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!
Made it exactly as stated in the recipe. It’s PERFECT!!!
Hi Nora, I know that you give the breakdown for calories and all, but how much exactly is a serving size?
How much does this recipe make?
Thanks and I look forward to making this recipe.
If you need to be super exact, you can make it and then divide it by 10 and measure a serving. Probably around 1/4 cup or a little more. It makes somewhere around 2-3 cups, but this can vary. I hope you enjoy it!
How long do ‘stiff peaks’take? Does liquid need to be cold? Does bowl need to be cold? I tried recipe and never got stiff peaks . . . Kinda bummed.
Oh no! The liquid does not need to be cold, but if your bowl is really warm (like just out of the dishwasher or something), that could be a problem. I use a room temp bowl and liquid. Did you use the cream of tartar as well? It helps. It usually takes about 3-4 minutes with a mixer on high speed. Did you use aquafaba from a can of chickpeas or homemade? I think homemade aquafaba does not always work as well for some reason.
This is very very sweet. I put 1/4 of the sugar in and it was still too sweet. Of course my 4 year old loved it. Would be good as a light meringue type frosting but to me, it doesn’t taste like a vegan whipped cream.
What you are making is meringue not whipped cream.
Sounds like whipped sugar and that’s a bummer.
ooooohhhh… I didn’t read the fine print: “salt-free or low sodium”. Ha! That’s why it was off, but only slightly…
This would have been a 4.5 star if not for my error.
I put dollops of this on air fried polenta (used coconut oil to “lightly brown” the polenta) with maple syrup, mixed berries and of course, whipped cream. Yum. A delicious twist on whipped cream and polenta as a gritty breakfast food with some sweets. Yum 2 both.
Note: aquafaba whipped topping is so much easier to make than coconut cream / milk whipped cream and stands up to the “fluff” test much fluffier.
Hi Nora
Considering making this to frost a cake to give as a Christmas present. Since I intend to make it beforehand does it keep satisfactorily?
Tks
God bless.
It is best made and served right before enjoying, but you can make it maybe 1 day ahead of time and store in the refrigerator or freezer. Thank you!
Everybody, this is so good. I’ve made it for a number of years. To make a dessert out of it I put a package of freeze-dried strawberries in my little food processor and then add the powder to the already beaten and sweetened whip cream. As Nora says, it can be frozen.
I love your strawberries idea! Awesome! Thanks for your fabulous review and feedback!
This Vegan Whipped Cream was a big hit, my family did not know the difference until I told them it was not the real thing. Thank you so much for this recipe. Blessings
You are welcome, Lynda! How wonderful it was a hit with the family! Thanks for your fabulous feedback!
Thank you so much for this fabulous, easy, and quick recipe! The strawberries appeared without warning so there was no time for chillin 😉 But, no need- this whipped confection came together beautifully and was a delicious topper for that unexpected bowl of berries. And, huge thanks for the freezer storage tip…I’m looking forward to enjoying some ‘cool whip’ with the next surprise treat that comes my way.
You’re so welcome, Patti! Thanks so much for your wonderful review and feedback!
Same, I was so excited to try this but it was a fail for me as well. Now sure if it’s bc I bought a no brand can of chickpeas but the smell from that can alone …
Still I kept going. But this is horrid. The best I got was a heavy froth look. And the taste was a no n
Oh no! Did you whip the aquafaba until there were stiff peaks? This is what prevents the whip from falling flat when you add the sugar and vanilla.
Yep, this is the real deal recipe. It’s so tasty, easy, and almost just like real whip cream. The only difference is this is a bit airier and dairy is a bit heavier in consistency, which isn’t bad thing, but the flavors are identical! We loved it and will use this recipe for years to come. Thank you!!
I love that this recipe has become a go to family recipe for you! I appreciate your fabulous review and feedback! Thank you for sharing, and happy cooking!
Nora – this taste so amazing! I added peppermint oil and it is delicious. Thanks for all the time and effort you put into creating delicious recipes.
You are welcome, Joanie! Thanks for appreciating the work that goes into creating my recipes! I am thrilled you are loving them. Thank you for your feedback!
hi
Can use butter bean for the liquid instead of chickpeas juice.
I think that will work, but I haven’t actually tested it myself.
This is also how you can make vegan royal icing for vegan shortbread cookies etc, I think I used lemon juice or lime juice instead of cream of tartar. And more icing sugar. Works really well and completely hardens on the biscuits so you can stack the biscuits/cookies/whatever you want to ice. I just did it for a load of edible gifts this Christmas just gone (2022) made over 340 vegan shortbread cookies this was made up of around 170 vanilla stars and roughly 172 vanilla and vegan chocolate chip Christmas tree shortbread cookies, I also made around 90 vegan mince pies, about 150 vegan hazelnut truffles and about 112 cinnamon biscuits cut into snowpeople, reindeer, stars and trees. I iced the stars so half were plain icing and half had colourful sprinkles on, I found vegan sprinkles on amazon a while ago. And I dotted the shortbread trees with the icing. I left the icing at room temperature to dry over night and the next morning I tested if they were dry with a toothpick. A few I had put on thicker needed a few hours longer but most were dry over night. Just pipped it on using a plastic sandwich bag I cut a very small hole in one corner of, outlined them with a bit of a gap around the edge, then filled them in and any small gaps I used a toothpick to move the icing around to fill in the gaps. It did take a while as I’m a bit crazy with these things, and I needed to get the shape of things just right, and when I was putting the sprinkles in, I couldn’t just sprinkle them on and let 5hem fall where they may, I had to put some in deliberate places, and I had to alternate between doing 4 plain and th3n 4 sprinkles then 4 plain and then 4 sprinkles etc. So it took me hours and hours and a few days to do. But it would probably take someone doing it normally and with a normal amount of them a much shorter time haha. Also the icing can be kept in the fridge for about a week I think. It will need mixing each time you want to use it though as the liquid will separate. And could probably be stored in the freezer for a few months. Again the liquid will likely separate.
