Vegan Coconut Whipped Cream (aka delicious decadent awesome fluff). Many health food stores sell different kinds of pre-made vegan whipped cream, but I say, why bother when you can make vegan coconut whipped cream with just 2 ingredients and in just 5 minutes!
This stuff is seriously SOOOO yum.
The key to success with this recipe is buying coconut cream or premium coconut milk. Not all coconut milks are alike. To tell if your coconut milk is rich enough, do the shake test, shake it and listen. If lots of liquid is sloshing around, that's not a good brand for this recipe. If you hear no liquid or very little liquid then it's probably a good one. One reliable brand is Thai Kitchen Premium Coconut Milk.
NEW VIDEO: If you want to see me whip up this glorious stuff (along with my Easy Vegan Pie Crust, and my Easy Vegan Pumpkin Pie), then you're in luck! I made a video.
Continue below for the step by step phots and recipe.
To make the vegan coconut whipped cream, chill the coconut milk in the fridge overnight. I like to store a couple in my fridge at all times in case of emergencies. (Yes, whipped cream emergencies are totally a thing in my house).
When you're ready to prepare, remove the can from the fridge and do not shake it! The coconut fat has risen to the top, and left the coconut water on the bottom layer.
Sneaky tip: Before opening the can, gently turn the can upside down, and you can just pour off the coconut water.
Now scoop out the hardened coconut cream into a bowl, leaving behind all the coconut water.
Add powdered sugar to taste, and then whisk the cream until it's lovely and fluffy. You aren't so much whipping it up, you are more breaking it down.
If you find the coconut whipped cream too thick, add a splash of the leftover coconut water, or any kind of non-dairy milk, and whisk well until you reach desired consistency.
Use vegan coconut whipped cream anywhere you like including on Easy Vegan Pumpkin Pie, Vegan Hot Buttered Rum, and Grilled Kiwi. Yum!!
(click stars to vote)
Vegan Whipped Coconut Cream
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Ingredients
- 1 400ml can coconut cream or premium coconut milk (see notes), chilled in the fridge overnight
- 1 - 3 tablespoons powdered sugar
Instructions
- Remove the can from the fridge, do not shake. Open the can and scoop up all the hardened coconut cream, leaving the coconut water behind. Add the coconut cream to a bowl with the powdered sugar (add to taste). Beat the coconut cream and powdered sugar together, whipping the coconut cream. You aren't so much whipping the coconut milk up, more like breaking it down. If it's too thick add in a splash of the leftover coconut water, or any non-dairy milk until you reach desired consistency.
Notes
Nutrition
Bon Appetegan!
Sam.
Kerri says
Made your pumpkin pie but haven’t eaten yet because of a coconut milk dilemma. Wholefoods only carried their organic 365 brand. At 4:00 am I remember I had not refrigerated it, so I sprang up and popped it in the frig. The day ran late which was okay because all I could think of was your pie and needing more time for the coconut milk to firm up.i even chilled the bowl and beaters. Well, at 8:00pm the can was opened- all liquid, no separation at all. No thickening either. Since it’s late on Thanksgiving I don’t expect an answer, but have you ever tried to salvage a can like this to make whipped cream. I poured it in another bowl and back in the frig just in case. Well I guess it’s pie sans cream.
Sam Turnbull @ It Doesn't Taste Like Chicken says
Hi Kerri, I'm so sorry the coconut milk didn’t cooperate. Some brands of coconut milk, don’t always separate well for whipped cream, even when chilled. If this happens again, you can try adding a thickener like powdered sugar or tapioca starch or freezing the liquid for 10-15 minutes to help it firm up. If all else fails, a drizzle of the coconut cream over your pie can still taste amazing! These days, many stores carry vegan whipped cream products, which aren’t as good as homemade but work in a pinch. I hope the pie was still a hit—you get extra points for effort! 😊
Jess @ It Doesn't Taste Like Chicken says
We're sorry to hear this recipe didn't work for you. It's a very popular recipe with 5 stars from over 600 happy readers, so we're not sure why it didn't turn out well for you. Hopefully it works out better in the future.
