Chocolate Whipped Cream

Make this easy chocolate whipped cream for a soft, fluffy treat you can feel good about! Use simple ingredients like heavy cream, natural cocoa powder, and powdered sugar to whip up a delicious garnish for all sorts of desserts.

As my family continues to quit sugar and eat more whole grains, I try to find little ways to make mealtime a little more special for the kids.

Trust me here – I’m not doing anything super crazy, and the time investment is minimal. I know that my kids love chocolate, so offering the occasional Homemade Peanut Butter Cup from the freezer or Homemade Brownie Bites as an after-school snack really makes their eyes light up.

For my son’s birthday, we had Blender Chocolate Waffles with Homemade Whipped Cream for breakfast and both kids thought it was SO cool that a) we had chocolate waffles, and b) we had whipped cream.

But then it hit me – what if I could make CHOCOLATE whipped cream… How fun would THAT be?!

Let me tell you this – it is SO MUCH FUN!!

CHOCOLATE WHIPPED CREAM RECIPE INGREDIENTS

For this chocolate whipped cream recipe, you need just 5 simple ingredients:

• Heavy Whipping Cream. Make sure the heavy cream is cold to start.
• Vanilla Extract. Here’s how to make your own.
• Cocoa Powder. Dutch process cocoa powder or raw cacao works here.
• Powdered Sugar. You can make your own powdered sugar too!
• Salt. If you’re going to use salt, make sure it’s a good one like Ava Jane’s Kitchen which doesn’t have microplastics! You can get a free 8oz. bag of sea salt right now (just pay shipping and handling!).

HEAVY CREAM + VANILLA

These 2 ingredients are all you need for making regular Whipped Cream. To make the chocolate cream version, you also need the following:

CHOCOLATE

When it came to making CHOCOLATE whipped cream, I thought it would be a knock-down, drag-out fight in the kitchen where I was the big loser.

• I envisioned melting chocolate, which might warm the heavy whipping cream and then it wouldn’t whip up right.
• I considered chocolate chips, which I immediately vetoed because a) they’re big and clunky, and b) they would ruin the smooth, velvety texture of whipped cream unless I melted them, and then I’m back to my original problem.
• I then considered chocolate shavings, but crossed that idea off too because really, who has time to SHAVE CHOCOLATE for an optional dessert topping?!

So, I turned to my standby: cocoa. Or nowadays, raw cacao.

It’s a powder, and since most traditional whipped cream recipes call for powdered sugar anyway, I knew I could easily add cocoa and not ruin the whipped cream. We’ll still get that amazing chocolate flavor!

–> You have options when it comes to chocolate! Natural cocoa is easy to find at the grocery store (and is probably what you have in your pantry). But I’ve recently used this brand of Dutch cocoa (for Chocolate Avocado Mousse – don’t knock it ’til you try it!) and this brand of raw cacao (my go-to for Triple Fudgy Paleo Brownies!).

SWEETENER

Then there was the sweetener.

I considered honey and maple syrup, but both cocoa and cacao have a slightly bitter taste so I’d need enough sweetener to overcome that AND THEN a smidgen more to give it that “just sweet enough” flavor that chocolate whipped cream should have.

To get that, I’d need a good bit of honey or maple syrup, and that would ruin the recipe.

So, I turned to the classic: powdered sugar.

You can make your own powdered sugar by measuring granulated sugar into a blender (I have and recommend this Blendtec blender) and blending until it’s superfine sugar. You can add a pinch of cornstarch if you want, to help prevent caking, but it’s not necessary.

I usually make my own powdered sugar using Turbinado. We’ve been quitting sugar for a few years now, which in real life means baking slightly less often (with holidays and celebrations being an exception, of course), using less sugar when baking, and using higher-quality sweeteners when we do bake.

I use maple syrup and honey in almost all of my traditional baking and have taken one teeny tiny baby step up from granulated sugar to Turbinado. I also have maple sugar in the pantry, which is super tasty, but it’s pricey so I haven’t made a complete switch as of yet (this is the brand I bought).

SALT

Finally, we have salt.

I know, you’re thinking, “You put SALT in WHIPPED CREAM?!” There’s a reason why you add salt to cookies and brownies and cakes and all the other sweet deliciousness you bake all the time. The tiny bit of salt enhances the sweetness of the whipped cream.

Trust me here. Leave it out and you’ll be like, “Why does this taste weird?” It’s all about the salt.

HOW TO MAKE HOMEMADE CHOCOLATE WHIPPED CREAM

I don’t know about you, but sometimes my brain makes things way harder than they really are. But here’s the thing: homemade whipped cream is SUPER easy to make. Here are the instructions:

Step 1. Pour the heavy whipping cream into the bowl of a stand mixer with a whisk attachment (I have this one), or into a large deep bowl if you plan to use an electric mixer.

Step 2. Set the mixer on high speed and beat the whipping cream until it begins to look more solid than liquid.

Step 3. Add the vanilla, cocoa powder, powdered sugar, and salt.

Step 4. Continue beating the mixture until stiff peaks form when the attachment or hand mixer is pulled out of the whipped cream chocolate. Be careful not to over-beat the whipping cream. If you do, the whipped cream will lose its structure and not be as stiff.

Chill until ready to serve.

CHOCOLATE WHIP CREAM TIPS

Homemade whipped cream, including this chocolate whipped cream, is best made an hour or two before you plan to serve it. You can make it earlier the same day if you’re crunched for time. Just keep it in the refrigerator and stir gently before serving.

Using a chilled mixing bowl and cold cream will give you the fluffiest chocolate whipped cream.

This chocolate whipped cream recipe easily doubles. WIN!

You can keep chocolate whipped cream in the fridge for a day or two. It will get a bit droopier, but it still tastes good, and you can still top pancakes or hot chocolate or coffee, where you’re not as concerned with it looking pretty.

TO SERVE CREAM CHOCOLATE WHIP

Chocolate whipped cream is a delicious garnish on everything from cake to pie to beverages. Try it on these:

• Healthy Homemade Chocolate Pie
• Homemade Chocolate Pudding
• Waffles
• Pancakes
• Crockpot Hot Chocolate
• Or serve a dollop of chocolate whip in a bowl with some fresh strawberries – YUM!

CHOCOLATE CREAM FAQS

MORE DESSERT TOPPINGS

• Peanut Butter Frosting
• Homemade Whipped Cream
• Naturally Sweetened Cream Cheese Frosting
• Honey Roasted Almonds
• Strawberry Jam