Have you tasted real whipped cream? I sure hope so. It puts Cool Whip and the canned stuff to shame.
Homemade whipped cream is as decadent, lavish, and mouthwatering as the best vanilla ice cream. Real whipped cream also doesn’t contain any strange additives or preservatives.
Whipped cream is the ideal creamy garnish for sweets and hot beverages. Given that the holidays have arrived, I thought I’d share a tutorial with all the instructions you need to make whipped cream.
Making whipped cream for the first time might seem a little intimidating. I promise, it’s so easy to make. You can make whipped cream in under 10 minutes!.
What Is the Difference Between Heavy Cream and Whipping Cream?
They differ in the amount of milk fat, which can be very confusing. Whipping cream (without “heavy” in the title) is a little lighter, with 30% milk fat, compared to heavy cream and heavy whipping cream, which both contain 36% milk fat.
While they can all be used interchangeably in most recipes, heavy cream/heavy whipping cream will hold its shape longer when making whipped cream. They are ideal for homemade whipped cream.
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.
If you want flavored whipped cream, you can make these mini margarita cheesecakes with tequila and lime or this flourless chocolate cake with espresso and cocoa powder. For more ideas, check out all these flavors!.
More heavy cream can be added and gently folded in by hand with a spatula if the cream is accidentally over-mixed and appears curdled and heavy.
Watch How to Make Whipped Cream
Whipped cream is truly so easy to make. Here are a few tips before you get started:
Whipped cream doubles in size. Meaning, if you use 1 cup heavy cream, you’ll end up with about 2 cups whipped cream. You can divide or multiply the amount of heavy cream to get your desired quantity of whipped cream (making extra is never a bad idea).
Equipment options: I love using my hand mixer (affiliate link) to make whipped cream because I hate lugging out my heavy stand mixer. You can also use an immersion blender or whip it together by hand, if you’re patient (Bon Appetit has a video for that).
Start chilled. At minimum, your heavy cream needs to be chilled. The whipped cream will whip up faster if your bowl and beaters are chilled as well. Use a tempered glass bowl (think Pyrex) or stainless steel bowl so it retains the cold temperature (plastic bowls will not).
If you’re in a hurry, use a hand mixer or immersion blender. Choose a sturdy bowl with a smaller base and tall sides (a 4-cup liquid measuring cup is perfect) and chill it for 15 minutes in the freezer. That way, the blender is agitating more of the cream at once, and the cold walls help it whip up even faster.
The only ingredient you really need is heavy whipping cream. To make it taste like the whipped cream you know and love, I recommend adding a tiny bit of sweetener and vanilla.
Traditional recipe typically call for powdered sugar, but I like to use maple syrup or honey because they add a subtle hint of extra-delicious flavor. I like to use high-quality organic cream because I’m convinced it produces a more tasty end result.
Pay attention. When you first start blending the mixture, it might not seem like you’re doing much. Then the whipped cream will start progressing from soft peaks to medium to stiff peaks fairly quickly. You’ll learn more about the differences between those textures below.
Several of the following dishes would benefit from a dollop or two:
Soft peaks are like semi-melted ice cream. The whipped cream is currently floppy but incredibly luxurious. For folding into desserts or floating on top of Irish coffee, soft peaks are ideal.
Medium peaks resemble a slice of traditional pumpkin pie topped with freshly made whipped cream. The whipped cream will have more pronounced swirl patterns and a more stable structure at this point.
Stiff peaks, also referred to as firm peaks, have a pronouncedly rippled texture when you lift the beaters. Although stiff peaks aren’t quite as opulent and decadent as the first two, you could use them to ice a cake.
Stop blending as soon as the mixture forms stiff peaks; the results of continuing to blend will be shown below.
At this point, the mixture is grainy and losing volume. It is literally crumbling into butter and buttermilk as the fats and liquids separate.
Depending on how overwhipped the mixture is, you may be able to salvage it by allowing it to cool in the refrigerator for 30 to 1 hour before combining it with a spatula. Try adding a few more tablespoons of heavy cream with a spatula for a quicker fix. If none of those work, you might as well make butter out of the mixture!
Examples of soft, medium, and stiff peaks are displayed here side by side. I hope it’s helpful!.
Please comment and let me know how your whipped cream turns out. I’d love to hear how you use it.
Author:Cookie and Kate
Prep Time:10 minutes
Total Time:10 minutes
Yield:2 cups1x
Category:Dessert
Method:Whipped
Cuisine:Classic
Use this straightforward recipe to learn how to make delicious homemade whipped cream. Your whipped cream will turn out perfectly, every time. The recipe makes about 2 cups of whipped cream, so don’t forget to chill your bowl and beaters beforehand.
1 cup chilled heavy cream
1 tablespoon maple syrup or honey or powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
For quicker results, place your mixing bowl (either sturdy glass like Pyrex or stainless steel) and beaters (if using a hand mixer or stand mixer) in the freezer to chill for at least 15 minutes, or overnight.
When you’re ready to make whipped cream, combine the chilled cream, sweetener and vanilla extract in your bowl. Start blending at low speed and increase to medium-high.
Continue blending until the cream increases by nearly double—it might seem like you’re not doing much for a while, then the whipped cream will progress fairly quickly through stages.
For soft peaks, continue blending until the mixture resembles melted ice cream and retains light swirl marks when you lift the mixer. For medium peaks, continue blending until the mixture retains more significant, closer-together swirl marks when you lift the mixer and mostly retains those swirl marks when you scoop it onto a spoon (this is the classic consistency that you would see dolloped on a pumpkin pie). For stiff peaks, continue blending until the mixture has tight swirl marks and resembles Cool Whip (you could ice a cake with this texture). Don’t overdo it, or your cream will start turning into butter!
Use whipped cream as desired. Whipped cream will keep well in the refrigerator, covered, for up to 5 days. If the mixture has separated a bit, gently stir it back together with a spoon. Homemade whipped cream loses some volume over time, so you may need to lightly whip it again to achieve the original texture.
You can switch it up by adding 1 or 2 teaspoons of bourbon or whiskey, 1/2 teaspoon of ground cinnamon or pumpkin spice blend, or 1/4 teaspoon of mint or almond extract to the whipped cream. Or, try 2 tablespoons cocoa powder or peanut butter. Add up to 2 tablespoons of thick yogurt or crème fraîche to create light-tasting whipped cream.
FAQ
How much should you whip cream?
Watch for firm peaks (8 to 9 minutes). The cream will stiffen even more if you keep whipping, and you might even notice that it starts to feel grainy. The peaks will be completely stiff when you remove your whisk from the cream. Beyond this point, further whipping will result in butter.
How much whipped cream does a cup of heavy cream make?
Whipping cream doubles in volume when it’s whipped. Thus, two cups of whipped cream can be made from one cup of whipping cream. 4 cups of whipped cream can be made from 1 pint of whipping cream and 2 cups, etc.
How much does cream increase when whipped?
Use a very large bowl because cream tends to splash a lot while being whipped up to at least three times its volume (i.e., 1 cup cream will yield about 3 cups whipped cream).
How much milk do you use for whipping cream?
Milk and butter To make 1 cup (237 ml) of heavy cream, thoroughly combine 1/4 cup (57 grams) of melted butter with 3/4 cup (178 mL) of milk. To thicken the liquid, you can also add a tablespoon (8 grams) of flour, especially if you’re using low-fat milk.
