Swap Heavy Cream for Coconut Cream With These 25 Healthy, Dairy-Free Recipes

Maya Krampf

18 September 2024 at 5:32 pm·7-min read

Wondering what to do with the coconut cream that you have around? You may have it sitting in a can on its own or maybe you have coconut milk that separated, leaving you with coconut cream. Either way, there are plenty of healthy and delicious ways to use it!

If you really love coconut, you can even get creative by using coconut cream in multiple parts of a dish. It works surprisingly well as a replacement for butter or oil in pie crusts.

What can coconut cream be used for?

That can of coconut cream sitting in your pantry can be used in everything from dinner to dessert!

It adds a rich texture and taste to desserts, but can also be used in smoothies, dips and sauces for a flavor upgrade.

You can also use it in your favorite keto and vegan recipes. Widely seen in many cuisines, it is a staple in Southeast Asian foods.

What can you do with an open can of coconut cream?

If you hate to waste food, and you only had to use a few spoonfuls of that can of coconut cream you bought, here are some tasty ways to finish it up!

Use it in dairy-free desserts
Add delicious creaminess to soups.
Amp up the flavor in smoothies.
Make coconut whipped cream by swapping it for regular (dairy) cream.

Is coconut cream healthier than dairy cream?

If you are swapping coconut cream for heavy cream in some favorite recipes, you might be wondering if there are any health benefits. Here are some facts to keep in mind:

Both coconut cream and heavy cream are high in calories and unsaturated fats.
Coconut cream has less cholesterol than its dairy counterpart.
Coconut cream is a great source of fiber, potassium and iron.
Heavy cream has significantly more vitamin D.
Heavy cream is an excellent source of calcium and vitamin A.

Does it matter if I use coconut cream instead of milk?

Coconut cream is much thicker than coconut milk and should be used in place of heavy cream in recipes. It should only be used in place of coconut milk if diluted with water first.

The good news, however, is if you want coconut cream, simply set a can of coconut milk in the refrigerator overnight, and the next morning scrape off the layer of cream on top.

Dairy-free recipes with coconut cream

If you need more ways to use coconut cream, a favorite idea is to substitute it with heavy cream in recipes to make them dairy-free. Since the fat content is similar, pretty much any dish using heavy cream can use coconut cream instead. For example, you can swap it for sugar-free pumpkin pie or gluten-free cream of mushroom soup.

For those who can tolerate hard cheeses or butter, and only want to avoid dairy milk and cream, there are even more options. You can use coconut cream in place of heavy cream to make recipes like ice cream, breakfast casseroles or even homemade Alfredo sauce.

Substitution options are great and all, but if you don't want to go modifying recipes, don't worry. There are tons of them that are already written to use coconut cream as is.

With that in mind, this is a collection of some of the best coconut cream recipes out there. It includes a little bit of everything, from breakfast and dinner to dessert, as well. And, they are all low-carb, sugar-free and gluten-free.