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Home » Recipes » Cooking Tips and Basic Techniques

Homemade Cool Whip Recipe without Gelatin

Published: May 22, 2018 Last Updated: Jun 30, 2021 by Marye 1030 words. | About 6 minutes to read this article.

5 minutes mins
Homemade Cool Whip copycat doesn't break down when mixed with other ingredients or  held at room temperature. This recipe does not include gelatin so is fine for vegetarians.
Jump to Recipe
Close up of whipped cream.

This works great in the Millionaire Pie recipe!

a white drift of homemade Cool Whip billows out of a jadite colored container - title image
Jump to:
  • ❤️ Why you'll love this recipe
  • 🧾 Ingredients
  • Cool Whip Was a Basic Ingredient in the 1960s!
  • Why this Recipe IS Simply the Best
  • What Are the Ingredients for Cool Whip?
  • You May Need
  • More Copycat Recipes
  • 📖 Recipe
  • 💬 Comments

❤️ Why you'll love this recipe

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.

🧾 Ingredients

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  • heavy cream
  • sugar
  • vanilla instant pudding mix
  • clear vanilla

Cool Whip Was a Basic Ingredient in the 1960s!

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.

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 ... yep... this stuff.

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!

Why this Recipe IS Simply the Best

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.

The ingredients for homemade Cool Whip placed on a counter.

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 this easy dessert topping 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.

A green bowl of homemade Cool Whip is ready to serve with a silver spoon

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 version 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

The following are affiliate links. We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

Thanks so much for being a part of Restless Chipotle!

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
  • 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
A container of homemade Cool Whip sits on a table.

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 click on the number of servings in the recipe card you can adjust the measurements up or down for the exact number of servings you need. Don't forget that you can click on "add to collection" to save it to your own, private recipe box!

If you love this recipe please give it a 5 star rating. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

📖 Recipe

AgreencontainerofHomemadeCoolWhipsitsonachippedwhitepaintedsurface featureimage
4.41 from 35 votes

Homemade Cool Whip Recipe

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Homemade Cool Whip copycat doesn't break down when mixed with other ingredients or  held at room temperature. This recipe does not include gelatin so is fine for vegetarians.
Course Dessert
Cuisine American Copycat
Prep Time: 5 minutes minutes
Total Time: 5 minutes minutes
Servings:24
Calories:80
Author:Marye Audet-White
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Ingredients

  • 2 cups Heavy whipping cream, , very cold
  • ⅓ cup superfine sugar, , or pulse granulated sugar in the blender a few times. You can use up to ½ cup if you like it sweeter
  • 1 ½ teaspoons instant pudding powder, , vanilla or any light color
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla

I earn a commission from Instacart from qualifying purchases.

Instructions

  • Whip the cream, adding the sugar slowly.
  • When it starts to thicken add the instant pudding powder and vanilla.
  • Continue to whip until light and fluffy.
  • Store, tightly covered, in the refrigerator. Use in place of Cool Whip for any recipe.
You'll find more helpful tips and variations in the body of the post.

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 1tablespoon | Calories: 80kcal | Carbohydrates: 3g | Protein: 0g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Cholesterol: 27mg | Sodium: 11mg | Potassium: 14mg | Fiber: 0g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 290IU | Vitamin C: 0.1mg | Calcium: 13mg

Nutrition information is estimated as a courtesy. If using for medical purposes, please verify information using your own nutritional calculator. Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

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    First published May 22, 2018. Last updated June 30, 2021 to add ingredients list.

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    About Marye

    With a 40 year focus on the importance of family and a passion for southern comfort food, Marye Audet-White is an expert in melding the two together effortlessly. Marye's a NY Times Bestselling author with 10 cookbooks under her belt and her recipes have been featured in Good Housekeeping, Country Living, Today, House Beautiful, Texas Living, Food & Wine, and many more.

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

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      Love it? Give it 5 stars!




    1. Tammy

      November 07, 2022 at 10:26 pm

      5 stars
      Ok. This I can definitely do & be super happy with not having ingredients in it I can’t pronounce! Now, can you help me with answering what the heck “crème fraiche” is??? I watch a lot of food porn. Keep hearing this term mentioned, and I have no idea what it is or how to make my own. Help!!!

      Reply
    2. Terry

      May 30, 2022 at 8:02 pm

      Is this whipped topping pipe able for cakes and cup cakes?

      Reply
      • Marye

        June 03, 2022 at 11:44 pm

        It is but use a bit more instant pudding than called for in the recipe.

        Reply
    3. Diane

      October 14, 2021 at 4:35 am

      5 stars
      how long does it keep in the fridge? thank you

      Reply
      • Marye

        October 15, 2021 at 11:10 pm

        Several days.

        Reply
    4. Dottie

      January 11, 2021 at 12:05 pm

      I'm going to try this for I can't use Cool- Whip because it contains polysorbate and artificial sweetners. I know this will be much better too. Glad to have an easy recipe.

      Reply
    5. Nancy Martinez

      December 01, 2020 at 7:20 pm

      Is super fine sugar the same as powdered sugar?

      Reply
      • Marye

        December 01, 2020 at 8:20 pm

        No. Powdered sugar is sometimes called Confectioner's sugar.

        Reply
    6. Marie K

      September 03, 2020 at 8:02 pm

      Thanks for this! They don't sell Cool Whip in Oz and I need it for a key lime pie requested by my aussie father in law.

      Reply
      • Marye

        September 03, 2020 at 10:34 pm

        Awesome! I'm glad it helped!!

        Reply
    7. Melanie

      January 28, 2020 at 11:39 pm

      5 stars
      It's just perfect and so easy!

      Reply
      • Marye

        January 30, 2020 at 9:50 pm

        Thanks Melanie!

        Reply
    8. Joni

      December 28, 2019 at 6:17 pm

      I did it! Yummo!

      Reply
      • Marye

        December 29, 2019 at 6:14 pm

        🙂 Glad you liked it1

        Reply
    9. Carol Andrews

      April 13, 2019 at 12:05 pm

      I would like to know if the homemade cool whip would work mixed with ice cream in a frozen ice cream pie recipe ?

      Reply
      • Marye

        April 13, 2019 at 5:53 pm

        It should, but to be honest I haven't tried.

        Reply
    10. Albert Veteto

      October 02, 2018 at 5:27 pm

      I’m going to have to try this recipe in the next day or two

      Reply
    11. Deborah

      June 20, 2018 at 9:52 pm

      Thanks for this recipe!
      The made amount is equal to 8 ounces of Cool Whip?!
      Thanks!!!

      Reply
      • Marye Audet

        June 22, 2018 at 9:34 am

        I htink it's more like 16 ounces - it makes a lot.

        Reply
    12. Marisa Franca

      May 25, 2018 at 6:11 am

      5 stars
      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!!

      Reply
      • Marye Audet

        May 25, 2018 at 11:39 am

        🙂 It really is. so easy

        Reply

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