Martha says
Hi Sam!
I just came across this recipe for coconut whipped cream and was thinking of making to go on your pumpkin pie recipe for serving tonight in about five hours time. This means the coconut milk will not have been in the freezer overnight. Can I still make this or should I skip it for tonight?
Thanks!
Sam Turnbull says
Hi Martha, likely the coconut milk will not have enough time to separate and thicken. You're welcome to try it tho. If it isn't thickened when you open it you can save it to use in curries or smoothies.
Amy Gaebel says
Hey Sam! I tried making this with natures greatest foods coconut cream, and also with a can of coconut milk and it did not work for me. What brand do you use that you find works awesome for this recipe please? I’d love to have it work! Love the new cookbook!
Sam Turnbull says
I've used Grace brand and Thai Kitchen brand and they both work great 🙂
Carol says
Hi Sam,
I'm a little confused. I used the correct Coconut milk and powder sugar but it never thickened up. So I need up I quess over mixing. Didn't understand what you meant about breaking down. Thanks for all your recipes. This was the first blooper for me.
Claudia says
Hello I try to made whipped cream with coconut cream, but it looks awful, I made it with hand mixer and it came loose, never got hard, please help me.
Giselle says
Mine was the same. Tastes fantatstic! But looks more like greyish clots than whipped cream. Never went smooth. I made it with a hand whisk, and with tinned coconut cream rather than coconut milk. Was that where I went wrong?
Allyson says
Hi! Looking forward to trying this for a hot cocoa bar. How well does the whipped cream sit in a bowl? For how long is it fluffy?
Sam Turnbull says
I would keep it cool in the fridge until just before serving. You can make it a few days in advance but you may need to whip it up again before serving. Enjoy!
SweetSavoryMe says
Hello Sam,
I'm giving 5 stars in advance because I know it will be great. The dilemma that I ran into with the coconut milk was "sweetened or unsweetened?" Cream vs. milk was straight forward on the cans. Hoping, hoping, hoping I hear back from you prior to Thanksgiving... : /
Thank you, and happy holidays!!!
Sam Turnbull says
Unsweetened! I've actually never seen sweetened coconut milk. Happy THanksgiving!
Root says
Hi Sam!!
I wanted to know if you can make this recipe in a blender? I have a whole pack of the Kara coconut cream at home and I wanted to use the whip cream for when I make a Mocha latte or a hot chocolate at a coffee shop.
Sam Turnbull says
Hi Root, as coconut whipped cream is made by breaking the coconut cream down, (instead of whipping it up like traditional whipped cream), overmixing is not recommended. So I wouldn't recommend a blender as it would be very easy to overmix it. Hope that helps!
Jana says
Is there a substitute for the coconut? I'm allergic Love your recipes!
Sam Turnbull says
Not for this recipe I'm afraid. But you should be able to purchase store-bought vegan whipped creams without coconut 🙂
Michael says
You can use Aquafava, also known as the water in a can of chic peas. It whips up just like egg whites or cream. Just add some sugar and fire up the beaters!
Amanda Kaye says
Hi, I live in the united kingdom and I have made this vegan whipped cream and it is delicious, I have been Vegan for almost a year now and your recipe book is the first one I bought, (I have bought a couple since, but I find myself gravitating towards yours.)
Anyway I digress, my question is
"Is there any use for the coconut water that you pour out of the tin?"
thank you.
Sam Turnbull says
Awesome! So happy you enjoyed it so much, and the cookbook as well! For sure, you can use the leftover coconut water in a smoothie, stir it into a soup, a marinade, or a cocktail 🙂
Andrew says
It's good in a veggie curry too, instead of stock
Dawn says
Does the whipped cream have a coconut flavor?
Sam Turnbull says
Yep! It's delicious.
Dawn says
Thank you, have a great holiday!
