Not to seem too dramatic, but this coconut milk whipped cream has changed my life. You see, growing up in a Kosher household, there were always those dinners where my sister and I complained about the fact that we couldn’t have ice cream for dessert following a meat meal. What pained us even more were the nights when my mom would bake a peach cobbler or an apple galette, both of which begged to be served with whipped cream or ice cream… alas, we had to have them sans dairy product. Sure, they were good. But they could have been even better.
When Eric and I go home to visit my parents, I feel a bit sorry for the guy. He will look at the mashed potatoes on his plate with such longing. All he wants is a few pats of butter to put on top. And why, again, can’t we have those brownies a la mode?
Which is why this coconut-milk whipped cream, a recipe from the latest issue of Cook’s Illustrated, has had such a profound effect on our lives. Now those killer sweet potatoes my mother makes for Thanksgiving can be topped with a dollop of something creamy. The apple galette will no longer feel naked.
It has found a permanent place in my recipe index and I hope you all enjoy it as much as I have. Oh, and thank you Cook’s Illustrated. Thank you for making my husband a very happy man. I owe you one.
Note: Before preparing the whipped cream, Cook’s Illustrated makes the following recommendations. 1) The coconut cream does not always separate from the milk. To help it separate, you can refrigerate the can for a few hours prior to making the whipped cream. 2) Use ONLY the fatty part of the milk (not the liquid), otherwise it will become soupy.
Coconut Milk Whipped Cream
(from the January 2012 issue of Cook’s Illustrated)
To make 1 cup of whipped coconut cream, chill a mixing bowl and beaters in the freezer for at least 20 minutes. Using a spoon, skim the top layer of cream from a 10-ounce can of coconut milk (about 3/4 cup of cream) and place it in the chilled mixing bowl with 1 1/2 teaspoons of sugar, 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla, and a pinch of salt. Beat on low speed until small bubbles form, about 30 seconds. Increase the speed to high and continue beating until the cream thickens and light peaks form, about two minutes. Serve immediately or cover and refrigerate for up to four hours.
awww sad story, at least it has a happy ending
I’ve been hearing about doing whipped cream this way, I really need to give it a try!
Having acquired this dreaded dairy allergy I’m learning new tricks, too. Will try this and see if passes you know who’s muster. So far the raw cashew cream (have you tried it?) works in Spanakopita and dips. Still working on a version that is creamy like this looks. How coconutty is it, I wonder. Hm. Project for tomorrow…thx!
Coming from a family where milk and meat shall never meet, you have just changed our lives, completely and forever. Cheers!
Had no idea coconut milk could be whipped and whirled as such. This is good news for even someone without dietary restrictions.
Yay! such a wonderful solution! Not Kosher myself, but I’m excited to try this.
Oh what a great idea and I bet it tastes AMAZING! Oh and I love the new blog header!
This sounds like such a great recipe, even if you do not keep kosher. I think that I might like whipped cream better if it tasted like something and a light flavor of coconut might be just the thing!
The Dinner Belle for Kimberlybelle.com
awesome idea! Happy holidays!!
I can see how wonderful this would be with so many recipes!
Mmmn! . . . I loves me some whipped cream, especially when it is coco delicious!
Jugo de coco con pulpa es mucho mejor que jugo de coco con pulpo
This just might make my future Father-in-Law so happy – he is kosher, and so when we all eat together, it’s by the book. This is terrific! Thanks!!
Very, very cool idea. I’ve never seen/heard of this before. Thank you!
I’ve seen this method of making vegan whipped cream on other blogs, and NEED it in my life! I just need to come up with an excuse for making it
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I have friends who would appreciate this recipe. And I’ll be passing it on to them! Happy holidays Brian!
Congratulations on finding something so tasty that fits in with your dietary restrictions. Also – my admiration and respect for maintaining a kosher life. I can only imagine the discipline and dedication it takes. Thank you for sharing!
Such a fabulous idea!!! Looks great!
…your site is still working.Happy New Year. GREG
Great new look to your site:)This whipped cream looks perfect. I adore baking with coconut milk and can’t wait to make this. Now you all have something to enjoy when you’re at your mom’s.
Thanks for the process. I tried making coconut milk whipped cream once on a whim and it never really came together. I know for sure I didn’t chill my mixer bowl and whisk. I’ll have to give your recipe a try.
Thanks for sharing this recipe. I’ve tried making coconut milk whipped cream before, but it didn’t work. I think I must have added the entire can, not just the top thick part.
