The first time I ever attempted making coconut whipped cream was for a potluck party; I had decided I would take layer cake with coconut whipped cream and chocolate ganache. Sounds pretty amazing, right? Well, the whipped cream was such a failure that I found myself scrambling at the last minute to figure out another potluck contribution.
Coconut whipped cream is not difficult to make, but there are a few tricks that I follow to make sure I don't have a repeat of that experience. Learn from my mistakes! Follow these steps and you will always get great results.
Vegan Kitchen Hack: Substituting Heavy Cream
If you've never tried coconut whipped cream before, I highly recommend it. It's decadently delicious and perfect for anyone looking for a non-dairy alternate to the "real thing." It goes wonderfully with fruit, berries, pancakes, waffles, and, yes, even layer cake with chocolate ganache! Mmm...anyone getting hungry?
Ingredients:
When shopping, look for full-fat coconut milk, often found in the Asian section of the grocery store. Do NOT buy "light" or "low fat" coconut milk. You need cream to make whipped cream!
Shake the can near your ear. If you cannot hear any liquid sloshing around, put that can in your cart! The absence of a sloshing noise means that the cream and watery liquid will separate well. This is an important step! Make sure your coconut milk passes the "slosh test."
Refrigerate your full-fat, slosh-free can of coconut milk for at least 24 hours prior to use. The longer, the better.
Put mixing bowl and beaters in the freezer for 15 minutes before starting to ensure they are thoroughly chilled.
Flip the can of well-chilled coconut milk over and open it from the bottom. Pour out the watery liquid. Don't throw it out! It goes great in my Easy Tropical Green Smoothie or my Hangover Cure Smoothie!
Scoop out the thick cream into the chilled mixing bowl. Add sweetener and vanilla.
Beat until the coconut cream resembles dairy whipped cream, and then stop! Don't overbeat or the heat generated from the beaters will start to melt the coconut cream, and you will end up with a liquidy mess.
Refrigerate the coconut whipped cream until you are ready to use it. It lasts in the fridge for about a week—although, it's so delicious it might be gone far before then! Serve with cake, berries, fruit, pancakes, waffles...or just with a spoon.
Want some ideas on how to use coconut whipped cream? Try my Overnight Coconut French Toast or my Lemon MIni-Cakes. Oops, did you buy too much coconut milk? No problem! Use it to make my Decadent Dark Chocolate Truffles.
Want to see me wield my tricks of the trade? I show you how to make the perfect coconut whipped cream in this video!
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