• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Emma Duckworth Bakes
menu icon
go to homepage
  • French Recipes
  • About
  • Recipes
  • Cookbook
  • Subscribe
    • Email
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
  • subscribe
    search icon
    Homepage link
    • French Recipes
    • About
    • Recipes
    • Cookbook
    • Subscribe
    • Email
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
  • ×
    • Pecan tart cut into slices on white plate sat on pink napkin.
      Unbelievable Pecan Tart
    • Plateful of amaretti cookies.
      Italian Soft Amaretti Cookies
    • Clice cut from Apple Tart on white plate.
      Tarte Tatin Pommes (Apple Tart Tatin)
    • Piped thickened chocolate pastry cream in a small glass jar.
      Chocolate Pastry Cream (Creme Patissiere)
    • Numerous chocolate cream puffs on paper covered board.
      Chocolate Cream Puffs
    • Vanilla custard in a glass pot.
      How to Make Crème Pâtissière (Vanilla Pastry Cream)
    • Strawberry tart on decorative pate with slices removed.
      Tarte aux Fraises (French Strawberry Tart)
    • Toffee sauce poured from a white saucepan into a glass jar.
      Easy Toffee Sauce
    • Spoonful taken from creme brulee pot.
      Classic French Crème Brûlée
    • Cut up Millionaire Bars
      Espresso Millionaire Shortbread Bars
    • Sliced squares of peanut butter chocolate chip bars on parchment paper.
      Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Bars
    • Brookies squares on wooden chopping board.
      Brookies (Brownie Cookie Bars)
    Home » Recipes » Sauces, Curds & Jams

    French Chantilly Cream (Crème Chantilly)

    Published: Jul 22, 2022 · Last Modified: Aug 29, 2022 by Emma · 4 Comments · This post may contain affiliate links ·

    Jump to Recipe

    With only three ingredients, French Chantilly Cream is the simplest way to elevate your desserts. Lightly sweetened, airy and simple to prepare, this sweetened whip cream is a must.

    Creme chantilly piped into a glass bowl.

    Originating from France, Crème Chantilly, Chantilly cream or sweetened whipped cream, as it’s called, is something I grew up with. My French mother would whip this cream up in a matter of minutes and serve it with her Homemade Apple Tart for dessert or with Crepes or French Toast in the morning as a treat. 

    It’s the classic addition to French Pastries, tarts, sponges, and plenty of other desserts in France, and I can’t wait for you to include it in your repertoire too.

    Close up of whipped cream

    ❓ What is Chantilly Cream?

    Crème Chantilly is cream sweetened with sugar and flavoured, usually with vanilla. Either granulated, caster or powdered icing sugar (confectioner’s sugar) along with vanilla extract or paste is added to the cream. It's then whipped until light and airy and holds its shape. 

    It takes only a couple of minutes to whip the ingredients together and is perfect to use as a whipped topping or filling. 

    France has plenty of famous crèmes (creams) that are used in their baking. Make sure to check out my Crème Légère as an incredible alternative to Chantilly Cream.

    Jump to:
    • ❓ What is Chantilly Cream?
    • 🥛 Chantilly Cream vs Whipped Cream
    • 🌟 Why You'll Love This Recipe
    • 🧾 Ingredients Needed
    • 📖 Variations
    • 👩🏻‍🍳 How to Make
    • 🥞 How to use Chantilly Cream
    • 💭 Recipe Pro Tips
    • 📋 Recipe FAQs
    • 🇫🇷 More French Recipes
    • 📖 Recipe
    • 💬 Comments

    🥛 Chantilly Cream vs Whipped Cream

    The only difference between the two is the addition of the two extra ingredients, sugar and vanilla. Otherwise, they can be used in the same way. Saying that, though, Chantilly cream will add a touch of class to just about anything.

    🌟 Why You'll Love This Recipe

    1. Tastes incredible. The sugar dissolves to sweeten the cream gently whilst the vanilla adds the perfect flavour.
    2. The texture is dreamy. It’s literally like eating a cloud (or so I imagine!). Light and airy, it makes the perfect topping for your Summer desserts.
    3. Simple to make. If you can whip cream by hand or with electric beaters, l make this chantilly cream recipe with your eyes closed. It’s so easy to make.
    4. So quick to make. It only takes a couple of minutes to make and can be done right at the last minute if you need embellishment to your dessert.

    🧾 Ingredients Needed

    I’m not kidding when I say that this vanilla whipped cream only requires 3 ingredients. Let’s look at them.

    Ingredients for creme chantilly on a bench top.
    • Cream: It's best to use a cream with a high percentage of butter fat. In the UK, that’s double cream or whipping cream. In the US, that’s heavy cream with 40% butter fat or heavy whipping cream with 30-35% butter fat. Don’t go any lower than 30%, for example, by using a single cream. