Strawberry Whipped Cream
Strawberry Whipped Cream is a twist on classic homemade whipped cream! Use finely crushed freeze dried strawberries to create a fresh strawberry flavored whipped cream in just minutes. It’s so easy and the taste is lovely!
Love dessert? Try my Brown Sugar Whipped Cream next!
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Homemade whipped cream is so easy to make and it instantly fancies up any dessert (or breakfast-for-dinner situation). With a good hand mixer (or stand mixer) it takes just minutes to whip heavy whipping cream into fluffy perfection. Plus, when you make it yourself you have complete control over the ingredients list.
Why You’ll Love This Whipped Cream Recipe
- Change up the classic flavor of whipped cream with an irresistible strawberry flavor!
- This whipped cream is AMAZING on pancakes, waffles, French toast. Serve it at your next brunch!
- Homemade whipped cream can be prepared up to several hours in advance so you can make it ahead of time if needed.
Different Ways to Make Strawberry Whipped Cream
There are several different ways to flavor homemade whipped cream with a strawberry flavor. Here’s a few popular options:
Fresh Fruit
Using fresh fruit for whipped cream is fairly time consuming. You’ll have to wash, chop, and cook the strawberries. You’ll also need to blend everything completely smooth. The puree must be completely cool before whipping with the heavy cream.
You’ll need to remove a LOT of moisture to make a good strawberry whipped cream. This can be challenging. This variation will be more prone to weeping (water separation). The fresh fruit method is do-able, but time-consuming!
Gelatin Powder
Using strawberry flavored gelatin powder (such as “Jell-O”) is another option for preparing whipped cream. While some recipes suggest whipping the powder right up with the heavy cream, I’ve found that tends to make a slightly grainy whipped cream.
On my sister site, Bellewood Cottage, I’ve shared a Stabilized Strawberry Whipped Cream Recipe that uses strawberry gelatin powder and calls for just a few extra steps for a perfectly smooth finish.
It’s nice to have the added stability from the gelatin, so if that’s something you are looking for, consider trying that recipe. It’s also a gorgeous pink!


Freeze Dried Strawberries
Using freeze dried strawberries is currently my favorite way to prepare strawberry whipped cream. It’s a very quick process–you can have it ready in just minutes.
You’ll need freeze dried strawberries–about 1/2 cup of berries per 1 cup of heavy cream. The berries need to be finely crushed. You can do this in a ziptop bag with a rolling pin, or use a food processor. The food processor will provide a finer texture, but either way, expect to have some texture in the whipped cream.
If you fall in love with freeze-dried strawberries, also check out my recipe for Strawberry Cookies with Strawberry Buttercream–made completely with freeze-dried berries!
Ingredients in Strawberry Whipped Cream
You need four simple ingredients to prepare whipped cream with freeze dried strawberries (plus a pinch of salt if you’d like).

Heavy Whipping Cream – See notes below on why you must choose “heavy cream” or “heavy whipping cream” to make homemade whipped cream. Use fresh heavy cream that is well-chilled for the best results.
Powdered Sugar – I use powdered sugar in my whipped cream recipes because it contains cornstarch which helps improve the stability of the whipped cream. Granulated sugar will also work as a substitute. Just be sure to add it at the beginning of the recipe (as I do with all my recipes) and it will dissolve perfectly by the time the cream is whipped up.
If you prefer a less-sweet cream, you can use less sugar–around half would be right.
Vanilla Extract – When making whipped cream, the flavor of the vanilla extract you use will really shine through. Use a high-quality extract and skip the imitation varieties.
Freeze Dried Strawberries – I am loving experimenting with freeze dried strawberries! They seem to be getting more and more popular so you shouldn’t have trouble finding them, but I’ve included some notes below on where I buy them (and what they are exactly!).
Before You Start: I’ll mention this a few times, but this whipped cream will not be perfectly smooth because of the nature of the crushed berries. I don’t think it detracts at all from the finished whipped cream, but I do want to make you aware!
What Are Freeze Dried Strawberries and Where Do I Buy Them?
Freeze dried strawberries are becoming so popular these days! They make a healthy snack and they are tasty when crushed and added to frostings and baked goods. The strawberry flavor really comes though and you skip all the hassle of cooking down and pureeing fresh strawberries.
What are freeze dried strawberries you might ask? They are dehydrated berries that are crisp, crunchy, and super lightweight. You’ll taste the strawberry flavor easily, but with all (or most) of the moisture removed they are so different from a fresh strawberry!
You can’t substitute freeze dried strawberries for fresh berries in everything, but for some recipes (like this one) it really works exceptionally well!
They are convenient for snacking and packing since you don’t need to worry about refrigeration.
I purchase mine at Aldi where they sell bags of the berries as well as a new “snack bag” package with several snack packs inside a larger bag. I’ve also seen them at Cub, Walmart, Target, and Trader Joes.
Check your grocery by the dried fruit and/or trail mix and you should find them.

