The Best Homemade Whipped Cream Recipe posted by Staff Writer Pin Share Tweet Email Jump to Recipe The Best Homemade Whipped Cream This is BY FAR the best homemade whipped cream I’ve ever tried. It’s so easy to make, and it’s a dream to spread, pipe, and dollop. The best part is that it’s a stabilized whipped cream, which means it won’t deflate like homemade whipped cream normally does! – Ashton There’s something truly enchanting about homemade whipped cream – it’s the kind of simple luxury that transforms any dessert from ordinary to extraordinary. Whether you’re dolloping it on a warm slice of pie or swirling it atop a steaming mug of hot chocolate, homemade whipped cream is the crowning glory that speaks of comfort and indulgence. So grab your whisk, because we’re about to make every sweet treat more delightful with just two ingredients and a pinch of love. Stay tuned for the full recipe and tips to make your whipped cream as light as a cloud and as flavorful as a dream! 🍰✨ Homemade Whipped Cream Secret Ingredient Ah, what is the secret that elevates our homemade whipped cream to celestial heights? It is none other than instant vanilla pudding mix. This unassuming pantry staple is what imparts a velvety richness and stability to this whipped cream. Just a tablespoon of this magical powder mixed into your cream before whisking adds not only a hint of vanilla’s warm embrace but also ensures your whipped peaks stand tall and proud, defying gravity and time. So, when you’re looking to pipe whipped cream onto your desserts, remember this little secret. 🍨 And see below for my other tips to keep that whipped cream from going flat. Recipe Notes & Tips For best results, chill the mixer bowl and whisk attachment in the freezer for about 10 minutes before mixing. Depending on how you want to use the whipped cream, you can increase the amount of pudding mix accordingly. For example, you might like a thicker whipped cream that resembles frosting if you wanted to frost a cake or pipe onto cupcakes. I really prefer the whipped cream with the measurements I’m providing in the recipe below; but if you want to thicken the whipped cream, begin by adding 1/2 tablespoon at a time to gradually increase the thickness. This whipped cream is easy to store in the refrigerator, just like you would store a tub of whipped topping from the grocery store. It’s completely stable and won’t deflate! Use different flavors of pudding mix to create a variety of flavored whipped creams! FAQ What does “stabilizing whipped cream” mean? A basic whipped cream recipe consists of whipping sweetened cream until peaks form, and it can be used as a topping or incorporated into a mixture. Stabilizing the whipped cream means making a slightly thicker mixture that will hold its consistency for more than a few days. It’s great for piping and decorating, because it won’t deflate or become runny. Is stabilized whipped cream the same as Cool Whip? Short answer: no.Long answer: when I originally posted this recipe several years ago, I titled it “Homemade Cool Whip.” My intent was to provide my readers outside of the US a great, homemade dupe of Cool Whip since I use that product in so many of my recipes. And this whipped cream recipe is an excellent substitute for Cool Whip in any of my recipes. But the flavor is not the same, and stabilized whipped cream is a little thicker and heavier than Cool Whip. Does stabilized whipped cream need to be refrigerated? In general, whipped cream is best stored in the refrigerator. And it tastes better cold! However, it will hold up at room temperature for several hours if needed. Whipping cream mixer in a glass bowl on wooden table Continue to Content Best Homemade Whipped Cream Yield: 4 cups Prep Time: 5 minutes Total Time: 5 minutes This is BY FAR the best homemade whipped cream I've ever tried. It's so easy to make, and it's a dream to spread, pipe, and dollop. The best part is that it's a stabilized whipped cream, which means it won't deflate like homemade whipped cream normally does! Print Ingredients 2 cups heavy whipping cream 1/2 cup powdered sugar 1 tbsp vanilla extract 2 tbsp instant pudding mix, vanilla flavor Instructions Chill the bowl and whisk attachment of a stand mixer in the freezer for 10 minutes (I strongly suggest using a stand mixer rather than a hand mixer. If you DO use a hand mixer, be sure to use a large, deep bowl). Pour all of the ingredients into the bowl and whisk on high for 5 minutes or until stiff peaks form. Spread, pipe, or dollop! Keep stored in a covered container in the refrigerator. Perfect Pairings These are some my favorite recipes to pair with my homemade whipped cream. My family always thinks it’s a special treat when I surprise them with it on Sunday (when we have our weekly Belgian waffle bar)! Related Recipes: Easy Chocolate Ganache Simple Vanilla Icing Homemade Lemon Curd Coconut Cream Pie Continue Reading French Silk Pie Bars Continue Reading Banana Pudding Cake Continue Reading Black Forest Torte Continue Reading Pecan Pie Cake Continue Reading Carrot Cake Poke Cake Continue Reading Liege Waffles Recipe Hack Continue Reading Red Velvet Crepes with No Bake Blintz Filling Continue Reading Whole Wheat Crepes Continue Reading Easy Strawberry Nutella Crepe Cake This crepe cake is the perfect delicate and light treat to end a meal or for a special celebration-- something a little different than the typical run-of-the-mill cake. Get the Recipe BTS or Poke Cake Recipe Continue Reading Pumpkin Poke Cake Continue Reading Strawberry Poke Cake Continue Reading Hot Fudge Pumpkin Poke Cake Continue Reading Red Velvet Turtle Poke Cake Continue Reading Strawberry Jell-O Poke Cake Continue Reading Peanut Butter Cup Poke Cake Continue Reading Salted Caramel Cheesecake Poke Cake Continue Reading Best French Toast Continue Reading Old Fashioned Strawberry Shortcake Continue Reading Multigrain Waffles Continue Reading Strawberry Pie Continue Reading Homemade Strawberry Pie Continue Reading Lemon Cheesecake with Blueberry Sauce Continue Reading
And this is why you are a such a good food blogger 🙂 I don’t know that I would have had the patience for this task!
