This coconut whipped cream goes great over fruit or on top of just about any clean dessert, and it’s dairy free!
This post is in direct response to all of you who have emailed me or contacted me on Facebook looking for a clean eating version of Cool Whip. I’ve never had the stuff, but apparently, many of you find it quite addicting and tough to give up in your efforts to clean up your diet.
One of my wonderful readers, Kelsey, has her own clean eating blog (UPDATE: This blog appears to no longer exist.). She’s an amazing 16-year-old who has a better head on her shoulders now than I did at 30! She’s an amazing kid with tons of talent, and one of those talents just happens to be clean cooking. On her blog, she featured a recipe for Cream of Coconut. And although she didn’t “advertise” it as such, it’s the PERFECT replacement for whipped cream! While it may not be an exact replica of Cool Whip, I urge you to give this a try, because frankly, it’s just like eating regular whipped cream (the real stuff)!
I should also tell you, that like real whipped cream, this is not something you want to eat every single day. It is high in fat. BUT, it’s high in GOOD fats. And that, my dear readers, is a very important distinction. We all need our healthy fats. And I just cannot think of a better or tastier way to include them in your diet!
With Kelsey’s permission, I’ve done my own version of her recipe which I will share with you here. It’s not too far off from the original, but different enough to post here.
HEALTHY TREATS:
COCONUT WHIPPED CREAM RECIPE:
If you need a dairy free topping for your desserts, look no further! This pairs deliciously with just about any fruit or dessert you put it on. Just be sure to purchase regular coconut milk in a can (not light coconut milk) and put it in the fridge overnight (minimum) so the cream will raise to the top of the can. I've found the longer it's in the fridge, the easier it is to get the cream out. I put mine in for two days the second time I made this. And hang onto that leftover coconut milk! It's great in your morning smoothie!
- 1 cup coconut cream (this is the approximate measure that you will get from 2 cans of coconut milk)
- 1 tbsp. honey
- 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
Open your cans and scoop out the cream. You will have a bit of cream left behind in the coconut milk, but that's okay. You want avoid getting milk in with the cream as much as possible.
Using a blender or hand blender (you can try an electric mixer if you have a powerful one), beat together the coconut cream, honey and vanilla extract.
Put your coconut cream in a container and place it back in the fridge for a few hours to allow it to really solidify (if you can stand the wait!).
Note: If you find that even after chilling, the cream won't stiffen up, put it into a blender with 1 package of unflavored gelatin. Let it sit out for about an hour. Once it's thick as it should be, put it back into the fridge to chill further.
Please note that the nutrition data below is a ballpark figure. Exact data is not possible.
Brittney says
Looks fabulous! Will definitely be trying this – I’ve been hankering or whipped cream!
Michelle says
THANK YOU!!! I LOVE your blog, it has been a hard transition in some ways to start eating clean, but you give me hope, I love all these better versions of the crap we are so used to!!!! Thank you again!
Jodi says
Is it really like the real cream whipped by hand? Or the stuff you squirt out of cans? Enough like it that people used to home made whipped cream would like it? Pesonally I never thought Cool Whip or similar stuff was even remotely edible. Cool whip and Jello seem to me to be the ultimate fake foods-might as well eat the plastic fruit some people used to use as decorations.
The Gracious Pantry says
Jodi – Yes, it’s really like the real stuff. Regular whipped cream and this version are both made with the fat off of the milk. So it’s very close in texture.
Jodi says
Is the flavor coconutty? I’m not sure that would go over here. I like coconut but I think I’m the only one who does.
The Gracious Pantry says
Jodi – By itself, you do taste a coconut flavor. But when you add it to other things, it’s very difficult to pick out the coconut flavor.
Kelsey @ Clean Teen Kelsey says
Wonderful, this post is great! Thanks so much for featuring/recreating the recipe. I’m glad to know how much you liked it! It’s also wonderful when you add cocoa powder to it, and I’m going to try blending it up with peanut butter, cherries, strawberries, etc. to make flavored whipped cream. 🙂
The Gracious Pantry says
Kelsey – You’re a girl after my own heart! Let me know how those turn out for you!
Jodi says
MMMMM! Kelsey, chocolate and coconut. And almonds. Oh Joy!
upstartkitchen says
Wouldn’t you rather have simple whipped cream, though? As a percentage of its total fat content, whipped cream is about 40% saturated as opposed to 85% for coconut milk. Also, since coconut oil is the primary component of a number of nondairy creamers, I’m not sure I see the advantages over nondairy whipped “cream,” other than the lack of preservatives.
A tablespoon of whipped cream only has about 15-20 calories depending on how aerated it is, so a small quantity on top of a fruit dessert or something, once in a while, isn’t going to kill anyone.
The Gracious Pantry says
Upstart – No, it won’t kill anyone. However, the premise of clean eating also includes calorie quality. Coconut is far more nutritious and healthy for you than dairy based cream. There is no debate over how healthy natural coconut is for you. With dairy, that is just not the case.