Why You Need “Heavy Whipping Cream” to Make Whipped Cream
If you are going to prepare homemade whipped cream, it’s important to start with the right ingredients.
You want to look for “heavy whipping cream” or “heavy cream” while grocery shopping. Each of these options will be at least 36% milk fat.
Avoid “whipping cream” which sounds like a good choice, but is actually lower in fat. “Whipping cream” contains only 30%-36% milk fat. This lower fat product doesn’t whip as well as heavy cream and the finished product will lack lift and stability.
If you have purchased the wrong cream, consider using it in a recipe like scones or a creamy soup instead. It’s also worth noting that the heavy cream should be fresh. You will get the best results with a fresh bottle of cream.
What about half-and-half? Half-and-half cannot be used to make whipped cream. Save it for coffee creamer or another recipe.

Equipment for Making Whipped Cream
Regardless of how your kitchen is stocked, you can likely make whipped cream! No electric mixers? Try a whisk and a bowl. No whisk? Find a jar with a lid and get shaking.
- Bowl and whisk: Use a chilled metal bowl and a whisk to make whipped cream by hand. It’ll take some time and is much easier if you can trade off with a friend.
- Electric mixer: Most home cooks opt for using a stand mixer or hand mixer to beat whipped cream to soft, medium, or stiff peaks in just minutes. If you are new to making whipped cream it can be easy to overdo it and end up with butter when using an electric mixer, so do be cautious.
- Mason jar: You can also use a mason jar to make whipped cream! It’s particularly useful if you want just a small amount. I do find it’s hard to achieve medium or stiff peaks with this method.
- Whipped cream dispenser: Another option is to use a whipped cream dispenser. These devices are handy for any time you want to easily pipe fresh whipped cream. Guests love it too.
I own a EurKitchen Whipped Cream dispenser like the one linked, but mine is aluminum instead of stainless steel. I’d suggest the stainless steel if you are interested in trying one of these–the quality is worth the extra cost. Note that you will need a fresh charger for each batch of whipped cream.
What Should I Serve with Strawberry Whipped Cream?
Oh the possibilities! You can sub it in wherever it makes sense in your favorite recipes (swirled on top of a strawberry cheesecake perhaps?). It’s great on top of no bake recipes (pies, cheesecakes, frozen desserts), milkshakes, pancakes, French toast, waffles, crepes, coffee, cakes, fresh berries, and more.
How to Make Strawberry Whipped Cream
Here’s a summary of how this recipe is made. Find the complete ingredients list and full instructions within the printable recipe card below!
Use a food processor to crush the berries to a fine dust OR place them in a ziptop bag (closed tightly) and crush with a rolling pin. The berries will be dusty, so careful with the mess!
Add the cold heavy whipping cream to a medium bowl (a chilled metal bowl is ideal) along with the crushed berries, powdered sugar, vanilla extract, and a pinch of salt (salt is optional).
Use a hand mixer to whip the cream until it begins to thicken and “tracks” from the mixer start to form.