YOU DID IT!!! This is amazing!!!! For anyone who doesn’t have it (and the rare occasions when I post about it, I get a zillion emails), I know where to send them! pinned
Excellent stabilized whipped cream recipe, Ashton! Glad you tested in recipes calling for Cool Whip with success. However, in your Notes above the recipe, you mention cornstarch. Is cornstarch missing from the recipe? I don’t see it in the ingredients list or in the instructions. Or, did you mean cream of tartar when you mentioned cornstarch? Thanks for sharing!
Your cousin in Grenada is grateful for the post! I may have missed this in the post but how much does it yield? The same as a full container of Cool Whip?
Yes! Sorry, I need to add that! One recipe fit nicely into the empty 8 oz cool whip tub I had on hand 🙂
You are a HERO! I’m allergic to coconut so I can’t eat cool whip. There are so many different recipes I haven’t been able to try because I didn’t have a substitute. Now I do – thanks!
I have used stabilized whipped cream many times before but never thought of tweeking it for a cool whip substitute, u are amazing!!! I’m in S. Korea and sometimes, especially close to a major holiday, there is a shortage of commonly used goods. I’m definitely saving and printing this one! Thanks a bunch!
I just saw a recipe for stabilized whipped cream that I’ve been dying to try. I turned into a whipped cream snob after I started blogging and now I don’t use Cool Whip very often. But there have been a couple recipes that REALLY didn’t work with whipped cream, like mousse. Now I know what to do! (Or just go buy Cool Whip) 😉 Thanks for testing this out for us!
Yay, Yay, Yay. You sweet Asthon are the best! Thank you, thank you, thank you. Christmas just came early for me. Totally made my day happy dance currently happening!!! Holla, so very excited (just in case you missed it ;)) Thank you thank you thank you xoxoxoxoox
Great idea and post. I likewise avoid as many processed foods as possible, but I certainly would never complain to the blogger for using them. I just skip those recipes for us, or pass them on to my daughters who need quick and convenient everything. Thanks!
Am I safe in assuming this can be frozen, so I can have it on hand “just like Cool-Whip”? Thanks for the recipe.
This is so cool! I wish I knew how to make it so it is French Vanilla “Cool Whip”! I love that stuff and the stores around me never have it. It is aggravating!
THANK YOU! I used to use Cool Whip all.the.time! Until I found out what was in it. Eww!!! So, Thank you for sharing this recipe! Excited to try it out!
I love making Pretzel Jello Salad, but my boyfriend hates processed foods like Cool Whip, so maybe he’ll eat it if I use this instead! Thanks for the recipe!
Does it make a difference whether you use granulated sugar or powdered sugar? I’m one of those people who don’t eat Cool Whip because of the scary ingredients and the all-natural version doesn’t work well in recipes. Thanks so much for this!
This recipe is so cool. Need to ask, have you ever tried it using milk? My husband has problems with lactose. and has to use lactose free milk. I’m trying a way to get around the cream so he can enjoy whipped topping on pumpkin pie. II hope this comes through clearly because the text is not clear for me.
OMG!!!!!! COOL WHIP!!!!!! I can’t believe it!!!!! I haven’t had cool whip since I was a little girl. You can’t buy it here in the UK woe is me :’-( I was born in the states, in Maine, but lived here in UK since I was three. my father is from London and my mother is also from Maine and was in the US Navy and stationed in London so I only got to have cool whip at thanksgiving and Christmas with pumpkin pie when she would shop at the base and stock up on US goods. Once she left the Navy we also had to say goodbye to all the American goodies including peanut butter and chocolate! Which people over here are only just discovering! Also peanut butter and jelly/jam is viewed with suspicion which I found to be second nature to put together! So sorry for going on but thank you so much for this recipe, finally another goodie I can make at home and can no longer be a distant memory.
