Name: Aquafaba Whipped Cream
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 15 min
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 2 cups aquafaba from no salt added chickpeas (about 3 cans); ½ tsp cream of tartar (see note 3); 2 tsp pure vanilla extract; 1.5 cups organic powdered sugar(see note 4)

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This creamy and fluffy Aquafaba Whipped Cream is the vegan whipped cream that dreams are made of. Light and wispy like a cloud, this whipped cream is way easier to make than it seems and perfect for fruit, topping anything and everything, and even eaten straight out of the bowl.

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Strawberry being dipped into a bowl of whipped cream

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Hey Internet, who else loves whipped cream?!

I actually grew up OBSESSED with the brand Cool Whip, and would eat a whole container as dessert instead of cake or pie or even sometimes ice cream. Even as an adult I’d buy the reduced sugar version, freeze it, and eat it with a spoon for dessert.

Well this my friends, is just as good, if not better. This is aquafaba whipped cream.

What is aquafaba? It’s the water inside a can of chickpeas. It can also be made from cooking chickpeas from dried, and reducing the cooking water in a saucepan.

I kind of feel like if you’re on this recipe you already know what the heck this thing is anyway, but it seemed kind of strange to me too.

But, aquafaba is like cauliflower--it can transform into something amazing.

This aquafaba whipped cream is sooo cool. It’s also perfect for desserts, topping hot chocolate or a great light frosting for cake or cupcakes. It’s even perfect mixed with vegan mascarpone for my vegan Tiramisu.

Ok, enough with the completely shameless self promotion. Onto the recipe!

What You’ll Need

You’ll need a whole bunch of aquafaba. This recipe calls for 2 cups but makes a MASSIVE amount of vegan whipped cream, so feel free to reduce it.

I have a rather large professional KitchenAid mixer left to me by my grandmother, so I made a lot. Plus it’s just that delicious and you can store it in the freezer if you need!

And an important note about the aquafaba:

If buying canned chickpeas, try to find ones with no salt added like Eden Organics Chickpeas or the Whole Foods 365 brand Chickpeas. Some other brands do this too.

If you buy the regular salt version, your whipped cream will be a bit salty. Not crazy or anything, because the sodium in regular chickpeas stays mostly in the beans themselves, but I tried this with both and liked the flavor of the no salt added aquafaba better.

If you are using aquafaba from cooking chickpeas from dried, your cooking liquid may be a little thin. If it doesn’t closely resemble the liquid found in a can, throw it in a saucepan, bring it to a boil, and allow it to cook down for a little bit, like 8-10 minutes or so.

So the other ingredients.

Many recipes for vegan whipped cream call for cream of tartar. It helps egg whites stabilize and actually does the same thing for aquafaba.

Cream of tartar can be found at most grocery stores--I can find mine at Walmart, health food stores, and even the regional chain grocery store by me. It can also be found online.

However, you actually can make the aquafaba whipped cream without it, it will just be thinner and looser.

Don’t go too heavy on it, also, since it has a very tangy taste.

I include vanilla extract in my recipe because it gives a lovely flavor to the whipped cream and also masks that bean-y taste that might reside in the aquafaba itself.

Finally, organic powdered sugar or confectioner’s sugar is used to sweeten and firm up the aquafaba whipped cream.

Organic granulated sugar is too heavy, but you can take granulated sugar and blend it into finer granules and it will work a bit better. Powdered sugar is best, though.

Tips for Making Aquafaba Whipped Cream

A step I recommend taking beforehand is to freeze your mixing bowl (for 30 minutes to an hour) and refrigerate your aquafaba (for 1-24 hours).

Refrigerating prepared aquafaba whipped cream can make it fall, so I recommend chilling your ingredients and equipment if you want cold whipped cream.

And, a note on equipment.

I HIGHLY recommend a stand mixer with a whisk attachment for this process, but you can also use a handheld mixer. Because of the size difference with the whisk, you may want to move your arm in a circular motion while it is whisking so you’re evenly whisking the entire mixture.

I also recommend a tall bowl to reduce splattering.

So, the how-to:

Add the aquafaba to your mixing bowl, and mix (with a whisk attachment, or the double whisk attachment for a handheld mixer) on medium high (about a 7 for my Kitchenaid stand mixer) for one minute.
Sprinkle in the cream of tartar while the mixer is still running and mix for 3 more minutes, turning the speed up to the highest speed (10 for me) it can go after the cream of tartar is in.
Slow the mixer down to medium speed (5 or 6 for me) and pour in the vanilla near to the center of the bowl where the whisk is.
While still on medium, add the powdered sugar to the center of the bowl about a tablespoon or two at a time. This is the best way I’ve found to keep it from throwing the sugar everywhere, though it still does a bit. I like to hold up a piece of parchment paper as a shield (also keeps the powdered sugar in the bowl and not on my floor, much to my dog’s dismay). This is another time when having a stand mixer is a lot nicer than using a handheld.
Once all the sugar is in, turn it back up to the highest speed and allow it to mix for at least 8 more minutes, but ideally 10-12.
That’s it! Use immediately--you can re-whip it a bit if you need to, but it tends to “fall” in the fridge.
You can freeze this whipped cream, but it is not as fluffy when thawed. It tastes really great frozen though, like a lighter sort of soft serve ice cream!

Desserts that Deserve This as a Topping

See what I did there?

Yeah you did.

Sorry I’m a dork.

But yeah, totally top anything you like with this vegan whipped cream. Not just hot chocolate or fruit (though strawberries + this = heaven), but…

Anything Else?

I know it seems weird to try and make a vegan whipped cream from aquafaba when you can usually buy vegan whipped cream from the store, but for those of us avoiding oil, it works like a charm.

Anyway, I hope you like this recipe. I couldn’t stop tasting it when making it--far past the point I needed to test it for blog purposes, hehe.

This aquafaba whipped cream is:

Light
Fluffy
Sweet
Smooth
Creamy
Like a cloud in your mouth (haha)
And perfect for topping fruit, cakes, pies, custards, or fancy drinks!

Let me know in the comments below if you make this recipe or tag me @Zardyplants on Instagram so I can see your beautiful recreations! If you tag me on IG, I will share your post in my stories :)

Also, one quick request: if you love how this recipe looks or tastes, please leave me a 5-star rating and a nice comment–ratings help more people find my recipes which helps me keep providing them! Thank you!

<3 Liz

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