Check the whipped cream frequently once it thickens so you don’t accidentally overbeat it. Whipped cream is generally served with soft, medium, or stiff peaks.
Use the fresh whipped cream immediately or store in the fridge up to a few hours (for best texture) or up to five days.
Extra Tips for Success
Whenever I’m in the kitchen, I want recipes to turn out perfectly. Here’s some tips and tricks I have for preparing perfect whipped cream!
- Use fresh cream labeled “heavy cream” or “heavy whipping cream” for best results.
- Chill a metal bowl and the whisk used (this is applicable for stand mixers, hand mixers, and mixing by hand) for fifteen minutes before starting. This helps everything whip up quickly and stay stable.
- Don’t expect whipped cream to act like a buttercream frosting. While you can get great stability by whipping to stiff peaks and using a chilled bowl, whipped cream is still delicate. Don’t try to use whipped cream to frost a three-layer cake.
- Use a high-quality brand of heavy whipping cream for the best overall flavor.
- Skip imitation vanilla extract in favor of the real thing.
FAQS for Whipped Cream
Whipped cream is generally best prepared right before serving or within a few hours of serving. That being said, it does hold up pretty well in the fridge for up to five days. The texture won’t be as perfectly fluffy and you may notice some weeping (excess liquid separating from the cream), but it’s still tasty!
Yes! You can freeze rosettes of whipped cream (flash freeze and then pack them together to save space if you want) or just fill a freezer-safe container with extra whipped cream and pop it in the freezer. Thaw in the fridge. The texture will be good, just not quite as perfect as freshly made. If you like topping your morning coffee with a little whipped cream, freezing small quantities is the perfect solution!
If you’ve overwhipped a batch of whipped cream, you can still salvage it. Clumpy and stiff whipped cream can be helped, but if it’s turned into butter or almost-butter you will have to start fresh. For overwhipped cream, grab some more heavy cream and add a tablespoon or two to the bowl. Begin gently folding it in with a spatula. Don’t whip it, just fold gently. You may need to add several installments of heavy cream to get the texture right again. Add it in a tablespoon or so at a time.
Whipped cream is often used to “frost” no-bake desserts or sheet cake desserts such as Strawberry Poke Cake. While it works well for these types of recipes, whipped cream is generally not a good choice for frosting layer cakes or even piping on top of cupcakes. It’s pretty delicate and the weeping (separation of watery liquid from the cream) can present problems too. It can work if you opt to stabilize the cream somehow (usually by aid of pudding mix, gelatin, or cream cheese). Specific recipes that call for whipped cream as a frosting will provide guides on how long the dessert will last and the best advice for preparation and storage.
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Strawberry Whipped Cream with Freeze Dried Strawberries
Ingredients
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream very cold
- ½ cup freeze dried strawberries
- 3 tablespoons powdered sugar
- ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
- pinch of table salt (optional)
Instructions
- Use a food processor to crush the berries to a fine dust OR place them in a ziptop bag (closed tightly) and crush with a rolling pin. The berries will be very dusty, so careful with the mess!
- Add the cold heavy whipping cream to a medium bowl (a chilled metal bowl is ideal) along with the crushed berries, powdered sugar, vanilla extract, and a pinch of salt (salt is optional).Prepare a hand mixer with the whisk attachment.Note: Alternatively, use a stand mixer (whipping will take less time) or a whisk and bowl (whipping will take more time, and a lot of muscle!)
- Turn the mixer on low and begin to whisk until the mixture starts to thicken and foam. Once the mixture is foamy, turn up the mixer speed on the mixer to medium. Watch the cream closely as it will begin to thicken and "tracks" from the mixer start to form. The amount of time this takes can vary depending on the quantity of cream and your mixer/mixer speed, but I find about 3 minutes is average.
- Once the cream is thick, stop your mixer periodically to check for peaks. Once you've achieved "soft peaks" (see notes below) either stop whipping or continue to whip and check the cream VERY frequently (every 10-15 seconds) until you've reached medium or stiff peaks.
- How to tell if the whipped cream is ready:Turn off the mixer, pull the whisk away and check the consistency of the "peak" that forms on the whisk.Soft peaks – Soft and billowy whipped cream. These peaks will flop right over. Excellent for scooping on top of desserts, but not ideal for piping.Medium peaks – Medium peaks hold their shape, but flop over a bit right at the top. Medium or stiff peaks are best for piping. I usually aim for medium peaks when I prepare whipped cream.Stiff peaks – A stiff peak of whipped cream holds its shape and does not flop at all. This is an ideal texture for piping. Be careful when aiming for stiff peaks because it's easy to overwhip at this point.Overbeaten – At this point, the whipped cream has become stiff and clumpy. Check my tips within the blog post for fixing overbeaten whipped cream.Use the fresh whipped cream immediately or see notes on how to store it for best texture.