Wondering if the new dairy-free, vegan heavy whipping cream alternative from Silk is perfect? I asked the questions and found the answers.
First of all, this post is NOT sponsored by Silk or any brand other than myself – Cooking on Caffeine. What you’ll find here are my own personal, honest opinions, based on how I use the product and my own tastes.
I stumbled on this product at my local Walmart today while looking for my favorite oat milk creamer (which they didn’t have, and I am upset). It was next to the dairy whipping cream, and was flanked by their new dairy-free half and half (which I didn’t purchase).
Of course it caught my attention, and of course I bought it. I have so many questions! I have so many recipes to test! Does it go well in coffee like cream? Does it actually whip up (and stay whipped)? Does it make perfect, luscious ice cream? How does it cook? Does it give a silky mouthfeel like dairy cream? Does it separate like dairy cream? Can I overwhip it?
Whew. So many questions.
And I’m sure you have the same questions I do, so I’ve decided to do all the testing and post the answers here because we all need answers!
Let’s get the dairy-free whipping cream party started!
What’s it made of? Is it safe for my allergy or diet?
According to the packaging, it’s certified gluten-free, so that’s the one allergen you can be 100% sure you’re safe with here.
Unfortunately, there is a cross-contamination warning for dairy, soy, and tree nuts. What does that mean? It means this product is made in the same building that houses those allergens – they aren’t included in the whipping cream, but they can’t give a guarantee that particles haven’t found their way into it.
Super special thanks and shoutout to Raechel Carr from the Deliciously Dairy Free Facebook group for sharing the screenshot below of her email response from Silk regarding cross contamination with us!
If you are extra sensitive and risk anaphylaxis if you consume dairy, tree nuts, or soy – this isn’t the product for you. if you are allergic to coconut, this is not safe for you as coconut is a main ingredient. It also contains fava bean protein, which is a legume – so avoid if you’ve got a legume issue. It also contains guar gum and sunflower seed oil and lecithin – so avoid if needed. See the email above for more info.
The bottom line is that if you’re avoiding animal products, this is safe. If you’re dairy-free by choice, you’re safe. If you’re only mildly intolerant of dairy, tree nuts, or soy, you make the call but you should be ok.
If you don’t have to avoid cross contamination, this is an exciting product because it’s made without soy ingredients! It has historically been very difficult to find whipped cream alternatives that are soy-free – so now the soy-avoiders can rejoice!
It’s also sugar and carb-free, so the keto/low carb community will rightfully be dancing for joy when they find this product!
You will also notice a complete lack of carrageenan – which is nearly unheard of for dairy-free alternatives.
Beyond just ingredient items, this vegan whipping cream is Non-GMO Project Certified, which will put a lot of minds at ease who are concerned about that sort of thing.
Guess what’s also missing? Palm oil. It’s pretty much a win win win win.
What does it look like?
It’s pure white and thicker than milk.
How does it pour? What’s the viscosity like?
It isn’t as thick as I imagined it would be – more like a half and half type consistency than heavy whipping cream – but definitely better than any plant milk I’ve come across, except for super fatty canned coconut milks.
What does it taste like?
It tastes like.. nothing really. It’s not sweet at all, but there are no bitter or sour notes either. It’s completely neutral.
Is it great in coffee?
Um, YES. I absolutely loved it in my coffee!
Back in my dairy days, I drank my coffee with half and half – and this is exactly like it.
I was afraid it was curdling as I poured it into my hot coffee (which I brew quite strong) since most plant milks separate right away. It looked like it was doing it, but as soon as I stirred it all smoothed out.
And guess what? It stayed that way! It didn’t separate at all over the 45 minutes I had it sitting. Huzzah!
Does it whip?
This answer is a little more complicated.
Yes, it whips. But not well. I used a cold bowl and cold beaters and cold whipping cream, and I added some pure powdered sugar since whipped cream should be a little sweet, but could only get it to very soft peaks. It would be perfect for dolloping over hot pie or fresh fruit. (Note: I was using my humble four-speed Kitchenaid hand mixer. Something more powerful may have been able to get to stiff peaks)
After mixing for a little more than five minutes on high speed, it started to separate – badly. Just like dairy whipping cream (which I guess could be considered a good thing? It’s like dairy except that I couldn’t get it to stiff peaks).
