The Ultimate Guide to Every Type of Vegan Cream

Whipped cream (School Night Vegan) is ideal for cakes, scones or topping coffee, free from coconut milk. Instead if uses a blend of coconut oil and oat or soy plantmilk.

Cream is a rich dairy produce, made by skimming the high-fat layer of milk. It’s used in both savoury cooking (like curries) and desserts and the amount of butterfat content, determines if it’s pouring or whipping cream:

Single cream is used in coffee or desserts, and will curdle if boiled.
Double/heavy cream can be whipped for desserts, or boiled without curdling.
Clotted cream is made by slowly heating and used mostly for scones.
Sour cream is fermented with a tangy flavour for Mexican food and on baked potatoes. Crème fraîche is similar, but with a richer nutty flavour, and resists curdling in hot sauces.

Keep vegan cream away from pets, due to nuts, vanilla. It’s also a myth that cats should have dairy cream (they are lactose-intolerant).

If using tinned ingredients, rinse/remove lids (or pop ring-pulls over holes) then step on the can to pinch the inner rims together, to avoid wildlife getting trapped at recycling points.

Recycle any plastic packaging at supermarket bag bins, if your kerbside doesn’t recycle.

Elmlea is a popular double cream alternative, widely sold in stores.

Cashew cream

Rainbow Plant Life

This is rich and neutral, and ideal for savoury sauces, creamy soups and dairy-free pasta sauce like Alfredo. It’s made by soaking raw cashews in boiling water for around 15 minutes, then blending with fresh water until smooth.

Stir this cashew cream recipe into salads and grain bowls, or use for pasta sauce, sandwiche spreads, soups and korma curries. Comes in flavour variations!

Coconut cream

Addicted to Dates

This is naturally sweet with a tropical flavour and ideal for curries and stews, and also rich desserts and to make vegan whipped cream. It’s made by chilling a can of full-fat coconut milk overnight, pouring off the water to use in smoothies and then mixing the hard layer with a little sugar.

Look in stores for Nature’s charm coconut whipping cream.

Also look out for Coconut Collab’s coconut double cream (this doesn’t taste of coconut at all!)

Oat Cream

Vegan District Gourmet Market (Malaysia)

This is mild and slightly sweet and also nut-free. Ideal for desserts, light baking and as a coffee creamer. Sold commercially, or made by blending rolled oats with water and straining through a nut milk bag.

Oatly offers organic oat cream, plus whippable cream and creme fraiche.

Silk (North America) offers oat coffee creams.

Silken tofu Cream

This is high in protein and low in fat, and neutral in flavour. It’s good for creamy salad dressings, dips, vegan cheesecakes and puddings. It’s made by blending silken tofu with plant milk and lemon juice or vinegar.

This silken tofu pasta sauce (Simple Vegan Blog) is a great example of how tofu can be used to replace cream in a classic Alfredo.

Sunflower seed cream

This has an earthy flavour and good for rustic soups, roast vegetable sauces and savoury dips. It’s made by soaking raw sunflower seeds with water and a pinch of salt. It’s often used to make sour cream.