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, this sounds great! Do you think it would be ok to leave the powered sugar out?
Many thanks, Steph
Hi Steph. The powdered sugar is what takes away the bean flavor in the aquafaba, so I don’t believe the whipped cream would taste as good without it.
My daughter is vegan So I was going to try your recipe for a layered strawberry shortcake I was thinking on freezing once I finished with the layers and then take the cake out 10 minutes before serving Thoughts think it will work?
That sounds really good, Barbara! The whipped cream holds up well in the freezer and should be a great topping on strawberry shortcake. I would take it out 15-30 minutes ahead of serving, unless you like a stiffer, Cool Whip-like consistency.
Would the aquafaba be from a typical can of garbanzo beans or a sodium-free can?
I use both salted and unsalted cans of chickpeas interchangeably (I can’t tell the difference). If you’re worried about it, use unsalted canned chickpeas.
Hihi! Was wondering if it can be used to decorate cakes? Will it deflate easily or melt like regular whipping cream at room temperature? Thanks!
Hi Trina. I don’t know how well it would hold up in a layered cake, but it could probably be used as a frosting for the top of a cake. I do think it would soften/melt after several hours, unfortunately. It is best served right away after making. Hope this helps!
Have you freezed this… Then scooped it like ice cream? I have some freeze dried produce and it just seems like a brilliant easy addition into the mix.
Hi Gina. Yes, this whip freezes well! I love your idea! You can just use it straight out of the freezer – I think it’s quite amazing this way! Enjoy!
Can I substitute with oat milk? Or would that not work? I’m looking for an oatmilk based whipped topping for my coffee in the mornings. They sell some at sprouts but it’s 5$ a can. Any suggestions? Google isn’t much help 🙁
Hi Savannah. Aquafaba is what makes the whipped cream sturdy, fluffy, and light (just like real meringue). You wouldn’t get the same results using oat milk, unfortunately.
I tried this recipe and it turned out very good! Thank you for the idea!
I’m so glad to hear that! You are welcome! Thank you for sharing your great feedback!
This worked perfect for me. I didn’t have cream of tartar or powdered, so I used baking powder and regular sugar. Baking powder has the same active ingredient as cream of tartar with the added bonus of cornstarch, so it thickened up well. It’s in the freezer now because I had to make it ahead of time, but the peaks were great and the taste was fine (it does not taste like dairy whipped cream, so manage your expectations ?).
I also added food coloring and it blended easily and didn’t impact the fluffiness.
I tried this. Fail!
I had stuff peaks until I added the powdered sugar. I runny mess was the result.
Can you store it? If so, how long will it keep? Thanks!
Hi Hannah. The whip lasts for maybe 3 days in the refrigerator. It also freezes well.
Thanks for an awesome recipe for the most awesome vegan whipped cream. Everyone loved it! I had no idea we could get away from the unhealthy saturated fat in coconut oil.
What if you mixed a little cashew cream into this to make it creamier? Would that just deflate it? Cannot do coconut so hoping this will work for you me…
I’ve never tried it but it might work I guess. Hopefully it won’t deflate!
I am so trying this as I am looking for an alternative but with no coconut as I am deathly allergic.
Thanks so much.
I am in the process of trying to make a non allergenic ‘peanut’ butter pie and needed a whipped topping
Hi Amanda. I hope you enjoy this whipped cream!
Can you tell me how many grams of phosphorus (phosphate)? I am on low phosphorus diet.
Could you use this in a no bake cheesecake dessert mixed with pumpkin and vegan cream cheese?
I’m really not sure as I’ve never tried it, but maybe!
Hi, I’ve been looking for recipes for vegan whipped cream that use anything besides coconut cream. Chickpeas is not common to sell in cans in my country, could you tell me how many cups/grams chickpeas to make the aquafaba? Thank you!
To make your own aquafaba, you cook chickpeas and refrigerate the chickpeas left in the water until next day. Then you separate water and chickpeas, and there you have your aquafaba.
My aquafaba is foaming but not stiffening into peaks… any ideas?
I saved my aquafaba from home cooked chickpeas in the fridge for a while. Or maybe it’s possible my cream of tartar is inactive? I bought it maybe a year ago.
I’m also using an electric hand mixer.
Help!
