Ooh--thanks for the tip! It's a good one to keep in my back pocket...I often don't have cream, but I always have a can of coconut milk!

Awesome! Lactose intolerants are cheering everywhere.

Great! I am going to share it on my little blog www.thingsIfancy.com
Thank you!

Anyone know off the top of their heads what the calorie/ fat content is compared to traditional whipped cream?

According to http://nutritiondata.self.com:

1 Tb. coconut cream
49 calories
5 g fat (5 of which are saturated)
0 mg cholesterol

1 Tb. heavy whipping cream (liquid)
52 calories
6 g fat (3 of which are saturated)
21 mg cholesterol

Of course, these numbers might be slightly off since neither of these are whipped and whipping would increase volume (thus meaning there are less calories in a TB. of whipped coconut cream or whipped cream than the solid/liquid state of each). Also note that these nutritional values don't count any sugar added to cream or coconut cream.

thanks lotusmoss!

That's interesting. You get more cholesterol with cream but more saturated fat with coconut and both about the same calories.

This may be a little off subject but does anyone know the differences between coconut milk and coconut water? Are they both pretty similar health wise?

What a wonderful idea! Even if you're not avoiding dairy, I bet this would be incredibly delicious!

@alyssasteffes, the water is...just the water. It's a great Gatorade substitute--lots of potassium. But very low in fat, unlike the coconut milk.

I just sent this link to my lactose-intolerant DH for approval. Cause I've been thinking about making a blueberry pie...

@alyssasteffes: i don't know the exact difference, i believe they probably get the water from a different process or even part of the coconut. but i would bet money that coconut water would have much less fat, if any at all. there might be more natural sugars in it though.

coconut water sits in the center of a coconut, if you break one open it's what spills out.
pretty sure the milk has to be processed out of the meat somehow.

Dietary cholesterol, the kind that will cause your blood cholesterol to raise, is only found in animal food products: meat, chicken, fish, eggs, dairy, etc. Food derived from plants don't have cholesterol. That's why coconut milk doesn't have any.

Isn't coconut milk what you get when you grate the the meat? The liquid that froms as you grate it, or something like that?

I like the idea! Not because of any dairy concerns, but because I think it might just be a little bit more interesting than normal whipped cream. I think chocolate ice cream with coconut milk whipped cream sounds awesome, doesn't it?

Coconut milk is made by taking shredded coconut and mixing it with water in a blender. Tropical Traditions shows you how. You can buy it in cans though. What I find though is this recipe, which I've been acquainted with, is good if just for now -- but it waters down if saved. I like to use thick yogurt and coconut cream concentrate (sometimes called coconut butter) -- which is a REAL thickener, along with a sweetener and vanilla or lemon juice. (Like a cup of greek yogurt plus a half cup of coconut cream concentrate). It whips up nicely and is so good! Also coconut milk may seem to have a lot of calories but it metabolizes differently than does whipped cream. It's good for you!!

Can you use the light version of coconut milk to save on some of the fat??!?!

Even though there's a lot of saturated fat in both, there's recent research showing that saturated fat from vegetable sources (particularly coconut) reacts differently in the body than saturated fat from animal sources. It apparently has beneficial effects.

HA! I'm so excited about this. This is going to be a great cupcake topping! I can't wait. And I can use stevia instead of sugar. Just perfect.

Thank you so much.

The fat in coconut is good for you. Really good! There is lots of info on the Internet regarding it. It helps you lose weight in fact.

Omg WOW!! Thank you for this.

1 tip, make sure you use coconut cream without additives. We did this once with a can that had stabilizers in it, and it didn't separate in the fridge like it needed to.
We made this successfully with another stabilizer free brand for a dairy free whipped cream in a cake and it was great, no one believed it was dairy free.

This is gorgeous! I'm looking and experimenting with vegan whip cream options for so long and never thought of trying with coconut cream...

I'm making this today...definitely a great vegan option!

sara alana

Not only vegan...for those of us keeping kosher, I believe it is pareve, too! Whoo-HOOOO!

Very exciting--thanks for posting this!

This is lovely! I'm vegan/ dairy free and this is an awesome tip. Thank you ;)

I think I will give it a go in fact today over some beautiful vegan/gluten free brownies I'm planning to do today!!!

I think it will go beautifully and I'll post on my blog with credits to you guys ;)

http://www.lifeologia.com/

ps. Coconut Milk is very healthy for everyone not just vegans. I hope many people will give it a try and switch from heavy whipped cream.

Coconut milk is loaded with vitamins and minerals. Helps to maintain blood sugar, keeps skin and blood vessels flexible and elastic, aids in building strong bones, relaxes muscles and nerves, controls weight, lowers high blood pressure, maintains a healthy immune system... and is delicious ;)

What a great idea! I am successfully battling high cholesterol by modifying my diet - by omitting most animal products - but sometimes I really want something creamy and this would surely fit the bill. Thanks!

