With your meal halfway finished, you really haven’t got time to nip to the store, just for some cream! There is an answer...you can make your own heavy cream substitute at home.
There really is nothing worse than finding you are out of heavy cream, right when you need whipped cream quickly. Luckily, we have a solution.
You can make your own homemade whipped cream, without using any heavy cream at all! All you need is a few kitchen essentials like milk, sugar and butter, and you can make your own in a matter of minutes!
If you are stuck in a bind, and need to make whipped cream fast, without running to the store to get some heavy cream, then we have got you covered. Our recipe is a lifesaver, and one you will want to keep handy!
How To Replace Heavy Cream
You may be wondering how you could possibly replace heavy cream with a little bit of milk and butter, as the main benefit of using heavy cream in recipes is its thick consistency, and high fat content.
For example, heavy cream typically has a fat content of about 35%, whereas whole milk has a much lower fat content of about 3.5%, which is a huge difference!
This is why we use butter with the milk, as this can increase the fat content and improve the consistency, thickening the mixture up a little. Butter has a fat content of around 80%, and so this works as an excellent substitute to help you create your own homemade heavy cream, ready for whipping.
All you need to do then, is whip it up and whisk it until it comes together like whipped cream.
How You Can Make Whipped Cream Without Any Heavy Cream
You may have all of the ingredients ready to go, but without our information, you probably do not know where to start.
Luckily, we can tell you exactly how to make whipped cream without heavy cream, and you may never go back to using heavy cream again!
To do this, all you have to do is make a heavy cream substitute, and then turn that substitute into the whipped cream. Sound all too easy? Let’s take a look!
Make A Heavy Cream Substitute
The first thing you will have to do is gather all of your ingredients, all of which you will most likely have hanging around in your kitchen cupboards. These are just milk, a little bit of butter, powdered sugar, and a pinch of salt and vanilla extract.
Then, you are going to have to combine these ingredients to make a heavy cream sort of substitute. This can be done with a double boiler, to melt the butter until it is ready to use.
A double boiler is basically done by just resting a glass bowl on top of a pot filled with just enough water to warm the glass bowl without submerging it.
Therefore, all you have to do is bring the water to the boil, so that it can warm the glass bowl up. Place the butter within the glass bowl, and leave it until it melts completely. Once this is done, you can remove it from the double boiler, and start whisking it, ready to make the cream.
Keep in mind that you do not want the butter to be scalding hot, or it will be too hard to work with, instead leave it on the double boiler until it is nearly completely melted, and then whisk it up until it is. Once you have done that, you will be able to mix in the milk slowly, and keep whisking them together.
Once you have got your milk and butter emulsion, you can use this as your heavy cream replacement, which you can then use in creamy recipes, sauces or soups. But, if you want to make it into whipped cream, then you should follow the steps below.
Turn Your Heavy Cream Substitute Into Whipped Cream
To turn your homemade heavy cream into whipped cream, you should leave the milk and butter emulsion to cool for around 5 minutes.
Then, you will need to add in the powdered sugar, along with a little vanilla extract if you want, and a pinch of salt.
It is important to remember that you will need the powdered sugar if you want your cream to be whipped, as this will bind the milk and butter together perfectly, and help to thicken it.
If you are making your whipped cream with a mixer, then you will have to stir all of your ingredients together before pouring into the mixing bowl, and whisking it on a gradual high speed.
This will need to be done for about 5 minutes if you want whipped cream, and you may need to add more powdered sugar to thicken it to the perfect consistency for your needs.
However, if you are mixing the whipped cream with a whisk by hand, then it may be a good idea to use the bowl you melted the butter in, just by adding in the milk slowly and gradually.
Then, with all of your ingredients in, you can whisk for a little longer, about 5-8 minutes for that perfect whipped consistency.
How To Make Whipped Cream Without Heavy Cream- Step By Step
Making whipped cream without any heavy cream is surprisingly very simple, as long as you know how! We are here to provide you with two of our best methods, so that you never have to run out to the store at the last minute again.
For these methods to work, you are going to need a few vital ingredients. These are just ¾ of a cup of whole milk, ⅓ cup of butter, ¼ cup of powdered sugar.
