Nobody should go without creamy soups, impressively decorated cakes or just a delicious ice cream sundae. That's why there are now numerous options for using vegan cream as a plant-based product.
Our guide will help you find the right plant-based cream for your recipe.
Overview: The most important information about vegan cream
There are now a wide variety of cream alternatives . The most common are oat or soy based products. But many other types of grain, nuts and legumes are also used in the production of vegetable cream .
You can recognize the best vegan products in stores because they have the green vegan label. In addition, a vegan product usually has a name like “ cuisine ” or “ cream ”.
What types of vegan cream are there?
Depending on the intended use , two types of vegetable cream are distinguished :
- You can use cream substitutes for cooking as an ingredient in soups, sauces or curries. The focus here is on neutral taste and a creamy consistency. That's why you can't whip up this vegetable cream.
- Plant-based whipped cream can be whipped just like the animal product. It acts as a topping for ice cream sundaes, cakes or desserts. Like its cow's milk counterpart, you can also buy it as a spray cream .
What does plant cream taste like?
Depending on which plant they were made from, cream alternatives can taste very different . The best way to find out which product is right for you is to try it out.
To assess the most common vegan substitute products , you can use our list as a guide :
- Oat cream has a grainy, slightly sweet taste. It has a fairly neutral taste when cooked.
- Almond cream tastes slightly like almonds.
- Coconut cream tastes sweet and intensely like coconuts.
- Soy cream has a strong taste of its own, which some people find unpleasant or at least takes getting used to.
- Spelled cream tastes grainy and a little nutty.
Five reasons to switch to vegan cream
Plant-based cream is not just for vegans . There are many reasons why you should choose a vegan product instead of the animal version. We introduce you to the five most important ones.
- Animal Welfare : To produce animal cream , calves must be separated from their mothers. The cows often suffer from pain, inflammation and other illnesses. If you choose vegetable cream, you are also choosing animal welfare .
- Health : In most cases, plant-based cream is lower in fat than the animal product. It also contains no cholesterol.
- Suitable for everyone : Because there is no cholesterol , diabetics can also enjoy plant cream . The replacement product is also lactose-free. For people with gluten or soy intolerance, there are numerous alternatives made from nuts or legumes.
- No over-beating : Cow cream can curdle if over-beaten. It then becomes grainy and unfortunately ends up in the trash can. If you use vegetable cream, this cannot happen .
- Possibility to make it yourself : Cream substitute is almost only available in tetrapaks. These do not necessarily contribute to environmental protection. Unlike the animal product, you can also make a vegan cream substitute yourself. This saves money and reduces packaging waste.
Use vegan cream for cooking
Above all, we expect vegetable cream for cooking to have a creamy consistency and, in many cases, a certain neutral taste. There are some products on the market that are already perfectly tailored to these criteria.
They can be used in the same way as the animal version. To save money and packaging material, you can also make your own vegetable cream for cooking .
Which cream substitute is suitable for cooking?
That depends a little on the recipe. For curries and other Asian dishes, we recommend a cream substitute made from coconut milk . This also tastes great in regular vegetable stews.
However, if you want to cook a sauce, you should use alternatives made from oats, soy or almonds. These do not change the taste of the sauce as much as coconut cream .
The best option for you may be to read the ingredients list of your recipe. If there are already almonds, oat flakes, desiccated coconut or certain nuts, you should use the appropriate plant cream . This way you avoid mixing too many flavors and achieve a harmonious taste result.
Recipe 1: Cream substitute made from cashew nuts
If you have a high-performance blender, you can mix a handful of cashews (about forty to fifty grams) and 100 ml of water. After just a few seconds, a creamy, cream-like liquid is created that you can use to refine sauces, soups and stews.
If you add the cashews gradually, you can slowly get to the consistency you want. Sugar or maple syrup can also be added for a slightly sweeter taste.
Plant-based cream can also be made from cashews using a normal hand mixer or a hand blender. To do this, you should soak them in water overnight. If you still find pieces in the cream after pureeing, you can filter them out using a fine sieve, a stamp jug or a nut milk bag.
Tip : If you are short on time, you can also make the nutty cream substitute by mixing nut or cashew butter with water or plant milk in a ratio of 1:2. You can also make plant milk yourself .
