Have you tasted real whipped cream? I sure hope so. It puts Cool Whip and the canned stuff to shame.
Homemade whipped cream is ultra luxurious, decadent, and as delicious as the best vanilla ice cream. Real whipped cream doesn’t have any strange preservatives or additives, either.
Whipped cream is the perfect creamy topper for desserts and hot drinks. Since the holidays are here, I thought I’d share a tutorial with everything you need to know about making whipped cream.
If you’ve never made whipped cream before, it may seem a little intimidating at firs. I promise, it’s so easy to make. You can make whipped cream in under 10 minutes!
Watch How to Make Whipped Cream
Whipped Cream Tips
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.
Uses for Whipped Cream
Here are a few recipes that would benefit from a dollop or two:
- Pies and tarts: Such as my pecan pie and apple tart.
- Fruity crisps: So many options! Apple crisp, peach crisp, blueberry crisp, strawberry rhubarb crisp and plum crisp.
- Cakes without frosting: Such as almond cake and olive oil cake.
- Coffee drinks: Think Irish coffee or your usual morning coffee.
Soft Peaks
Soft peaks are like semi-melted ice cream. At this stage, the whipped cream is floppy but has an ultra luxurious texture. Soft peaks are perfect for folding into desserts or floating on top of Irish coffee.
Medium Peaks
Imagine a slice of classic pumpkin pie dolloped with homemade whipped cream—that’s what medium peaks look like. At this stage, the whipped cream will have more significant swirl marks and a more stable structure.
Stiff Peaks
Also known as firm peaks, stiff peaks have an intensely rippled texture when you lift the beaters. Stiff peaks aren’t quite as luxurious and decadent as the former two, but you could ice a cake with this texture.
Once your mixture reaches stiff peaks, stop blending! You’ll see what happens if you blend too long below.
When You’ve Whipped Too Long
At this point, the mixture is grainy and losing volume. It’s literally falling apart—the fats and liquids are separating into butter and buttermilk, respectively.
How to fix it: Depending on how over-whipped the mixture is, you might be able to save it by letting the mixture chill out in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to 1 hour and then stirring with a spatula to combine. For a more immediate fix, you can try stirring in a few tablespoons more heavy cream with a spatula. If those don’t work, you might as well turn the mixture into butter!
Here, you can see examples of soft, medium and stiff peaks side by side. I hope it’s helpful!
Please let me know how your whipped cream turns out in the comments. I’d love to hear how you use it.
Homemade Whipped Cream
- Author:
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 10 minutes
- Yield: 2 cups 1x
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Whipped
- Cuisine: Classic
Learn how to make luscious homemade whipped cream with this simple recipe. Your whipped cream will turn out perfectly, every time. Don’t forget to chill your bowl and beaters in advance! Recipe yields about 2 cups whipped cream.
Ingredients
- 1 cup chilled heavy cream
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup or honey or powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- 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.
Notes
Change it up: For flavored whipped cream, you can add 1 or 2 teaspoons bourbon or whiskey, ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon or pumpkin spice blend, or ¼ teaspoon mint or almond extract. Or, try 2 tablespoons cocoa powder or peanut butter. For whipped cream with a light tang, add up to 2 tablespoons thick yogurt or crème fraîche.
Vegetable enthusiast. Dog lover. I'm probably making a big mess in my Kansas City kitchen right now. 
Tomi Lynn Wilson-Keiser
Fresh whipped creme is the best!
I have had really good success using my VitaMix, as well!
I use maple syrup and vanilla powder. If you want really white creme then maple syrup isn’t a good option as it will turn it a darker color, but the flavor is awesome!
★★★★★
Kate
Thanks for sharing, Tomi!
Karen
Kate – the Irish coffee link isn’t working (Not found, error 404). Excited to make this for Christmas!
Kate
I’m sorry about that, Karen! Technology is tricky sometimes. The link is fixed and you can find the Irish coffee post on my home page. Happy holidays!
Janet Fazio
I love a good Irish Coffee on a cold evening. When I make it, I fill the glass mug with hot water first, then make my drink. It helps to keep everything hot a little longer
Kate
Janet, that’s a great tip! Thank you for sharing. :)
Rebecca B.
Thank you for all the visuals of the different peaks. I agree with you that the hand mixer is the way to go when making homemade whipped cream. My experience with my stand KitchenAid a couple months ago resulted in whipped cream on top but liquidy whipping cream at the bottom of the bowl the first time, and the second time it whipped it to almost butter in about 60 seconds! It was almost a disaster!
Your method works very well, and I love the idea of adding some flavors in besides vanilla. I might add some orange or lemon zest sometime and see what happens! Thanks for the post!
★★★★★
Kate
You’re welcome! I’m glad it was helpful, Rebecca.
Ryan
Hello Kate,
Thanks for sharing. Your explanation is very clear with some useful photos.
I would like to have your advice for below questions. Hope to get your advice. Thanks in advance for your advice.
