An indulgent addition to many desserts, pies, hot chocolate, etc., whipped cream is usually made using heavy cream and beating it, using a mixer or a whisk until it is light, airy and fluffy.
However, if you need whipped cream for your recipe quickly but find that you’re out of heavy cream, thankfully, you can whip up whipped cream minus the heavy cream just using milk or milk substitutes and a few other ingredients in a jiffy.
And, if you’re wondering how, here’s our handy recipe that will tell you everything about making whipped cream at home without heavy cream.
How to Replace Heavy Cream?
Heavy cream is used to make whipped cream because of its high-fat content and its thick consistency. Typically, heavy cream has around 35% fat content, while the fat content in whole milk is a lot less, i.e., 3.5%. So, when you want to make heavy cream from milk, to increase the fat content and also thicken the mixture and improve its consistency, butter is added to the milk.
Related: How Long Does Heavy Cream Last?
The fat content in butter is around 80%, making it a great substitute for making homemade heavy cream that can be used to make whipping cream. However, an important thing to remember is that for better results, you must use good quality butter and whole milk.
Related Content: How to Thicken Heavy Cream
The process to Make Whipped Cream without Heavy Cream
Here is our straightforward recipe and some advice for creating delectable whipped cream without heavy cream if you have all the necessary ingredients but are unsure of how to proceed.
The whipped cream will undoubtedly be so simple to produce and delicious to utilize in your dishes that you’ll probably opt to make it your “go-to” recipe forever. So let’s get going!
Making a Substitute for Heavy Cream
The first step to making whipped cream is to make the substitute that you will be using instead of heavy cream. For this, gather all the ingredients needed. The ingredients required for the substitute for heavy cream are common items that you probably have in your pantry, such as whole milk, butter, powdered sugar, vanilla extract and a bit of salt.
Firstly, you must melt the butter, which you can do by using the double boiler method. You need to place a glass bowl on a pan filled with water to the level such that the glass bowl gets warmed without getting submerged.
Bring the water in the pan to a boil so that the glass bowl placed on it gets warmed up. Put the butter into the glass bowl and let it remain there until it melts. When the butter melts fully, remove it and start whisking so that it is ready to be used to make the cream. You can either whisk by hand or use a hand mixer for mixing.
An important thing to remember is that the butter should not be too hot as this will make it too difficult to work with. Just leave the butter on the double boiler until it melts and then whisk it until it is completely melted. Once this is done, add whole milk to the butter very slowly and whisk the milk and butter until it emulsifies.
You can use the emulsion then as a substitute for heavy cream, which you can use in soups, sauces and other cream-based recipes or you can use this to make whipped cream, which you can do by following the steps that we have described below.
How to Make Whipped Cream Using the Heavy Cream Substitute
The next step is to make the whipped cream from the heavy cream. To do this, first, let the milk-butter emulsion cool for around 5 minutes. To the emulsion, add the powdered sugar and a pinch of salt. If you want vanilla-flavored whipped cream, then add the vanilla extract.
Typically, when you’re using heavy cream to make whipped cream, you can simply whip the cream until its consistency thickens and it holds together. However, when using the substitute for heavy cream, you will need to use powdered sugar.
Usually, powdered sugar contains tapioca starch or cornstarch that helps to bind the ingredients together and also helps to thicken the cream. The method of making whipped cream depends on whether you’re doing it by hand or using a mixer to whisk.
Mixing By Hand
If you’re mixing by hand using a whisk, then you can add all the ingredients, i.e., powdered sugar, a pinch of salt and vanilla extract to the same bowl in which you had melted the butter. Start whisking the ingredients until the mixture thickens up.
Using a Mixer
If you’re using a mixer to make the whipped cream, simply stir all the ingredients together and pour them into the mixer bowl. Using the whisk attachment on the mixer, start whisking very slowly and then increase the speed to high until the whipped cream starts thickening and reaches the consistency you want.
However, you must keep in mind that the whipped cream will be less fluffy than the regular whipped cream you get if you use heavy cream. Also, when you make whipped cream this way, make sure to use it right away because the whipped cream will not retain its shape for very long.
Step-By-Step Instructions to Make Whipped Cream without Heavy Cream
Making whipped cream even if you don’t have heavy cream is super simple, as long as you have the know-how. There are 2 ways of making whipped cream. The first is by hand, using a bowl and a whisk and the second method is by using a stand mixer.