I love this!!! If anyone asks about a gelatin substitute (you may get this question down the road, hopefully not), you can use Agar flakes. It’s a seaweed derivative. I used it in making homemade American cheese and it worked pretty well. Very cool! Thanks for figuring this out.
While this works, it is unnecessarily difficult. You can use 1/2 to 3/4 teaspoon of cornstarch for each cup of heavy cream. Add it with the sugar and it will stabilize the cream quite easily and nicely. You can buy packages of Oetker’s stabilizer for whipped cream (Or maybe Dr. Oetkers I forget what the package said as it has been a few decades since I bought it.) and it is cornstarch and an anticaking agent. I have used this for every recipe that calls for cool whip for over twenty years and never once did it fail me.
My husband is allergic to corn and is it extremely difficult to find things without it so I greatly appreciate its non use in your recipe;). As a side note, how long to do find yourself wisking/beating until it thickens up. Mine does not seem to be doing so:(
This makes me a happy girl 🙂 been wanting a good substitute for a while. Thank you! I love your recipes! My hubby gets so happy when I make your brownies.
this sounds interesting but I have a question. You say that you cannot usually substitute whipped cream for cool whip. Why would that be? I’ve never had problems with the substitution, but maybe I haven’t been making the kind of dishes that are a problem. Also, do you know what the cream of tartar does for the mixture? I’ve used it to sour milk as a buttermilk substitute. Does this need the acidity, also?
In many of my recipes that use cool whip, it is an integral part of the recipe– not just a topping. So whipped cream tends to deflate in those, which is why you need a stable whipped cream.
Can you use this in a recipe that calls for you to fold cool whip into cream cheese? I make a pudding dessert that has a shortbread style crust, a cream cheese/cool whip layer, a pudding layer, and then cool whip on top. I haven’t made it for a while because of the guilt I feel when using cool whip.
THANK YOU!!! I’ve missed having cool whip after moving to london a decade ago. Finally I can make ‘funeral salad’ again 😉
My question is can I use Stevia in place of the sugar? I am lo-carbing it and although it is not much sugar I just wondered if anyone had tried it before
Thank you for sharing this recipe… I’m in the camp that doesn’t want to use Cool Whip because of the ingredients… I thank you from the bottom of my heart for your work in creating a substitute… (I haven’t tried it yet, but will soon.)
This is great! I have found so many nice recipes which includes Cool Whip and I can’t get here in Finland. Now I can start baking! Awesome! Thanks a tons for this recipe!
Just wondering if this would hold up for piping on top of a pie or cake and also as a spread between layers of a cake….thank you so much!
Thank you so much for all your hard work that you’ve put into this project. I live in Australia and have coeliac disease – as you previously mentioned there are so many desert recipes that I couldn’t make. Now thanks to you I can try a lot more recipes. Keep up the great work
Thanks so much for this! Where I live we don’t have Cool Whip either so I’ll have to give this a try! Thanks!!
The cool whip sounds great– I don`t use store bought because of the ingredients– Am patiently waiting to hear if anyone has had any luck freezing it
Thanks a million, if you were here i would hug and kiss you !!! will try it for sure as soon as i have some time and will pass it on to my sister Anna who usually uses cool whip while in PEI but did not know what to use when in Malta! Once again thanks a million times over. xxx
Hate to be a p.i.a. but would cornstarch sub for the cream of tartar? In Spain that is something that I can’t get. Dying to try it!!!
Sadly, I have no idea!! But if you try it, be sure to come back and let me know! I’m sure others have that same problem…
It seemed like it dissolved before the heat. By the time it cooled all the way it was jello! I guess I don’t quite understand the heating and cooling process.
Hi there Any update on the storage life for this yet? I’d like to use it for a cake for a party on 11th oct and wondering how far in advance I can make it 🙂 thanks!
Thanks Ashton. Does this recipe make an amount equivalent to a tub of Cool Whip (which I think is about 3 cups or 8 oz)?
Hi, Ashton: I knew it would come to making my own ‘cool whip’ because for some reason the ingredient(s) in it make me ill. And that indeed kept me out of a lot of dessert games. I never thought of your solution and so appreciate it. (I personally love real whipped cream tho) The cautionary note about the gelatin is so valid – just made sort of a mess doing that wrong with another dessert this week. I hope that you enjoy a Merry Christmas and it is a gift to have you on our side!
If I were to try and make this chocolate cool whip, when should I add chocolate sauce or what would I add to chocolafy it?
I’m trying this. I love Cool Whip but the ingredients are pretty bad. Have you determined the shelf life in the refrigerator and whether or not you can freeze it?