Cold full-fat cream, a spoon of sugar and about three minutes of whipping. That is the whole recipe, and it has been since before electric beaters existed. What trips people up is the cream itself, because Australian supermarket creams are labelled differently from everywhere else and two of the most common ones will never whip no matter how long you beat them. This guide covers which cream to buy, the three ways to whip it (a whisk, a mixer, or a cream whipper and charger), how to tell when it is done, and how to keep it from going flat before dessert.
The short version
| Method | Time | 300ml of cream makes | Holds its shape for | You need |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| By hand with a whisk | 5 to 8 minutes | About 600ml | 2 to 4 hours in the fridge | A cold metal bowl and a balloon whisk |
| Electric beaters or stand mixer | 2 to 4 minutes | About 600ml | 2 to 4 hours in the fridge | Beaters or a mixer with the whisk attachment |
| Cream whipper and N2O charger | About 30 seconds | About 1.2 to 1.5 litres from 500ml | Stays whipped in the whipper for a week or more | A 500ml whipper and one 8g cream charger |
Every method starts the same way. Use cream with at least 35% fat, keep it cold, and stop as soon as it holds a peak. The rest is detail, and the detail is below.
Which cream to buy in Australia
This is where most failed batches start. In Australia the carton says thickened, pure, double, light or whipping, and the word on the front tells you less than the fat percentage on the back. Whipped cream is a foam held together by fat, so under about 30% fat there is nothing for the air to hold on to and the cream stays liquid.
| Label on the carton | Milk fat | Will it whip? | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Thickened cream | 35% | Yes, the easiest | Has a little gelatin or vegetable gum added, which is why it whips fast and holds well. The default choice for whipping in Australia |
| Pure cream or pouring cream | 35% to 40% | Yes | No thickeners, so it whips a little slower and gives a softer, more natural texture. Best for a cream whipper |
| Whipping cream | 35% | Yes | Same thing as thickened cream under a different brand name |
| Double cream or dollop cream | 45% to 50% | Yes, but watch it | So much fat that it whips in seconds and turns grainy almost as fast. Whip by hand and stop early |
| Light thickened cream | 18% | No | Not enough fat. It foams for a moment and collapses |
| Light cream or reduced fat cream | 18% to 25% | No | Same problem. Pouring cream for coffee, not for whipping |
| Clotted cream, sour cream, crème fraîche | Varies | No | Already thick or cultured. Fold them into whipped cream for flavour instead |
If you only remember one thing, buy thickened cream or pure cream and check that the nutrition panel says 35 grams of fat per 100ml or more. If you cannot have dairy, our lactose-free and dairy-free whipped cream guide and vegan whipped cream recipe cover what whips and what does not.
The basic recipe
This makes enough for a pavlova, a trifle or a tray of hot chocolates, and it scales up and down without changing the ratio.
- 300ml cold thickened cream or pure cream
- 1 tablespoon icing sugar (add a second if you like it sweeter)
- Half a teaspoon of vanilla extract or paste, optional
Icing sugar is the better choice over caster sugar because it dissolves instantly and the small amount of cornflour in it helps the cream hold. If caster sugar is all you have, add it at the very start so it has time to dissolve. Add vanilla with the sugar.
Method 1, by hand with a whisk
Slower, but you have complete control and it is almost impossible to over-whip because your arm gives out first.
- Put a metal or glass bowl and the whisk in the freezer for ten minutes. Cold equipment is the single biggest difference between a quick whip and a long one.
- Pour in the cold cream, then the sugar and vanilla.
- Whisk in wide, fast circles, lifting the whisk through the cream to drag air in rather than just stirring. Tilt the bowl so the cream pools on one side.
- After two or three minutes the cream thickens and the whisk starts leaving trails. Keep going.
- At five to eight minutes it will hold a soft peak that flops over at the tip. For a firmer cream that pipes, whisk another minute until the peak stands up. Then stop.
Method 2, electric beaters or a stand mixer
The fastest way to a full bowl and the easiest way to go too far, because the last thirty seconds move very quickly.
- Chill the bowl and beaters for ten minutes if you can.
- Start on low for about thirty seconds so the cream does not spray, then move to medium-high.
- At around two minutes it will look like thick custard and the beaters leave ripples. This is soft peaks, right for folding into mousse or topping a dessert loosely.
- At three to four minutes the ripples hold their shape and a peak stands up when you lift the beaters. This is firm peaks, right for piping, pavlova and cakes. Stop here.
- If it starts to look grainy or yellowish you have gone past firm peaks and the fat is clumping toward butter. Fold in a tablespoon or two of unwhipped cream by hand and it usually comes back.
A Thermomix does the same job with the butterfly at speed 3, and because it is so quick to overshoot we wrote a separate Thermomix whipped cream guide with the exact timings.
Method 3, a cream whipper and an N2O charger
This is how cafés and dessert bars do it, and it is the only method where the cream stays whipped for days instead of hours. A whipper is a sealed steel canister with a nozzle on top. You pour in the cream, screw in an 8g charger of food-grade nitrous oxide, shake, and the gas dissolves into the fat. When you press the lever the pressure drops, the gas expands and the cream comes out whipped. Nothing is beaten, so there is no risk of turning it to butter, and because the cream is sealed under pressure it keeps far longer in the fridge.
- Use pure cream or thickened cream. Pure cream gives the lighter, more natural texture, thickened cream gives a firmer one.
- Mix the sugar and vanilla into the cold cream in a jug first, then pour it into the whipper. A 500ml whipper takes 500ml and no more, the air space above the cream is where the gas works.
