It’s that time of year when I’m ready to end my evenings with a cozy cup of hot chocolate and this peppermint whipped cream is the perfect topping.
It’s actually my favorite way to start celebrating the holiday season a little early!
While I will admit that I do indulge in that store-bought whip cream (you know the kind, with the press nozzle that allows you to swirl it all over the top of your hot drinks), nothing really compares to a homemade version.
The best part about this whipped cream is that it’s so festive with the peppermint flavor and the swirls of red. It’s as perfect for topping drinks and desserts at home as it is for decorating more elaborate desserts for all of those holiday celebrations!
The next time you want a pretty, pepperminty topping for your hot cocoa, ice cream, or other desserts, try this holiday-flavored whipped cream.
Why You’ll Love Homemade Peppermint Whipped Cream
- Festive – Who doesn’t love beautiful swirls of red throughout bright white whipped cream on top of their holiday desserts? The peppermint flavor helps usher in the holiday spirit, too.
- Easy – There are only a few ingredients and steps to make this easy recipe.
- Convenient – You might have all of the ingredients in your kitchen already. And if you don’t already have peppermint extract this might be the perfect opportunity to get it for future festive recipes.
- Storable – This whipped cream stores well in the refrigerator or freezer so it’s easy to make and use whenever you want!
Ingredients
With just a handful of ingredients, this peppermint whipped cream recipe is quick and easy!
- Heavy cream – Whipped cream relies on the fat in heavy whipping cream to be the right consistency so be sure to use it instead of a lower fat version.
- Powdered sugar – Using confectioners’ sugar instead of granulated sugar gives the whipped cream its sikiness.
- Vanilla extract – Make your own vanilla extract at home or use pure vanilla extract from the grocery store.
- Peppermint extract – If you don’t already have this ingredient you can easily find it at the supermarket or online.
- Gel red food coloring – This gives the whipped cream its festive color. Using gel instead of liquid will help it to not spread too much when folded in, allowing you to create swirls of color.
How To Make Peppermint Whipped Cream
There are only a few steps to make peppermint whipped cream so it comes together quickly and the clean-up is a cinch.
- Pour the heavy cream into the large bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. You can also use a hand mixer with a whisk attachment.
- Whip the cream on high speed until it becomes thick.
- Lower the mixer to medium-high speed while adding the extracts.
- Then, while still mixing, slowly add the powdered sugar.
- Turn the speed back to high and continue to beat the mixture. After a few minutes it should begin to form soft peaks — continue beating until it it makes stiff peaks.
- Remove a small amount of the whipped cream and place it in a separate bowl.
- Add the food coloring to the whipped cream in the separate bowl and mix until it is fully combined and streak-free.
- Remove the uncolored whipped cream from the mixing bowl to a serving bowl. Gently fold in the colored whipped cream so that it swirls. If you prefer for the whipped cream to be uniformly red you can mix it all together.
Variations
- Extracts – Replace some or all of the vanilla extract with another flavor of your choice — almond will work well. Also, if there’s not enough peppermint flavor, you can add more of the peppermint extract.
- Chocolate chips – Gently fold in some miniature chocolate chips to your peppermint whipped cream to add some sweet flavor and texture.
- More peppermint – Place peppermint candies or a peppermint candy cane in a sealed bag and crush them using a rolling pin or meat mallet. Then mix them into the whipped cream.
- Other colors – Candy canes come in all colors — experiment with green or even a mix of colors, just be careful not to overmix so that they swirl rather than combine. You can also use pink food coloring to adapt it for holidays like Valentine’s Day or for a baby shower.
Storage and Freezing
Since homemade whipped cream lasts for several days, it’s easy to make ahead of time to use when you need it.
Refrigerator: Store the peppermint whipped cream in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Freezer: First, use an ice cream scoop and place the scoops of whipped cream on a baking sheet and freeze them until hard. Then, store them in individual ziploc bags in the freezer.
More Delicious Toppings
Peppermint Whipped Cream
Ingredients
- 1 cup heavy cream
- ¼ cup powdered sugar
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon peppermint extract
- Gel red food coloring
Instructions
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment or in a large bowl using an electric hand mixer with a whisk attachment, beat the heavy cream until it starts to thicken, approximately 3-4 minutes.
- Add the powdered sugar and extracts, beating until stiff.
- Spoon out ½ cup of the whipped cream, add 2-3 drops of gel food coloring, stirring until no streaks remain.
- Transfer the whipped to a serving bowl and fold in the red food coloring, just stirring 2-3 times to get a swirl effect. If you stir it all in, it will be all red, but still peppermint!
Beth
What a fun, festive topping for my hot chocolate this season! Delish!
Dana
This is so tasty and will be perfect for chocolate desserts this winter season!
Sara Welch
Enjoyed this with some hot chocolate and it did not disappoint! Light, fluffy and delicious; the perfect touch of flavor, indeed!
Mirlene
This is definitely perfect for hot chocolate. Will serve this for my kids and they’ll really enjoy the holiday flavor!
Camille
Fabulous! And had no idea you could freeze scoops of whipped cream. Life changing!
Jessica
Yay!!! Glad you loved it, Camille!