Homemade Whipped Cream
Make your desserts extra special on top with light and airy Homemade Whipped Cream from scratch! With only 3 ingredients and 5 minutes of whipping time, you will never buy canned whipped cream again.
Homemade Whipped Cream is probably the most used recipe on this blog. I’ve always made it since I could remember; very rarely do I buy the canned version.
Adding a dollop or a swirl on top of a stack of chocolate pancakes or a slice ofangel food cake in a loaf pan makes them go from good to great.
Also known as Chantilly cream in French, my whipped cream recipe is special because I provide ingredient amounts for both full batch and small batch whipped cream.
I’ve always hated making a regular batch for my small batch desserts because I would always have leftovers in the fridge.
And since whipped cream isn’t something that lasts more than 1-2 days, I end up throwing the rest out. Cue sad face.
So whether you’re making a regular amount for a classic cheesecake or just enough for mini lava cakes, you’ll never buy canned whipped cream again!
Why You’ll Love This Homemade Whipped Cream
- Only 3 ingredients and 5 minutes whipping time
- Easy garnish for desserts
- Tastes better than canned whipped cream
Ingredients For Homemade Whipped Cream
The ingredients for this easy whipped cream recipe are simple:
- Heavy whipping cream: Look for heavy whipping cream and not just whipping cream (more on that below)
- Powdered sugar: Both thickens and sweetens the cream
- Vanilla extract Whipped cream on its own doesn’t have much flavor, so adding vanilla makes it taste even better
You can certainly add other ingredients such as peanut butter or cocoa powder, but they all start with the same three ingredients.
What is the difference between heavy whipping cream and whipping cream?
For a successful whipped cream recipe, look for the carton that says heavy whipping cream (vs. whipping cream without the word heavy in it).
Although both produce luscious whipped cream, heavy whipping cream has a little more milk fat at 36%, which whips better and holds its shape more.
Whipping cream only has 30% milk fat, so it’s a little lighter and a little more time sensitive. That means it won’t hold its shape as much.
If you’re eating your whipped cream right away, such as on thick hot chocolate or homemade hot cocoa, using either type of cream will work.
However, if you need it to last longer, such as on top of a small pumpkin pie, you’ll want to use heavy whipping cream.
No, you cannot use half and half or whole milk. Yes, you must use heavy whipped cream.
How To Make Homemade Whipped Cream
Learning how to make whipped cream is SO easy, you’ll wonder why you bother buying canned whipped cream! Here’s how to make it:
- Beat cold heavy cream on high speed until it starts to thicken.
- Add the powdered sugar and vanilla.
- Whip on high speed until stiff peaks start to form. This means when you pull the beater straight up, peaks will form in the cream and will not fall over.
Once you reach the stiff peak stage, stop beating. If you go further than that, it’ll get grainy then eventually turn into butter.
If you do find yourself with overbeaten whipped cream, add in another tablespoon or so of cream to help smooth it out.
Serve your small batch whipped cream immediately. However, you can refrigerate it for up to 2 days. The longer it sits, the more it’ll deflate but will still be delicious.
You can also re-whip deflated cream to put more air back into it. Be careful you don’t overwhip it into butter.
Variations of Whipped Cream
Luckily for us, this recipe for whipped cream is very versatile! Here are some flavored whipped cream recipes you can make:
How To Freeze Whipped Cream
If you need your whipped cream to last longer than 2 days, you can freeze it for up to 2 months.
I like to portion the whipped cream onto a cookie sheet (either piped or spooned), freeze until firm, then transfer them to a freezer-safe bag.
That way, they’re ready to go for Chocolate Peanut Butter Mug Cake and Brownies For Two.
Recipes Using Whipped Cream
Now that you made this homemade whipped cream recipe, here are some the desserts you can serve with it:
Homemade Whipped Cream
Make your desserts extra special by garnishing them with light and fluffy Homemade Whipped Cream from scratch! With only 3 ingredients and 5 minutes of whipping time, you will never buy canned whipped cream again.