1. Could you give more examples of the usage for soft, medium and stiff peaks whipped cream?
2. For some cream cakes, bakers will put some whipped cream in between layers of cake. Besides, the outer part of the cake will be covered / smoothened by whipped cream as well before adding some decorations. May I know the whipped cream in between layers of cake & outer part of cake can use same type of whipped cream (both use either soft, medium or stiff peak) or should use different type of whipped cream (in between layers of cake uses soft peak & outer part uses medium / stiff peak?
3. Normally for the outer part of cake, what type of whipped cream should be used (soft, medium or stiff peak) & what is the reason of using that particular type of whipped cream?
4. For the in between layers of cake, what type of whipped cream should be used (soft, medium or stiff peak) & what is the reason of using that particular type of whipped cream?
5. When we taste the whipped cream after completing baking a cake, may I know what is the difference between soft, medium and stiff peak whipped cream in terms of texture?
6. This article is about whipped cream. I would like to have your advice as well for making cake. When we whisk the batter for example egg + sugar + vanilla extract with electric hand mixer (before adding cake flour + butter & send to oven), may I know we should whisk the batter to become soft, medium or stiff peak & what is the reason?
7. When we taste the cake after completing baking the cake, may I know what is the difference between soft, medium and stiff peak batter in terms of texture?
Thanks again in advance for your advice.
Thank you.
Best regards,
Ryan
Kate
Hi Ryan! Are you working on a school project? :) For cake layers/exterior, I would use firm peaks so the whipped cream is strong enough to hold its shape. You’ll want to store it in the fridge or in a cool space, because whipped cream can turn runny in the heat.
Lynn Kiedrowski
How do you stabilize the whipped cream so it doesn’t get all watery after a while?
Tomi Lynn Wilson-Keiser
I put it in an airtight container in the refridgerator. If it gets a little runny, I put it back in my VitaMix for a few seconds and it looks fresh again, and no runniness or butter textures.
Hope that helps.
Sandy W.
you can add a couple tablespoons of mascarpone or cream cheese to add stability to the whipped cream. It will stand up longer and won’t become runny nearly as quickly.
Caren
I had no idea this was so simple to make! Thanks for the breakdown. I’m going to try this with stevia. Love your blog btw. The design is gorgeous and so is your photography.
★★★★★
Kate
Thank you, Caren!
Donna C. Larsen
It’s surprising that I had not considered that I could one day enjoy homemade whipped cream, but this changes everything. And incredibly, the recipe does not seem awfully hard to follow. I like that you explore some alternative options, makes the recipe more accommodating.
★★★★★
Kate
Thank you!
Amy
Hi Kate – you’re the best! I am wishing you a happy birthday and a very Merry Christmas tomorrow! I am making my husband and I some Irish Coffee for Christmas morning :). I have made whipped cream a million times in my life but even then, I loved this post and found all the tips so helpful. I trust you so much and appreciate all of the work and testing and sharing you always put into your blogs.
★★★★★
Kate
Thanks so much, Amy! I hope you had a wonderful time with loved ones.
Justine
Hi Kate,
Thank you for your blog, it’s been a big source of inspiration for me :)
I’m a French pastry chef and as I make whipped cream almost all day long I really liked your article : homemade is definitely the best option you can get!
If I may add : if you want a more stable version of your to cream you can use 1/3 mascarpone 2/3 heavy cream, that way it will be thicker (but be careful when you whip it, it goes really fast too :) )
And on a second note, if you want flavored whipped cream, a good option is to infuse it with your favorite tea/herb/spice : you just put everything in a bowl for the night in the fridge and the next day your cream will have all the flavors.
I hope this is helpful :)
Thank you again for your blog, and a very happy new year!
Justine
Ella
I just tried this recipe and it turned out more bitter than I was expecting. Might I have put too much vanilla extract in? Or should I have used powdered sugar instead of honey? Or am I just too used to the overly-sweetened canned whipped cream? Thanks!
Kate
Hmm! I would say you could adjust the sweetness level a touch or see the notes on how to change it up below the recipe. It shouldn’t have been bitter. Maybe your vanilla was on the bitter side?
Ella Lubienski
Yeah, I’ll try adding less vanilla next time. Thank you!
Alexia
What I love about homemade whipped cream is that it holds its shape much better than the stuff from the spray can.
★★★★★
Kate
I agree, Alexia!
Priscila
Very Good post!!! I love it!!
Kate
Thank you, Priscilla!
Onlinecake.in
I have never been a big fan of whipped cream recipe,
but i certainly am going to try your recipe, it looks divine !!
I can’t wait to catch up with all your ‘Recipe’!!
★★★★★
Kate
Thank you!
Amy@RidingWithEsther
Hi Kate, I have a silly question. When you make whipped cream, do additional ingredients (cocoa powder, chocolate chips, etc.) affect the result? I know that if you whip egg whites, the slightest hint of oil in the bowl can completely ruin the egg whites. Also, I <3 your blog.
Kate
I haven’t played around with it much. I would add in maybe once it’s pretty whipped (especially with the chocolate chips) or just top with your choice! That might work better.
