Whipped Coconut Cream

Whipped coconut cream with peaches and oats

A while ago I came across a recipe online for making whipped coconut cream as an alternative to regular whipped cream. Of course, I am not a vegan, and I love regular whipped cream (though I don't often have a need to make it).

But, I was very curious about the idea of whipping another type of cream and had to try it. The website seems to promote coconut cream as a healthier option, and I guess it doesn't have animal fat; however I believe coconut milk is also quite high in fat.

To begin, I refrigerated a can of coconut milk overnight. Just as the blog says, the cream comes to the top (maybe 2/3 of the can) with some coconut water below. I used the electric whisk attachment of my new food processor to whip the cream with a bit of honey.

At first, I didn't see much evidence of real thickening like regular cream. But after a bit more time, the coconut cream did get just as thick as the real thing, and it tastes yummy, too! It stayed nice and thick for about a week in the refrigerator as well.

I'm not sure that I would always use coconut cream as a substitute for whipped cream, i.e. I can't quite picture it on my Thanksgiving pumpkin pie. However, it would go nicely with summer fruit desserts or on dessert pancakes, etc.