HOWEVER! I drained off the liquid “whey” (I poured the contents of the bowl into a fine mesh sieve and stirred it around with a rubber spatula, pouring out whey as I could) and whipped what was left AND IT WAS GLORIOUS. It was super stiff, fluffy, smooth, creamy, and delicious. I put some on my coffee and it was amazing.
The only issue here is that there is the faintest aftertaste of coconut since it’s concentrated, now. It isn’t bad though. I dislike coconut and it’s not enough to bother me. Other than that, it’s just like fresh dairy whipped cream!
So does it whip? Yes, no, yes.
As for the “whey”, I’m going to try using it as milk in a cake recipe. (Update: I ended up using it in my coffee as creamer and it was darn delicious)
It’s kind of disappointing that half of the whipping cream is going towards “whey”, but the quality of the concentrated whipped cream is high enough that I may just keep buying it for things like flavored butters.
Can I overwhip it?
Yes, yes you can. See the above paragraph. 😉
Does it stay whipped?
It will if you fridge or freeze it immediately. Within an hour, the room temp whipped cream was already super soft and melty. Because of this I don’t recommend trying to put it between cake layers unless the cake layers are absolutely frozen, going straight into the freezer, and going to be served while cold. To see the before and after freezing, check the paragraph below – but here is a before and after of the room temp whipped cream:
And here is a before and after of my refrigerated whipped cream, two hours between photos:
Does it freeze well?
After being whipped, YES! Here is a before and after photo of it being whipped, separated, and whipped again (as outlined above) as a small sample:
**I have a bit of un-whipped in the freezer overnight and I’ll test it in the morning and update here with results** I’ll also be testing homemade ice cream with it in the near future. (Update: it whipped up fantastically!)
Does it heat/cook well?
Oh, does it.
It’s a thing of beauty, y’all. Even if you have zero interest in trying to make whipped cream, you’ll love cooking with it! I made a five minute alfredo to test if it would 1) heat without curdling, and 2) tolerate an acid (lemon juice) being introduced and still hold up. It also has salt, and a handful of other seasonings for testing.
I’m happy to report that it passed with flying colors! And it was delicious. I’ll get the recipe up soon!
Does it curdle/separate?
In coffee it does not (YAY!) but it does while whipping after soft peaks. You’re safe to cook with it, though!
Is it everything I’ve been dreaming of?
Well, maybe not everything. I wish it whipped up stiffer right out of the carton, but apart from that I am super impressed! I’m having visions of all kinds of pasta sauces, flavored vegan butters, and of course – delicious coffee.
If you want whipped cream though, you’ll have to work for it and chill it right away. And if you don’t want to do all that work, I suggest trying my American meringue buttercream recipe and letting it whip for 15 or so minutes. You’ll get a light and silky faux whipped cream that’s much more stable than this one.
Overall, I think this is a quality product and I will definitely be purchasing it again. I hope that they can get rid of the cross contamination risks so more folks can enjoy it. Despite its shortcomings though, it’s exciting that we have things like this becoming commercially available, and I can’t wait for them to get better and better!
Pin it for later:
since you don’t want to drain off the precious liquid, perhaps using a bit of cream of tartar to get stiff peaks when whipping?
and I am beyond excited that it isn’t pea protein or soy based! Woohoo! (legumes are my problem)
I’ve never added tartar to whipping cream before (dairy version) but I’ll definitely give it a try here and update with my findings! Thank you for the suggestion. <3
And I know you mentioned on Facebook already, but just for anyone who may read this later and get excited like you did - it *is* made with fava bean protein, so unfortunately not legume-free. 🙁
Hi! Great product review! I was looking through the comments and saw the one with the cream of tarter suggestion. Curious if you have had a chance to try it yet? Im making and ice cream cake for my daughter and am really wanting to make this for the cake’s frosting.
Thanks!!
Hi! I have tried it with the cream of tartar but I didn’t notice much of a difference.
This is one of the most thorough and well written reviews I’ve ever seen! Great job, keep it up.
Wow, thank you so very much!
Thank you so much for this in-depth review! I just heard about this product and was researching it for an upcoming baking project, and came across your post. You answered all of my questions!
I’m so glad I could help!
Hey you should try the silk half and half next! I’ve tried both the heavy whipping cream and the silk half and half. Wasn’t too impressed with the whipping cream but I thought that silk half and half was to die for! It tastes MILKY which is strange because there is no milk. Its thick, luxuriously creamy. Absolutely perfect for coffee and it could be good for cooking as well, all though I haven’t tried that.