Hmmm aquafaba from home cooked chickpeas can be a little different, though it usually works fine. You might need to use canned aquafaba if you’re having trouble, and yes I would get fresh cream of tartar. Sorry it’s not working for you!
Hi Rachel, if your Aquafaba is not getting stiff peaks means that the container you may have boiled chickpeas may contain traces of any oil from previous cooking. all utensils should be free of oil. use white vinegar to wipe off all oil from them.
Hope this helps.
Dear Nora, could you please let me know that how long do these stiff peaks last outside fridge? Many thanks
Do you mean how long the whipped cream will last outside the fridge? Probably several hours but I wouldn’t leave it out that long anyhow, definitely store it in the fridge. The whip lasts quite a while, but not for days and days. It also freezes well.
Thank you, i will be using this to celebrate little lad day, so glad I can have dairy free berries and cream
Nora does it again! This is delicious, turned out better than a similar recipe I tried. One tweak I made to offset the garbanzo bean flavor is adding a half teaspoon of cocoa powder and my vanilla is organic. The addition of the cocoa powder positively affected the flavor without turning it in to a chocolate whip. I am going to try freezing as you suggest.
Ah, unfortunately I second the comment below about it missing the “cream” part. It tastes like sweet foam. Aquafaba/powdered sugar is the base for a vegan merengue recipe I’ve made, so that tracks. A good base though! I’ll try to add some fat in the future to see if it creams up without turning into frosting.
This looks amazing! Do you think I could put all the ingredients into a whipped cream dispenser, shake it up like you do with heavy cream and dispense it? That’s how I love making whipped cream. Well, let me know. Otherwise I will eventually try it and let you know. lol.
Gosh, I doubt it but I haven’t tried it. Wouldn’t that be cool!? If you try it, let me know. 🙂
Hi Nora! thank you for sharing this recipe, this worth a try on vegan cheesecake . I have question, do you think or have you ever try using this heavy cream on making ice cream? most of the recipe I found used heavy cream or coconut cream for homemade ice cream. but I don’t want coconut cream unless it will be boiled like in cooking.
I hope you are well . God bless you
Regards
Hi Liz, I hope you enjoy this whipped cream. I haven’t tried this for making vegan ice cream, but I do have a recipe coming this week that you may enjoy!
Hi Nora
On 16/8 last year you posted a response to Liz …”I hope you enjoy this whipped cream. I haven’t tried this for making vegan ice cream, but I do have a recipe coming this week that you may enjoy!”
I would love to have this recipe if you can send it to me please.
Hi Beverley. Here’s my vegan ice cream recipe. I hope you give it a try! 🙂
We really wanted to love this, and were excited by the way the aquafaba/cream of tartar mix makes amazing stiff peaks! Added 1/2 cup powdered sugar and it wasn’t sweet enough. With 3/4, it was sweet but also slightly gritty. I thought it might need to set for a bit, but after an hour in the fridge, it wasn’t any better. My daughter described it as tasting like flouride – the foamy kind pediatric dentists use at cleaning visits. (She’s pretty dead on.) We did freeze some. That part was slightly better in the morning. I’m sorry we can’t love this. It’s missing the creamy part of whipped cream.
Hi Nora!
I need a vegan Cool Whip for a cake I am making for the Fourth of July and came across your recipe. I’m so excited about it and I really want to use this recipe because coconut doesn’t sit well with my husband (he can’t do CocoWhip) and I want him to be able to enjoy the cake with us. It’s just going to be a vanilla cake with berries on top. That being said, how will this recipe hold up being spread across a cake the way you would spread frosting? Any tips?
Hi Sara! Yes, it will work well for a one layer cake, I don’t think it would hold up on a double layer cake, say in the middle layer. If left out in the hot sun it will melt a bit, but I guess cool whip would as well. Hope everyone enjoys it!
I thought this was going to be the perfect solution, but sadly, powdered sugar is not vegan. When sugar, either granulated or powdered is processed to make it white bone char, generally from cows, is part of the process. Is there anything vegan that would be close enough in texture to use instead of the powdered sugar?
As long as you buy organic sugar, it has not been processed with white bone char. In some places even non-organic sugar is vegan, it just depends on where you live in the world. Wholesome brand has an organic vegan powdered sugar that is wonderful.
Love it! Very simple and healthy!!
Actually like it better than cool whip!
Thank you!
Glad you’re loving it! Thanks for sharing!