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!
I followed the recipe exactly, except that I cooked my own chickpeas because I had dry on hand. It became an ever so slightly thickened liquid rather than a whip after I added the powdered sugar and vanilla. It still tasted good but the texture wasn’t there. I even froze it which appeared to help a bit, but as soon as I plated it, it melted. I’m sure it was human error or something different about my environment that ruined it somehow so I won’t rate the recipe, but I just wanted to share my experience for others and also see if you had any idea what may have gone wrong.
Yes, I would use canned. I know some say it works with homemade chickpeas, but I haven’t had much luck there. I’m not sure why! The texture should be very fluffy.
This was amazing. I didn’t have cream of tartar. Even my omni husband loved it.
Since it doesn’t hold up well in the fridge by itself, would it not hold up in a refrigerated Jell-O dessert? Or would having it mixed with the other ingredients help it to stay intact?
That might work, but I haven’t tried it so I’m not sure.
Vert easy I did slightly taste the chickpea flavor so I added a second tsp of vanilla. Perfect now in the freezer
It’s a great recipe ❗️
♥️?♥️
Katy
Hello Nora,
Love this Vegan Whipped Cream recipe with no oil needed. It is so easy to make. I thawed some Aquafava that I had previously frozen from and it worked great and achieved stiff peaks with my electric hand mixer. I also keep it in the freezer and it is just like or similar to Cool Whip! Also plan to use it for a Vegan Grasshopper Mint Pie filling in recipe (instead of using whipped coconut cream with organic powdered sugar & vanilla) as will only need to add 1/4 Tsp. Peppermint Extract & green food color to the whipped cream since already made w/ organic powdered sugar & vanilla.) Blessings,
Have you tried putting it in a whip cream canister with gas cartridge?
No, I haven’t but I have a feeling it wouldn’t work. Not totally sure though!
My son is allergic to chickpeas. Would liquid from a can of cannelini beans work as a substitute? Thank you.
Yes, that should work!
I can’t wait to try this recipe! My oldest son is vegan and you are changing my life! Your recipes allow me to cook the same dishes only vegan so my entire family can eat them! Thank you so much! Do you have a cookbook I can purchase with all these recipes?
Thanks so much! I have an ebook on my site, but not a hard copy book…yet.
Would you recommend any substitutes for the cream of tartar? It’s difficult to find in my country.
You could leave it out though it won’t whip as well. I don’t know of a substitute though.
Cream of tartar made from acidic to be powder form, you can use any acid ingredient such as a squeeze of lemon or white vinegar or apple cider.
Great tip! Thanks
you can use lemon juice… cream of tartar is an acid, so lemon juice (and vinegar) will work. Use 1:2 ratio, 1 tartar to 2 of lemon juice.
It looks the same as whipped cream! But if I used it on a cake would it stay whipped even on the uncut portion under refrigeration
I think it would work for a day, maybe two, but I haven’t tried it specifically on cake so I’m not 100% sure. Thanks!
This freezes so well!
Can honey be substituted for powdered sugar?
Maybe but it will add liquid so that might make it less light and fluffy.
this recipe tastes, looks, and feels more like a meringue than a whipped cream. still used it, it wasn’t horrendous, but there was no creaminess like in a coconut/other vegan whip. the foamier (rather than creamy) texture may have to do with the extreme heat in my house. it is 100 degrees outside and i have no ac. love your other recipes, nora, but im sorry to say that this one did not meet my expectations of a whipped cream.
I have a young one with garbanzo bean allergy (among a host of other allergies). What do you think about using tofu or the tofu “juice”?
I don’t think that would work the same, sorry! You might be able to use white bean liquid instead of garbanzo. But I haven’t tested it so I’m not totally sure it would work.
Hello, can I use stevia or monk fruit as a sweetener since I cannot have sugar? Thank you
Sure, you could try it. It will taste much different but if you like the taste of stevia or monk fruit it will work okay.
I don’t tolerate garbanzos, but I do tolerate pintos and kidney beans. Has anyone tried other bean water instead of garbanzo water?
I used a six bean blend water and it turned out perfectly!!
Hello,
I would love to use this recipe for my vegan crepe cake as I have been searching for quite some time now a vegan whipping cream recipe. However, I only have one concern, that is would it become ‘watery’ after some time like the non-vegan whipping cream? Thank you! 🙂
Hi! That sounds pretty amazing. If you use cream of tartar like the recipe calls for, it will help it be more stable for longer. If you made it the same day, and were serving it the same day, I think it would be fine and hold up quite well. As long as the crepes are cooled off and not warm. Hope that helps!
OH EM GEE Nora!! This was off the hook!! “Who woulda thunk it?” LOL. I whipped up a batch and put it into the freezer right away since I will not be using it until tomorrow. I used 1/4tsp of Xanthum Gum and 3/4 cup confectioners swerve since I am doing Keto. Amazing! Thanks for another incredible (and easy) recipe.
You’re welcome!!
Wow this modification was unbelievable. I used my kitchenaid to let it whip a while and really cannot tell is not real meringue
Thanks veronica and nora!
I made this today, but when i mixed the cream of tartar with aquafaba it became very foamy, followed direction but only got a liquid that tasted like powered sugar
Oh bummer it sounds like it didn’t do what it’s supposed to do! It should fluff up a ton, just like in my photos and video. Not sure what happened without knowing more information. That said, it doesn’t taste like real whipped cream, more like cool whip or marshmallow fluff, so if you were expecting dairy whipped cream, you would likely be disappointed.
Easy, quick and tasty recipe. My daughter made a large batch using at least 3 cans of liquid from the chickpeas. We froze it and used it for several vegan cheese cakes. Thanks again!
Wonderful! Glad you enjoyed it.
How long will this recipe last in the fridge? Thank you for sharing!
About a day, if that. It can be frozen however and eaten straight from the freezer!
Absolutely loved this, so easy to make, have frozen some because it made quite a bit. I must add I do not like dairy cream, so now I have found an alternative thanks to you. I would add less sugar next time though as it was quite sweet. ?
I’m so glad you enjoyed it! Thank you.
This was frankly outstanding. Made to serve with fresh strawberries and sourdough waffles. I used aquafaba from chickpeas I made myself, and doubled the recipe. Using my stand mixer with a whisk attachment, 1 cup of aquafaba whipped up to at least 6 cups of whipped cream, though it took more like 15-20 minutes to get a sturdy texture. We really enjoyed the taste — felt like it more closely resembled the taste of marshmallow cream, and the texture was great. We froze our vast amount of leftovers and are looking forward to enjoying it other ways. Thank you — excellent recipe!
Thanks for the great comment! I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
Would this recipe be good for whipped cream inside of a cake?
It might work okay but I haven’t tried it. I’m afraid it won’t hold up for long and I’d probably use coconut whipped cream instead for a cake.
Ours came out very liquid.. Not sure why.. Tried adding cream of tarter and more powdered sugar but nothing helped. Any idea what else I could try?
Hmm I’m not sure, did you use homemade chickpea liquid? I have always used canned. Maybe try a different brand of chickpeas, I’m not sure why it wouldn’t whip for you. You need to use a good hand mixer and whip for several minutes.