Searching for a dairy free substitute for heavy whipping cream? This Heavy Whipping Cream Substitution is made from 4 simple ingredients and whips up into a light and fluffy vegan whipped cream! You won’t believe it until you’ve tried it!
Light and fluffy vegan whipped cream
Heavy whipping cream is the only ingredient you need to make light, airy, and fluffy whipped cream, but what if you don’t eat dairy? That’s where this vegan Heavy Whipping Cream Substitution comes in! It’s a dairy free substitution that whips up into the best vegan whipped cream you’ve ever had.
I was inspired by similar recipes like this one from Gretchen’s Vegan Bakery, School Night Vegan and Berry Baker. Miyoko Shinner also has a recipe called ‘better than whipping cream and topping’ in her book The Homemade Vegan Pantry that uses the same technique. So I’m not the first one to discover this amazing way to make whipped cream! I tested it with various milks, refined and unrefined coconut oil, and made it a bit sweeter with extra powdered sugar.
Classic whipped cream is made from just one ingredient: heavy cream. Instead of whipping my vegan heavy cream (which is better off in soups and stews), the vegan whipping cream substitute begins with a mix of simple, creamy, and high in fat ingredients:
- Plant milk
- Coconut oil
- Powdered sugar
- Vanilla
As a result, the whipped cream turns out with a sweet taste and a sturdy, thick, and fluffy texture. Plus, it skips the coconut flavor that a lot of coconut whipped cream recipes have. It’s the perfect topping on coconut cream pie, apple crisp, pumpkin pie, and more!
Can’t get enough of vegan whipped cream? Be sure to try my Aquafaba Whipped Cream and Coconut Whipped Cream next! But this is the best, most realistic dairy free whip I’ve ever had.
Ingredients needed (with substitutions)
- Soy milk – Dairy free milk that’s high in fat, like unsweetened soy milk, oat milk, and cashew milk is best at transforming into thick and creamy whipping cream. Coconut cream won’t work here.
- Coconut oil – No substitutions! Use refined coconut oil to avoid the coconut flavor. You can use unrefined if you don’t mind a slight coconut taste.
- Powdered sugar – This will give the whipped cream its delicious sweet flavor and sturdy texture. I don’t recommend replacing it with a liquid sweetener.
- Vanilla extract – For flavor.
How to make vegan heavy whipping cream
Find the complete recipe with measurements below in the recipe card.
Heat the soy milk in the microwave before pouring it into a blender with the melted coconut oil.
Next, blend the mixture until it has emulsified and looks light and bubbly.
Transfer to a bowl. Cover and chill in the fridge overnight.
Whip the cream using a standing mixer with a whisk attachment the next day. To finish, add the powdered sugar and vanilla while continuing to whisk from low speed to high. It should thicken after 5 to 10 minutes.
You’ll know the vegan whipped cream is ready when it’s quite thick, creamy, and light. Try not to overmix it. Serve it right away or store it in the fridge for later!
Storing and freezing
Store the whipped cream in a covered container in the fridge for 2 to 4 days. It can also be frozen but is best when it’s fresh.
What to serve with whipped cream
Use the whipped cream anywhere you would normally use whipped cream. It can be spread and piped onto all kinds of desserts and treats, such as:
- Pumpkin Cheesecake
- Tres Leches Cake
- Mini Pumpkin Pies
- Vegan Chocolate Pie
- Vegan Banana Cream Pie
- Hot Chocolate
- Vegan Waffles
Want more vegan basics?
- Vegan Condensed Milk
- Heavy Cream Substitute – For adding to soups and more, not for whipping.
- Vegan Buttercream Frosting
- Vegan Mascarpone
- Shreddable Vegan Mozzarella
- Vegan Custard (Pastry Cream)
Heavy Whipping Cream Substitution
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsweetened, unflavored plant milk I used soy
- 1 cup refined coconut oil, melted
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Instructions
- Pour the soy milk in a bowl and microwave until warm, about 1 minute. Place in a blender with the melted coconut oil. Blend until emulsified on high. In my Vitamix this only takes 30 seconds to 1 minute.
- Transfer to a bowl, cover and place in the refrigerator overnight or at least 4 hours. Overnight is best.
- Transfer the cream to a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer with whisk attachment. Add the powdered sugar and vanilla. Beat the ingredients together, starting on low speed and increasing to high. It will take 5-10 minutes to start to thicken, but it will happen!
- Beat until it's quite thick, creamy and light, but be careful not to over mix or it can get too thick. Scrape the sides of the bowl as needed.
- Serve anywhere you would whipped cream. It also pipes beautifully. Enjoy!
Notes
- Storage – Leftover whipped cream will keep in a covered container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. It can also be frozen if needed.
- Milk – Soy works best here, but you can use cashew, almond or oat milk. Choose a higher fat variety for richer whipped cream.
- Oil – There is NO substitution for coconut oil in this recipe, it’s what makes it whip!
I am making a Black Forest Cake that calls for 3 cups of heavy cream. Do you think I need two recipes of this vegan whip cream?
This recipe will make about 2 cups, so I would double or 1.5 the recipe to get 3 cups.
Miss Nora, you’ve truly outdone yourself with this recipe!
I’ve always seen vegan whipped cream recipes like this – with a plant milk and a coconut oil emulsion – floating around on social media, but they have all fallen flat. Pun intended.
I felt like jumping up and down when I finally saw this recipe whipping up! I was prepared to have to scrape it out and put it in a blender or a food processor or just make it into ice cream when I didn’t end up with whipped cream yet again.
Instead, I’m going to have strawberries and delicious whipped cream! If my oven wasn’t broken I’d be whipping up a sponge cake right now. I am sure this recipe is about to become a staple in this house!!!
Hi Franz. I am thrilled that you discovered my whipping cream recipe and that you love it! Thank you for your stellar review and comments! Wishing you lots of happy cooking!
Does not work with oat milk 🙁 separates in fridge overnight. Attempted to soldier on but ended up with a sloppy mess. Will possibly try again some time with soy
Just wondering if this would work in the Milk Street Whipped Cream Cake. Have you ever used this as an ingredient in baked goods?
Can a substitute for the sugar be used? Such as monkfruit/ allulose/ stevia?
That should work fine. Best if it’s powdered, otherwise it will taste grainy.
Tracie,
I used soy milk and powdered monkfruit for this at Thanksgiving and it turned out great! It was so good that it has been requested again for Christmas. 😀
With the powdered monkfruit, I sifted it so that it was all a fine powder without the hardened balls in it before adding it to the other ingredients.
Also, if I remember correctly, the time that required beating was closer to 12 minutes for me to get the texture I wanted.
Can you use unrefined coconut oil instead of refined?
You can, it will just very much taste like coconut then.
Can this be used for a recipe calling for heavy cream, but not whipped cream, if I omit the whipping step?
Yes, it could!
With coconut oil being high in saturated fats, almond oil would be better. Do you think it would equally well as coconut oil?
Unfortunately, no other oil will work the same. It’s because coconut oil firms up when it gets cold that this recipe works. I don’t go crazy with coconut either, but for this particular recipe it is necessary.
So sad…EdenSoy milk did not work…followed the recipe exactly but I think it might be the brand of soy milk…I’ll try again with Silk soy!
I wondered about that! Thanks for sharing. I was curious if an added thickener ingredient in the milk was necessary.