Both methods require the same ingredients, i.e., 3/4th cup of milk, 1/4th cup of powdered sugar, 1/3rd cup of butter, a pinch of salt and vanilla essence (optional). In the sections below, we’ll give you step-by-step instructions on how to make whipped cream without making use of heavy cream, so that you can make whipped cream anytime easily and quickly right at home without the need to run to the supermarket every time you run out.
Step-By-Step Method Using a Bowl and Whisk
If you love doing things the traditional way or don’t want to use your stand mixer, then the bowl and whisk method to make whipped cream is a very easy method.
Step 1
First, you need to melt the butter using the double boiler in a glass bowl until the butter has melted and turned to a liquid state. When the butter melts, remove the glass bowl from the heat and whisk the butter until it melts completely.
Step 2
Pour the milk into the fully melted butter very slowly and mix together using a whisk. Keep whisking for around 5 minutes and allow the milk and butter mixture to cool for around 5 minutes. Then, add all the other ingredients, i.e., the powdered sugar, salt and vanilla extract.
Step 3
Whisk everything together for around 5 to 7 minutes until all the ingredients are combined properly and the mixture starts to thicken to the thick consistency of whipped cream.
If the mixture has not reached the consistency you desire, then place the bowl with the mixture into the refrigerator and let it cool for around 5 minutes. Then, remove the bowl from the fridge and whisk the mixture for another 5 minutes or until it thickens.
Step-By-Step Method Using a Stand Mixer
The process of making whipped cream in a stand mixer is almost the same as the method of using a bowl and whisk. Here are the step-by-step instructions on how to make whipped cream using a stand mixer.
Step 1
First, you need to melt the butter using the double boiler in a glass bowl until the butter has melted and turned to a liquid state. When the butter melts, remove the glass bowl from the heat and whisk the butter until it melts completely.
Step 2
When the butter has melted fully, pour the milk into the melted butter very slowly and mix using a whisk. Keep whisking for around 5 minutes and allow the milk and butter mixture to cool for around 5 minutes.
Once the mixture has cooled, pour it into the stand mixer bowl and add all the other ingredients, including the powdered sugar, salt and vanilla extract.
Step 3
Gradually, increase the speed of the stand mixer to high and allow it to mix until the cream has thickened to the consistency you want. If the cream is not the thickness you desire, add a tablespoon of powdered sugar and mix until the cream reaches the proper consistency.
Recipe Card for Whipped Cream without Heavy Cream
This whipped cream recipe without using heavy cream is super quick, super delicious, and can be made anytime at all!
- Servings: 1 cup (approx.)
- Cooking Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 20 minutes
Ingredients
- ¾ cup whole milk
- 1/3 cup butter
- ¼ cup powdered sugar
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
- A pinch of salt
Instructions
Bowl and Whisk Method
- Melt the butter in a heatproof bowl using the double boiler until it is liquid.
- Start whisking the butter until it is completely melted after removing the bowl from the heat.
- Pour milk into the butter slowly while whisking constantly. Stir the mixture for around 5 minutes.
- Put the mixture aside and allow it to cool.
- Once the mixture has cooled, add all the other ingredients and whisk them together for 5 to 7 minutes.
- Continue whisking until the mixture thickens. If the mixture does not thicken, place the bowl in the refrigerator for 5 minutes and then remove and whisk again for 5 more minutes.
Stand Mixer Method
- Melt the butter in a heatproof bowl using the double boiler until it is liquid.
- Start whisking the butter until it is completely melted after removing the bowl from the heat.
- Pour milk into the butter slowly while whisking constantly. Stir the mixture for around 5 minutes.
- Put the mixture aside and allow it to cool for around 5 minutes.
- Add the mixture into the stand mixer bowl along with the other ingredients.
- Increase the speed of the stand mixture slowly until it reaches high speed and mixes all the ingredients until it thickens and reaches the desired consistency.
- To increase the thickness, you can add a tablespoon of powdered sugar to the mixture and continue beating.
Further Reading: Best Whipped Cream Dispenser Reviews 2022: Top 5+ Recommended
Wrapping Up
Whipped cream can magically transform anything, from cakes, pies, ice cream sundaes to hot chocolate. However, if you need to make whipped cream and have run out of heavy cream, there’s no need to panic. We hope that with our step-by-step guide, tips and techniques, you can whip up whipped cream at home in a jiffy.
While making homemade whipped cream without using heavy cream is time-consuming and takes some effort, the results are excellent and super satisfying, not to mention that homemade whipped cream is way better than canned whipped cream!