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This coconut whipped cream is made with just 2 ingredients in 15 minutes. It’s the easiest vegan whipped cream you can make right from the comfort of your own kitchen! Dollop it on top of all of your favorite vegan pies, puddings, cakes, drinks, pancakes, and more.
Coconut whipped cream was one of the very first recipes that I made after going vegan, and I remember how excited I was to be able to make a vegan version of a nostalgic recipe in a similar manner that my mom used to make for me. This recipe is made with coconut so of course, it will have a coconut-y flavor but don’t be afraid, I promise that it is going to knock your socks off!
The 2 Ingredients You’ll Need
- Coconut milk: It is absolutely essential that you use canned full-fat coconut milk. Lite coconut milk is not rich enough and will not work. Making vegan whipped cream that is thick and creamy requires full-fat coconut cream.
- Powdered sugar: Sugar is used to sweeten the coconut cream and perfectly sweetens it into vegan-friendly whipped cream. Please only use powdered sugar. Granulated sugars will make your vegan whipped cream grainy and liquid sugars will make the coconut cream runny and impossible to whip into stiff peaks. To ensure your whipped cream is vegan, use organic powdered sugar.
Equipment Needed
- Electric hand mixer or stand mixer
- Large mixing bowl
How to Make Coconut-Whipped Cream
- Chill your coconut milk. Place an unopened can of coconut milk in the refrigerator overnight, or for a minimum of 8 hours. Don’t skip this! This is key as it will harden the coconut and yield the thickest whipped cream!
- Chill your equipment. Before whipping the coconut milk, place a large mixing bowl and the beaters of your electric or standing mixer in the freezer for 10 minutes to chill. This will help the vegan whipped cream stay cold and thick!
- Open the can of coconut milk. Be careful not to shake or flip the can – you want to ensure the coconut cream remains chilled and on top of the liquid in the can.
- Scoop out the coconut solids. Using a spoon, scoop the coconut cream solids (on the top of the can) into the chilled mixing bowl. Be sure not to scoop any liquid in! You can save the remaining liquid for another use, such as a Fall Detox Smoothie or Sweet Potato Pie Smoothie Bowl!
- Whip the coconut cream. Beat the thick coconut cream on medium speed using the chilled beaters on the electric hand or standing mixer. Once it begins to fluff up and grow in size, turn it up to high speed. Beat the coconut cream until stiff peaks form, about 8 to 10 minutes.
- Add the sugar. Once stiff peaks form, stop the mixer and add in the sifted powdered sugar and vanilla extract, if using. Beat for a minute more, then add additional sugar and vanilla to taste if needed.
- Serve. Serve this thick and creamy vegan whipped cream immediately on your favorite dessert, sweet breakfast, or dairy-free milkshake!
Recipe FAQs and Tips
Chances are the coconut milk wasn’t chilled sufficiently. For best results, we highly recommend refrigerating the coconut milk overnight and freezing the equipment for at least 10 minutes before starting. If you had done both of these things, it is possible that a small amount of liquid made its way into your whipped cream OR lastly, you used a bad brand of coconut milk. Unfortunately not all coconut milk is made equal and some simply are inferior.
If your coconut whipped cream is grainy or has chunks that will not become smooth, this is a sign of a bad brand of coconut milk. We tested this recipe using Thai Kitchen full-fat coconut milk and had excellent results. Avoid using the coconut milk and coconut cream from Trader Joe’s (it’s more watery than most) and avoid coconut milks made without stabilizers like guar gum. Guar gum helps your vegan whipped cream whip into stiff peaks.
If your coconut milk is whipped for too long, it will become warm and the excess air whipped into it will eventually cause it to deflate and break down. Once your whipped cream forms stiff peaks, add the powdered sugar and beat for just 1 more minute.
Yes! If desired, use a can of coconut cream instead. Use the same method (chilling it overnight) and scoop out the solids. There will be more solids in a can of coconut cream to use than a can of coconut milk, so you will end up with more whipped cream and may need additional sugar to sweeten the vegan whipped cream to taste.
Flavor Variations
- Chocolate whipped cream: Sift 2-3 tablespoons of unsweetened cocoa into the powdered sugar and add it into the coconut cream once stiff peaks have formed.
- Matcha whipped cream: Sift 1 tablespoon of matcha powder into the powdered sugar and add it into the coconut cream once stiff peaks have formed.
- Pumpkin pie spice whipped cream: Sift 1 tablespoon of pumpkin pie spice into the powdered sugar and add it into the coconut cream once stiff peaks have formed. Try this variety in our Pumpkin Cream Horns too!
- Vanilla extract variations: Replace the vanilla extract with almond extract, peppermint extract, or lavender.
Storage Instructions
This vegan whipped cream will keep for up to 1 week when stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator. We have not tested freezing this whipped cream and are unsure if it would work. It is possible that freezing it would cause separation and change the texture.
