With its light and wavy texture, whipped cream is the perfect topping for pies, cakes, cupcakes, crepes, cheesecake, trifles, and so much more!
After years of buying frozen whipped cream and cans of store-bought whipped cream filled with who-knows-what, I can confidently say that HOMEMADE whipped cream tastes 100% better in both the texture and flavor departments.
Fresh whipped cream is made with just 3 simple ingredients and comes together in just a few minutes.
Whipped Cream Video Tutorial
Cold heavy cream or heavy whipping cream
Sugar to sweeten
A note about the sugar: Some bakers swear by granulated sugar in whipped cream; others swear by confectioners’ sugar.
If youare only working with a few Tablespoons, it doesn´t really make a difference.
But if you work in larger batches, you can start to taste the grains of granulated sugar.
You can also use brown sugar, and I like to do that for certain desserts, like pecan pie cheesecake.
Because we sweeten the whipped cream and flavor it with vanilla extract, this is called crème chantilly in French.
Start with cold heavy cream.
The colder the cream, the easier and more successful it will beat.
Cold cream also makes the lightest whipped cream!
Slightly warm or room temperature cream is not equal to whipped cream.
If you areambitious, you can chill the mixing bowl yourself and the attachment for 30 minutes in the fridge or 15 minutes in the freezer.
Beat the heavy cream, sugar and vanilla together on medium-high speed.
This speed is perfect for whipping cream, which will whip air into the cream at a medium pace.
I find that high speed easily over-whips cream, and low speed under-whips cream.
Soft whipping only takes a few minutes, but it’s only a few seconds between soft whipping cream and overmixed whipping cream.
Over-mixed whipped cream is curdled and grainy.
Soft whipped cream, the ideal sweet spot, has a billowy and smooth texture.
Stand by your mixer so you know when it’s ready.
Look for medium peaks.
What are peaks of medium whipping cream?
When you lift the beaters or throw them out of the bowl, a semi-firm peak should form on them.
It will not be too soft and liquid, it will not be heavy and bent.
Don’t be afraid to stop the mixer and check the consistency of the whipped cream as you go.
Looking for fragrant whipped cream?
Try adding tequila and lime as we do for these mini margarita cheesecakes, strawberry filling as we do for strawberry shortcake cupcakes, or espresso powder and cocoa powder as detailed in this flourless chocolate cake recipe.
How to Fix Over-Whipped Cream
If you accidentally overmix the cream, and it looks curdled and heavy, pour in a little more heavy cream and gently fold it by hand with a spatula until smooth.
Can Whipped Cream Replace Cool Whip?
Yes. This homemade whipped cream can replace Cool Whip (store-bought frozen whipped topping) in recipes.
(Plus the sugar to sweeten, and vanilla extract.)
What is the difference between Heavy Cream and Whipping Cream?
Heavy cream and heavy whipping cream contain 36% milk fat and whipping cream (without “heavy” in the title) is slightly lighter, with 30% milk fat.
They can all be used interchangeably in most recipes, but when it comes to whipping cream, heavy cream/heavy whipping cream will hold its shape longer.
They are ideal for homemade whipped cream.
Can I pipe this whipped cream with piping tips?
Yes, you can pipe this whipped cream on your desserts.
I recommend using large star tips and my favorites include Wilton 8B (as shown on this lemon cake), Wilton 1M (as shown on this blueberry cream pie), and Ateco 849 (as shown on this cookies & cream pie).
You can also just spread whipped cream on your sweets with a knife, large spoon, or ice cream spatula.
For a firmer whipped cream that you could use as a stable frosting for layer cakes, try my whipped frosting.
It’s exactly what we used for this cookies and cream cake, with the addition of Oreos!
What to serve with homemade whipped cream
Banana Cream Pie
Dark Chocolate Bread Pudding
Cheesecake, Lemon Cheesecake, or Cheesecake Pie
Lemon Cake
Pumpkin Pie Bars or Pumpkin Cheesecake
Pecan Pie or Dark Chocolate Pecan Pie
Flourless Chocolate Cake
Chocolate Lava Cakes or Peanut Butter Lava Cakes
Strawberry Cream Cheese Pie
Pecan Pie Cheesecake
Peanut Butter Banana Cream Pie
And on ice cream, milkshakes, waffles, pancakes, berries, and so much more!
Homemade whipped cream
Homemade whipped cream
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 0 minutes
Total time: 5 minutes
Print Recipe
Learn how to make fresh sweet homemade whipped cream with just 3 simple ingredients.
Learn how to make fresh sweet homemade whipped cream with just 3 simple ingredients.
With its light and wavy texture, it is the perfect topping for pies, cakes, cupcakes, cheesecakes, trifles, and so much more!
1 cup (240 ml) cold heavy cream or heavy whipping cream
2 tablespoons sugar or granulated sugar*
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Using a hand mixer or a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, beat the heavy cream, sugar and vanilla extract on medium-high speed until medium peaks form, about 3-4 minutes.
Medium tops are between soft/loose tops and stiff tops, and are the perfect combination for topping and piping on desserts.
If you accidentally over-slop the cream, and it looks curdled and heavy, pour in a little more cold heavy cream and gently fold it by hand with a spatula until it is smooth.
Use immediately or cover tightly and refrigerate for up to 24 hours.
Make Ahead Instructions: Use immediately or cover tightly and refrigerate for up to 24 hours.
Freezing prepared whipped cream sometimes causes it to lose its creamy texture, but it definitely works.
Freezing prepared whipped cream sometimes causes it to lose its creamy texture, but it definitely works.
Double batch: This recipe can easily be doubled or tripled.
The amount of heavy cream you use doubles in volume when you whip it.
The amount of heavy cream you use doubles in volume when you whip it.
So if you need 2 cups of whipping cream, use 1 cup of heavy cream.
So if you need 2 cups of whipping cream, use 1 cup of heavy cream.
Sugar: Some bakers swear by granulated sugar in whipped cream; others swear by confectioners (powdered/icing) sugar.
You can also use brown sugar.
If youare working with only a few tablespoons of sugar as mentioned in the recipe above, it doesn’t really make a difference.
But if you work in larger batches, you can start to taste the grains of granulated sugar, so confectioners’ sugar is the way to go.
Keywords: whipped cream