- Screw the head on firmly and check the gasket is seated. A hiss when you charge means gas is escaping past the seal.
- Fit one 8g charger into the holder and screw it on until you hear it discharge. One charger per 500ml. A 1 litre whipper takes two.
- Shake firmly four or five times, then hold the whipper upside down and press the lever. If the first squirt is thin, shake twice more.
- Keep it in the fridge between uses and give it a shake before each one. The cream stays whipped for a week or more, inside the cream’s own use-by date.
Our step-by-step whipped cream dispenser guide has photos of each stage, and if you are choosing one the dispenser buying guide explains aluminium versus stainless and what size suits a household. For most home kitchens the Skywhip Pro 500ml cream whipper and a box of cream chargers is the whole kit.
How to tell when it is done
| Stage | What it looks like | Use it for |
|---|---|---|
| Soft peaks | Thick and glossy, the peak flops over when you lift the whisk | Folding into mousse, spooning over fruit, cold foam, hot chocolate |
| Firm peaks | The peak stands up and the cream holds a clean edge when cut | Piping, pavlova, trifle, cakes, topping a spider |
| Over-whipped | Grainy, dull, starting to look like cottage cheese | Fold in a splash of fresh cream to rescue it, or keep going and make butter |
Flavours and variations
Once the plain version works, everything else is the same method with one ingredient added before whipping.
- Chocolate whipped cream with cocoa and a little extra sugar, for cakes and hot chocolate.
- Chantilly cream, the classic French version with vanilla and a touch more sugar.
- Matcha whipped cream for iced lattes and Japanese desserts.
- Alcohol-infused whipped cream with Baileys, Kahlúa or bourbon for adults-only desserts and cocktails.
- Sugar-free whipped cream using a sweetener that dissolves.
- Cold foam for iced coffee, which is barely whipped cream and milk made in the same whipper.
- Whipped cream frosting that holds on a cake, and whipped cream for pavlova that will not weep onto the meringue.
Making it ahead and keeping it
Whipped cream made with a whisk or a mixer is best within a couple of hours. Covered in the fridge it will hold for 24 hours but starts to weep liquid at the bottom, and by day two it needs a quick re-whisk. Cream from a whipper stays whipped in the canister for a week or more because nothing has been beaten into it and it is sealed under pressure, which is why it suits a dessert table or a weekend of pancakes. Our guide to how long whipped cream lasts covers every version including the supermarket can.
If you need piped cream to hold its shape on a cake overnight, or it is a warm day, the answer is a stabiliser. Icing sugar does a little, mascarpone and gelatin do a lot, and the whipper does it without adding anything. The how to thicken whipped cream guide goes through each one, and it is also where to look if your cream refuses to thicken at all.
Quick fixes
- Cream will not thicken. Nine times out of ten it is light cream (18% fat) or warm cream. Check the carton, chill everything and start again.
- Grainy or yellow. Over-whipped. Fold in a tablespoon of fresh cream.
- Weeping on the plate. It was soft peaks when you needed firm, or it has been sitting in a warm room. Whip a little further next time or stabilise it.
- Thin from the whipper. Under-shaken, overfilled past the 500ml line, or a worn gasket letting gas out. Shake again, check the fill, check the seal.
Questions people ask
How long does it take to whip cream?
Two to four minutes with electric beaters, five to eight by hand with a cold bowl and whisk, and about thirty seconds in a cream whipper with an 8g charger. Double cream whips in under a minute and over-whips almost as fast.
Can you whip thickened cream?
Yes. Thickened cream is the easiest cream to whip in Australia because it has 35% fat plus a little gelatin or vegetable gum that helps it hold. Light thickened cream is a different product at 18% fat and will not whip.
How do I know when whipped cream is ready?
Lift the whisk or beaters. If the peak flops over at the tip it is soft peaks, good for folding and spooning. If the peak stands up and holds a clean edge it is firm peaks, good for piping and pavlova. If it looks grainy you have gone too far.
Can you make whipped cream without a mixer?
Yes. A cold metal bowl, a balloon whisk and five to eight minutes of fast whisking gets 300ml of thickened cream to firm peaks. A cream whipper with an N2O charger does it in thirty seconds with no beating at all.
How much whipped cream does 300ml of cream make?
Roughly double, so about 600ml, with a whisk or a mixer. In a cream whipper the same cream expands to about two and a half to three times its volume, so 500ml of cream gives around 1.2 to 1.5 litres.
Can I use light cream for whipped cream?
No. Light cream, light thickened cream and reduced-fat cream sit between 18% and 25% fat and there is not enough fat to trap the air. They foam briefly and collapse. Use thickened or pure cream at 35% or more.
Why did my whipped cream go grainy?
It was over-whipped. Past firm peaks the fat starts clumping into butter. Stop the mixer and gently fold in one or two tablespoons of unwhipped cream, which usually smooths it out.
How long does homemade whipped cream last?
Whisked or beaten cream holds for a few hours and up to 24 hours covered in the fridge before it weeps. Cream whipped in a sealed whipper stays whipped for a week or more as long as the cream itself is within its use-by date.
The gear, delivered in Melbourne
A 500ml whipper and a pack of 8g chargers is everything a home kitchen needs, and a 3.3L tank with a regulator is the step up for a café or a big party. All of it is in the cream chargers and whipped cream dispensers ranges, every price including the cost per charge is on the nangs prices page, and we deliver across Melbourne in about 30 minutes until 2AM early in the week and 5AM Thursday to Sunday. Everything we sell is food-grade N2O for culinary use and every order is 18+.
