Hate Coconut Milk? You Can Still Make Vegan Whipped Cream With Aquafaba
Coconut milk is often touted as the best vegan substitute for heavy cream in items like coffee creamer or whipped cream, because its naturally thick texture is similar to dairy. However, regular whipped cream has a sweet, mild flavor, while coconut cream brings tropical, nutty notes into most dishes.
Therefore, if you hate coconut milk, it is understandable why you would want to find an alternative vegan whipped cream recipe to make at home. While many store-bought vegan whipped creams use almond milk or even oat milk, these products tend to have a lot of oils, gums, and various fillers to help thicken them. Not only can this be hard to replicate at home, but it's also not as easy to digest for some people. Luckily, aquafaba is an incredible ingredient, often used as an egg white replacement in vegan recipes due to its thick texture and viscosity.
Aquafaba is made of the liquid inside a can of chickpeas. Instead of dumping this ingredient when you drain canned chickpeas, you can put it into a separate container and use it to make a vegan whipped cream recipe. While it may seem unconventional to use bean water to make the base of a sweet, whipped topping, chickpeas contain proteins that seep into the water and allow it to foam, similar to the protein in egg whites. Also, the savory notes are easily masked by sugar and flavorings like vanilla or almond extract.
Aquafaba is surprisingly versatile
Aquafaba whipped cream also doesn't require oil or binders to get fluffy. Additionally, aquafaba becomes much airier than whipped coconut cream, likely because coconut oil is high in saturated fat. The simplicity of making vegan whipped cream using aquafaba is also hard to beat, with a dash of cream of tartar and some powdered sugar being the only necessary ingredients.
After using a hand mixer for a few minutes, your whipped cream will be ready to serve! Scooping leftovers into your coffee in the morning can also make a delicious DIY coffee creamer that is devoid of any coconut or dairy. For ideal storage, put this vegan whipped cream in the freezer; your aquafaba will quickly lose air when stored in the fridge.
While it's clear that making vegan whipped cream with aquafaba is possible, some Reddit users searching for vegan alternatives have had a hard time getting on board. One commenter complained about the ever-present flavor of chickpeas, noting they "tried three or four different cans and even homemade bean juice, and they all taste and smell like chickpeas." In this case, adding more sugar or vanilla extract can help, but at the end of the day, not everyone will agree with the hype behind aquafaba. Although it seems like a fantastic non-dairy alternative to coconut whipped cream, it's likely one of those foods you should try before forming an opinion.