Shannon says
Hello!!! I'm making a salad using pineapple and grapes for Thanksgiving. Will this hold it's consistency being mixed with fruit? Thank you so much for all of your amazing recipes!!!
Sam Turnbull says
Hi Shannon! Yes, this should hold up for awhile, I would guess max 12 hours. Enjoy!
Hannah says
Hello! I’m wondering, will this whipped cream hold up if i make it in the morning and eat it at night? Making for thanksgiving along with your Vegan pumpkin pie recipe 🙂 can’t wait!
Sam Turnbull says
Yes it will! Just keep it stored in the fridge until use. Enjoy!
Kari says
Hi Sam!
I plan on making this recipe for Thanksgiving this weekend, and I'm wondering if you've ever made whipped cream with Grace coconut milk? It doesn't say premium on the can, but it doesn't say lite, either. I picked up 4 cans of it to make your pumpkin pie, coconut cream pie, and whipped cream - but I'm a little worried that it's not going to be thick enough. Let me know what you think!
Thanks,
Kari
Sam Turnbull says
Hi Kari!
Grace coconut milk is my go-to for cooking with and will be perfect in this pie. For whipped cream, it should work, but I think about half of the can or more will be water so you will only get a small amount of the cream. If you live in Canada T & T brand is my favourite, the entire can will be very thick cream. Otherwise Thai Kitchen coconut cream, or their premium coconut milk are great too.
Michelle says
Hi Sam! I can't wait to try this recipe, but I was wondering, if we do not want to use powdered sugar, but instead maybe used agave nectar or another sweetener instead to give it "sweetness," would that change up the consistency of the whipped cream?
Thanks for sharing your recipes!
Sam Turnbull says
Hi Michelle! It depends on the coconut cream you're using. Some of them are very thick and it would be no problem, while others are a bit runny and you wouldn't want to add any more liquid to it for fear of making it runnier. Hope that helps!
Rebecca says
Sooo easy to make-- 2 ingredients, and ones that I always have in my pantry? Yes, please! Doesn't get easier than that. I used my KitchenAid mixer and it whipped up the liquid into cream within a minute. No need to chill bowl or whisk, so if you happen to have this electric mixer I highly recommend you take advantage of it when making this recipe.
I give this recipe 5 stars.
Sam Turnbull says
Love it! You are all over vegan cooking! So happy you are testing out so many recipes!
Rebecca says
I'm trying! I'm actually fairly new to cooking but your recipes are easy to follow. Now if only I could stop burning oil on my stainless steel pans! I just keep telling myself to have patience and it'll get easier 😉
Sam Turnbull says
So glad my recipes are helping! Burnt on oil usually means that your pan was really really hot with not much more than the oil in it. Try cooking at a slightly lower temperature or adding your veggies sooner. You can test that your oil is hot enough for the veggies by adding a drop of water into the oil. If the drop of water sputters it's hot, if it does nothing, heat up the oil a little more. Hope that helps!
Rebecca says
Thanks for the tip. I recently realized that since my pans, which are Williams-Sonoma brand, are top quality they heat quicker than regular pans so I need to adjust the temperature accordingly. It also seems that I only need to wait a few seconds for any oil to heat up before adding the veggies. When I'm able to get down the technique chefs use to keep a pan moving, I should be fine. In the meantime, I've discovered that making a baking soda paste and leaving it on the pan for a few hours works very well in removing the burnt oil.
Sam Turnbull says
Ooo good tip!
Samantha Turnbull says
Hi Kim! Thanks so much. I had no idea you and your family were all vegan, and for two whole years, congrats! It does feel great doesn't it! You can subscribe to my blog (top right hand corner of the page) and you will get all the recipes right in your inbox. Happy Holidays!
Kim Leggat says
Hey Sam, Anita suggested I read your blog, and you are fabulous! Gordie, Jackie and I are all vegan for almost two years, and have never felt better. We will watch your blog for some new ideas! Thank-you! Best wishes to you, Emma, Carolyn and Neil for 2014!