Did you know you can make a decadent whipped cream by using a can of coconut milk? Not only is it simple to make, but it’s easily the best-tasting whipped cream I’ve tried.
I know whipped coconut cream isn’t new to many of you – people have been making coconut whipped cream for years and years. I first read about it a couple years ago on Vegan Joy’s website and have seen it popping up everywhere.
In today’s post, I’ll show you just how easy it is to make. I can promise you, your life will change when you taste this stuff!
1. Grab a can of full-fat can coconut milk (without guar gum listed as an ingredient) – Update: Native Forest now puts guar gum in the ingredients and this causes the cream and water to emulsify which is not what we want. The can must also be full-fat because you will be whipping the solid cream. Do not use light coconut milk because it won’t turn out. In summary – look for a full-fat can of coconut milk that does not have guar gum listed on the ingredient list. Cool?
Many of you have had trouble making whipped coconut cream with certain brands because some cans don’t always separate. A reader let me know that Thai Kitchen has changed their formula so that it doesn’t separate anymore. Apparently they are coming out with small cans of pure coconut cream instead. Be on the look out! I used Native Forest with decent result, although I have had some duds before.
2. Place can in the fridge overnight. This is another crucial step. You need to chill the coconut cream until it’s very firm. I once tried to make whipped coconut cream without chilling the can – big mistake! It was a watery mess. I like to keep at least a couple cans in the back of my fridge just in case I need a quick whipped cream for a recipe. Then you always have it on hand and don’t have to wait overnight to use it. A few extra cans of chilled coconut milk never hurt anyone.
Just before you make your whipped cream, place a mixing bowl in the freezer for 5 minutes or so. This helps keep everything cold and will be especially helpful for those of you in very warm climates. You can also put the beaters in the freezer too, but it’s not necessary.
3. Remove the chilled can from fridge and FLIP it upside down.
Why flip it upside down?
The liquid coconut milk (the part that doesn’t harden) will now be at the top of the can! Note: Not all cans work for this – check yours.
4. Open the can. See the liquid at the top? You won’t be whipping this part.
5. Pour the coconut liquid into another bowl. You should have just under 1 cup of liquid, but this yield will vary a bit by brand and even by can.
Don’t throw it away – I like to use it in smoothies along with mango, kale, banana, and chia for a fun tropical smoothie. You can also use it in baking and cooking.
As you can see below, you are left with only the hardened coconut cream! Come to mama!! This is exactly what we want to use to make our coconut whipped cream.
6. Scoop the coconut cream into your chilled bowl. (I don’t recommend using a shallow bowl like this one – I only used it for photo purposes so you could see it better!)
As you can see, you get a lot of hardened cream to work with!
7. Whip the cream. Grab a hand mixer (alternatively, you can do this in a stand mixer – just chill the bowl first) and whip the cream until fluffy. It’s really too much fun.
Coconut Whipped Cream
Yield
1 cup (250 mL)
Prep time
Cook time
0 minutes
Total time
You can easily create a decadent, fluffy whipped cream by using a can of full-fat coconut milk. Not only is the technique simple, but it’s easily the best-tasting whipped cream I’ve tried. You can use this whipped cream just like regular dairy whipped cream. I like to use it in a bowl of fruit, on top of a fruit crisp, or stirred into Banana Soft Serve. The options are really endless! One important tip: you’ll want to chill the can of coconut milk for at least 24 hours before you begin to ensure the white coconut cream solidifies (be sure to read all my tips below on how to buy the right coconut milk for this recipe).
Ingredients
- 1 (14-ounce/398 mL) can full-fat coconut milk, chilled for 24 hours*
- 1 to 2 tablespoons (15 to 30 mL) sweetener (maple syrup, powdered sugar, cane sugar, etc), to taste
- 1 vanilla bean, scraped or 1/2 teaspoon (2 mL) pure vanilla extract (optional)
Directions
- Chill the can of coconut milk in the fridge for at least 24 hours. I like to keep a few cans in the fridge at all times so I don’t have to wait.
- About 1 hour before making the coconut whip, chill a mixing bowl in the freezer.
- After chilling the can, open the can and scoop the solid white coconut cream into the bowl. Discard the coconut water or save it for another use (such as coconut water ice cubes).
