4 Ways to Make Whipped Cream (2024)

If you asked me what my favorite dessert is, I might just tell you that it’s a bowl of ripe berries or peaches with a HUGE dollop of whipped cream on top. So huge of a dollop that it might not even be called a dollop anymore. But the point is, the gloriousness of freshly whipped cream cannot be understated. It’s simple, has the most luxurious lightness to it, and boasts a heavenly sweet cream flavor that can’t be beat.

I understand that convenience is a huge part of our lives in the kitchen, but for me, canned aerosol whipped cream and the frozen tubbed stuff will never hold a candle to freshly whipped cream. Plus, homemade whipped cream is so darn easy to make.

Today I’m going to share four different ways to make it. Let’s start with my favorite way.

1 - Using nothing but a balloon whisk and a bowl

This method is my favorite for a few reasons. It’s the most consistent, evenly whipped cream, and also the most satisfying to make. It does take a little bit of arm work to whip, but there’s something truly enjoyable about the act of hand-whipping cream. You get to watch it transform from a pourable liquid into a thick, luscious cloud with every whip of the arm. And, because it’s a fairly gradual process, you’re less likely to overwhip the cream.

To get started, pour the heavy whipping cream into a large bowl.

Now it’s time to add your sugar.

Generally, I prefer to use granulated sugar over confectioner’s, because the cornstarch present in the confectioner’s sugar makes whipped cream slightly gritty. (This is another reason I prefer to hand-whip cream, because you can’t use granulated sugar with the stand mixer method, which I’ll explain more about later.)

Lastly, add in a splash of vanilla extract. You can also use other flavorings or sweet alcohols like Amaretto or Frangelico.

When you first start whisking, the heavy cream will form very large bubbles on top.

Over the next minute or two of whisking, those large bubbles will disappear and you’ll see the cream thicken up, with ridge trails left by the whisk.

Even though it looks thick, you can tell it’s still too runny.

After another minute or so of whisking, it’s perfect, and has reached soft peaks.

You can test for soft peaks by lifting the whisk straight out of the bowl, flipping it over, and seeing that the dollop of whipped cream falls ever so slightly to the side. It’s now ready to be used!

2 - Using a hand mixer

Everything about this method is the exact same as above, but instead of using your arm, the electric mixer does all the work for you.

You can use granulated sugar for this method and it will dissolve just fine as you whip the cream.

One minor downside to this method is the whipped cream will not be as even as the hand-whipped cream. You’ll notice larger bubbles at the beginning of the whipping process than with the hand-whipped cream, and toward the end, you may notice part of the cream has reached soft peaks while the cream is more liquid underneath. You can mitigate this by using a relatively low speed throughout the whipping process.

3 - Using a stand mixer

Only use this method if you’re making large amounts of whipped cream. Because the whisk attachment doesn’t actually touch the bottom of the bowl, small amounts won’t whip properly. It is also for this reason that you only want to use confectioner’s sugar to sweeten the cream. Granulated sugar will not be touched by the whisk attachment, and will sit at the bottom of the bowl, undissolved.

As with the hand mixer, try to use lower speeds with the stand mixer, so you get a more even whip.

4 - Making whipped cream in a jar

This method is most different from the others. If you think back to your elementary school days, do you remember making butter in a jar by shaking heavy cream vigorously until it separated into butter and buttermilk? That’s exactly what we’ll do here, except we’ll stop before we reach the butter stage.

Fill a jar halfway full with heavy cream, and add confectioner’s sugar and vanilla.

Shake the jar for a couple of minutes until it thickens into whipped cream, watching carefully that you don’t over-shake the cream into butter.

This method is a bit of an arm workout, and you have to be careful about monitoring the thickness of the cream. However, it can be a fun way for kids to help out in the kitchen.

That’s it! The method you prefer is a matter of personal taste, but no matter the method, homemade whipped cream is always worth the effort. Enjoy!