Homemade Whipped Cream is easier to make from scratch than you think and tastes so much better than store-bought! Ready in less than 5 minutes!
This two-ingredient recipe is absolutely foolproof if you follow my tips and tricks. We love to put a big dollop on our Apple Crumble Pie or on other pies and cakes.
Making fresh whipped cream at home is easy, you need cold heavy cream, some powdered sugar, and a chilled metal bowl and whisk. It is very common to make it from scratch in Germany where I grew up but I often get comments from readers that have problems with whipping cream from scratch. So today I want to share all my tips and tricks with you because making whipped cream is super easy and takes less than 5 minutes.
Ingredient Notes
Heavy Cream – You can use whipping cream or heavy cream, they have different amounts of milk fat. Heavy cream will whip better and hold its shape longer than whipping cream which results in a lighter, more pillowy texture. Heavy cream and heavy whipping cream are the same things, both must contain at least 36% or more milk fat. Whipping cream, or light whipping cream, is lighter and contains 30% to 35% milk fat (33-36% in Canada). The more milkfat the easier it is to make whip the cream.
Sugar – I prefer to use powdered sugar because it dissolves easier and faster. But you can also use white sugar or vanilla sugar.
Expert Tips
- I recommend using heavy cream because it has a higher milk-fat content!
- Chill the mixing bowl and beaters in the freezer for 10 minutes before starting
- A stand mixer works best for this recipe but you could also use a hand mixer.
- Mixing by hand is not recommended!
- Don’t add sugar in the beginning!
- Always keep an eye on the cream while beating it so you don’t over-beat it.
- Overbeating results in the separation of the cream into butter and liquid.
- Fresh whipped cream is best served the day it is made – it’s not meant to keep for longer-term storage.
- Add more or less sugar depending on the dish the sweetened cream is for. Using two to four tablespoons of sugar per cup of whipping cream adds a perfect sweetness that is not overpowering.
- Keep in mind that it will melt if you put it on a warm or hot dessert!
Recipe FAQs
No, you can’t because milk has a lot less milkfat than cream so it won’t whip up like heavy cream.
Make sure your bowl, whisk, and heavy cream are cold. The outside temperature and humidity can also influence how easily the cream will whip. You also want to use the right kind of cream – heavy cream works better than whipping cream in my experience because of the higher milkfat amount.
Adding sugar and flavorings too soon or adding too much sugar can also inhibit the cream from thickening.
Cool whip is stabilized and contains a lot more ingredients than homemade heavy cream. By making whipped cream at home you can decide how sweet you want it to be by adding more or less sugar.
Yes, you can! If you whip it too long the cream will separate into buttermilk and lumps of butter. First, it will get grainy and then it will get watery and lumps of butter will form.
How to make it last longer
There are a few different ways to stabilize whipped cream:
- Gelatin: Bloom 1 tsp of unflavoured gelatin in 1 tbsp of water. Then just add this mixture to your cream when you add the sugar.
- Cream of Tartar: Add 1/4 teaspoon of cream of tartar per 1 cup of whipping cream along with the powdered sugar.
- Dr. Oetker – Whip it: Add according to package instructions to stabilize the cream.
How to flavor it
Try adding 1/2 to 1 tsp of your favorite extract (vanilla, coconut, almond, etc.) to the cream depending on what you serve with the cream. For example, for coconut cream pie I like to add some coconut extract to the topping.
You can also make chocolate cream by adding 1 tsp of cocoa powder to the heavy cream together with the sugar.
Make it by hand
I recommend using a stand mixer or hand mixer but if this is not an option you totally can whip cream by hand just like Grandma did years ago. Whipping by hand works best if your cream, bowl, and whisk are chilled and the room temperature is on the lower side. But it will take longer and you get an arm workout.
How to fix it
If you do take it too far and your whipped cream is starting to get grainy, just add a few tablespoons of liquid heavy cream and fold it in gently with a hand whisk until it’s the right consistency again.
But if the cream has already started to separate and you have little lumps of butter this technique will no longer work. If your cream has started to separate, there is no way to fix it but I recommend just continuing to mix until you have butter and buttermilk and start a new batch with fresh heavy cream.
What to serve with it
Just like our vanilla sauce, whipped cream tastes heavenly with fresh fruit or waffles! It also makes a perfect side for almost any fruit cake or pie like German Apple Cake or Fresh Strawberry Pie, pound cake, and any other not-heavily frosted cake like Spice Cake or Coca Cola Cake.
Here are a few more recipes to serve with it:
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Whipped Cream
Ingredients
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 2 Tbsp powdered sugar
Instructions
- Place metal mixing bowl and whisk into the freezer for 10 minutes.
- Add heavy cream to the bowl and start the mixer at low speed then increase speed to medium-high and beat until soft peaks form, about 1 minute.
- Pause the mixer and add sugar and flavorings if using.
- Start the mixer again and beat at medium-high speed for about 2-3 minutes until medium-stiff peaks form.
Notes
- I recommend using heavy cream because it has a higher milk-fat content!
- Chill the mixing bowl and beaters in the freezer for 10 minutes before starting
- A stand mixer works best for this recipe but you could also use a hand mixer.
- Mixing by hand is not recommended!
- Don’t add sugar in the beginning!
- Always keep an eye on the cream while beating it so you don’t over-beat it.
- Overbeating results in the separation of the cream into butter and liquid.
- Fresh whipped cream is best served the day it is made – it’s not meant to keep for longer-term storage.
- Add more or less sugar depending on the dish the sweetened cream is for. Using two to four tablespoons of sugar per cup of whipping cream adds a perfect sweetness that is not overpowering.
- Keep in mind that whipped cream will melt if you put it on a warm or hot dessert!
Susan S says
I always add vanilla sugar to mine and gives it great flavour.
Also Cool Whip is all fake and eatable oils no one should eat it .