Made from just 3 simple ingredients, this homemade Cool Whip substitute is so easy to make & ridiculously delicious! You’ll never want to buy the stuff from the store again. Homemade whipped cream for the win!
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I remember as a child being in awe as I watched my mom dump cream into a mixing bowl and then a couple of minutes later produce fluffy homemade whipped cream, with beautiful peaks. It seemed almost magical!
And I especially loved when she’d let me lick off the beaters after I sat there mesmerized watching them whirl around, the cream gradually thickening.
Eventually, my mom started using Cool Whip more instead of real whipped cream. But I always had an affinity for the real thing.
Once I was a homemaker myself, I started becoming a bit more health-conscious and realized that the list of ingredients in Cool Whip wasn’t exactly pretty. But since it was usually a lot cheaper than real whipped cream, our tight budget usually won the decision and most times I relied on the bought fake stuff.
Then several years ago I made an exciting discovery! Aldi sells heavy cream for $1.99 a pint and one pint makes a bit more than 1 Cool Whip container full of real whipped cream. That makes it very inexpensive at just $1.49 for the equivalent of an 8 oz. container of Cool Whip!
So I started making my own and haven’t looked back since. If a recipe calls for Cool Whip, I make my own homemade “Cool Whip” with whipping cream and sub it instead. It not only tastes more delicious, but it is also much healthier too!
How to Make Cool Whip
Homemade Cool Whip is super easy to make and takes just three simple ingredients: heavy whipping cream, sugar and vanilla!
To make the Cool Whip, just add the heavy whipping cream to a bowl, then use an electric mixer to whip it up until it starts to thicken. Once it becomes fluffy and forms soft peaks, you add a bit of sugar and vanilla and mix a bit more.
It’s done and ready to enjoy once it’s well mixed and forming stiff peaks.
Some people say that it’s important that you use a chilled bowl when you make DIY Cool Whip, but my grandmother, mom nor I have ever done that and it’s never been an issue. So I say, keep it simple and just use a room temperature bowl!
Recipe for Cool Whip (or homemade Whipped Cream)
Disclaimer: This Cool Whip substitute is not dairy-free like real Cool Whip and therefore is not a good substitute for anyone that is lactose or dairy intolerant.
Easy Homemade Whipped Cream (homemade Cool Whip)
Ingredients
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream
- 3 to 4 Tablespoons sugar
- 1 tsp. vanilla
Instructions
- Pour heavy whipping cream into a mixing bowl. (If you using a hand mixer, make sure the bowl has high sides because the cream will splash quite a bit initially. I’ve found using the whisk attachment helps a lot!)
- Beat on medium speed just until soft peaks are formed.
- Add sugar and continue mixing until stiff peaks form.
- Stir in vanilla.
- Store refrigerated.
Rebekah
This would be so good for my husband and son. I wonder if you can make whipped cream out of non dairy milk? I have two girls allergic to cow and goat milk. Thanks for sharing. I will have to try it soon!
ThriftyFrugalMom
Rebekah, I think you can make something similar with other non-dairy milks, but I’m pretty sure the method is totally different. If you Google it or search on Pinterest, I’m pretty sure you’d be able to find something!
Keri
Looks so delicious! Thanks for sharing!
Shelly
I just saw a video on Facebook the other day about how to make whipped cream in a mason jar. You add 1 cup whipping or heavy cream to the jar. Then add 1-2 tablespoons of powdered sugar and 1-2 drops of vanilla extract. Put the lid on and give the jar a shake for 45 seconds. The result is whipped cream. I was really amazed at how well it worked in the video and when I saw your posts I just had to share.
Because my family has to eat dairy free, we usually don’t have whipped cream. Even Cool Whip has milk in it. But I have found that I can make something similar, whipped coconut cream. It takes a little planning ahead but is a good substitute.
ThriftyFrugalMom
Interesting, Shelly! I guess it would be a good way to get a little workout too! 🙂
Juliana
This sounds so easy! I’ve never made real whipped cream, but I’m ready to try!
ThriftyFrugalMom
Oh do, you’ll love it!
wvglitter
I had never made the real stuff before either. Before tonight, that is! I just had the best cup of hot chocolate of my life 🙂
ThriftyFrugalMom
Oh yum! Real whipped cream on hot chocolate is the best! Glad you liked it. 🙂
Julie@FrugallyBlonde
We always had cool whip growing up, I never cared for it. But, a couple years ago I had leftover cream and tried making this. SO much better than cool whip. My son loves this with fresh fruit in summer.
ThriftyFrugalMom
Anything is better with real whipped cream, right? 😉 And now you have me hungry for fruit with real whipped cream!
Monica
I’ve been doing real whipped cream, too. Mainly, I wasn’t crazy about the corn syrup in the tub o’whipped topping. It’s funny, the taste reminds me of Thanksgiving because we always went to my grandparents and my grandmother only used real cream, whereas my mom always used Cool Whip. I like to think today’s moms are coming full circle on healthy whole foods.
ThriftyFrugalMom
Ah, I love that real whipped cream takes you back to happy memories of Thanksgiving with family. Fun! And yes, funny that you mention that moms are coming full circle. I think you are so right. And it’s kind of interesting because even my own mom hardly uses Cool Whip anymore and started using real whipped cream again.