Learn how to make fresh sweetened homemade whipped cream with only 3 simple ingredients. With its light and billowy texture, whipped cream is the perfect topping for pies, cakes, cupcakes, crepes, cheesecake, trifles, and so much more!
After years of buying frozen whipped topping and cans of store-bought whipped cream filled with who-the-heck-knows-what, I can say with confidence 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 only a few minutes. It’s so creamy, so light, and so so so delicious.
Whipped Cream Video Tutorial
What You Need
- Electric mixer: handheld or stand mixer with whisk attachment
- Mixing bowl
- Cold heavy cream or heavy whipping cream
- Sugar to sweeten
- Pure vanilla extract (or homemade vanilla extract)
A Note on the Sugar: Some bakers swear by granulated sugar in whipped cream; others swear by confectioners’ sugar. If you’re only working with a couple Tablespoons, it doesn’t really make a difference. But if you’re working in larger batches, you may begin to taste the granules of granulated sugar.
You could also use brown sugar, and I love doing that for certain desserts, like pecan pie cheesecake.
Did you know? Because we’re sweetening the whipped cream and flavoring it with vanilla extract, this is called crème chantilly in French. 🙂
How to Make Homemade Whipped Cream
- Start with cold heavy cream. The colder the cream, the easier and more successful it will whip. Cold cream also creates the lightest whipped cream! Slightly warm or room temperature cream does not equate to whipped cream. If you’re ambitious, you could even chill the mixing bowl and whisk attachment in the refrigerator for 30 minutes or the freezer for 15 minutes.
- Whip the heavy cream, sugar, and vanilla together on medium-high speed. This speed is perfect for whipped 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.
- Don’t walk away! Whipped cream only takes a couple minutes, but it’s only a few seconds between soft whipped cream and over-mixed whipped 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 medium whipped cream peaks? When you lift the beaters or whisk out from the bowl, a semi-sturdy peak should form on them. The peak will slightly droop down, but not lose its shape entirely. It won’t be too soft and liquid-y, it won’t be heavy and curdled. Don’t be afraid to stop the mixer and check the consistency of the whipped cream as you go.
Looking for flavored whipped cream? Try adding tequila and lime like we do for these mini margarita cheesecakes, strawberry filling like we do for strawberry shortcake cupcakes, almond extract like we do for berry icebox cake, or espresso powder and cocoa powder as detailed in these flourless chocolate cake and mocha chocolate pudding pie recipes. For more ideas, check out all these flavors!
How to Fix Over-Whipped Cream
If you accidentally over-mix the cream, and it looks curdled and heavy, pour in a little bit more heavy cream, and fold it in gently by hand with a spatula until it smooths out.
Can Whipped Cream Replace Cool Whip?
Yes. This homemade whipped cream can replace Cool Whip (store-bought frozen whipped topping) in recipes. Use the same amount.
The amount of heavy cream you use doubles in volume as you whip it. So if you need 2 cups of whipped cream, use 1 cup of heavy cream. (Plus the sugar to sweeten, and vanilla extract.)
What Is the Difference Between Heavy Cream and Whipping Cream?
This can definitely be confusing! Their difference is in the percentage of milk fat. Heavy cream and heavy whipping cream contain 36% milk fat and whipping cream (without “heavy” in the title) is a little lighter, with 30% milk fat.
They can all be used interchangeably in most recipes, but when it comes to whipped 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 ice cream cake and blueberry cream pie), and Ateco 849 (as shown on this cookies & cream pie). You could also just spread whipped cream on your confections with a knife, large spoon, or icing spatula.
For a sturdier whipped cream that you could use as a stable frosting for layered 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
There are so many options!
- Pavlova, of course!
- Lemon Berry Trifle
- Angel Food Cupcakes
- Strawberry Shortcake
- Banana Cream Pie
- Ice Cream Cake with Homemade Hot Fudge
- Dark Chocolate Bread Pudding
- Cheesecake, Lemon Cheesecake, or Cheesecake Pie
- Choux Pastry & Eclairs
- Lemon Cake
- Pumpkin Pie, Pumpkin Cheesecake Pie, or Sweet Potato Pie (or really any of your Thanksgiving pies!)