This recipe will surely make my husband a happy man as well. Thank you for sharing this!
I love it, can’t wait to make it!
wow so good to know!! Thanks! ps- love your blog!
delicious looking cream we use lots of coconut cream for dessert so this must be tasty
Yuuuumm – I love coconut milk; this sounds amazing!
I just love how versatile coconut milk is, it’s a staple in my house!
Thank you for a lovely post (and for the rest of your delicious posts, for that matter!) – I have been following your blog for quite some time, but this is the first time to post. I’m very much looking forwards to trying this, as I try my best to eat vegetarian/vegan when possible.
Just a note on the amount of coconut cream taken from the can: do you use only the cream that sits on top, or do you also include the liquid that sits underneath to make up the 3/4 cups? The reason I ask, is because sometimes the amount of cream that is in the can varies; I just opened one from my cupboard and it only gave me about 1/2 cup of cream to work with. Would you recommend using the liquid leftover, or move onto another can to get more cream?
I am going to have to try this! I didn’t know you could whip coconut milk! Great information, and thanks for the tip
!Congrats on the top 9!
I tried to whip coconut milk once…and it was a completely fruitless attempt. So I am SO excited to see that it can be done! You’ve made my day with this post, Brian!
(Also…LOVE the new site!)
Jane and Joanne,
I’ve heard from a few individuals that they’ve had some trouble in the past with making coconut-milk whipped cream. A few other tricks that Cook’s Illustrated suggests is 1) purchasing coconut milk that has the highest fat content and 2) putting it in the refrigerator for 20-30 minutes to let the fat separate.
Hope this helps!
Best,
Brian
That looks divine! I bet it has such a nice and light flavor to it! Congrats on the Top 9!
I have a dairy sensitivity/allergy and I never follow the rules. This would be the perfect replacement to the dollop of whipped cream that always gives me a belly ache
Beautiful photos!
Whipping cream with no cream? My dairy sensitive belly and I can’t wait to try this
yum, this looks like such a tasty alternative to traditional whipped cream!
This is really creative! Thanks for the great idea.
What a fabulous idea!!
Happy New Year!!
Adding an extra can of coconut milk to the shopping list to give this a try.
This is like getting another Christmas present. Can’t wait to try this out.
i have seen this stuff all over the place lately and have yet to try it! Thanks for pushing me in that direction, i may in fact make it soon!
@Jane only use the creamy part not the liquid leftover when making the whip cream use the liquid for something else (drink it, smotthies, cooking, baking). You can whip just the half cup but will have less final product or open a second can if you want to make more. The 3/4 cup of cream is just an estimate since each can will differ in how much cream is in it.
Trying to whip the cream with some of the liquid added won’t work (yep tried it).
How coconut tasting is this whip? It would be wonderful to not use chemical whips after fleish meals with a dessert.
This would be fantastic on Key Lime pie!
This is awesome. I’ve been looking for a non-dairy alternative.
First, great redesign, Brian. I am way behind on commenting, so I am sure this is super late. Second, I never knew you could whip coconut milk and I am SO excited about this. So many possibilities!!!
Great idea! I LOVE all the uses for coconut milk. Now all I want is a brownie a la mode. At 9am
Just gave it a whirl — and zero luck. Nothing like whipped cream, more like a very soupy sauce. Bowl and beaters spent 30 minutes in the freezer. I did use sherry instead of vanilla (so perhaps more alcohol) but wouldn’t think that would make a difference. I wondered about chilling the can of coconut milk too but since your recipe didn’t say and CI is usually so very very specific, didn’t. Maybe should have?
So – not foolproof at this point. Off to buy real cream for tonight!
I’m a bit late weighing in here, but don’t you think you should call this “Coconut Cream Whipped Cream”? Just as one uses dairy cream for whipped cream. Dairy milk consists of cream and milk, just as coconut milk.
It worked! And no more transfat yucky cans of whipping sludge needed! My life is forever changed. I refrigerated the cans for an hour and the cream was entirely separated, and be careful to spoon out just the hard cream and not take too much water with you. I used it for a topping on a pareve pound cake with sliced pear and berries on top. So glad to have discovered this. Thank you!
This didn’t work for me. I whipped it for more than 5 minutes. It just never got thick! I was really disappointed. I have lots of coconut cream for smoothies this week, but had no whipped cream for Christmas pumpkin pie. SADNESS!
[...] that meat and dairy are not combined at the dinner), I suggest serving your dessert with some coconut milk whipped cream. This would even be great on top of fruit salad with a few mint [...]