Make-Ahead Whipped Cream Recipe

Our make-ahead whipped cream is light and fluffy and lasts up to several days in your fridge. It is the best whipped cream for pies, cakes, hot chocolate, and more! Gluten-free.

My daughter eats the whipped cream off of pie and leaves the pie behind. My son loves a scoop of whipped cream from the freezer as a sweet treat. To say my family loves their whipped cream is just the start.

It’s easy to do taking less than 10 minutes and just 3 ingredients. This recipe can be made ahead of time because one of the ingredients stabilizes the cream, helping it stay together and not deflate into mush after an hour.

Can Whipped Cream Be Made Ahead Of Time?

Yes, it can! The following recipe doesn’t use unflavored gelatin as other recipes do but rather cream cheese – the extra fat and acid help keep the whipped cream stable for longer.

Kitchen Tip: You could use full-fat Greek yogurt or sour cream in place of the cream cheese.

Before You Get Started

To make the best-whipped cream in the shortest amount of time, chill the cream, mixing bowl, and beaters from your kitchen mixer until they’re very cold.

Kitchen Tip: For a quicker chill time, put the bowl and beaters in the freezer for 10 minutes, and keep the chilled cream refrigerated until you’re ready to use it. The colder the cream, the faster it will whip up.

Use a mixing bowl large enough to allow the whipped cream to expand as you mix and tall enough to keep the cream from splashing out.

Kitchen Tip: A cup of cream will make about 2 cups of whipped cream.

How To Make

1. Place mixing bowl and beaters (use the whisk attachment if available) into the refrigerator for 15 minutes to chill. Keep the cream in the refrigerator until you’re ready to use it.
2. Bring cream cheese to room temperature
3. Once the bowl and beaters are chilled, add the heavy whipping cream to the mixing bowl and mix on low, gradually increasing the speed as it starts to thicken.
4. Add powdered sugar and blend on medium-high speed.
5. Once the cream is thick enough to turn on high without splashing out of the bowl, add cream cheese.
6. Continue blending until you reach your desired thickness of soft peaks, medium peaks, or stiff peaks

After the bowl and beaters are chilled, add the heavy whipping cream to the bowl. Start mixing on low.

Keep the mixer on low until the cream starts to thicken, about 2 minutes. Once it starts to thicken, increase the speed to medium. 

Add the powdered sugar and continue mixing. At this point, the stabilized whipped cream will still be quick liquidy, but this will quickly change so keep an eye on it.

As the mixture continues to thicken add the cream cheese. Take care to add it slowly so the mixture doesn’t splash everywhere. Softened cream cheese blends in easier than cold cream cheese. At this point, the stabilized whipped cream is almost ready. 

Continue whipping until soft peaks start to form. If you want stiffer peaks, beat a little longer, but check frequently to make sure it’s not getting too thick.

Kitchen Tip: Soft peaks fold over when you lift the whisk out of the cream. Medium peaks keep their shape when you lift out the whisk, but the overall texture is still soft and pillowy. Stiff peaks have the firmest structure.

Stop mixing when the cream is just right for how you want to use it. If you want light and fluffy, go for medium peaks, if you want a nice firm dollop on top of your pie, go for firm peaks. 

FAQ