Whipped Coconut Cream
I’ve been looking for a dairy free substitute for whipping cream for a long time. I’d heard about using full fat coconut cream for what seems like forever but it wasn’t until yesterday that I gave it a try. My verdict? It is simply amazing! I used an Extra Thick & Rich Coconut Cream that you can find in most grocery stores. I got mine at Trader Joe’s. You’ll find it in a brown can on the shelf.
When I opened it up there was absolutely no liquid in it. It was total coconut cream. I spooned it into a chilled bowl, got out my hand mixer, let it rip on high speed for a few minutes and added sugar and a bit of dark rum to flavor it up even more. The texture is beautiful thick and rich, just like it says on the outside of the can. 
I let it chill in the fridge for a couple of hours to see how well it would hold its shape. It did. Then just before I was to leave for a dinner, I used some of it to top off the edges of a banana cream pie. It was a definite yummy yum yum. That recipe will be shared with you soon.
And this morning when I look in the fridge, it’s still there holding its shape so I think it must be time to make another pie and Robert at the appliance service store has already requested a banana cream!
*Update 3/8/15: I’ve heard from some they they are having a challenge getting the coconut cream to whip. Be sure you are using coconut cream and not canned coconut milk or canned light coconut milk or coconut milk in a box. Even shake the can at the store to make sure there is little to no liquid in it. I whip it for about three minutes. I’m not sure if climate is an issue since it is still in the mid to high 50’s here and I keep my kitchen cool. If it is warmer where you are, you might try refrigerating the can for a few hours or even over-night before opening and whipping.
Thank you so much for sharing this! I have a friend who is gluten-free and dairy-free. I had pretty much given up on making her a pie…but with your gluten-free crust, and this for whipped cream, I think I can do it!
I’d love to hear what you think of it, Andrea. BTW, The pie I took to dinner last night had a GF crust, too. I’ll try to work on an egg free version of the rum cream, too.
Thank you for this very useful tip! I’m interested now to see if coconut cream could work in vegan fruit tarts too, had never thought of this substitution. A wonderful blog, looking forward to exploring it. 🙂
Thank you for checking in, Annie. Be sure to shake the can at the store and try and find one that you hear little or no liquid in. The Trader Joe’s full fat coconut cream works great for me her in the U.S. I notice on your blog that you wrote about Ruth Stout. I have a friend who lived near her and remembers seeing her gardening au naturel!
Thanks so much for checking in Annie! I whipped up some coconut cream at Pie Camp last week and it was a huge hit.