Easy Vegan Coconut Whipped Cream

Coconut whipped cream is a delicious, dairy-free alternative to traditional whipped cream. It is incredible with fruit, pies, cakes, and other desserts. Here are our best tips for making our favorite vegan whipped cream that lasts for days! Jump to the Vegan Coconut Whipped Cream Recipe

What is Coconut Whipped Cream?

Non-dairy coconut whipped cream is a plant-based alternative to traditional whipped cream. Instead of using whipping cream, we use full-fat canned coconut milk or coconut cream. This recipe lasts for a week or more in the fridge, is dairy-free, and vegan-friendly.

How to Make Coconut Whipped Cream

It took me a while to get on the coconut whipped cream wagon, but now I’m on it. I’m in love (coming from someone who loves traditional whipped cream). Here’s how to make non-dairy whipped cream using coconut milk:

1. Chill a can of good-quality coconut milk or coconut cream overnight in the fridge. (Our preferred brands of canned coconut milk are below.) Chilling the can of coconut milk hardens the coconut cream and separates the cream from the extra liquid in the can, which can cause our whipped cream to fail or be too thin.
2. Scoop out the hardened coconut cream from the chilled can. Remember that we don’t want the liquid at the bottom. You can use that for another recipe, like a smoothie, or add it to your oatmeal.
3. Use a hand mixer or stand mixer to whip the hardened coconut cream until it’s light and fluffy.
4. Mix in a sweetener — I like maple syrup — and a little vanilla. Both are optional.
5. Use immediately or store in the fridge for up to two weeks! It will harden a bit in the refrigerator.

Our Tips For The Best Coconut Whipped Cream

Use full-fat coconut milk or use coconut cream. Refrigerated bottles of coconut milk and low-fat or “light” coconut milk will not work in this recipe.

Use a good-quality brand of coconut milk or coconut cream. Here are our recommendations:

• Native Forrest Unsweetened Coconut Milk Classic
• 365 Whole Foods Organic Coconut Milk
• Arroy-D
• Savoy Coconut Cream
• O Organics Coconut Cream

Other brands of full-fat coconut milk should work in our recipe below, especially if you take the time to chill the can for a day or two. Depending on the brand you have on hand, you might find more coconut cream to liquid left in the can. Be careful when scooping the hardened cream, and save the liquid at the bottom of the can for other dishes.

Chill your cans of coconut milk/coconut cream overnight in the fridge (or longer). I know it’s annoying, but chilling your cans overnight is crucial to success. While a freezer chills the cans quicker, we still find that chilling overnight in the refrigerator is better for separating the coconut cream from the coconut milk/water in the can. I keep a can of coconut cream in the back of my fridge, ready to make vegan whipped cream whenever I want.

Help, My Coconut Whipped Cream is Too Thick

After whipping the coconut cream, thin it with coconut water or milk left in the can. Use a little at a time until you achieve the right consistency.

Help, My Coconut Whipped Cream is Too Thin

Keep everything cold. Don’t allow the coconut cream to warm up, or it won’t whip very well. If your coconut milk is well chilled and it’s still not whipping to a thick consistency, add a bit of tapioca starch to help it out–beat in 1 tablespoon of tapioca flour, check the consistency, and then repeat if you need it.

Make Ahead Tips

Keep coconut whipped cream in the refrigerator for up to two weeks. As it sits in the fridge, it will harden and thicken. You can freeze it, but keep in mind that you might need to whip it again after thawing to achieve the original texture.

How to Enjoy It

Use this plant-based whipped cream in almost every scenario that you would use traditional whipped cream. We love it with fresh fruit, pumpkin pie, French toast, pancakes, and more! The only thing to remember is that coconut whipped cream holds up the best when it is cold, so it does not do well at room temperature.

So, if you are making something ahead of time — like a whipped cream topped pie, cake, or cupcakes — we recommend frosting it the day of serving and keeping it in the refrigerator until you are ready to serve.

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