Thinking about trying Califia Farms Dairy-Free Heavy Whip Substitute, but don't want to spend money without knowing anything about it? Read our review to find out if it’s any good.
This post is not sponsored; just our honest opinions.
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Califia Farms best known for their vegan milks has just release their Heavy Whip; an unflavored and unsweetened plant-based dairy cream substitute.
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Ingredients
Ingredients Are Vegan, Kosher, Gluten Free, Soy Free, Carrageenan Free & Dairy Free.
- Water
- Coconut Oil
- Sunflower Oil
- Fava Bean Protein Isolate
- Acacia
- Natural Flavor
- Xanthan Gum
- Gellan Gum
Price
$5.79 per 16.9-ounce carton at Whole Foods Market.
Nutritional Facts
Nutrition (per 1 tablespoon/32 servings): 35 calories, 3.5g fat, 0g carbs, 0g fiber, 0g sugars, 0g protein
Packaging
Stored in refrigerated cartons located in the refrigerated section of the grocery store.
The package in our opinion is not ideal as it’s hard to use all of the product, which we explain in our review in more detail below.
Where To Purchase
Califia Farms Dairy-Free Heavy Whip Substitute is available throughout the U.S. sold at Whole Foods and Sprouts. Check out their store locator.
You can also order it online from GTFO It’s Vegan – they ship throughout the U.S.
Storage
Keep refrigerated and do not freeze.
Once open keep refrigerated for 7 to 10 days.
FAQ’s
Water, Coconut Oil, Sunflower Oil, Fava Bean Protein Isolate, Acacia, Natural Flavor, Xanthan Gum and Gellan Gum
It’s sold at Whole Foods and Sprouts. Available online from GTFO It’s Vegan
Ways to use a vegan heavy whipping cream substitute.
Suggested Uses
Whipped cream, soups and salad dressings.
Review
Plant-based heavy creams have been hard to come by with coconut cream doing the heavy lifting for years. We are so excited; this is our second heavy cream vegan substitute this year! Be sure to check out our review of Country Crock Plant Cream too.
Taste - after tasting, it truly is an unflavored and unsweetened dairy alternative.
Texture - the texture of this plant-based dairy substitute is based off one of the main ingredients coconut oil. The coconut doesn’t impart that much of a flavor but it definitely affects the texture.
Coconut oil, cream and milk can be a big part of vegan baking and with that goes dealing with coconut as a solid vs liquid depending on the temperature you store it in.
That’s the long way of saying that because you store this is the refrigerator, we keep running into the cream being too solid to be pourable. This wasn't the worst thing but for using it as a creamer in coffee, it’s pretty annoying.
For whipped cream the more solid texture was agreeable but not ideal. The instructions say to whip; but not for how long. We tested for a minute and then for two minutes. Two minutes results in a very grainy, whipped cream and at one minute stiff peaks where no where to be found. However, just squeezing it out of the package yielded the best result.
Recommendation - We’ll continue to test for their recommended recipes like mac and cheese and as a cream base for soups. But as of right now for actually whipped cream or a creamer replacement we wouldn’t recommend this. There are different, better vegan replacements for heavy whipping cream on the market right now.
We’ve read mixed reviews online. Some loved the texture and consistency. And others like us didn't.
For now for us it will have to be a pass, for now. The product is very temperamental to work with and the results were unimpressive.
We would love to hear from you about your experience with this plant-based heavy creamer substitute. If you had a better experience with the product please let us know in the comments below.
Live Love and Eat Good Food!
The Vgn Way
Anonymous
We can't manage to get through 500 ml of whipped cream in a night, so we use a cream charger to have it on demand for a week. Results were surprising.
Califa Farms Heavy Whip works extremely well in a cream charger. Just like Reddi Whip light cream, the N2O stabilizes the cream, causing it to form stiff peaks. Our recipe is 1/3 c granulated sugar fully dissolved into the 500 ml of plant cream with 2 tsp of vanilla. In the cream charger, Califa Farms Heavy Whip stays outperforms Country Crock Plant Cream. Califa Farms needs just a shake to dispense while Country Crock has a tendency to separate and stick to the canister too much.
However, Califa Farms Heavy Whip does not whip well by hand or mixer. It tastes thin when prepared this way, even with the same recipe above. It also goes flat quickly in the bowl; before you go back for seconds. If you are preparing whipped cream with a whisk or mixer, Country Crock Plant Cream is the better choice. But if you happen to have a cream charger, Califa Farms Heavy Whip is superior.
Kathleen Sutherland
It helps to use a few teaspoons powdered sugar per cup, and add 1/2 t vanilla for more flavor. Also, place your bowl and whisk in the freezer 5-10 minutes beforehand. Then it whips up fairly easily - more easily than cow cream - and remains stable in the refrigerator for about 24 hours. The taste is fine. My husband actually prefers the taste to cow whipped cream. We had it on key lime pie.
Kate
My experience (just now) was not bad at all. The taste is great. Nothing coconut-y or weird texture. First try yes I over beat it and from peaks it went back to liquid. Also I had used sugar. Second try I used powdered sugar and watched more the process. Didn’t take too long for peaks although I could have beat it a bit longer. Next time I try mixing corn starch with powder sugar and see if the peaks are stiffer. I like the product. It’s pretty cool that we have this option. #veganfortheanimals
Nija Clark
Hello Kate and thank you so much for sharing. We know that sometimes formulations can change or it can be just as simple as a adjustment to the process. We'll definitely give the Heavy Whip another try with your suggestions.
Gina Correa
Bought 2 boxes at the Boise Co-Op because they were out of my favorite, Silk Dairy-Free Heavy Cream. I like to whip it with powdered sugar and vanilla extract to add to my coffee. I put the mixing bowl and whipping attachment in the freezer before whipping. I shook the carton but it was solid. I had to squeeze the carton and it would come out in heaps. I had to cut the box open to make sure I got all the contents out. This did not form stiff peaks and I was afraid if I whipped it any longer it would turn to liquid. It turned out foamy and I didn't like the taste. But since I don't like to waste I will use it.
Shad Wright
Wow! Sorry to hear you had a bad experience too. Hopefully Califia Farms will go back to the drawing board and reformulate this whipping cream.