M: Tell me if there’s any way to make this recipe dairy free:

Whipped Lemonade from The Kitchn

SERVINGS: 1

INGREDIENTS • 1½ cups ice cubes • ¼ cup heavy cream, cold • 2 medium lemons, ¼ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice • ¼ cup sweetened condensed milk • Whipped cream, for topping (optional) • Lemon slice, for garnish (optional)

PREPARATION STEPS

Place ice cubes, heavy cream, lemon juice and sweetened condensed milk in a blender, preferably high-speed. Using the tamper if needed, blend until smooth, about 1 minute.
Pour into a glass and garnish with whipped cream and a lemon slice if desired.

NOTE The unanimous reaction of every person to taste this whipped lemonade - my whole family included - is that it's their new go-to summer drink. I've lost count of how many times I've made it in the past month alone - it's that good. It strikes the perfect balance between a creamy milkshake, tangy-sweet lemonade and a frozen slushie. You might notice similarities to Brazilian lemonade, and while equally delicious, they're two distinctly different drinks (Brazilian lemonade actually uses limes rather than lemons and doesn't include cream). The best part is that you only need five minutes and three basic ingredients. Pop in a straw and drink it as is, or go all in by topping it with whipped cream and a slice of lemon. Want something a little boozy? Just add a pour of your favorite spirit to the blender.

SOURCE URL thekitchn.com

G: TLDR: Yes. Swap both dairy components and it works almost 1:1. The key is using a fatty, stable plant cream + a sweet condensed-style base so the texture doesn’t collapse.

Direct Dairy-Free Conversion (Closest Match)

Replace:

Heavy cream → full-fat coconut cream (not coconut milk)
Sweetened condensed milk → sweetened condensed coconut milk (store-bought or homemade)
Whipped cream topping → coconut whipped cream (optional)

Updated Recipe

1½ cups ice
¼ cup coconut cream (cold, thick part only)
¼ cup fresh lemon juice
¼ cup sweetened condensed coconut milk
Optional: coconut whipped cream + lemon slice

Blend exactly the same way.

Why this works (and what can go wrong)

Fat content matters:
Coconut cream (~20–25% fat) mimics heavy cream closely enough to create that “milkshake + slushie” texture.
Acid stability issue:
Lemon + dairy can curdle—but the original recipe gets away with it because of sugar + fat buffering.
Coconut versions are actually more stable, so you’re safer here than with dairy.
Sweetness balance:
Condensed coconut milk is often slightly less sweet than dairy versions.
If it tastes sharp, add 1–2 tsp sugar or simple syrup.

Alternate Path (If you don’t want coconut flavor)

Use:

¼ cup oat cream or cashew cream
¼ cup simple syrup + 1–2 tbsp cashew butter (for body)

This version:

Tastes more neutral
Slightly less “milkshake-like” but still creamy

Third Option (Omission Approach)

You can drop the cream entirely and go:

Ice + lemon juice + sweetened condensed coconut milk only

Result:

More like a Brazilian-style lemonade slush
Less creamy, but still thick and drinkable

Bottom line

If you want it to feel like the original:

Coconut cream + condensed coconut milk is the cleanest 1:1 replacement.

Everything else is a tradeoff between flavor neutrality and texture.