Thanks for the recommendation! I didn’t pick it up because I saw the coconut, assumed it’d be really coconutty, and seriously dislike coconut in my coffee. I’ll have to grab it next time I head to the store. 🙂
Thank you for sharing this! I have some in the fridge that I want to try but wanted to research first. Sounds like it’s not as good for whipped cream as canned coconut milk. Just use the hardened refrigerated part whipped with powdered sugar and it is heavenly! Will definitely use this in a different manner like in a creamy savory sauce. 🙂
Do you have a recipe for ice cream using this dairy free heavy whipping cream alternative? Or can you tell me how to use it in a ice cream recipe? I am trying to find one but I think cause it so new no one has posted on yet.
Hi, Tina!
I was going to work on one, but then my cat shattered my marble slab. D:
I’m going to be buying a new one and giving it a shot, though. I’ll update when I have developed a good recipe!
Ice cream? I’m going to try it tonight. Using an old fashioned recipe like I would use cream…raw eggs, sugar, cream and vanilla.
I just tried this. I had to squeeze the carton to get it to come out. It was like whipped cream but softer. Maybe because I shook it?
I think shaking it would definitely cause some thickening!
I used it to make DF mint chocolate chip frosting. It turned out great and was holding up well on Day 2. Thanks for the update on freezing the product. Just the info I was looking for.
Mine never reached an peaks sadly.
Wow this is soo informative, all my potential questions and more are answered! I wanted to make ice cream with my non-dairy whipped cream i just bought but i’m not sure if it would work or taste good. How’d you find it? was it creamy like a regular ice cream?
Hi, Naya!
Unfortunately I haven’t had a chance to play with it as ice cream, yet. I’m going to soon though, and I’ll update!
We got stiff peaks with our stand Kitchenaid mixer.
It also made a serviceable ice box cake.
My main disappointment right now is that it seems my local store went from carrying it to not having it on its cooler shelves.
Oh nooooo!!! I’m glad you got a great whipped cream out of it with the KitchenAid! And I hope that your store has since started restocking it!
Thanks for such a great and thorough review! I just bought this and was considering using it for homemade ice cream. Thats how I stumbled upon your blog. Did you ever try it?
Hi, Lindsay!
You’re welcome for the review, I’m glad it was helpful!
Unfortunately, cat broke my marble slab before I had a chance to give ice cream a try, and I haven’t replaced it quite yet. I’m on the hunt for a new one though – and then I’ll get right on recipe testing!
Did you try ice cream yet?? That’s what I am waiting to try. I like the 1/2 and 1/2 in coffe. Little coconut but not bad. I only use a splash
Hi, Katie!
I haven’t tried it yet since my cat decided to shatter my marble slab 💩
I’m going to be getting another one shortly, or an ice cream churn, so that I can finally make some yummy ice cream and get a great recipe out for y’all.
Did you ever end up making ice cream with it?
Hi, Sam!
I have not tried it, yet. My cat shattered my ice cream marble board and I have yet to order a new one (thanks, cat). It is definitely still on my list of recipes to try, though!
Thank you so much for taking the time to review this product so thoroughly. I am lactose intolerant and had found this product too and was SO excited to finally be able to make whipped cream…
I used it for ice cream and in a couple of caramel sauces and it went really well, but then finally attempted whipped cream and was wildly disappointed. I’m a novice in the kitchen so I wasn’t sure if it was something I did or it was the product so I looked around and found your review. SO
helpful (I wish I hadn’t given up and tossed it!). Looking forward to giving it another shot with your trick!!!
Virginia,
I’m so glad to hear it was helpful, but sorry to hear it was a little too late! I hope you’ve given it another shot since then!
So to make stiff peaks you strained the liquid out and whipped the curdles?
Hi, Adri!
Yes, that’s exactly what I did. It made the coconut flavor a little more pronounced, but the whipped cream was marvelous.
Hi!! Did you ever figure out if you can freeze the unwhipped stuff?? Like a carton of it??
Hi, Erin!
I didn’t even think to test that! I’ll grab a couple of cartons and put them to the test. I’ll leave another comment here for you once I have an update. 🙂
Thanks for the great question!
I was wondering if you were able to freeze the unwhipped silk whipping cream?
Yes, you can!