- Using an electric hand mixer or a stand mixer with the whisk attachment, beat the cream until fluffy and smooth. Add in sweetener to taste and vanilla.
- Return whipped cream to fridge until ready to use. It will firm when chilled and soften at room temperature. This will keep in the fridge in a sealed container for up to 1 week or you can freeze it in an airtight freezer-safe bag for up to 1 month. After chilling in the fridge, allow it to sit at room temperature until it softens slightly and then you can re-whip it as needed.
Tip:
- * Some brands of canned coconut milk will be better than others for making whipped cream, and even some cans within the same brand can vary quite a bit. For whatever reason, the cream and water in some brands or cans do not separate. A few of the most consistent brands for making coconut whipped cream are: Thai Kitchen full-fat coconut milk, Trader Joe’s Coconut Cream (just the cream—no water in the can!), and Native Forest. I always keep at least a few cans of full-fat coconut milk in my fridge at all times just in case I get a “dud”—then I know I have more on hand. If you happen to get a dud don’t be discouraged. Try out one of the brands above, and be sure to chill it for at least 24 hours. Odds are you will find your perfect brand after some trial and error!!
Nutrition Information
(click to expand)
There may be a strong urge to shove your face in the bowl.
8. Add in a touch of sweetener and vanilla extract and whip it again.
You can use regular cane sugar, confectioner’s sugar, or even a touch of maple syrup. I find 2-3 teaspoons usually does the trick for my taste buds. I also like to add about 1/4-1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract or a vanilla bean. The vanilla really takes it over the edge – I don’t suggest skipping it!
The first time I made this I could not get over how amaaaaazing it tastes. Eric even said he wouldn’t be able to tell that it wasn’t made from dairy. Two big thumbs up from us!
How to use:
You can use this whipped cream just like regular dairy whipped cream. I like to use it in desserts & frostings, it’s amazing over a simple bowl of fruit or pancakes, and sometimes I add a dollop on my vegan overnight oats for an extra creamy bowl. You can even spoon a bit on top of a pie or fruit crisp or stir some into a bowl of banana soft serve. The options are really endless! Have fun making different kinds of flavours and fooling your friends and family.
If making a whipped frosting, I suggest storing the decorated cake/cupcakes in the fridge until ready to serve.
Storing:
Have leftovers? You can easily store it in the fridge for at least 1.5 weeks (probably longer) in a sealed container. It will firm up a bit more in the fridge. Simply scoop it into a bowl and re-whip it when you need it.
I hope you enjoy this as much as I do! For those of you who’ve been making it for a while now, what’s your favourite way to prepare/enjoy it?
I didn’t know that you could whip coconut milk but I have heard that you can whip up coconut manna. I could try this if only to find coconut milk without sugar in it, since I’m in a diabetic family and we try hard to not eat sugar laden products. Coconut manna is sugar free, I do know that much for sure.
You pictures look fantastic. I’ve added melted chocolate to mine and then popped in the fridge, the best chocolate mousse ever! I have never been able to get it to look like yours though and have followed all instructions. The last lot even started to look like it was curdling and it became more watery. Any suggestions?
The warm chocolate is probably what is making it watery. I would try using coco powder instead.
Thanks Evie. It was watery before I added the chocolate though, I might try another brand and see if the same thing happens. Like the idea of using coco powder though, will be better than store bought chocolate!
One question…which is probably stupid. But does it taste like coconut? I know its made from coconut milk, therefore I assume iwilling taste like coconut, but you state you wouldn’t know it wasn’t dairy. My fiancé doesn’t like coconut….
Yes it does taste like coconut. The flavour can be masked somewhat with other add-ins, but its still there.
This was amazing! Loved your pumpkin pie smoothie as well. The best part is that my boys loved it too and they are very picky eaters. Thanks!
I just tried this and it didn’t come out at ALL like yours! I live in Morocco and my shopping choices are pretty limited but I did use a can of ‘creme de coco’ but the ingredient list includes sugar, water and a bunch of stuff i can’t pronounce (never a good sign!). Is it that i don’t have real coconut cream? tx
Hi. I tried this and it didn’t whip at all. I used fresh coconut milk that I had chilled overnight in the fridge. But I spooned the cream off the top and don’t understand why it didn’t whip up. Any ideas? Thanks.