- Pumpkin Pie Bars or Pumpkin Swirl Cheesecake
- Crepes or on Tiramisu Crepe Cake
- Slow Cooker Hot Chocolate
- 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
- Caramel Turtle Brownie Pie
- Key Lime Pie or Key Lime Pie Bars
- Peanut Butter Ice Cream Pie
- Apple Pie
- Mille-Feuille (on it’s own or mixed with pastry cream!)
- Dutch Baby Pancake
- Skillet Brownie
- As a filling for your favorite cupcake recipe (see my How to Fill Cupcakes tutorial for exactly how to do this—so easy!)
And on ice cream, milkshakes, waffles, pancakes, berries, and so many more wonderful dessert recipes!
PrintHomemade Whipped Cream
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 0 minutes
- Total Time: 5 minutes
- Yield: 2 cups
- Category: Frosting
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
Learn how to make fresh sweetened homemade whipped cream with only 3 simple ingredients. With its light and billowy texture, it’s the perfect topping for pies, cakes, cupcakes, cheesecakes, trifles, and so much more!
Ingredients
- 1 cup (240ml) cold heavy cream or heavy whipping cream
- 2 Tablespoons confectioners’ sugar or granulated sugar*
- 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Instructions
- Using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, whip the heavy cream, sugar, and vanilla extract on medium-high speed until medium peaks form, about 3–4 minutes. Medium peaks are between soft/loose peaks and stiff peaks, and are the perfect consistency for topping and piping on desserts. If you accidentally over-whip the cream, and it looks curdled and heavy, pour in a little bit more cold heavy cream, and fold it in gently by hand with a spatula until it smooths out.
- Use immediately or cover tightly and chill in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours. Freezing prepared whipped cream sometimes causes it to lose its creamy texture, but it definitely works.
Notes
- Make Ahead Instructions: Use immediately or cover tightly and chill in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours. Freezing prepared whipped cream sometimes causes it to lose its creamy texture, but it definitely works.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): Electric Mixer (Handheld or Stand)
- Double Batch: This recipe can easily be doubled or tripled. The amount of heavy cream you use doubles in volume as you whip it. So if you need 2 cups of whipped 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 could also use brown sugar. If you’re working with just a couple Tablespoons of sugar as listed in the recipe above, it doesn’t really make a difference. But if you’re working in larger batches, you may begin to taste the granules of granulated sugar, so confectioners’ sugar is the way to go.
Hi, I want to use this recipe to ice an angel food cake, so can I ice the cake the day before and keep the cake in the refrigerator for 24 hours before serving? Thank you!
Hi Fariha, the closer you can wait to frost the cake before serving, the better, but that should be okay!
I wonder if you have ever tried to include ricotta cheese to make it a ricotta whip? If so, how much ricotta would you include/substitute to that recipe?
Hi Lalo, we haven’t tested anything like that. It may be best to search for a recipe that specifically uses ricotta. Let us know if you find one you enjoy!
Wonderful recipe! Love it!
Hi this is almost exactly what I was looking for and can’t wait to make some. I am wondering if I can substitute Splenda instead of using sugar. Do you know if that would work?
Hi Cathy, We’d love to help but we are not trained in baking with sugar substitutes. For best taste and texture (and so you don’t waste your time trying to adapt this recipe since it may not work properly), it may be more useful to find a whipped cream recipe that is specifically formulated for sugar substitutes. Thank you!
I want to use this on the mini key lime pies I’m making. I’m baking the pies Sunday evening to bring to work on Monday. When is the best time to make and add the whipped cream? Monday morning before work? Will it liquify if they sit in the fridge a couple hours after topping them?
Hi Misty, you can make the whipped cream up to 24 hours in advance; cover tightly and refrigerate until you’re ready to use it. If I were in your situation, I would do that the night before and then top the mini pies Monday morning. Hope they turn out great!