I used I tin of chickpea liquid, added around 1/3 teaspoons of lemon juice, you could use cream of tartar or lime juice, (if you use cream of tartar, I Don’t know if the measurements are the same), and I ended up adding around 4 to 7 teaspoons of vanilla extract because I wanted the sweetness and flavour in the icing. You can add in however much you like or omit it entirely. Of add any other flavour you like, lemon, lemon zest, lime, coffee, a liqueur, orange etc. Then I whisked this liquid into a foam. Then added around 700 to 800 grams give or take of icing sugar. And mixed it in, i mixedin half, then added the rest and mixed that in. You may need to add more, or if it is too stiff simply add a teaspoon of water until it is the right consistency. It should be the right consistency when you can run a toothpick through it and the line stays for around 5 seconds. Or when trailing it it Takes around 5 seconds to seep back into the rest of it. So it forms a line of icing on itself for a while that slowly seeps back in. This batch was enough to cover around 170 star cookies using cutters measureing about 6.1cm × 6.3cm and dot around 172 tree cookies using cutters measuring 5.5cm × 7.5cm.
Whith some left over. Not a lot. Probably enough to cover around 10 or more star cookies still.
So if anyone wanted to make this. You’d probably want to make a third of it a bit less. Also if you plan to make it and freeze it, it may need more icing sugar added as it may be a bit more runny.
Oh my gosh when you said you had to deliberately put the sprinkles on in strategic places I literally was triggered bc that’s SO me😩😂 I have OCD and everything has to be perfect when I bake and decorate cookies and cakes as well. I have to say I’m impressed bc that is a lot of damn cookies and that would take me a MONTH to do lol. Thanks for sharing the Royal icing recipe too☺️
Girl do you need a pen pal or something? You are in the comments of a whipped cream recipe. Not on your personal blog or social media page. I admire your commitment to putting your cookie chronicles out into the world but I’m not seeing who asked.
Hey Alice, I so enjoyed reading your post…..very informative and helpful. I am new to this style of cooking and an extra “snippet” of unexpected information is encouraging. I hope you didn’t let Sam’s post bother you. The easiest path in life is the one where your behavior is mean spirited and rude; he could have chosen better. 99.99999999% of the folks who read your post were fine.
Hi Nora,
My daughter has just been diagnosed with a severe dairy allergy. Our family Christmas tradition is to always have pavlova, smothered with whipped cream and strawberries and passionfruit for dessert. Do you think your recipe for the aqua faba whipped topping will work in an Australian summer?
I want something lighter and fluffier than the coconut cream whip. We will be eating outside, and it will probably be about 85 degrees .
Many thanks
Katherine
I think it should work but I haven’t tried it. I’m pretty sure I’ve seen other recipes for pavolva using aquafaba though! Sounds just wonderful.
This is a great whipped cream! Very light and fluffy, more so than your coconut version. One thing I would strongly advise to anyone making this is to use low sodium chickpeas, or you may have a bit of a salty/more beany taste to the whipped cream. Also I would recommend making it right before you use it for best results. Overall though it’s a great recipe!
This was very easy! And it turned out great. I’m freezing it to use tomorrow. I’ll try to remember to let you know how it fared. Thank you!
So glad to hear it! Thank you for sharing!
It’s fluffy and the texture is good, with a good mouth feel but, sadly, it tastes like whipped beans with sugar and vanilla. It becomes better when mixed with fruit but not great. I’m glad I checked it out but now I’m done.
Can I use a substitute for the powdered sugar? Like some other sweetener? maple syrup?
Hi Amanda. The whipped cream without powdered sugar just doesn’t have the same creamy texture. I’m not sure what to recommend as a substitute. You may find some information about substitutions online. If you have some sort of powdered sugar substitute, that would likely work. I hope this helps!
I used Truvia confectionery sugar which is mix of stevia and real sugar and the texture was pretty good! As Nora noted, it has a Cool whip taste, but is very good!! Freezing the rest and hope it holds up! Thanks again. Nora!! I love so many of your recipes and appreciate noting oil-free options!
Hi Bill! Thanks for sharing your experience with the whipped cream recipe! I am glad it turned out for you! I appreciate your fantastic feedback and review!
Hi Amanda and Nora,
It’s been a while since you posted the question. For anyone else wondering, I just made it for the first time with maple sugar. Made from pure maple syrup, it comes in a bag as a very fine sugar. I put the already fine sugar in the food processor to make it more powdered. Even though it wasn’t as fine as conventional powdered sugar (maybe because the food processor blade is getting dull), it still worked! It was delicious, and formed peaks, etc. As another note, I have made powdered “sugar” using Xylitol in the past, processed in a food processor to become powdered. That became very light and fine, just like conventional powdered sugar. That would probably work for this, too.
Hello, you should be able to use Powdered monkfruit. I use this in a lot of recipes that require powdered sugar.
I’m looking for a vegan whipped cream to make a chocolate mousse pie. Do you think this would work?
I think so! I’ve never tried it, so I can’t say for sure.