Soy-Free Vegan Whipped Cream

I’ve never been a big fan of whipped cream, but I do miss it on occasion.

I’ve longed to find a dairy-free whipped “cream” that tasted good, but I daren’t try any. The store bought cream alternatives are usually jammed packed with nasties. I don’t want to replace the poison I want to avoid (milk/cream) and replace it with another poison.

I stumbled across this recipe for vegan whipped cream purely by accident. I was absolutely intrigued. Could it be that coconut milk was to save the day again???

The answer is yes! Coconut milk is the savior for people who are dairy free and vegan; it’s so versatile and can be used in most recipes that usually call for cream.

Not only is this soy-free vegan whipped cream creamy, it’s also holds it shape and can be piped. I piped it onto a warm tart and it still held it shape. It obviously doesn’t taste like whipped dairy cream, but it’s a great alternative for those who can’t or won’t eat mammalian cream. It would work on just about anything that requires whipped cream, cakes, muffins or sweet pies. I have not tried it on hot drinks yet… but it does work well on hot waffles.

SOY-FREE VEGAN WHIPPED CREAM
Makes about 400 ml (2 cups)
Adapted from Diet, Dessert and Dogs - Soya-Who? Soy-Free Vegan Whipped Cream

Ingredients
80 ml (⅓ c) almond milk
2 t powdered agar agar
5 t tapioca starch
2 T agave nectar
1 pinch salt
2 x 165ml (5.8 fl oz) tins coconut milk

Method
1. Place the almond milk, agar agar, tapioca starch, agave, salt and coconut milk into a small saucepan. Heat until the mixture comes to the boil, then reduce the heat to simmer stirring constantly.

2. Simmer for 5 minutes. Turn off the heat. Blend the mixture with a hand (immersion) blender until smooth. Allow to cool for 5 minutes, then place into the fridge until cold.

3. When cold, the mixture should be solid. Either transfer the mixture into a stand mixer with the beater attachment or beat in the pan with an electric hand beater until smoothly whipped to soft peaks.

4. If the mixture is relative cold, the cream should hold its shape. Pipe the cream onto fruit, cupcakes, tarts or sweet pies. Enjoy!