You Can Turn Skim Milk Into Luscious Whipped Cream, But There's A Catch

Homemade whipped cream usually takes two things: A method of whipping using a whisk or an electric mixer and, of course, cream. Most sources will insist that using proper heavy cream is the only way to make a good whipped cream and that milk — especially skim milk — will never whisk up to fluffy, dessert-topping perfection. But there actually is a way to get skim milk to whip, and all it takes is a special piece of equipment.

The trick to getting your skim to fluff up is to use a food processor: More precisely, a food processor using an emulsifying disk. This round, wavy attachment fits into the food processor and helps get the milk to thicken up to a consistency that's scoopable and spreadable. Simply pour in skim milk, with a little sweetener if desired, let your processor run for 30 seconds, and then use that resulting cream on anything you'd typically top with traditional whipped cream — from warm beverages to delicious desserts.

Using skim milk for whipped cream will work if you have no cream on hand or if you're unable to have full-fat cream for dietary reasons. Just be aware that the consistency of skim milk whipped cream is a lot thinner and looser than the thick peaks of classic whipped cream. This is because the air that's whipped into whipped cream forms a structure with fat molecules in the dairy, which hold the air pockets in place. 

With less fat, there's nothing to keep the air bubbles in the right spots, and the whole thing collapses back into liquid much faster. So eating that skim whipped cream quickly is key — otherwise, you'll soon have a puddle of skim milk on your pie.

If you want to thicken up the skim whipped cream a little, some recommend adding a little cornstarch to the mix before using the emulsifying disk. 2 tablespoons per cup of milk should do the trick, and the result will have a lot more body than simply processing the milk plain.

If the skim milk method doesn't suit your fancy, but you're still looking for a way to make fluffy whipped cream without the cream, you might consider trying a non-dairy approach. One milk substitute that whips up beautifully is coconut milk — the kind that comes in a can and that you might use in recipes like chicken coconut curry. There's plenty of natural fat in canned coconut milk, so the results will be much thicker and keep shape for longer; however, the whipped cream will have a noticeable coconut flavor to it, so keep that in mind.

To make coconut whipped cream, simply chill a can of full-fat coconut milk, scoop out the hard coconut cream at the top, and whisk that with a hand mixer for a minute. You can add sweetener as desired, then whisk again until fluffy. The result is a thick, creamy whipped cream substitute. Any of these whipped toppings will go deliciously with your next dessert.