I use the same brand of coconut milk! It's expensive though. The last time I went to the store I bought 3 cans of a cheap brand on sale for $5, the same price as one Native Forest can, and I did't like it. It had this weird preservative in it that gave me a headache to smell it. What do you know, I looked up the chemical and that's one of its side-effects. I'll keep my eyes peeled for coupons and promotions for Native Forest from now on.

@Feedyoursister
You could potentially use a "light" coconut milk, but since you're only using the fat, you wouldn't save yourself anything. You'd just have less coconut whipped cream at the end of it all.

Coconut water: puncture hole in coconut, drain. The moisture inside is the coconut water. No fat, but high in other goodies.

Coconut milk: remove flesh from shed, fresh, whiz with water, strain from flesh, allow resulting liquid to rest and the fat will float to the top. Coconut cream is the fat on top. Light cocounut has less fat in the can, but often some nasty things added to replace the fat.

Coconut mik beverage, usually as additional liquids and sometimes flavorings and sugar added. Designed as a dairy milk substitute. Not the same thing as regular coconut milk.

This is truly a light bulb moment...thank you.

Thank you for this! Definitely a must try.

we do this quite a bit. tastes quite similar to dairy cream - and a nice treat in coffee, too. yum. :)

I'm not non-dairy but this sounds amazing! :D Definitely gonna give it a try.

RE: making coconut milk from shredded coconut flesh - does the flesh have to be fresh, or will it work with purchased shredded coconut?

Yes, the saturated fat in coconuts is good for you. Please be aware that coconut oil does not go rancid for months, unlike the cheap-crop oils (soy, corn, safflower, sunflower, "canola" which is actually rapeseed, etc) which have to be hydrogenated in order to have any shelf life at all. Adding that extra hydrogen atom creates a monster molecule that's next to impossible to metabolize. But hey, they're profitable, hence the propaganda against good oils like coconut, palm, etc. It turns out there was ONE AND ONLY ONE study done on saturated vegetable oils, and that study used HYDROGENATED coconut oil. Nobody would ever need to do that to coconut oil, it has a shelf life of six months! And so of course the effects were negative, and based on that one deceptive flawed "study," our fear of saturated fat took hold.

Even animal fats, if you think about it, hasn't mankind been eating them for millions of years? And yet, all the diabetes and other chronic illnesses that industry-puppet doctors blame on things like butter have become so prevalent only with modern food habits.

Try to cut out sugars and hydrogenated oils, and there's a good chance you'll be a lot healthier. Stop worrying about fat. Our cells need fat. It's the overload of sugar (and carbs are processed as sugar, be aware!) that causes the fats to never get metabolized, and all the subsequent problems happen after that.

By the way, I speak from experince. I reversed my diabetes, stopped my food cravings, and lost 40 pounds in 40 weeks by cutting WAY back on carbs and hydrogenated oils. I ate plenty of fat, and lots of vegetables, and took numerous supplements, aminos and such, to help correct my metabolism. Mostly, I followed the Rosedale diet, in case anyone's interested. His book was written a while ago though, and he wasn't yet completely aware of the dangers of the hydrogenated oils. But he explains all the science behind how excessive carbs wreak havoc with our health.

Kat88, how big IS that back pocket of yours...? ;)

I might try this idea out. However, I always thought of coconut as being a 'good' source of selenium but I've also read that it might contain too much of the stuff! It's not likely to put me off having an occasional 'jelly' though.

If you're planning to serve this up for guests, don't forget to find out if any of them has a nut allergy (I'm stating the obvious, I know!).

@merricontrari:
You can make coconut milk by whizzing dried shredded or flaked (and unsweetened) coconut with water. Let it soak in the water a few hours if you can, blenderize it, and strain the milk through cheesecloth or something. Save the solids because they are yummy.

For "whipped cream", you can really only use full-fat canned coconut milk (lite coconut milk won't really separate). You can also buy coconut cream (NOT the same as cream of coconut), which you don't have to refrigerate first. I try to avoid buying anything that contains more than coconut milk/cream and guar gum.

I'm vegan; I make this a lot. Whipped coconut cream is nice with a tangy (soy) yogurt and syrup to sweeten.

I've found that it also makes a great filling for homemade chocolates and can be used as an ingredient to make a richer vegan ice "cream".

I've got a blender that blends but what's blenderizing? I'm assuming that you're another Polystyrene and not THE Polly Styrene, God rest her soul!

Sounds delicious.... I will give it a try. I would suggest substituting the 1 tbs. of sugar with Raw Coconut Nectar low glycemic sweetener made by Coconut Secret.

I find it works better to open the can upside down, pour out the liquid "whey", and then scoop out the solid that's left.

I've recently gone Paleo (dodges death glares from knowing vegans) and as a result cannot eat dairy products. Unfortunately for me I have quite a sweet tooth so I've been thinking of ways to make yummy sweet Paleo treats! As I can have dark chocolate, 85% is best, I can now make mousse! All I needed to substitute was the cream! The recipe I love uses chocolate, eggs, cream and rum or brandy. I don't use the alcohol, if you want the recipe let me know!