I love it when you come up whenever I make something. They are always delicious!!
I love this recipe so much
Newbie to making whipped cream from scratch as I’m trying to eat more foods without additives & preservatives. This is the perfect recipe. Turned out GREAT! Thank you!
Your mixer is beautiful!
It turned out so well!!
Worked great, thanks!
Wrong. “Whipped” cream was like soup when I used it hours later.
Hello, I wish to stabilize, will corn starch work? And how much? Blessings.
Hi Abby, we haven’t tested corn starch, but sometimes we’ll use this method with gelatin if we need to stabilize it: https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/18041/stabilized-whipped-cream-icing/
Can I add cocoa powder to this recipe to turn it into chocolate whipped cream (or even replace some of the powdered sugar for cocoa powder)?
Hi Ella, we haven’t tested it, but have seen other recipes that use one 1 TBS of sugar and then use 1 TBS of cocoa powder with the 1 cup of cream. Let us know if you try it!
I’m making a fresh blueberry cream pie which calls for cool whip. The recipe calls for 1 can of Sweetened condensed Milk. I’m making whipped cream from scratch, so do I still put Confectioners sugar and vanilla in the whipped cream?
Hi Kelly, we would!
Can you add this to your pie ahead of time. Will it keep the peaks for a few hours if you need to take it somewhere?
Hi Tamara! It will hold peaks for a couple hours, as long as it is kept cool and out of direct sunlight.
First time making homemade whipped cream, and I’m 65 years young!
Loved it, so very easy, and deliciously creamy❤️
I may never go back to store bought !
Great recipe and helpful tips. Won’t be bookmarking due to crazy amount of ads that make reading almost impossible. Sorry!
I have to agree with you Kara, it’s frustrating when all you really want to do I make a recipe
I’m not gonna lie I don’t know if it’s because I’m not American or what but it’s a bit to sweet for me so if you don’t like cream to sweet try using less sugar. Other than that just makes a yummy cream!
I just used heavy whipping cream in a recipe for eggnog (the cooked kind), and it was great! The last step is folding the whipped cream into the cooked egg, milk, and cream mixture. Thanks for all the tips here.
Could you please send me the recipe. I’d appreciate it thank you
I made this along with the Dutch Baby Pancake recipe. I put my mixing bowl and attachment in the freezer prior to making it and I used heavy whipping cream. It took more than the suggested 3-4 minutes for mine to get the correct consistency. However, once it did, the whipped cream was delicious. My daughter is making it again to top a pie. We are definitely keeping this recipe and no longer buying whipped cream from the store. It was very easy to make.
This is delicious. It’s also fairly easy. We decided to leave off the meringue and use freshly whipped cream.
can i subtitute heavy cream for double cream
Hi KLC, we haven’t tested it. Double cream has more fat that heavy cream, so should whip up beautifully and will be more rich. Let us know if you try.
This was my first time making whipped cream and it was perfect. I think the amount of sugar and vanilla extract listed in the ingredients are perfect. I made the whipped cream it to go with pancakes and strawberry syrup and the added whipped cream was perfect in that it wasn’t too sweet. Thank you.
Can I add a bit of lemon zest for a nice zip to this whipped cream?
Definitely.
I used to have this recipe but lost it. This is the first time I saw how to fix it when it starts to get chunky. Thank you so much. I used to just throw it out but to learn how to fix it is awesome. Thank you.
Loved the recipe! It was very very tasty!
Can I pipe this on top of peanut butter pies then freeze until ready to use? I love this recipe
Hi Debbie, Freezing prepared whipped cream sometimes causes it to lose its creamy texture, but it definitely works.
Followed this recipe to the t, but it was not fluffy and light like whip cream is..what did I do wrong?
Hi Delana, Start with cold heavy cream. The colder the cream, the easier and more successful it will whip. Cold cream also creates the lightest whipped cream!
I agree with using the cold whipping cream I also put my metal mixing bowls and dental attachments from the mixer in the refrigerator to get them cold too it helps