Did You Know You Can Freeze Leftover Whipped Cream?

Christine Gallary
Christine GallarySenior Recipe Editor at The Kitchn
After graduating from Le Cordon Bleu in Paris, I worked at Cook's Illustrated and CHOW's test kitchens. I've edited and tested recipes for more than 15 years, including developing recipes for the James Beard-award winning Mister Jiu's in Chinatown cookbook. My favorite taste testers are my husband, Hayden, and daughter, Sophie.
published Jul 1, 2015
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(Image credit: Christine Gallary)

Whipped cream is one of life’s little luxuries that makes everything it touches just a wee bit better. Whether you like it to melt into your hot cocoa, crown your hot fudge sundae, or gild your pie or apple crisp, it’s amazing how just taking a whisk to some heavy cream transforms it so beautifully.

But what about that leftover whipped cream that didn’t get served? Should you just toss it? We’re here to tell you that you should never, ever, throw away leftover whipped cream. Freeze it instead!

(Image credit: Christine Gallary)

How to Freeze Whipped Cream

To my pleasant surprise, I found that whipped cream actually freezes very well. Simply dollop spoonfuls of whipped cream onto a parchment-lined baking sheet. If you’re feeling decorative, use a piping tip and pipe little swirls. I did a few different sizes that would work for a mug of hot chocolate or on top of strawberry shortcake.

Pop the whole thing into the freezer until frozen solid, then store in a freezer bag until you need it.

(Image credit: Christine Gallary)

How to Use Frozen Whipped Cream

When your hot cocoa or coffee needs a creamy touch, just toss one of the frozen whipped cream mounds right on top. If you’re serving it on something like shortcake or pie, transfer let the mounds directly onto the plated dessert, let them sit out for 15 to 20 minutes to thaw, then dig in! The texture of the whipped cream holds up really well, and it’s great to have such a fun garnish stashed away in the freezer.

(Image credit: Christine Gallary)

You’ll never look at leftover whipped cream the same way again — you can now essentially make your own homemade version of Cool Whip!

Updated from a post originally published in August 2013.