Homemade Cool Whip

5 from 1 vote

Say goodbye to store-bought mediocrity and learn how to make homemade cool whip! There's something undeniably magical about this fluffy, vanilla-flavored, cloud-like topping. With just a few ingredients and minimal effort, you can whip up a batch of America’s favorite creamy topping in mere minutes!

Prep Time5

Total Time5

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Servings:

Calories: 189kcal

Author: Katalin Nagy

Equipment

Electric hand mixer

Ingredients

Homemade Cool Whip

230 g Heavy Cream 36% fat content, cold
60 g Powdered sugar sifted
1 teaspoon Vanilla extract
1 teaspoon Gelatin powder
4 teaspoons Cold water

Metric - US Customary

Instructions

Whisk gelatin and cold water in a small bowl until combined, and set it aside.
Place very cold 36% fat content heavy cream into a mixing bowl along with the sifted powdered sugar.
Whip it up with an electric hand mixer for about a minute and then add the vanilla.
Next, microwave the gelatin and water mixture for a few seconds or until it returns to a liquid form. Then slowly pour the gelatin mixture into the whipped cream while the mixer is running at the same time.
Whip the mixture until stiff peaks. When the frosting reaches a fluffy and pipeable consistency after 2 to 3 minutes (early hard peaks, straight after soft peaks), stop whipping immediately. If you continue whipping, the frosting will separate, get runny, and then it will turn into butter.
Use the homemade cool whip to fill, frost, or decorate your desserts according to your recipe.
The homemade Cool Whip can be refrigerated for 1-2 days and should not deflate if it is whipped up correctly.

Notes

Ingredient notes:

Measure your ingredients with a digital scale for accuracy.
The heavy cream needs to be high in fat (36%+). The low-fat version won't whip up correctly because it contains more water.
Sift the powdered sugar before using.

Technique notes:

Make sure you read my Expert Tips section above to maximize your success. A short recipe alone is not able to cover all the necessary details, and science behind baking.
Whipped cream is very easy to overwhip. When whipping, stop as soon as the mixture has reached a fluffy consistency (this will take 2-3 minutes) and early stiff peaks. It won't get stiffer after this point. In fact, if you overbeat, it will only get runnier and then it will break.
You can add flavorings to this homemade cool whip but you need to do it carefully. Use the powdered or gel version instead of the liquid version whenever possible, eg. cinnamon, cocoa powder, etc. But, do not overmix.

Nutrition