Some folks make the switch to almond milk just because they love the taste. Others make the jump because of dietary needs or restrictions that make drinking traditional milk a challenge.
But can almond milk do double duty as a “whip cream”, too?
Yes, you can whip almond milk. It turns out that you can crank up almond milk into an almost whipped cream consistency. It’s not an exact 1:1 clone of traditional whipped cream, but it’s pretty close.
For more details about how to make your own whipped almond milk check out the inside info we breakdown below.
Can You Whip Almond Milk?
Almond milk does have a bit of a thinner consistency compared to traditional milk, which makes it a bit of a challenge to whip quite the same way you would regular milk or cream.
At the same time, though, many of the steps necessary to actually produce “almond whip” are identical to the ones you’d used to whip milk or cream.
And a lot of the preparation necessary is identical, too.
Best of all, the brand of almond milk you choose to use doesn’t really matter.
Want to use store-bought almond milk that you are particularly fond of?
That’s fine! Regardless of the brand you’re going to be pretty happy with the results.
Maybe you want to use your own homemade almond milk, whipping it up to add to your favorite desserts or maybe to dunk in a little bit of coffee.
That’s cool too!
Sweetened or unsweetened makes no difference either.
How to Whip Almond Milk
The process for whipping almond cream always involves adding other ingredients into the mix.
Almonds just don’t have the same kind of fat content or the same kind of chemical structure that dairy products do, the kind of “secret sauce” components that make dairy milks so easy to turn into other products.
In order to whip almond milk, you need:
- 1 cup of plain unsweetened almond milk
- ¼ tsp Xanthum gum
- ½ tbsp of thickening agent (e.g. cornstarch)
- ½ -1 tbsp of sweetener (e.g. monk fruit, honey, cane sugar, or stevia)
Steps:
- Add water to a small saucepan and bring it to a simmer
- Place a heat-proof bowl on top of the sauce pan to create a double boiler.
- Add your ingredients to the bowl
- Whisk the ingredients until they warm and start to thicken up
- Once the mixture reaches a thick and creamy texture, use a hand mixer (or standing mixer) to continue whipping until you reach the desired consistency.
Related: Can You Froth Almond Milk?
Can You Whip Almond Milk for Coffee?
Yes, you can use your whipped almond milk concoction as a coffee creamer to turn dark, jet black coffee into something a little silkier, something a little smoother, and something with a little less bitter bite.
Fans of dairy-based coffee drinks (cappuccinos and the like) are going to be over the moon to learn that almond milk is pretty solid as a 1:1 replacement for those dairy creamers.
The taste is going to be a little different – the almond milk brings a nutty flavor to the mix that you’re not going to get with dairy.
But there’s no real surprise there since were dealing with almonds in the first place.
The consistency is going to be a little bit lighter as well.
Getting almond milk to hit that same thick, almost viscous kind of cream you can get with dairy is a tall task.
All that said, it’s not going to be a battle to get whipped almond milk ready to rock ‘n’ roll for all your favorite coffee beverages.
Set aside the following ingredients:
- A tablespoon or so of honey
- A little bit of coconut sugar
- Some monk fruit
- Two tablespoons of boiling hot water
… And then combine all of them together, mixing vigorously until every bit of solid as dissolved.
Once that has been taken care of you can pour that cooked up concoction into the almond milk that you are thickening and whipping, hitting it with a stand mixer or an immersion blender (or even just whisking things up by hand) until you get close to the consistency that you are shooting for.
And there you go – that’s it, that’s the whole ballgame.
Now you have a batch of almond “whipped cream” ready to be added directly to your favorite coffee.
What is Almond Whip?
Of course, if you want to simplify the process a little bit—or just have a bunch of whipped almond “cream” on hand whenever you need a splash or squirt—you can get your hands on commercially available almond whip at any well outfitted grocery store.
Almond whip is the exact same thing as aerosolized whipped cream – except it's made with almond milk instead of dairy.
Before you buy almond whip from the store though, it’s not a bad idea to do a little bit of research about the different brands before you jump in with both feet.
Some brands are pretty strict about weeding out any “bad” ingredients that could detract from the health benefits of almond whip cream.
Others are just looking to produce the sweetest, most flavorful almond whip cream possible and really go all in on sugar and the like.
Of course, every brand has their own ingredient list and their own process and produce different tasting almond whip creams, too.
You might have to get your hands on a couple and give them a try yourself to find the ones that make the most sense for you.
Almond whip, though, is really nothing different than any of the commercially available aerosolized whipped creams you probably see all the time on holiday desserts!
Many almond whip products contain carrageenan, which is a potentially harmful ingredient (source) that we suggest avoiding when possible.
How Do You Thicken Almond Milk for Whipped Cream?
There are a bunch of other thickening agents you can use to get the whipped cream consistency that you are shooting for with almond milk.
Xanthan gum is one of the most popular options, especially if you want to make almond whipped cream that doesn’t have a lot of extra flavors.
Xanthan gum sort of disappears in the background, working a lot like gelatin does in other dishes to add that extra bit of thickness and richness without adding any extra flavor at all.
Some other options for thickening almond milk are:
- Arrowroot
- Psyllium husk
- Cornstarch
- Unflavored gelatin (this is not vegan however)
You’ll get the most natural – and neutral – almond whip cream with this kind of thickener.
Heating up your almond milk is going to increase the thickness (and the viscosity) of the product as well.
A slow simmer can build the thickness of almond milk up to about 50% thicker than it was when it was cool – and that might let you produce a quick “hot whipped cream” with almond milk.
The trouble with this, though, is that you are inevitably going to watch your whipped cream break back into a watery slush as things cool down.
That can be trouble for some applications!
There are tons of options out there if you are willing to experiment a little bit!
Can You Use Almond Milk Instead of Whipped Cream?
Almond milk can certainly be used in place of whipped cream and a whole host of different applications as long as you are willing to have the dish come out a little differently than it would have otherwise.
Whipped almond milk is close to a traditional whipped cream – but it’s not an exact clone by any stretch of the imagination.
Whipped almond milk always has a slightly thinner consistency, a different mouth feel altogether, and requires you to add a couple of different ingredients into the mix to get the whipped consistency (some of which can change the flavor entirely).
That being said, for those that can’t use dairy products like traditional whipped cream but want something close – even if they have to make some small sacrifices – it’s tough to beat all that whipped almond milk brings to the table.
Can You Whisk Almond Milk?
Whisking almond milk (with other ingredients like monk fruit, xanthan gum, powdered almonds, etc.) is certainly one way to produce a thicker, heavier consistency almond cream.
It also is a lot of work!
If you want to lighten the load a little bit it’s not a bad idea to stick this slurry of different ingredients into a stand mixer and let it handle things for you.
You can also blitz this concoction up in a traditional blender or with an immersion blender to get pretty decent results, too.
If push comes to shove, though, and you have to whip your almond milk ingredients up together manually you’ll be able to get the results you’re after.
It just might take a little time (and certainly a little extra elbow grease).
