Easy! Dairy-Free, Vegan Coconut Whipped Cream

As a kid I loved whipped cream on everything! When I discovered I had a dairy allergy talk about whipped cream withdrawals. All my desserts felt undressed without their creamy crown. Enter coconut milk and all is well again. 

This recipe is ultra-easy to make but for it to be successful there are a few important--no vital--steps that must be taken! I buy coconut milk by the gallon can for our restaurant. I use it for e-v-e-r-y-t-h-i-n-g from curries to cupcakes. So, in order to make this recipe we only want to use the fat not the water. In order for the liquid to separate from the fat, it is important to really chill the coconut milk. If I'm in a hurry the can goes in the freezer for a few hours or in the fridge overnight. (Even better, keep a few cans in the fridge for when the craving hits!) The cold helps the fat to rise to the top and it makes it ultra easy to separate the fat from the liquid for this recipe.

As you can see, in this recipe, I'm blending 1-to-1 powdered sugar with coconut cream. So, even though I used a gallon can of coconut milk to make this recipe you can easily adjust the measurement to match smaller amounts of coconut cream.

But STOP! Not all coconut milk is created equal. Whatever can of coconut milk you choose to use make sure that it is always full fat. This is no time to go for that low fat/reduced fat jazz... you need it ALL. My favorite brand is Thai Kitchen but Whole Food's 365 brand works fine too. 

Easy! Coconut Whipped Cream

2 cups organic powdered sugar, sifted
2 cups full fat coconut cream (This is the fat that has been skimmed off the top of the liquid in the can! Please see my notes above before diving in this recipe!)
1 tsp vanilla bean paste

1. Chill your bowl and whisk in the fridge. 

2. Add coconut cream to the bowl and using a stand mixer or hand mixer whip coconut cream for about 1 minute.

2. Slowly add powdered sugar, 1/2 cup at a time, and whip until smooth. 

3. Add vanilla bean paste and whip for 30 seconds.

Coconut whipped cream can be kept in the fridge for a couple days before it tends to separate. It will firm up in the fridge due to the high fat content. You can use coconut whipped cream on top of pies, for icing cupcakes, making mousse, parfaits, trifles, and topping your favorite hot drinks. Note: Coconut whipped cream doesn't stand up to miserably hot summer picnics due to the high fat content. It is better chilled up until serving.