Basic Whipped Cream
This recipe gives a step-by-step guide for making homemade whipped cream. For more of the theory, check out its main ingredient page.
- Prep
- 15 min
- Cook
- 35 min
- Total
- 50 min
- Servings
- As written in source
- Difficulty
- Medium
Timings are approximate — worked out from the method, not measured in a test kitchen.
Ingredients
Quantities are retained as written by the source and do not scale automatically. Tap an ingredient to check it off as you go.
Cooking instructions
Procedure
Chill a mixing bowl and the beaters of an electric mixer in the refrigerator for at least 10 minutes. If using a mixer with multiple kinds of beaters, use the whisk attachment. This step is very important, because the cream will not rise if the mixer is warm.
Procedure
Pour the cold cream into the chilled bowl. Start whipping at medium speed until foamy.
Procedure
Continue whipping until you notice the cream thickening around the beaters and leaving visible traces. This is your sign to watch it carefully, as it's easy to overwhip.
Procedure
Continue whipping in bursts of 10–30 seconds until you reach the desired level of stiffness, checking regularly. Stop immediately if you notice small grains or lumps start to form in the smooth cream.Overwhipped cream—note the graininess compared to the above image.
Procedure
Refrigerate until use.
Notes, tips, and variations
You must use a grade of cream with a fat content of at least 30%, since the fat is what stabilizes the whipped cream.
Notes, tips, and variations
Unlike when whipping egg whites, it's not important to make sure there's no fat in the mixture (after all, the cream itself is high in fat). It is important, however, to make sure that the bowl and mixers are dry and cold and that the cream is cold.
Notes, tips, and variations
It's very feasible to whip cream by hand—much easier than whipping egg whites by hand. In fact, if you're not working with a very large volume of cream, whipping by hand can help make sure you don't overwhip it.
Notes, tips, and variations
Whipping at medium speed (as opposed to high speed) is a little slower but helps to create a more stable foam.
Photo: Rhett Sutphin · CC BY 2.0 · https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0 · Photo source and licence
Wikibooks contributors · CC BY-SA 4.0 · https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/ · Adapted; quantities retained as written. · Original source
Read it through first
Skim all 9 steps before you start — it is the difference between cooking and firefighting.
Scale it
Use the quantities listed in the original recipe. Adjust them manually if making a different batch size.
Storage
Cool completely, then keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to three days.
Reheating
Reheat gently with a splash of water in a covered pan, rather than blasting it, so nothing dries out.
Approximate values per serving. Worked out from the ingredient list — treat them as a guide, not a measurement.
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