Thick, creamy, and full of flavor, coconut cream is an incredibly useful ingredient to keep in your kitchen.

Not only can it add a rich taste and texture to desserts, but you can also use it to give smoothies, dips, and sauces an instant upgrade.

What’s more, coconut cream is often used in many keto-friendly dishes thanks to its low carb, high fat nutrition profile.

Coconut cream is a thicker form of coconut milk that has an important place in Thai, Indian, Indonesian, and Polynesian cuisines. In general, coconut milk and cream are made by squeezing the meat of ripe brown coconuts and saving the liquid that emerges. This thick liquid is different from coconut water — the water comes from unripe, green coconuts and doesn’t involve any squeezing.

The big difference between coconut cream and coconut milk isn’t very big at all: coconut cream has less water and more coconut fat than coconut milk. This makes coconut cream a creamy, luxurious-tasting alternative to dairy heavy cream in many recipes.

The rich flavor and thick texture aren’t the only benefits to coconut cream, however. Science is beginning to find that coconuts offer a number of health benefits when consumed in moderation.

Uses Coconut cream

Coconut cream is a versatile ingredient that you can use in a variety of ways.

Improves taste and texture of dishes

Coconut cream can easily boost the taste and texture of many different dishes.

For example, use it to thicken and enrich recipes like casseroles, curries, and pasta sauces.

With its subtle, coconut flavour, it can also give a tasty twist to many desserts, including cookies, cakes, and puddings.

Though it may slightly alter the texture and consistency, coconut cream can also be used as a substitute for coconut milk in certain recipes, including soups, smoothies, and cocktails.

Vegan dairy substitute

Coconut cream is often used to add flavour and richness to vegan and dairy-free dishes and desserts.

It works especially well in recipes like sauces, curries, cakes, and custards.

You can also use coconut cream to make a vegan version of whipped cream. Simply mix it with a little maple syrup and vanilla extract to taste. Then, use a hand mixer for 1–2 minutes to give it a light and fluffy texture.

Keto-friendly

Coconut cream is high in fat and low in carbs and sugar. In fact, a 1/2-cup (90-gram) serving of coconut cream contains 20 grams of fat and just 3 grams of carbs

For this reason, it is often used in many keto recipes in place of high carb ingredients.

It also makes a great addition to many low carb desserts, including keto-friendly coconut cream pie, ice cream, chocolate mousse, and coconut custard.

Plus, it can be added to coffee as a low carb alternative to sugar or cream.

Cream of coconut is primarily used as a mixer for drinks, but you can also use it as an alternative to dairy products in desserts like cakes, homemade ice cream, and flan. You can also use cream of coconut as a thickening agent in curries, soups, and smoothies.

Coconut milk and cream are sources of healthy fats called medium-chain triglycerides (MCTs). Several studies have found that consuming MCTs promotes weight loss by decreasing appetite and increasing energy.