Recipe 2: Oatmeal cream substitute
Oats have a naturally sweet taste, which is why this plant-based cream is particularly suitable for baking . But it is also a good alternative to cream when cooking for anyone who doesn't like the nutty taste of cashews.
For 200 milliliters of oat cream you need :
- 50 g oat flakes,
- 300 ml cold water,
- a teaspoon of vegetable oil (for example sunflower oil),
- a pinch of salt.
Tip : If you want to give the oat cream a special aroma, you can change the taste by using walnut or almond oil.
Now just follow these five steps :
- Mix the oats and half of the water for a minute on the highest setting of the hand mixer.
- Let the mixture sit for ten minutes.
- Add the other half of the water, the oil and the salt. Mix the mixture again for thirty seconds on the highest speed of the mixer.
- Let the mixture swell for another five to ten minutes.
- Strain the oat cream through a fine sieve.
If you suffer from gluten intolerance or simply don't like oats, you can modify this recipe. It also works with soybeans, peeled almonds or coconut milk, for example. You might also want to try out all the recipes to find out which cream substitute you like best .
Cream substitute made from soybeans
For soy cream you need :
- 50 g soybeans,
- 300 ml water,
- a teaspoon of vegetable oil (for example sunflower oil),
- a pinch of salt.
You can simply follow the steps to prepare the oat cream with the modified ingredients. However, the soybeans have the advantage that you don't have to pass the cream through a sieve at the end.
Cream substitute made from almonds
For this cream substitute you need :
- 60 g peeled almonds,
- 300 ml water,
- a teaspoon of vegetable oil (for example sunflower oil),
- a pinch of salt.
You can prepare the almond cream in the same way as the oat cream . You can decide for yourself whether you want to sieve them at the end. Some people like the creamy consistency of unfiltered almond cream , others can't get used to it.
Cream substitute made from coconut milk
First separate the creamy and watery parts of the coconut milk . Now mix the solid cream with half of the water. The result is perfect for stirring into sauces, soups or curries.
If you can't find a use for the remaining coconut water, you can simply drink it. It contains many minerals and can even lower blood pressure.
How long does vegan cream last?
You can store the cream substitute in the refrigerator for three to four days. To do this, you should store it in an airtight container. If you want to make vegetable cream in advance , we recommend freezing it in portions. If visitors are coming, you can simply defrost the portion you need.
Vegan whipped cream for baking and garnishing
Whether cake, strawberries or hot chocolate - many things are a thousand times tastier with an icing on the cake. As a vegan, you don't have to do without it. However, it is important that you know a little about it : not every cream substitute can be whipped equally . This is due to the unsaturated fatty acids, which are healthier but less stable.
Is there vegan spray cream?
If you want to save yourself the time of whipping, you can use spray cream . It can also be vegan : the plant-based alternative is in no way inferior to the animal original. It only becomes difficult if you value a product that is as natural as possible.
Vegetable spray cream often contains many additives, without which it would not remain stable. In this case you can simply try one of our recipes.
Recipe 1: Whipped cream made from coconut milk
For our easiest whipped cream recipe , all you need is a can of coconut milk and a hand mixer. Just follow these four steps :
- Place the can of coconut milk in the refrigerator overnight. This is meaningful to make her hard. Soft coconut milk cannot be whipped.
- The next day, carefully remove the hard part of the coconut milk from the top of the can with a spoon. Be careful not to shake the can. You don't need the watery part of the coconut milk; you can use it in a curry, for example.
- Beat the hard part of the coconut milk with your mixer until fluffy.
- If you want, you can sweeten the coconut milk a little, for example with powdered sugar, maple syrup or agave syrup . Then you continue to beat the foamy mixture briefly until it has a creamy consistency .
Recipe 2: Almond Cream Whipped Cream
If you don't have access to coconut milk , you can also buy a special plant-based whipped cream. This can consist of almonds, for example. We recommend that you put the whipped cream in the refrigerator for several hours before whipping. This will ensure that it whips up properly.
Whipping vegan cream takes significantly longer than whipping an animal product. So don't be surprised if it isn't stiff after two or three minutes. For more firmness, you can use plant-based cream stiffening products . They are usually made from plant-based raw materials such as agar-agar or pectin.
