So many summer desserts call for Cool Whip that it’s almost an essential ingredient to have in the freezer this time of year. If it isn’t available where you live or you prefer to stay away from it you’ll be glad to know that homemade Cool Whip is easy to make and works as well in nearly every recipe. This particular recipe does not call for gelatin so is fine for vegetarians.
For this recipe you’ll need: heavy cream, sugar, instant pudding mix (vanilla, white chocolate, coconut – a white color is preferred), vanilla – clear will keep the color lighter
I grew up with a constant supply of Cool Whip in the freezer, especially in summer. It went in Jello salads, frozen pies, on top of strawberries, and hundreds of other recipe that my mother came up with. It often went into my mouth on a spoon, to be honest.
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When I had my own kitchen I moved away from many of the ingredients of my mid-century childhood – things like cream of mushroom soup, margarine, and … Cool Whip.
The thing is whipped cream, while certainly rich and luscious, doesn’t hold up well for any length of time. In fact, it’s often deflated and watery by the next day.
Boo!
This homemade Cool Whip won’t do that. It will hold up for several days and can be gently mixed into many different desserts. A big plus for me is that it doesn’t contain gelatin and can be thrown together in seconds. Store it in the refrigerator tightly covered.
Heck, you can even store it in an old Cool Whip tub. I’ve been making this recipe since sometime in 1980 and it’s my favorite for when I’m not using plain whipped cream.
What Are the Ingredients for Cool Whip?
If you were to read the ingredients on a tub of Cool Whip they’d look something like this –
Water, hydrogenated vegetable oil, high fructose corn syrup, corn syrup, skim milk, light cream and less than 2% sodium caseinate (a milk derivative), natural and artificial flavor, xanthan and guar gums, polysorbate 60, sorbitan monostearate and beta carotene (as a coloring).
When Cool Whip was first invented in the mid-1960s it didn’t contain milk products and was truly dairy free. Luckily homemade Cool Whip has ingredients that you can actually find in the store and even pronounce.
Tips for Homemade Cool Whip
This is likely one of the easiest recipes on Restless Chipotle so no need for extensive instructions but there are some tips that will make it even easier AND some cool (whip – get it? cool whip?) variations.
- Cool Whip has a heavy vanilla flavor. Adjust the flavor of your homemade Cool Whip by adding more or less vanilla.
- You can add a little almond flavoring.
- If you are using it in a tropical or coconut dessert use coconut flavoring.
- While you can keep this in the refrigerator for several days I wouldn’t recommend freezing it. The texture will change just a bit.
- Use extra fine sugar to ensure a creamy texture. If you don’t have extra fine sugar blend sugar up in the blender.
When you know how to make Cool Whip you’ll have a fresh version any time you happen to need it!
You May Need
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The main thing you’ll need for this is a good mixer. When it comes to whipping cream or egg whites nothing works better than a Kitchen Aid.
More Copycat Recipes
There are a lot of things you buy that you actually can easily make at home – and they taste so much better! Here are some more of the copycat recipes found here on Restless Chipotle.
- Just like the food court at the mall! Bourbon Chicken
- Cut these in any shape you like. Copycat Zebra Cakes
- What would Thanksgiving be without the green bean casserole? Copycat French’s Onions
- When you need a chocolate fix! Copycat Cosmic Brownies
- You can have your favorite scones anytime of the year! Copycat Starbucks Pumpkin Scones
- Love the food at the State Fair? Try these Copycat Deep Fried Oreos… so good.
- A little spicy, a lot crunchy! Copycat Popeye’s Chicken Strips
- So sweet and light! Copycat Twinkies Cupcakes
- Starbucks doesn’t make these anymore but you can still enjoy them! Copycat Petite Vanilla Scones
Homemade Cool Whip Recipe
This quick and easy Homemade Cool Whip recipe is a great substitute for Cool Whip in no-bake pies and desserts, as a whipped topping, or as a filling for cakes -although for cakes you might want to use a little more instant pudding mix and Confectioner’s sugar instead of superfine sugar. If you love this recipe please give it 5 stars.
Quick and easy, this homemade Cool Whip doesn't break down when mixed (gently) with other ingredients or at room temperature for an extended period of time. You can hold it in the refrigerator, tightly covered, for up to 3 days. Keep in mind that whipped toppings are sweeter than whipped cream so you may want to add a bit more sugar to get a sweeter result.
- 2 cups Heavy whipping cream , very cold
- 1/3 cup superfine sugar , or pulse granulated sugar in the blender a few times. You can use up to 1/2 cup if you like it sweeter
- 1 1/2 teaspoons instant pudding powder , vanilla or any light color
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
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Whip the cream, adding the sugar slowly.
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When it starts to thicken add the instant pudding powder and vanilla.
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Continue to whip until light and fluffy.
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Store, tightly covered, in the refrigerator. Use in place of Cool Whip for any recipe.
Like Homemade Cool Whip? Put It on These Desserts!
From left to right: pecan pie, French silk pie, coconut pie – Click on the image to see the recipe.
Hey!! Great idea! I didn’t even know I’d inadvertently made this recipe when I made my Cannoli cake. I needed a whipped cream frosting that wouldn’t weep and get watery. Instant pudding to the rescue. It’s a great idea!!
🙂 It really is. so easy