How-To: Coconut Milk Whipped Cream

"How can you have dairy-free whipped cream?!" 

My brother asked me this when I told him I was making vegan Strawberry Shortcake with whipped cream for Mother's day last week. I've been wanting to experiment with something new and for some reason Strawberry Shortcake had been on my mind as a recipe I wanted to "veganize."  And since you can't have Strawberry Shortcake without whipped cream, I knew it was finally time to tackle the foreign Coconut Milk Whipped Cream. 

Ever since I went vegan almost a year ago and started researching dairy-free recipes and substitutes I've seen lots of blog posts and recipes on Coconut Milk Whipped Cream. It looked easy enough to make, but I always wondered if it would have an overt coconut flavor and even more so I wondered if my non-vegans friends and family would approve. 

While I often get nervous cooking new things for people, I figured my family was a safe crowd to have act as my taste testers. And I'm so glad I did, because this whipped cream is delicious and my whole family approved. 

It's so nice to know that I can spruce up a dessert by simply whipping up this creamy deliciousness. It really is so easy to make and doesn't have an overpowering coconut flavor. It's thick and subtly sweet and can dolloped on just about any thing you like. Well, maybe not anything. But I won't judge. 

Coconut Milk Whipped Cream

(Makes about 8 servings)

Ingredients:

• 2 cans full fat coconut milk (Thai Kitchen is awesome for this)
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 2-3 tablespoons sweetener such as agave, maple syrup or powdered sugar

Directions:

1. The day before you need your whipped cream, place the cans of coconut milk in the refrigerator. This will allow the coconut water and cream to separate and for the cream to harden.
2. Without shaking them too much, remove the coconut milk cans from the fridge and open them with a can opener. Use a spoon to scoop the hardened coconut cream from the top of the can into a large bowl or your stand mixer.
3. With a hand mixer or your stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whisk the hard cream until it begins to soften and stiff peaks form. This will take about 4-5 minutes.
4. Add in the vanilla and 3 tablespoons of sweetener and mix thoroughly to combine. 
5. Taste for sweetness and add more sweetener if desired. 
6. Dollop and enjoy!

Let the cans of coconut milk chill overnight in the fridge to allow the cream to harden.

Look at how thick that cream is!

Scoop the hardened cream out of the can and place it in your mixing bowl.

Whisk for about 5 minutes until smooth and stiff peaks begin to form.

Add in the vanilla and sweetener and mix again until combined.

Serve it right away or store it in an airtight container for a few days.

Eat Consciously,

Faith