How to Make Coconut Whipped Cream
Coconut whipped cream is a delicious dairy-free and vegan alternative to heavy cream. It’s light, fluffy, and can be whipped up in 5 minutes. Just mix together coconut milk, your sweetener of choice, and vanilla extract. Watch how easy it is to make on the step-by-step video below!
Are you ready for one of the tastiest whipped toppings? Coconut whipped cream is the perfect garnish for all your dessert recipes, whether it’s chocolate chia pudding, chocolate mug cake or molten chocolate cake. It’s also great to dollop on on my cashew date shake. And you can dip strawberries right into it!
Whether you’re dairy-free or not, you’re going to love this fluffy cream. I’ve been making it for years (side note: it was the first ever video on my YouTube channel!) and I’ve learned there are some nuances to it. So make sure to read through all my tips and watch the video below.
What Is Coconut Whipped Cream?
Coconut whipped cream is a dairy-free version of whipped cream. It’s made from the hard coconut cream that separates from the water in a can of full-fat coconut milk. When it’s blended with a hand mixer, it fluffs up to form soft peaks, just like regular whipped cream. Yet it’s also vegan and paleo friendly (depending on which sweetener you use).
How To Make Coconut Whipped Cream
With just 3 ingredients and a hand mixer, making coconut whipped cream couldn’t be any easier. Here’s how to do it, with a few additional notes.
- Chill the coconut milk: Place your can of coconut milk in the refrigerator for 1-2 days before making this whipped cream. You want the cream to harden and separate from the coconut water.
- Chill your mixing bowl: Heat is the arch nemesis of coconut whipped cream. This isn’t always a requirement (if it’s winter and your home is cool). But if it’s a hot day, it always helps to chill your mixing bowl for 30 minutes.
- Scoop out the coconut cream: Open your can of coconut milk and scoop out the hardened coconut cream with a spoon into your bowl. Pour the coconut water into a separate storage container and use that in a future smoothie recipe.
- Blend with a hand mixer: Using a hand mixer, fluff up the coconut cream for one minute. Add your sweetener of choice and vanilla extract and mix for an additional minute.
- Use or chill: Use the coconut whipped cream right away or store in the refrigerator in a sealed container for up to one week.
Tips for the Best Coconut Whipped Cream
Here’s a few tips to help you make perfect coconut whipped cream:
- You MUST buy canned full-fat coconut milk. This won’t work with light or low-fat options. It also won’t work with cartons of coconut milk you buy in the refrigerator section of the market.
- Chilling your can in the fridge for 1-2 days is the minimum. Longer is always better, just to make sure the milk separates and cream hardens.
- Some brands are more successful than others when it comes to texture. Brands I consistently have success with include Native Forest (both the classic and simple versions), 365 and Arroy-D.
- Don’t add your sweetener until you’ve figured out the consistency your cream. If your cream is really soft, adding a liquid sweetener might thin it down even more (it won’t thicken with beating). In this case, you might want to use powdered sugar. But if your texture is thick and waxy, honey or maple syrup can help to make it smoother.
- If your coconut cream is too thick and stiff (after adding your sweetener), you can always thin it down with a little of the reserved coconut water. This will help to make it smooth and creamy. Just add a little bit at a time while blending.
- To ensure your coconut cream is foolproof, make it the day ahead! You can refrigerate it in a sealed container, then just stir before serving.
Watch Me Make This Coconut Whipped Cream Recipe
If you follow all of the steps and tips above, you should be good to go with this recipe. But it always helps to watch a quick video tutorial. Give this video a watch!
More Sweet Sauces For Desserts
- Vegan Caramel Sauce (drizzle on top of my vegan cheesecake)
- Cashew Cream (use as a coffee creamer too!)
- Homemade Nutella (that’s dairy-free, vegan, and paleo)
And for a showstopper dessert recipe, check out the coconut whipped cream used in my Brownie Trifle!
How to Make Coconut Whipped Cream (Easy & Fluffy!)
Recipe Video
Ingredients
- 13.5 oz full-fat coconut milk, chilled for 1-2 days
- 1 tbsp honey, maple syrup or powdered sugar, add more as desired
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
- Place your can of coconut milk in the refrigerator for 1-2 days.
- Chill your mixing bowl for 15 minutes in the fridge.
- Open your can of coconut milk and scoop out the hardened coconut cream. Pour the coconut water into a separate storage container and use that in a future smoothie recipe.
- Using a hand mixer, fluff up the coconut cream for one minute. Add your sweetener and vanilla and mix for an additional minute, until smooth and creamy. If it's too firm or too soft, see my notes above.
