And what to do if your coconut milk doesn’t separate
Coconut whipped cream is one of the easiest recipes. You just refrigerate a can of full fat coconut milk and whip the coconut cream that separates and rises to the top. But what do you do if your can of coconut milk doesn’t separate? I’ve tried many different brands of coconut milk. And even with my favorites, every once in a while I get a can that comes out of the refrigerator looking just like it did when it went in.
This happened to me on Thanksgiving. About an hour before dinner I opened my can of coconut milk to whip, and it was only partially separated. Since my family specifically requested whipped coconut cream to go with the paleo pumpkin pie, I knew I had to figure something out. I set a strainer over a bowl and lined it with a coffee filter. I added the slightly thickened coconut cream, leaving only the thin watery bit at the bottom of the can. And let it drain until it was the right consistency. Then I whipped the coconut cream as usual — it worked perfectly.
So now this is the trick I use to rescue my coconut whipped cream, if the coconut milk doesn’t separate in the refrigerator.
How To Make Coconut Whipped Cream
Ingredients
- 1 13.5- ounce can full fat coconut milk refrigerated overnight
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 - 2 teaspoons local raw honey to taste
Instructions
- Open bottom of can of coconut milk and pour off liquid.
- Scoop separated coconut cream into large bowl and whip until it is the consistency of whipped cream.
- Add vanilla and honey to taste, and whip until combined.
prettypolymath
Hey!–WIll the coconut whipped cream fall apart easily if left out? I wanted to try using this on a cake but I wasn’t sure if the coconut whipped cream would hold up (i.e slide off the sides).. Thanks 🙂
Lisa
I haven’t used the coconut whipped cream as a frosting, so I’m not sure how it would hold up on a cake. If you try it, let me know how it turns out!
Casi
I tried to do this but the coconut cream was so solid it wouldn’t whip, it stayed chunky and never got fluffy at all. I followed directions precisely, any idea what went wrong?
Lisa
Hi Casi, it sounds like you had a particularly thick can of coconut. Adding a tiny bit of the leftover liquid back in might help loosen it up. Also check to make sure the coconut milk does not have any additives – the ingredients should be just coconut and water. Sometimes if there are stabilizers added it won’t whip up.
Alpha
Hi Lisa,
There are so many options for coconut milk and just when i thought i found the one, im realising it’s ‘light’. The ingredient list is for full fat coconut milk, do you know if light coconut milk will work?
Lisa
Unfortunately, light coconut milk will not work. You need the thick cream from the top of the can of full-fat coconut milk to whip it.