing and Freezing
Whipped coconut cream can be stored in the fridge where it will stay good for up to a week. It’s not at all freezer friendly so I don’t recommend freezing this at all.
Serve This Coconut Whipped Cream On:
- Vegan Waffles
- Vegan Brownies
- Vegan Hot Chocolate
- Vegan Pumpkin Pie
- Vegan Scones
- Vegan Strawberry Shortcake
Did you make this recipe? Be sure to leave a comment and rating below!
Vegan Whipped Cream
Ingredients
- 14 ounce Can Coconut Cream (400ml) 1 Can, Unsweetened
- 3 Tbsp Powdered Sugar Optional
- 1 tsp Vanilla Extract Optional
Instructions
- Place the can of coconut cream into the coldest part of your refrigerator and leave it there overnight.
- The next day, take it out and carefully open it (don’t shake it around!).
- You’ll see that the cream part has separated from the water and risen to the top.
- Scoop that out into the bowl of an electric mixer, leaving the water behind. You can use the water in a smoothie or throw it out.
- Starting at slow speed gradually increase speed until you achieve a whipped cream consistency.
- The harder the consistency of the cream when you scoop it out, the quicker this will be.
- Once you have whipped cream consistency, you can stop right there. You're done! OR:
- Add some powdered sugar and vanilla for a sweetened cream.
- Whisk again until mixed in.
Video
Notes
- I have heard of cases where the coconut cream and water doesn’t separate and it’s still very liquid inside the can, this would mean you got a dud can. For this reason, have a back up can in the refrigerator – you can always use the dud for making a creamy sauce.
- Some brands of coconut cream are all hard cream with very little water left behind after chilling, this is great! If it also whips well then make a note of the brand and stick with that one.
- The best results come about in this recipe when the cream is very firm to start off with. If your cream is floppier when you start, you’ll have to whip it for longer, and even then, it might not reach your desired firmness. If you need a ‘fix’ for a batch that won’t firm up enough, you can add ¼ to ½ teaspoon of xanthum gum, just be careful because this can sometimes firm it up more than you want it to! But this works as a fix.
- I’ve done it with a hand whisk (no electric mixer) and it is possible, but generally only in cases where the cream is quite firm and hard to start with. Even then it uses a lot of arm power.
- The cake in the photos with the whipped cream on top is our vegan apple cake and the brownies in the recipe video are our simple vegan brownies.
I found coconut cream in a packet not a can would that still work. Should I need to look out for certain ingredients? Thank you
I’m not sure! I haven’t ever used it from a packet.
If you live in Canada I used Grace brand Canned Coconut milk which is cheaper than most coconut milk brands and it was excellent!! I added a bit of icing sugar for sweetness. I love this new found icing recipe and so will my family especially my daughter who is totally Vegan and Lovin’ it! thanks for this amazing recipe.
Thanks so much Debbi!
Hi, I don’t have any electric tools for this (hand or stand mixer, egg beater, food processer, etc.) in my kitchen. How can I make this? Thanks!
I don’t think it would be a good idea to make it in that case. I have actually made it by hand myself, with a hand whisk, but it very much depends on the consistency of the coconut cream to start with. It’s not like dairy cream where it’s just a matter of time, some just won’t whip and you’ll break your arm trying. So it’s better to use an electric whisk so you can find a good brand and from there, you could possibly do it by hand if needed, once you know that you’re using a brand that will work.
Hi! Just wondering if I can make this recipe a few hours ahead of time or if it needs to be served right after you make it?
You can make it a few hours ahead and just keep it covered in the fridge.
I was just going to ask this. Yay!!
Can Cream of Tartar be used for firming up vegan whipped cream? I read that it is originally used to firm up beaten egg whites.
Cream of tartar is more of a stabiliser, not a thickener. Xanthan gum works as a thickener, and we have info about how to use it in the recipe notes.
I don’t have electric mixer. Can I use stand mixer to whipped the cream?
Yes we used a stand mixer!
Hi, just wondering if you can use the canned coconut milk for this or just coconut cream? Thanks so much and it looks simply delicious!
Hi Maggie, you can use coconut milk, so long as it’s the full fat, unsweetened coconut milk and so long as it separates. Some brands will work great and some not so great, but this also applies to the coconut cream. 🙂
Absolutely delicious thank You!
Thanks so much Paul!
HI … can I use the so delicious brand whipped cream?
As far as I know So Delicious Coco Whip (if that’s what you’re referring to) doesn’t need to be whipped, you just use it as is from the container. 🙂
To make sure that your coconut milk will split in cream and water, you must make sure that there are no emulsifiers added. You can verify that by looking at the ingredient lists 🙂
Hi, We want to bake a cake that requires the cream to be folded into beaten egg yolks and then baked. Will this coconut cream work for this?
Many Thanks
Timothy
Hi Timothy, sorry I have no idea at all. I haven’t ever used this for a similar purpose so I don’t know. Sorry I can’t be more help!
Made this yesterday to go with your vegan scones, lovely! Scones with jam and cream have probably been one of the few things I miss!! No more!
I can only find Creamed Coconut, do you think this will work?
No, that is a completely different thing.
Really super easy and delicious cream recipe. The vanilla takes away any coconut flavour which is great!
Really easy recipe, tried it with the icing sugar and vanilla essence as was using it for a pavlova and it was lovely (got the seal of approval from fussy husband). Had some coconut milk in the fridge for a while so got over half a tin of “cream” from it.
Hi! I love this recipe and absolutely love all your recipes so much! I was wondering if you know of any brand that offers a coconut milk/cream that is pourable so that it can be poured straight into a whipped cream canister I have. Thank you!
Awesome Sophia, thank you, so glad you like the recipes. In my experience they are usually pourable if they have not been chilled first. But if not, you can put the coconut cream into a measuring jug and use a hand whisk to whisk it into a pourable consistency.
Bonjour ! Est-ce que crème fouettée reste stable ou elle devient liquide après un certain temps ??
It’s very stable and never turns to liquid once it’s been whipped, as long as it’s in the fridge.