Easy Vegan Whipped Cream with NO coconut! This might be the healthiest and fluffiest whipped topping on the planet. 5 minutes is all you need to make it!
If you have a coconut allergy, this is a really good option for vegan whipped cream.
Update July 2023
I published this recipe in 2019 originally, and while I still think it’s fabulous, I’ve added a few new ‘vegan whipped cream’ recipes since then. If you are looking for a super rich and creamy, can’t tell it’s vegan or taste a hint of coconut, go make this Vegan Heavy Whipped Cream! It’s my absolute favorite recipe for whipped cream without dairy.
Okay, on to the recipe at hand.
Aquafaba whipped topping
This stuff is magical! I wanted to have a recipe for vegan whipped cream to go with my apple crisp, pumpkin pie and other recipes. I have made coconut whipped cream many times, so naturally I thought that’s the direction I would go.
If you’re not familiar, coconut whipped cream involves getting the perfect can of coconut milk or cream, refrigerating it overnight, scooping out the cream and whipping it.
It doesn’t sound hard, but let me tell you, finding a coconut milk that actually works and doesn’t result in a liquidy mess is so difficult! I tried a few of the highly recommended cans around the web and had no luck.
So, I almost gave up on any sort of vegan whipped cream recipe, when I decided to try aquafaba.
I know what you are probably thinking. Really? Bean water? No fat? HOW CAN THIS BE ANY GOOD!? I thought all those things, was super skeptical and so sure it wouldn’t work, but it did! Magic, I tell you, pure magic.
Unlike homemade coconut whipped cream, this stuff is actually really light and fluffy. It’s so much more consistent than coconut, delivering incredible results over and over again! Okay, it’s a bit more like vegan cool whip than rich whipped cream but you get the point.
It’s perfectly sweet, but you can add more or less sugar according to your tastebuds. It’s also accidentally healthy compared to regular whipped cream or coconut based ones.
How to make Vegan Whipped Cream
For the best flavor, choose canned chickpeas with low or no sodium. This will ensure your whipped cream isn’t salty!
Drain the liquid from a can of chickpeas into a large bowl. Reserve the chickpeas for another use. Add 1/8 teaspoon cream of tartar to the liquid, and begin to beat it with a hand mixer.
Pretty quickly, turn the speed to high and continue to beat until stiff peaks form, about 3-4 minutes. Yours could take a little longer, but generally with cream of tartar added it doesn’t take long!
Now add the powdered sugar (1/2-3/4 cup) and vanilla (1 teaspoon). Turn the mixer on again and beat until fluffy and smooth, about 1 minute.
That’s it! Even though you only start with 1/2 cup of liquid or so, you will end up with about 3 cups of whipped cream.
How to store vegan whipped cream
Aquafaba based whipped topping is best served immediately. In the refrigerator it will quickly lose it’s fluffy whip like quality, but it holds up quite well in the freezer.
Straight from the freezer it reminds me of frozen cool whip. Pretty delicious!
Can I make it sugar free?
I’ve gotten this question many times. This Monk Fruit Powdered Sugar will work, though of course the flavor will be different. I’m sure other powdered sugar replacements would work, it’s just a matter of finding one you like the taste of. And it really needs to be powdered, or the whip will be grainy.
What can I use vegan whipped cream on?
You can serve this whipped topping with a bowl of fresh berries, on warm cozy beverages or anywhere else you like! Here are some ideas:
- Vegan Pumpkin Pie
- Pumpkin Spice Latte
- Vegan Hot Chocolate
- Vegan Apple Cake
- Vegan Apple Crisp
- Vegan French Toast
- Chocolate Mug Cake
- Best Vegan Brownies
Want more vegan cream recipes?
Vegan Whipped Cream (NO coconut!)
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup aquafaba (liquid from 1 can of chickpeas) low or no sodium added
- 1/8 teaspoon cream of tartar
- 1/2-3/4 cup powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Instructions
- Drain the liquid from a can of chickpeas into a large bowl. Reserve the chickpeas for another use. You should have about 1/2 cup of liquid, but it doesn't have to be exact; a little more or a little less is fine.
- Add the cream of tartar; this helps with the whipping process. With a hand mixer, start mixing on medium speed. Once it gets a little foamy, increase the speed to high and beat for about 3-4 minutes, until stiff peaks form.
- Add the powdered sugar and vanilla and continue to beat about 1 more minute, until fluffy and smooth. That's it!
- Serve immediately for best results. Store leftover whipped cream in the freezer, it won't hold up as well in the refrigerator. It reminds me a lot of cool whip straight from the freezer!
Video
Notes
- If you make chickpeas from scratch, you can save the liquid that they cooked in to make all things aquafaba, including this vegan whipped cream.
- If you don’t have cream of tartar or don’t want to use it, it is okay to leave it out. It will, however, take you longer to achieve stiff peaks, more like 10 minutes. It will not be as stable either.
- Buy organic powdered sugar to ensure vegan friendliness. I used 3/4 cup but you can use less or more to your own tastebuds.
- Even though you start with only 1/2 cup of liquid, you will get about 3 cups of whipped topping!
Hi Nora I’ve noticed that you’ve been adding options/substitutes in your “notes” section and I really appreciate it bc I am trying to follow a WFPB (no oil) lifestyle ??? Anyway, I’m also really excited to try this recipe but wondered if there was a substitute for the powdered sugar? Thx in advance
I’m glad it helps Liza! I’m not sure of a good substitute, but possible any kind of powdered sugar substitute, if it exists. I’m just not familiar.
Do you think this would work for and ice cream cake?
