How to Make Whipped Cream From Scratch

Whipped cream makes the perfect topping for just about any dessert, from pies and parfaits to milkshakes, puddings, cakes and more. But why buy cans of the processed, store-bought variety when making your own is so quick and easy? Read on to learn how to make whipped cream from scratch with just two ingredients.

What You’ll Need

• Cold heavy cream: The colder the better, as it’s easier to whip and creates a perfectly light and fluffy result. Every cup of cream will make two cups whipped, so plan according to how much you need.
• Powdered sugar: Granulated sugar also works, though powdered is best. You’ll need 2 tablespoons per cup of cream.
• A mixer: An electric hand mixer or a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment both work well. For the best result, chill your mixing bowl and beaters or whisk attachment for 30 minutes in the fridge before getting started.

How to Make Whipped Cream

Makes: 2 cups 

1. In a large bowl (or the bowl of your stand mixer), combine 1 cup of cold heavy cream with 2 tablespoons sugar.
2. Use a hand or stand mixer to whip cream until medium peaks form (about 3 to 4 minutes). You don’t want the peaks too loose or two stiff here. If you overwhip the cream, you can fold in more cold cream with a spatula until you achieve the perfect consistency.
3. Use your whipped cream right away or store it in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours.

Variations

Once you’ve got the basic ingredients for plain whipped cream, you can also start experimenting with other ingredients and flavors. Try mix-ins like:

• Honey
• Vanilla
• Maple syrup
• Citrus zest (lemon and orange zest work great here.)
• Cocoa powder
• Coffee
• Cinnamon, nutmeg and other spices

Our honey orange, pumpkin spice, and maple varieties are a great place to start. You can even use freeze-dried strawberries to create a light and fruity strawberry variation. You can add all your mix-ins in step 1 of the instructions above.

See more: How to Make Homemade Caramel (Sauce, Chewy and Hard)

How to Use Your Homemade Whipped Cream

Looking for the perfect way to use your homemade whipped cream? Try a few of our favorite recipes:

• Lemon Custard with Strawberries
• Salted Peanut Banana Pudding
• Cappuccino Ice Cream Pie
• Key Lime Pie Milkshakes
• Blueberry Cornmeal Cake
• Strawberry Yogurt Parfait