This recipe for a vegan whipped cream takes control of your whipped cream game and says good bye to its dairy-based counterpart. Enjoy!
Whipped cream is the perfect complement to just about any dessert, offsetting sweetness and texture with a touch of creamy neutrality or providing a light backdrop to an otherwise heavy pie, pudding or cake. Because it is so light, we often eat more than we should in any given sitting, and things can get out of hand fast.
Traditional whipped cream may be light as a feather, but at the end of the day it is straight up heavy cream that has been beaten by a mixer or whisked. It is often combined with vanilla and sugar for more taste. In 1 cup, there are 154 calories, 8 grams of saturated fat, 13 grams of total fat, 46 milligrams of cholesterol and 4.8 grams of sugar. There are some nutritional perks to heavy cream-based whipped cream, but nothing to write home about.
Any cream containing 30 percent or more butterfat can be mixed with air through whisking or being beaten to result in a double-the-volume mixture, in which air bubbles are captured by the fat droplets. However, if the whipping continues, the fat droplets adhere to one another and eventually form butter. So think of it this way: traditional whipped cream is basically butter in the making.
Avoid the whiplash of fat calories and animal-unfriendliness inherent in traditional whipped cream and instead make this 3-ingredient vegan whipped cream recipe. You’ll be glad you did.
3-Ingredient Vegan Whipped Cream Recipe
Makes about 1 cup
Ingredients
1 can full-fat coconut milk (BPA-free version)
1 tablespoon maple syrup
1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Directions
Set the coconut milk in the fridge overnight. The next day, a few hours before making the whipped cream, place a stainless steel mixing bowl in the freezer. Open the coconut milk can and scoop out the thickened part and add it to the chilled bowl. Save the juice for a smoothie or soup. Add the maple syrup and vanilla extract and whisk until evenly combined, smooth and thick or use an electric mixer until stiff peaks form. Use the vegan whipped cream as you normally would – atop baked desserts, fruit or coffee. Or, eat as is by the spoonful!
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Photo Credit: Steven Depolo