Name: Easy 5-Minute Homemade Vanilla Whipped Cream
Prep time: 1 min
Total time: 5 min
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 1 cup (240 g) cold heavy cream; 3 Tbsp (22 g) powdered sugar; 1 tsp (4 g) vanilla extract

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Homemade vanilla whipped cream made in 5 minutes with just 3 ingredients! This how-to recipe walks you through the simple steps to make whipped cream at home. It’s the perfect topping for everything from classic pound cake to Belgian waffles!

If you’ve never made whipped cream before, consider this your invitation to try. Homemade whipped cream is light, billowy, and the dreamiest dessert topping! I love it with everything from fresh berries to a slice of chocolate pecan pie.

It’s so easy to make from scratch (I could eat it by the spoonful) and tastes infinitely better than the store-bought variety. Gather your ingredients (heavy cream, powdered sugar, vanilla) and let’s begin!

Chilled heavy cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract

Tips for Success

Use a chilled mixer bowl. I like to chill my stainless steel mixer bowl in the fridge for at least 30 minutes (or in the freezer for 15 minutes) before using. You can also chill the wire whip attachment. Keeping things as cold as possible helps the cream whip up easily.
Cold heavy cream or heavy whipping cream (36% milk fat) whips quickly with a light texture. I keep the cream cold while I’m chilling the mixer bowl and use it straight from the fridge. Do not use half-and-half or whole milk – neither has the fat content necessary to whip up.
For silky smooth whipped cream, use powdered sugar (confectioners’ sugar). Powdered sugar dissolves smoothly in the heavy cream and also contains a small amount of cornstarch, which helps thicken the whipped cream.
Pure vanilla extract adds rich flavor (I use and love Rodelle Gourmet Vanilla Extract). You can also use vanilla bean paste or the seeds of a vanilla bean.
Avoid overbeating or overmixing. If you overmix, the whipped cream can start to develop a grainy texture or separate. Whipping to medium peaks is ideal for most uses. If you’d like to make a thicker whipped cream that you can pipe, see note in the recipe card.

How to Make Whipped Cream

Pour cold heavy cream into a chilled mixer bowl fitted with the wire whip attachment. Add powdered sugar and whip the mixture on medium speed until cream begins to thicken, about 2 minutes.

Heavy cream whipped with powdered sugar until thickened

Add vanilla extract to the mixer bowl, then whip the cream on medium-high speed until medium peaks form, about 1 1/2 minutes.

Cream whipped to medium peaks in mixer bowl

At this point, use immediately or transfer to an airtight container in the refrigerator. The texture holds up well for at least 12 hours, but you can make whipped cream up to 24 hours in advance.

Favorite ways to use whipped cream:

Serve with sour cream pound cake
Pipe onto lemon cheesecake
Dollop over pumpkin bread pudding
Top classic raspberry pavlova
Fill homemade cream puffs
Enjoy with lemon pound cake

Did you try this Homemade Whipped Cream Recipe? Let me know by leaving a comment and rating below!