I’ve found that when I search for vegan and gluten free dessert recipes I’m often left with “healthy” desserts. This sweetened coconut whipped cream is still vegan and gluten free but also tastes delicious and is even stable enough to stand upright on a pie!

I’ve sweetened the coconut cream with powdered sugar. You might also know it as confectioner’s sugar. This ultra sweet sugar is ground finely enough to dissolve easily in the heavy cream. I saw numerous recipes using honey or some other “healthier” sugar. One, sugar is sugar, it’s all not great for you. Two, honey has a really hard time dissolving in cold. Your coconut cream will be much thicker at a cold temperature so honey makes zero sense here.

I bought coconut cream separate from my coconut milk. You can use a full fat can of coconut milk and allow the cream to come to the top in the fridge but I like to take that hassle away. You can use any extra in your coffee, it’s so rich and delicious!

Serve this sweetened coconut whipped cream with this awesome Vegan and Gluten Free Sweet Potato Pie!

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What is Xanthan Gum?

Xanthan gum is a common food additive used as a stabilizer or thickener. It is commonly used to thicken liquids, keep oils and acids from separating, or as a substitute in gluten free baking.

It is a natural byproduct of fementing sugar using the bacteria Xanthomonas campestris. It is recognized as safe by the FDA and approved for use as a food additive.

A very tiny bit of xanthan gum powder goes a long way. I use only 1/8th of a tsp for this whole batch of sweetened coconut whipped cream. It’s a great item to keep in your pantry to replace all sorts of ingredients lost to an elimination diet such as corn starch, flour, and eggs.

Ingredients

2 cups coconut cream
2 tbsp powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/8 tsp xanthan gum

Instructions

using a stand or hand mixer blend coconut cream, sugar, and vanilla extract on medium high until well blended
while mixer is running add xanthan gum
blend for another minute or so to incorporate
chill for at least 1 hour before serving