I’ve tried making whipped cream from coconut milk before and for some reason it never worked. I used your tutorial when I tried it again tonight, and it worked perfectly! Thanks!
So, I tried this today, but I took the cream out of the can the night before, put it in a plastic box, mixed it with some agave sirup and left it in my fridge until today. The result was not creamy at all, it was whipped into tiny pieces! (I still made a nice dessert out of it, but it was a bit of a let-down). Is this the brand of coconut milk I used or is it really the fact that I took it out of the can the night before? I don’t want to make this mistake again!
Im sorry I am not sure. It could be the brand – I’ve tried other brands and some have been really “mealy” if that makes sense, Better luck next time! I would also leave it in the can until you are ready to use, just to be sure.
This is the most brilliant idea ever. I have a young son allergic to milk, soy, peanuts and tree nuts. I spend a lot of time modifying kid friendly and family favorite recipes so he can enjoy them too. I wanted to make my husband a chocolate silk pie for thanksgiving, but was stonewalled when I could not find an acceptable stand-in for whipped topping (even cool whip is no longer a “non dairy” whipped topping, and other options were made with either soy or tree nuts). Then I found this page. I cannot describe the joy and excitement as I made it exactly the way you showed it, and how lovely it turned out. A million thank yous for sharing this with us!! You have unlocked the door to a million things for me and my family. Bravo!!
Hi Angela, Thank you so much for your kind words! I appreciate them so much. Have a great Thanksgiving!
Adding a tsp of cinnamon makes this crazy good with pie as well :)
I love doing that too!
So…. it’s Thanksgiving day and I just whipped up a new pumpkin pie recipe (gluten & vegan) and thought… hmmmmmm this really needs some whipped cream on top! Then I found this recipe, ran to the cupboard and grabbed a can of coconut milk put it in a container of ice cubes and stuck it in the refrigerator! I hope it gets cold enough by dinner time! Looks delicious!
Used this for Thanksgiving, and it was fantastic! Thank you so much for the tutorial! :)
Just wanted to add a couple of tips:
(1) Flip the can upside down BEFORE you put it into the fridge and let it solidify upside down. That way you can open it right side up and pour off the liquid. Not all cans allow you to open the bottom of them.
(2) Do not use coconut milk that has any other ingredients besides coconut milk and water. The other ingredients are what make it not solidify correctly.
(3) Blending a can of coconut milk (the whole thing) with one can of crushed pineapple and putting it into an ice cream freezer makes wonderful pina colada sorbet.
great tips, thank you!
We recently used coconut whip in hot cocoa and in apple salad! :)
I have just tried this, with a touch of nutmeg and a bash of ground cinnamon. It smells and tastes X-macy yay! The only problem is that the texture is a bit lumpy here and there. Where did I do wrong?
I put the can of coconut milk (same brand/full fat type classic) in the fridge and it came out all liquidy/thick when I opened it as opposed to the pic. Any suggestions?
I left it for two days chilling in the fridge
I’ve been trying to make this recipe, but my coconut milk will not separate!!!! I put mine in a glass jar in the fridge overnight so that I could see if it is separating and it’s not. I bought “Thai Kitchen, Unsweetend Coconut Milk” and the only ingredients in it are coconut milk and guar gum. I know guar gum is an emulsifier, so maybe this is what is preventing it from separating, but I didn’t think it would do that good of a job.
Hi there, Others have this problem occasionally too and I really don’t know why it happens! I havent experienced that yet, but Ive heard it can be fairly common. I hope you next trial goes better. I have also heard you can buy the coconut cream?
Sounds delicious! I want to make this for my children who are both sensitive to dairy. Do you have a print friendly version of this recipe? Thanks!
No Im sorry I dont. Enjoy!
This doesn’t apply to whipped cream specifically, but I always have trouble with the taste of coconut milk from a can–it tastes metallic to me. Is that just me? Does the brand make a difference? Does the sweetener mask the taste enough? It is usually fine for me if I use it in baked goods or if it is the coconut milk “beverage” in a box, but I hesitate to try this recipe because I’m afraid I’ll taste the can. Am I the only one with this problem?