Once you have these, then there are two ways that we know how to make whipped cream without heavy cream, with the bowl and whisk method, and with the stand mixer method.
This method can sometimes take a little longer, and little more elbow grease, but the results are phenomenal. However, you may struggle to get it as thick as you need, so you may want to leave the mixture in the refrigerator for a few minutes, and whisk it again to thicken it up.
Bowl and Whisk Method
This method is really simple if you want to do things the old fashioned way, or you prefer not to use a stand mixer. All you need to do to create the best whipped cream without heavy cream is follow these simple steps.
The first step is to use your double boiler to melt the butter within a heatproof bowl until it is almost in a liquid state. Once you reach this point, you will need to remove the bowl from the heat, and start whisking the butter until it has melted completely.
Once this has happened, you will need to slowly pour the milk into the butter and mix together with a whisk. Continue to whisk for about 5 minutes, then leave the mixture to cool for a further 5 minutes.
Then, you can add in all of the other remaining ingredients, and whisk them together for about 5-7 minutes until completely combined, and you start to have a thick, whipped cream texture.
If the mixture is not as thick as you need, then you can place the mixing bowl into your refrigerator, and allow it to cool for about 5 minutes or so. Then, remove it from the refrigerator, and whisk for another 5 minutes until it thickens.
Stand Mixer Method
The stand mixer method is pretty much the same as the bowl and whisk method, just with a stand mixer. If you prefer using a mixer in your cooking, then read ahead to make your whipped cream!
The first step is to use a double boiler to melt the butter within a heatproof bowl until it is almost completely liquid. Then, you can remove the bowl from the heat, and start whisking until it is fully melted.
Next, you are going to want to pour the milk slowly into the butter, and whisk them together, for about 5 minutes. Then, leave the mixture to cool for another 5 minutes.
Once this is done, you can pour the mixture into the bowl of your stand mixer, and add in all of the other ingredients. Then, slowly increase the mixer speed up until you reach the high, and then mix until the cream is thickened to your liking.
If the mixture is not as thick as you want it, then you can add a little more powdered sugar (1 tbsp) and mix again until you reach the desired consistency. Once you’re done, prepare to serve up your homemade whipped cream however you like it!
Recipe Card
Make whipped cream without heavy cream in minutes, saving you that last minute trip to the store!
Servings: 1 Cup
Prep time: 20 minutes
Total time: 20 minutes
Ingredients:
⅓ cup of butter
¾ cup of whole milk
¼ cup of powdered sugar
Small pinch of salt
½ tsp vanilla extract
Bowl and Whisk Method:
Use a double boiler to melt the butter in a heatproof bowl until it nearly reaches a liquid state.
Then, remove the bowl from the heat, and begin whisking until the butter is completely melted all the way through.
Slowly pour the milk into the butter, continuing to whisk throughout. Keep stirring the mixture for about 5 minutes.
Leave the mixture to cool for 5 minutes.
Once cooled, add in the rest of the ingredients, and whisk together for 5-7 minutes.
Keep whisking until the mixture begins to thicken. If this does not happen straight away, place the bowl in the refrigerator, and leave for about 5 minutes, before removing and whisking for a further 5 minutes also.
Stand Mixer Method:
Use a double boiler to melt the butter in a heatproof bowl until it reaches a liquid state.
Take the bowl off the heat, and whisk until the butter is completely melted.
Slowly pour the milk into the butter, and continue to whisk for a further 5 minutes.
Leave the mixture to cool for 5 minutes.
Add the mixture to the bowl of the stand mixer, and pour in the remaining ingredients.
Slowly increase the speed of your stand mixer, until it reaches high speed, and mix the ingredients until they have thickened to the right consistency.
Optionally add a little powdered sugar to increase thickness.
Cassie brings decades of experience to the Kitchen Community. She is a noted chef and avid gardener. Her new book "Healthy Eating Through the Garden" will be released shortly. When not writing or speaking about food and gardens Cassie can be found puttering around farmer's markets and greenhouses looking for the next great idea.