I’m not sure, it’s not super thick or stable, so I wouldn’t recommend it between cake layers, but it would probably be okay on top.
Question: Can I follow this recipes and after whipped add dairy free cream cheese to add texture and thickness?
I’m not sure, I’ve never tried it. But maybe!
If I freeze it and then use it on top of a strawberry shortcake how long can I store it in the fridge? I’d like to bring it to a bbq. Thank you!
This recipe is better the closer to when you make it as possible. It will keep for maybe 2 days in the refrigerator.
So happy a not guilty Healthy Vegan Whipcream in favor of your body.
No Saturated and Transfats. Yeah !!!!
I decide to tolerate the very light chickpea taste.
This time I have followed the Recipe 100%. Next time I will try it with Erythritol instead of sugar.
Prevention of sugar and fat related diseases.
Can I use a isi whipper instead of a mixer?
I’m really not sure if that would work or not. If you try it, let me know how it goes!
This just blew my mind. As more vegans come into my life, I am always looking for these tricks that make perfect sense but I never connected.
Can this be prepared using an isi dispender?
I honestly don’t know if it would work or not, sorry!
I am writing from the food preference side and the food allergy side. I think I might try this recipe with a little bit of the refrigerated coconut milk in addition to the recipe ingredients. This way the coconut flavor will not be overwhelming. I can verify that I have used aquafaba before and it was pretty good. I am about 50/50 on food-gobblers not saying that they felt betrayed knowing there was garbanzo beans in their dessert. I am about 0/6 times able to not tell food-gobblers that there was indeed beans in their dessert.
Can this recipe be used for cakes so e.g. For making Victoria sponge cake?
I don’t see why not, but I haven’t tried it myself. As long as the cakes are completely cooled, it should work well.
Hi, this turned out beautifully and I’m so excited to have vegan whipped cream for my espresso. Question…if I freeze it can I defrost a little bit each morning in the fridge or do I just use it straight out of the freezer? Thanks for the recipe!
I’m so glad you are enjoying the recipe! Yes, you can just use it straight out of the freezer. I think it’s quite amazing this way. Thanks!
Hello, will this work for tiramisu? I’m looking to make the mascarpone without any coconut…Thanks!!
It will probably work quite well, yes, though I haven’t tried it. Have you seen my recipe for Tiramisu? Though it uses coconut.
This is really vegan meringue, and I found it miraculous, but not like whipped cream. I put it on top of a chocolate pie & browned the top like meringue. S’mores pie!
Glad you enjoyed it, sounds good!
Yummy!
Thanks, Sue!
Great flavor – i must not have whipped enough – it got soft pretty fast. But the flavor was great -thanks!
Tastes like a marshmallow!
Thank you, Sue!
Wow Sue it really does! It smelled like my dog food at first ahahaha but turns out if you add enough sugar to anything it really does taste like marshmallows! I added some cocoa powder to mine too and it tastes EXACTLY like the smores I used to eat around the campfire as a kid 🙂 My kids (Aidan and Dorthie) are trying to eat vegan and its a real challenge finding substitutes for them! (they are only 4 and 6 years old they are so mature for their age!) I made this for Dorthie’s half-birthday celebration and it was a real hit! Her best friend Kristina was just eating it by the spoonful LOL. Have a blessed day Sue, LOL (lots of love) ? ?
I haven’t tried this yet but am so keen! I was just wondering if you could make this a chocolate whip by perhaps adding some cacao?
Yes, you could add a few tablespoons of cocoa powder. Thanks!
Is the powdered sugar necessary for the consistency of the whipped cream? I can’t have sugar and wonder if I could use stevia instead.
It really is quite necessary, the whipped cream without powdered sugar just doesn’t have the same creamy texture. If you have some sort of powdered sugar substitute, that would likely work.
I liked it better than real whipped cream because it was to light! It tasted and felt like eating a cloud. On the other hand, my granddaughter wouldn’t touch it. Everyone is different.
Could you use this to make icebox cake? I know you said it holds up in the freezer but not necessarily the fridge. Thanks!
I think it would probably work, yes. You could also use coconut whipped cream to make an icebox cake.
I’ve bee looking for a vegan version of panna (unsweetened whip creme to use as a .base for various pizza recipes that don’t call for tomato sauce. Would this work compared the dairy version?
Sorry, I don’t think that will work. I would go for something like cashew cream instead.
This is really similar to the way vegan royal icing is made! I didn’t believe it until I saw it!
Hi, I’m just letting you know that Aldi stores have the best coconut milk/cream, it comes already separated in the tin the cream is on top when you open it and you just spoon it out, so easy!
I’m not fussed about the chickpea cream though. I’ve tried making pavlova with similar recipe but the taste of chickpeas spoils it for me sorry.
Would this recipe work if I substituted the powdered sugar with powdered stevia or other no sugar added sweeteners like monk fruit?
It will work, but it probably won’t taste as good. It will still fluff up though. Definitely use a powdered version for best results.
2 stars for ease of recipe, but 1 star for flavor. Perhaps I should have added a bunch more vanilla to this, but I made the recipe as written with 1 tsp of vanilla (plus an extra splash) on Thanksgiving, and couldn’t deal with trying to fix it. It was terrible, and all of it got tossed. It tasted like sugary chickpea juice…ick.
I guess it’s not for everyone, but I do wonder if something went wrong, as it really shouldn’t taste like chickpeas at all if you added enough sugar and whipped it well. But I tried to make clear that it doesn’t taste like real dairy whipped cream, more like marshmallow fluff. You would probably like coconut whipped cream much better. But a lot of people love this aquafaba whipped cream, so maybe try again sometime when you aren’t under as much pressure time wise. 🙂