Ingredients
Small Batch Whipped Cream
- 1/4 cup cold heavy whipping cream
- 1 tablespoon powdered sugar, sifted
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Full Batch Whipped Cream
- 1 cup cold heavy whipping cream
- 1/4 cup powdered sugar, sifted
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- In a large cold mixing bowl on medium-high speed (with whisk attachment if using a 5 quart stand mixer), beat the heavy cream until it starts to thicken, about 1 minute.
If making the small batch version, you don't want your bowl larger than 5 quart. If your bowl is too big or you're having trouble whipping, use a smaller bowl with a handheld mixer. - Gradually beat in the sugar and vanilla then continue beating until stiff peaks form (when you pull the beater up, peaks will form and not fall over), about 3-4 minutes.
Serve immediately. Refrigerate leftovers for up to 2 days. The longer it sits, the more it'll deflate but will still be delicious.
Notes
- Additionally you can freeze whipped cream to make it last up to 2 months. Portion the whipped cream onto a cookie sheet by either piping or spooning, freeze until firm, then transfer to a freezer-safe bag.
- Check out my other recipes for Peanut Butter Whipped Cream, Chocolate Whipped Cream, Strawberry Whipped Cream, Maple Whipped Cream, Honey Whipped Cream, and Cream Cheese Whipped Cream.
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First published March 4, 2019
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1/4 cup of cream will not work in my KitchenAid stand mixer as this not enough to whip into anything. I do whip 16 oz of heavy cream in my mixer and freeze what I don’t immediately use.
It worked in my 5 quart bowl for my KA stand mixer, but if it doesn’t work for yours, you can definitely use a hand mixer with a smaller bowl.
I do a lot of “for two” desserts and small batch whipped cream is the way to go.. I also keep heavy cream handy..
Great tip on freezing.. I’d thought about it but, haven’t actually done so.
Oh yes the freezing works wonders! Since I made three flavors at once for this miniseries, I froze the leftovers and been using them in hot chocolate.
I always make my own whipped cream. Home made Chai whipped cream is truly my favorite. Have not tried freezing it but I will now, Here is a wonderful Chai Chantilly recipe, it is sooo darn delicious on many things like French toast instead of butter, banana muffins, chocolate cake instead of frosting etc. Oh…. and just by the spoon full, in your mouth .
Chai Chantilly
2/3 c. Heavy cream
1/2 tsp. gr. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. gr. cardamom
1/4 tsp. gr. ginger
2 Pinches gr. cloves
4 Tbls. Confectioners surger
Add all ingredients and whipped
Thank You Carla, for sharing the freezing bit !
Also thank you for your fajita seasoning recipe ! I make a bunch and have it in hand always ????
Ohhh I love chai spices and think that chai whipped cream sounds heavenly! Thanks for sharing.
Veea’na, This sounds like such an amazing treat! I an eager to whip up a batch this evening. I am guessing here, but, I baked an apple cake yesterday and I think the two will get along quite divinely!
I think chai and apple cake will go wonderful together!
Awesome Chai Chantilly recipe, Veea’ne! I might swirl in some brown sugar cardamom syrup, too:
Brown Sugar Cardamom Syrup:
* 1 oz whole green cardamom pods
* 1 c brown sugar
* 1 c water
1. In a small pan over low heat, toast the cardamom pods until fragrant, stirring often. Watch closely to avoid burning them.
2. Using a mortar and pestle, lightly crush the cardamom pods. Pour the pods and any exposed seeds into a medium sauce pan.
3. Add the water and brown sugar. Bring to a boil, stirring until sugar is dissolved. reduce heat to low and simmer for 15 minutes.
4. Strain solids through a fine mesh sieve. Store syrup in the refrigerator in a sealed container.
Sounds great!