Socorro
Tried this recipe. I felt it needed more sugar. But it was GOOD! Thank You!
★★★★
Kate
Thank you for your feedback, Socorro!
Lex
I made this last night, a very small potion enough for a strawberry shortcake for 4 and it was absolutely amazing! I went with powdered sugar, but am curious how brown sugar would do (maybe not as well as I’m thinking). You’re amazing!
★★★★★
Kate
That sounds delicious! Thank you for sharing, Lex.
Nicole
I don’t like whip cream and even I liked it… made it for my daughters with their strawberries and apparently now I must have heavy cream on hand regularly to make this for them…
★★★★★
Kate
Thanks for sharing, Nicole.
Arlene
I have a question…I make my whipped cream like you, put it on a cold chocolate cream pie, keep it in the refrigerator and soon after it starts to turn to cream. So frustrating.
Kate
Hi Arlene! What type of peaks are you whipping it to? I recommend stiffer peaks if not consuming right away.
Jerri
First time making whipped cream. It’s awesome.!!
★★★★★
Brien
Wow that was good! And it’s so easy! A little spoonful of luxurious decadence to top off my chocolate peppermint loaf Mmmmm. I also used honey instead of sugar. Thank you for giving me the confidence to make this on my own. :)
★★★★★
Charlie
Thanks for the recipe.
WAAAAYYYYYYY too sweet… Ended up feeling the recipe and reducing the vanilla to 1/4 tsp and the sweetener to 1 tsp.
Much more tolerable.
★★★
Kate
I’m sorry you didn’t love this recipe, Charlie! Thanks for your feedback.
Mark Scott
Great recipe, I sweeten mine with a couple of tots of Amaretto to use as topping on a berry trifle.
The Berries had been soaked overnight in the Amaretto, nothing should go to waste!
Mark
★★★★★
Kate
Thanks for sharing, Mark!
Shelvita
Hi kate
If I prepared the whipped cream todqy and keep it in the refrigerator, can I use it for tomorrow?
★★★★★
Kate
Possibly! I have had it last if it has stayed airtight and cool enough, but you might loose some volume.
Rhonda
Can you add strawberry preserves to the whipped cream to put on top of a strawberry poke cake with cut up strawberries
Karen Smith-Wilson
Love the recipe, but I am scared it is to unhealty for my darling children. Are there any ways to make it more healty, for example using water or milk in stead of heavy crem?
★★★★
Kate
Hi Karen! You are the best judge when it comes to your kids, but from my experience, a healthy amount of fat is good. Also, whipped cream is typically just a topping, not to eat an entire bowl of it. :) Unfortunately, you aren’t going to be able to get the same result of the whipped cream without using the heavy cream. You could omit the maple syrup if you like.
Pat
Hi Karen, I just saw Silk Heavy Whipping Cream Alternative at the supermarket today. It’s made with coconut oil, some vegetable gum stabilizers, lecithin and faba bean protein. The nutritional profile is identical to the Horizon Organic Dairy Heavy Whipping Cream that I used – per Tablespoon is 50 calories, 5 gm fat, 3.5 gm sat fat. Some of the reviews indicated it whipped well to a soft peak stage. Not sure that you can get much beyond that without it breaking down. Whipped cream of any kind is an indulgence, to be sure.
Emily
Made whipped cream for the first time. It was a big hit. Thank you!!
★★★★★
Sheila D
Made the medium whipped cream with honey and vanilla. It was delicious. I will be making this from now on. No more cool whip
★★★★★
Jess
Made this to go with homemade scones for Mother’s Day. Super easy and so yum with maple syrup! Definitely using this recipe again. Can’t wait to experiment with the other flavouring options :)
★★★★★
sonia
I made this just now as I had all of the ingredients… sooooo good!
★★★★★
Kate
I love to hear that! Thank you for sharing, Sonia.
aisha
why my cream never doubles the size?
Kate
Hi! Are you using a cold bowl and beaters?
CrazyKid
Can i use milk milk instead of heavy cream?
Kate
No, sorry, only heavy cream will work!
katie
can you use evaporated milk instead of heavy cream
★★★★
Leah Sveda
after it’s whipped can I freeze it?
Kate
Hi! I don’t think this will freeze the best. But, if you try it let me know.
Leila
is there special storing instructions or will a platic container suffice?
★★★★★
Kate
Hi! See step 5.
Lorraine Paisawa
Thank you for sharing recipe.
Much appreciated.
Regards, Lorraine
★★★★★
Shannon D
Spontaneously tried this recipe today. It was simple and delicious. I’m currently eating some tart strawberries with the whipped cream sweetened with honey. The instructions were clear and the video detailing the different textures was invaluable. This might be my new go-to treat; Thank you!
★★★★★
Stavroula
Will the cream last if I decorate a cake and put it in the fridge for next day? Or will it be runny? Thanks!
★★★★★
Kate
Hi, It may deflate some and is best used right away.
Tina Cohen
Thank you for teaching me how to make perfect whipped cream.great ideas and so simple to understand.
★★★★★
Kate
Thank you for your review, Tina!