Teresa says
I am going to try this with your pumpkin pie recipe.
The Gracious Pantry says
Teresa – It should be yummy!!
Catherine says
I just made this a few hours ago. It’s AH-MAY-ZING…just freakin amazing. Definitely not something I’m going to make a lot because I’d just wanna eat the whole thing LOL. Maybe like twice a year haha.
The Gracious Pantry says
Catherine – LOL. Ya, it’s pretty yummy! Thanks for trying it!
Stefany says
Wow. Just wow. I just made this and it’s chilling in the fridge. It’s SO good. I can definitely still taste the coconut, but I love it all the same. I had the can (only had one) in the fridge for probably two days and got over a cup of ‘cream.’ In fact, what remained was 1/2 cup of clear liquid. The cream was so solid that I could just pour off the milk and then dump the cream out of the can (I had it upright in the fridge, but then realized that it is designed to be opened from the bottom, so the milk was on top). Can’t wait to find some uses for this – other than eating it right out of the bowl!
The Gracious Pantry says
Stefany – I’m so happy you enjoyed it! And it has sooooo many uses! Put it over fruit, on a biscuit with some berries in coffee ( or tea if you like that), the list goes on…! Enjoy it!
Alicia T. says
If you are trying to do no sugar, I make this same recipe using cinnamon instead of of the agave or honey. Its amazing to dip apples in!
Anonymous says
Alicia – Yum! Thanks!
Anonymous says
Becky – What a great idea!
Tiffany Bumpas says
I am brand new to clean eating and just made this. I can say it is not as sweet as the real stuff, but it is delicious nonetheless! I look forward to trying more of your recipes!
graciouspantry says
Tiffany – I’m glad you enjoyed it!
Agscola3 says
My question is about coconut milk in general…there’s definitely a different taste with coconut milk in a can versus coconut milk in a container (that you would get in the milk section)…is either one healthier? I can say that they one in the can tastes better, so thinking its not the healthier choice?
graciouspantry says
Agscola – Depends. You have to read ingredient lists. Generally speaking, the milk in the carton is NOT clean, and the one in the can IS. But again, you have to check the ingredient list. There should be nothing other than coconut milk in there.
graciouspantry says
Ya, I get it at Whole Foods. But I have also gotten it at mainstream grocery stores like Safeway.
graciouspantry says
Honey is a clean sugar. Yes, it’s sugar, which is why you should only eat it in moderation. But it’s an unprocessed sugar. It comes from nature in the form it’s in. Especially if you buy raw honey. That’s what makes it clean.
graciouspantry says
I’m not sure as I’ve never done it. But worth a try!
Rise says
I made chocolate pot de creme tonight and just happened to have a can of coconut cream in the cupboard, so broke out this recipe! Holy smokes, this is AWESOME!!!
The Gracious Pantry says
Haha! Glad you enjoyed it! 🙂
Debbie says
Trader Joe’s sells cans of coconut cream. Thinking of trying this with that.
The Gracious Pantry says
Debbie – The cream is not clean though, just so you know. Not sure why they did it, but they added a ton of junk to it.
sam says
I LOVE this website. Started eating clean two weeks ago and have been making recipes almost exclusively from here. What’s the next recipe where you say what to do with the extra coconut milk?
The Gracious Pantry says
Sam – I just updated the link. Enjoy!
Nancy says
I left the can in the refrigerator for over a week. The WHOLE CAN THICKENED, no milk, so i was able to make a lot more topping.
The Gracious Pantry says
Nancy – Fantastic! You’ll find that every can is different, so sometimes you have to adjust the recipe slightly.
Tiffany says
Can I make this ahead? Say, the day before Thanksgiving to serve with pie on Thanksgiving day?
The Gracious Pantry says
Tiffany – No, this is better made the same day.
Fal says
I made some of this last night to put on a cranberry-orange cobbler. It did not thicken up much, but it was so delicious! I used the leftover milk from the can in a variation on your Clean Eating Coconut & Curry Turkey Chili, and the whipped cream that was left this morning went in my coffee.
The Gracious Pantry says
Fal – Awesome! Be sure you keep it in the fridge long enough and try hard not to get the liquid in the fat. It won’t get as thick as regular whipped cream, but it does get pretty close.
Donna says
Hey, I collect those plates that u have pictured here. Also, I look forward to trying this recipe ASAP. I have lots of cans of coconut milk on hand and plenty of dessert ideas to try it with!
The Gracious Pantry says
Donna – Wonderful! I hope you enjoy it! That dish actually belongs to my mother-in-law. It’s pretty!
Miguel Zorro says
Dr. Oz, and other doctors, say we all need the coconut oil to feed our brains and stave off Alzheimers. What a delicious way to get the prescribed 2 or 3 teaspoons per day! Vaya con Dios!
The Gracious Pantry says
Miguel – Absolutely!!! 😀
Marci says
Could this be used as cake icing for my sons smash cake?
The Gracious Pantry says
Marci – Sure! Just keep it cold until the very last minute.