Can You Whip Coffee Creamer

Whipped cream is a luxurious beverage topping characterized by its thick, frothy texture and warm mouthfeel. To achieve this texture, heavy cream is usually used as the base.

However, if you don’t have heavy cream, you can use coffee creamer as a substitute. To whip coffee creamer correctly, add powdered sugar and flavor at the start of the whipping process. When making whipped cream from a coffee creamer, whip the creamer until it forms stiff peaks.

What is whipped cream?

Whipped cream is a dairy product made by beating base cream until it forms a light, fluffy texture. It’s commonly used as cake frosting, dessert topping, and a topping for various beverages, including coffee, tea, and chocolate. Most people consider whipped cream a luxury condiment due to its rich nature. You can opt to sweeten whipped cream using sugar or flavorings such as vanilla. 

The base cream used to make ‘genuine‘ is heavy whipped cream with a fat content of at least 30%. However, heavy cream alternatives such as Cool Whip and coffee creamer can also make whipped cream. Some will argue that whipped cream made from heavy cream substitutes has an inferior flavor, texture, and mouthfeel to that of ‘real’ whipped cream.

How to make whipped cream 

To make whipped cream, the base cream must be heavy. According to Cornell Law School’s Legal Information Institute, heavy cream is a cream that contains at least 36% milk fat. The high-fat content ensures that a stable mass of bubbles is formed when you whip the cream.

When you beat heavy cream using a handheld mixer, a whisk, or a fork, the air is forced into the liquid, causing the fat in the cream to form tiny air pockets. It’s these little bubbles that give whipped cream its frothy texture.

It’s best to use chilled heavy cream to make whipped cream, as cold cream whips up faster. A cold bowl will also lead to faster whipping. Use a pyrex or stainless steel bowl to maintain the cold temperatures for longer when whipping. Avoid plastic containers.

Note: For faster whipping, put the bowl and the whisk in the freezer 20 minutes before you start whipping. Meanwhile, the heavy cream should stay in the fridge until it’s time to whip it.

Ensure you use a sizable bowl when whipping cream, as the heavy cream will almost double in volume by the time it turns into whipped cream. Also, use heavy whipping cream. The whole cream doesn’t contain enough fat content to whip.

Add sugar and flavoring like vanilla or cinnamon to your whipped cream before the soft peak stage. If you add sugar too soon, the cream won’t whip well. Meanwhile, if you add it too late, the sugar particles won’t dissolve properly.

Use powdered sugar instead of granulated sugar, as the former has smaller particles that dissolve faster. Moreover, powdered sugar contains cornstarch that stabilizes the whipped cream, enabling it to hold its frothy texture for longer.

Watch for changes to the cream to avoid over-whipping. Stop whipping the cream once it reaches the soft peak stage. This is when the cream has a semi-melted, floppy texture. Over Whipped cream is dry and crumbly and is homemade butter. 

If you’ve inadvertently overwhipped the cream, continue whipping to form butter and avoid wastage. Alternatively, you can save the cream by storing it in the freezer for 30-60 minutes before stirring it with a spoon. This will restore the whipped cream texture. Finally, you can stir in a few more spoons of heavy cream.

Can you make whipped cream with coffee creamer?

Coffee creamer is a dairy-free coffee additive that’s sold in powdered or liquid form. It adds a light and sweet flavor to coffee beverages and is often used as a substitute for whipped cream. And yes, you can use coffee creamer to make whipped cream by using it as a substitute for heavy whipping cream.

Take note, though, that coffee creamer by itself has a low-fat content and doesn’t form perfect whipped cream when whipped. Thus, you should add certain additives to the creamer for proper aeration that will form frothy, lightly whipped cream. These include powdered sugar/sugar substitutes, vanilla extract, or other types of coffee flavoring.

Use a whisk or a handheld mixer to whip coffee creamer into whipped cream. Add 2 tablespoons of powdered sugar and a teaspoon of vanilla extract into the bowl as you start whipping the creamer. The sugar stabilizes the creamer to whip properly, while the vanilla extract adds a warm, sweet flavor to the mixture. You can also add a few drops of lemon juice for flavor variation.

Note: Some brands of coffee creamer are sold pre-flavored. Meanwhile, if you bought powdered coffee creamer, add water to the mixture as per the instructions on the labeling.

Continue whipping until the mixture adopts a light, fluffy texture or until it forms stiff peaks. If you stop whipping the creamer mixture too soon, the whipped cream won’t stay on top of your coffee drink for too long once you pour it over and will mix in with the drink after a short while. 

It’s harder to whip or whisk coffee creamer into whipped cream. Thus, the process typically takes much longer than when whipping regular base cream.

Once done, pour the mixture over your hot or iced coffee drink to imitate the look, texture, and flavor of whipped cream made from regular cream.

Another way to make whipped cream from coffee creamer is using a reusable canister. This item allows you to quickly make whipped cream from regular cream or coffee creamer at the press of a button. It’s also convenient; you must shake the canister to whip the creamer.

What can I substitute for whipping cream in a recipe?

If you don’t have whipping cream/heavy cream at home, you can use the following substitutes:

• Half-and-half- this product comprises half whole milk and half cream. It contains less than 30% fat content.
• Coffee creamer- forms whipped cream with a light and sweet flavor. This product typically has no milk ingredients.
• Coconut cream- a dairy-free whipping cream substitute that’s great for vegans. It has a distinct coconut flavor.

Note: The terms’ heavy cream’ and ‘whipping cream’ can be used interchangeably, as they both refer to regular base cream used as the main ingredient for making whipped cream. Meanwhile, note that ‘whipping cream’ and ‘whipped cream’ aren’t the same thing.

Is coffee creamer like whipping cream?

Coffee creamer differs from whipping cream in various ways. First, the latter contains no sweeteners or flavor additives, while coffee creamer typically contains added sugar for a sweet flavor.

Heavy cream can be added to a wider range of foods, including hot beverages, baked products, desserts, and soups. On the other hand, coffee creamer is almost exclusively used as a hot beverage topping but can also be used as cereal flavoring.

You can also differentiate coffee creamer from whipping cream by fat and calorie content. Heavy cream typically contains 36% fat, while coffee creamer products typically have a fat content of less than 11%. Additionally, heavy cream contains 51 calories per 15mL tablespoon, while coffee creamer contains 20 calories per 15mL tablespoon.

How to store whipping cream?

The best way to store whipping cream is in the fridge. Refrigerated whipped cream lasts relatively long (typically up to a week). Here’s how to store whipping cream in the refrigerator:

• Transfer the whipping cream to an airtight, plastic Tupperware container
• Push the container to the back of the fridge where temperatures are lower
• The whipped cream should be able to last for 5-7 days

Tips to whip successfully

• To prevent the whipping cream from separating into liquid and butter, stop whipping as soon as you achieve the desired consistency.
• To ensure that your whipping cream properly thickens into whipped cream, ensure the heavy creams and the whipping tools are chilled before starting.
• When whipping coffee creamer, add sweeteners and flavoring at the beginning.

In conclusion: Traditionally, people use heavy cream to make whipped cream for coffee toppings. However, you can use coffee creamer as a heavy cream alternative. You can make light, fluffy whipped cream from coffee creamer with the right whipping method

References

Cornell Law School- Legal Information Institute (LII): Heavy Cream