What to Serve Coconut Whipped Cream With?
The question should really be what NOT to serve coconut whipped cream with! We’ve got so many recipes you can top with vegan whipped cream, but here are our top suggestions:
- Pies: Classic Vegan Pumpkin Pie or Vegan Apple Pie.
- Puddings: Vegan Pumpkin Pie Pudding, Citrus and Berry Chia Pudding, Orange Creamsicle Chia Pudding, or Vegan Chocolate Mousse.
- Cakes: Vegan Strawberry Shortcake, Chocolate Soufflé Cake, or Vegan Coffee Cake.
- Drinks: Date Shake, Vegan Hot Chocolate or Matcha Lattes.
- Breakfast: Vegan Carrot Cake Pancakes, Vegan Rye Waffles, Vegan French Toast, Pumpkin French Toast or Vegan Crepes.
Make sure you tag us on Instagram @sweetsimplevegan and @consciouschris and hashtag #sweetsimplevegan if you recreate any of our recipes, we love to see your photos!
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Vegan Coconut Whipped Cream (2-Ingredients)
- Total Time: 8 hours 10 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings
Description
This coconut whipped cream is made with just 2 ingredients in 15 minutes. It’s the easiest vegan whipped cream you can make right from the comfort of your own kitchen! Dollop it on top of all of your favorite vegan pies, puddings, cakes, drinks, pancakes and more.
Ingredients
- 1 (16 oz.) can full-fat coconut milk
- 1/2 cup organic powdered sugar
- Optional: 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Instructions
- Place a can of coconut milk un the refrigerator overnight, or for at least 8 hours. This is key as it will harden the coconut and yield the thickest whipped cream!
- Before whipping, it is ideal if you place your large mixing bowl and the beaters of your electric or standing mixer in the freezer for 10 minutes to chill. This will help the coconut cream stay cold and thick!
- Carefully open up the can of coconut milk, being sure not to shake or flip it. Using a spoon, scoop the coconut cream solids (on the top of the can) into the chilled mixing bowl. Be sure not to scoop any liquid in. You can save the remaining liquid for another use, such as smoothies!
- Beat coconut cream using an electric hand or standing mixer with the chilled beaters on medium speed. Once it beings to fluff up, turn it up to high speed. Beat the coconut cream until stiff peaks form, about 8 to 10 minutes. Stop the mixer and add in the powdered sugar and vanilla extract. For smoothness, we sifted in the sugar. Beat for a minute more and then adjust sweetness and vanilla to taste.
- Use this coconut whipped cream immediately or set it into the refrigerator to chill for a few hours. Store in the refrigerator in an airtight container. It is best used the day-of but will last 5-7 days.
Notes
- We opted for powdered sugar to keep this whipped cream as white in color as possible as well as smooth in texture as we could achieve. If you would like, you can opt for maple syrup, cane sugar, or even an alternative sweetener like stevia to taste. Note that these sweeteners may alter the look, taste and or texture of the whipped cream, and we recommend powdered sugar over other sweeteners.
- Feel free to add in additional ingredients/flavors are you would like, depending on what you are serving this whipped cream with. Here are some ideas: citrus zest, almond extract, matcha powder, cocoa, peppermint extract, fresh mint, pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon, lavender, etc.
- Prep Time: 8 hours 10 minutes
- Category: Dessert, Side
- Cuisine: Vegan, Gluten-free
Nutrition facts label provided by Nutri Fox.
Disclaimer: The nutritional information shown is an estimate provided by an online calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional’s advice. This page may contain affiliate links, which simply means that I earn a commission if you purchase through those links, but your price remains the same. Thank you for supporting Sweet Simple Vegan!
Hiii, I love this recipe so much. I was wondering, for a diabetic person do you think I could use monkfruit sugar free powdered?
it’s worth trying but you may have to adjust the amount depending on how sweet the monk fruit sweetener is!
I got gritty results from Thai Kitchen and better results from cheaper brands. Oh well lol.
I just love discovering new ways to make my favorite foods a little bit healthier, and this recipe for coconut whipped cream looks amazing! I’ve been trying to cut back on dairy lately, and finding a good alternative for whipped cream has been a bit of a challenge. But this recipe looks like it could be just the thing I’ve been looking for. I love the idea of using coconut cream instead of heavy cream – it’s such a simple switch, but it can make a big difference in terms of nutrition. And the fact that it only requires three ingredients is a huge plus! I can’t wait to give it a try and see how it turns out. Have you used this recipe before? Do you have any tips or tricks for making it come out perfectly? Thank you again for sharing – I’m looking forward to enjoying some guilt-free whipped cream soon!
Hello ^-^ Do you think I could use coconut cream instead of coconut milk?
Would I still use the entire 400 ml can?
Thank you so much.
Hey Brooklyn, yes coconut cream will work! You can use the whole can, but just taste it and adjust the powdered sugar as needed if it’s not sweet enough!