- Use the coconut whipped cream right away or store in the refrigerator in a sealed container for up to one week.
Nutrition
Recipe originally posted July 2016, but updated to include new photos and information.
I used Thai brand coconut milk and it whipped beautifully. I have used the whole can water and all to make a pudding and it still whipped into nice peaks. I haven’t had any problems with this brand but other brands especially generic will not whip.
Hi Lisa! I made this recipe and I added about two tbsp of matcha powder and made matcha coconut whipped which I used to make dairy-free matcha parfait with fruits and granola. This is a great recipe and love how we can easily experiment with different flavors by adding to it.
That sounds delicious with the matcha! Glad you enjoyed it Viktoria.
I am Diabetic can Splenda be use instead of Sugar??
so good and creamy it was wroth the wait to make I loved making it with my grand kids
Happy you had fun making it together!
Apparently, as with any coconut milk recipe I’ve tried, I personally don’t think vanilla goes very well with coconut milk. BUT, I added 8 or 9 drops of wild orange essential oil in, and that really complimented the coconut. I was using it in a fruit salad, so the orange was fine to use.
Hi Lisa! I don’t know why but always my cream is not well. This evening it had lumps and was not melted and creamy. Can you help me? Is it because it’s too cold Or too solid? Or do I whisk it a little? Or do I whip it too much? I just don’t understand. A thousand thanks! Hello
Laura from Italy
Hi Laura – it’s hard to say as all brands (especially in different countries) are different. Give the video a watch and see if you can pinpoint the issue there. :)
So Easy and so good! Finally planned ahead enough to buy coconut creme then to scoop and refrigerate. The more maple syrup and vanilla, the less coconut cake taste- which was pretty distinct at first. Will make again, thank you!
I have coconut cream from the Philippines. Extra virgin cold pressed. Do i just whip it with a sweetener coconut milk and vanilla?
Thank you so much for this simple recipe. I am glad you clarified chilling the can of coconut, what to do if the creme to thick or thin and suggestions as sweeteners.
I make this all the time and it is such a treat. I use if for your Pumpkin Spice Latte. I use Native Forest brand but it never turns out creamy like yours. Mine still has some lumps in it, but it sure tastes good! I don’t mind the lumps. Delicious alternative to dairy.
Hi Lisa,
I tried the recipe exactly as written except the Simple Truth Organic (Fry’s/Krogers) full fat coconut milk can I refrigerated for 2 days didn’t create a hard coconut milk surface at the top. I scooped the top off and used that and of course it didn’t work – but it did taste good!! So then, I bought the Native Forest brand “Simple” version without Guar Gum, refrigerated the can for 3 days, and opened it just now and am sad to report, had a little thickness of the coconut milk at the top but definitely not the hard coconut milk substance like in your video. I am now freezing it to see if I can get a shell to form and then I’ll peel scoop that out and use it… Should I be buying the Native Forest brand version with Guar Gum in it by chance? Is there any better brand I should try? Thanks!!
Hi Deb – sorry you’re struggling to find a can that thickens. Sometimes it’s just dependant on the brand and how they’ve manufactured a particular batch. But I will say the longer you can chill the better. Try leaving the can in the fridge for a week (in the coldest part of your fridge, and not the door). I’ll keep my fingers crossed for you!
Hi am I able to use evaporated coconut milk? I grabbed a can of that by mistake!
Hi Lauren – evaporated coconut milk has added sugar and I haven’t tried that yet, to see if a can of it will firm up. If you try it, let us know how it turns out!
I would like to make this and I have a can of full fat coconut cream. Does that work the same as full fat coconut milk?
For this recipe, you’ll need coconut milk unfortunately.
I made this today with full fat coconut cream and it worked perfectly. As far as I can tell, the only difference between coconut milk and coconut cream is the ratio of solid to liquid, with cream having more solid.
Can I use coconut cream from a can instead of scooping the cream off the can of coconut milk? Thanks
This recipe is specifically using the cream from the coconut milk can.
Have you ever tried the canned coconut cream instead of milk? Is there a reason not to use that?
Hi Darci – canned coconut cream will unfortunately not whip up into cream.
The canned coconut cream works way better for me than the milk. I recommend the Sprouts one and freezing it for 20 minutes and shaking it every 5 minutes.
Would this be suitable for icing cake? :)
No, unfortunately it’s not. It’s not stable as a frosting on a cake and would likely melt.
My coconut cream froze in my refrigerator. Is there any way I can still use it?
Love your chocolate chia pudding/mousse. Thanks for your recipes and help.
Yes, just let it thaw a little before using. :)