It gets a little.. chunky? Like big chunks chunky. But then it whips up fine after, and also melts down beautiful in sauces and soups – so the chumminess doesn’t seem to be an issue.
I loved your review and attention to detail – thank you for your gifts – researching an alternative to cream was my task this morning; weighting heavily on my mind for Christmas day. My search was alternative for cream at Walmart as that is the only shop we have 1 hour away really to get what we need for our groceries 1 hour away from home; not expecting anything really – I gave up on a good outcome and as soon as I did, -‘law of attraction’ – I find your article just before we take off to do that shop and challenged fixed. I am now looking forward also to a milk coffee in the morning vs black. Merry Christmas
This stuff was strange n I’ve only used in coffee but now is so thick it won’t come out except in a glob!
I’ve been seeing that a lot lately. I think what’s happening is it’s getting frozen in transit or in the store, and it’s separating the fat out. I think heating it up can help to re-emulsify everything.
I just stumbled across this site and it’s great!!! Thank you for posting honest reviews about products. I’ve had this in my fridge and was reluctant to try it in recipes because I was afraid of all of the things you mentioned, but mostly separating after adding it to the Butternut Squash soup I’m about to make. So happy I’ll actually get to use it for something before it expires!!! Can’t wait to continue exploring your site!!!
I’m so glad you’re getting use out of this site! That’s why I made it, after all. 😀
I hope your soup was everything you dreamed it would be. <3
Hello! Just based on what you and your readers have experimented with, do you think a this would work well in sweet potato casserole? Have a couple diary free people coming for Thanksgiving and I’d love to make it with this, and all parties love the dish. Thanks for ANY insight!!!
Hi, Sarah!
Based on my experience, it would be LUSH in sweet potato casserole!! I used it in a pumpkin pie recipe a while back instead of whole milk and ermagersh it was one of the most lovely things I’ve ever tasted.
What store can you find thisx in?
It’s been out of stock just about everywhere for a long while now, but I just found some at my local HEB yesterday! Before, I found it at Target, Sprouts, and Walmart. <3
You hit it out of the ballpark with your testing and reviewing this product. Now that it’s so hard to find heavy cream, and that I’m doing my best to stick to a keto diet, I am considering this product for the first time. The only question I had that I didn’t find answered here has to do with gelatin. I’ve fallen in love with making panna cotta, but I’m very new at it. I wonder, has anyone tested it out to see if it sets well and has a good flavor? I make the most decadent lemon panna cotta layered with a lemon jello, using heavy cream, a few nights ago and I’m addicted. I’m going to order this cream alternative and give it a try. I think I’m going to shoot for a chocolate/orange combination this time. I can’t wait! Thanks for all the great info. Considering all of the above, I’m betting it will turn out terrific.
Thanks so much for the kind words!
I haven’t tested this myself with gelatin, but I know some folks have used it with agar and carrageenan with success for vegan panna cotta.
Great tests! I can add that after 2 months past the carton date, the half carton I had left over from a recipe turned grayish and broke horribly. Pouring off the liquid did not fix it anymore. I also had it break in coffee after a month past date (and found a Silk oat creamer that is amazing!) So do use it up soon after opening! It’s not cheap but it’s a welcome addition to my baking. Thanks for your great review.
Oddly, I was going to make a vegan ganache – and tried heating it up in the microwave to pour over the chocolate – and it went clear. I tossed it. Didn’t seem to heat well to me. Going to try a jello fluff with it today – will see how it goes.
Was the coconut flavor noticeable when you made the Alfredo sauce? Looking for a good substitute with cream sauces.
I couldn’t really detect the coconut flavor so much as just something subtly sweet. But not overpowering. I think it works really, really well in cream sauces.
I know this is an older post, but I wanted add that I am able to achieve stiff peaks with this heavy cream. I keep my kitchen aid electric mixer mixer bowl & whisk in the freezer for a few hours beforehand. I timed it & it took me 2 min 38 secs to get still peaks on the highest setting. I think it definitely makes a difference over the hand mixer. Thank you for doing this research as you have helped answer so many of my questions!
Awesome, I’m going to have to try that! Thank you for reporting your findings! ;D
Excellent review! I’m going to see if I can find it in my store. I am wondering if you (or any other readers) have tried this in cocktails or mixed drinks. I’m having a hard time finding a decent heavy cream alternative that won’t separate or break down while being shaken with alcohol.
I haven’t tried it with alcohol! If you do, please let me know how it turned out!