YESSS-needed this! I rarely need a ton of whipped cream at once lol so this is perfect
Wonderful! Let me know if you try it, Kayle!
Thank you so much for the angel food cake and the small batch whipped cream recipes! My question: where did you get the marvelous fluted tin bowls? I would love to get some like them!
An antique store! I believe they’re technically mini Jello molds but the bottoms are flat enough to sit as bowls.
This was perfect! So easy. Thank you for putting small batch recipes out there…not easy to find.
Thanks, Christina! Glad you’re enjoying the recipes.
Would this be enough whipped cream for the 6-7 Angel Food Cake Cupcakes, or would I need to like quadruple the recipe (use 1 cup heavy whipping cream)?
I know this post is almost a year old, so I’m not sure you’ll even see this, but thank you for the recipes!
I get notifications on all posts no matter how old, so I’m still here :) You should have enough as written, depending on how much you plan on piping.
Would it be weird for me to use granulated sugar instead of powdered sugar? I don’t want to end up making a huge batch of powdered sugar for one serving of whipped cream.
Powdered sugar contains cornstarch, so it helps stabilize the whipped cream a bit. However, since you’re making a small amount and presumably eating it right away, you will be fine with granulated. It may be slightly gritty, so if you have a small food processor you can whirl it to make superfine sugar. Optional in case you don’t have that either.
I ended up just making a large batch of powdered sugar since I figured I would probably need it again in the future. The whipped cream tasted like real whipped cream! Thanks for sharing the recipe with us.
Oh good! Glad that worked out for you.
I actually use a narrow mouth pint mason jar (is that what this is called? lol The opposite to wide mouth) and the single whisk attachment oh my handheld kitchenaid since the kitchenaid stand mixer can’t handle a small amount. Fill it between a little less than 1/4 to 1/4 of the way full. Whip to light peaks then add powdered sugar – I usually do a teaspoon to a tablespoon depending on application – homemade vanilla, and pinch of sea salt. Continue for a few more seconds until stiff peaks form. Perfect every time! The narrow space of the jar whips it very quickly and you don’t get splatter on your walls! I probably should make a blog post about this ha ha.
I have a 5 quart KA stand mixer and it can handle this recipe. However, if someone had one of the larger sizes then I can see how it may be an issue. Thanks for sharing your technique using an immersion blender. I find not many people have one, so a hand mixer in an appropriate sized bowl would work as well.
Using an immersion blender is a really good idea, I’ll have to try that some day!! The only thing that might be an issue is that it may be too strong? Even the lowest setting might be too much since you want to start with a low speed. Will play around with it but for now I guess I’ll just use my hand mixer in the little mason jar lol
*I really should get a smaller kitchenaid stand mixer because I got it at a time that I was doing a lot of professional baking. It’s 7qts and I really, really love the minis for how much countertop space they take up!
Oh ok I misunderstand. I never heard of a hand mixer with a single whisk attachment, which is why I thought you meant immersion blender.
You can whip small amounts of heavy cream by hand by shaking in a small chilled jar with a tight lid. There are plenty of recipes on how to do it online, here are two:
https://www.tasteofhome.com/article/how-to-make-whipped-cream-in-a-jar/
https://www.kingarthurbaking.com/blog/2021/11/16/mason-jar-whipped-cream
Great method if your bowl is too big!
In Italy the whipped cream sits on top of the hot chocolate but mine just melts into it. How do you get the whipped cream to float on top of the hot chocolate?
I mean, it’s natural for whipped cream to melt into a hot drink but to slow down the process, you can freeze the whipped cream until super cold or you can let the drink cool down, maybe 15 minutes or so? Or even both together.
So glad to find you who feels exactly like myself in regards of baking for 2 ! Can’t wait to try all of your very well description of these lovely lushish baking recipes for 2.
Let me know what you make!
how do I do it I don’t have a hand mixer
You can use a whisk and whip it hard by hand. It’ll take awhile but eventually it’ll thicken into cream.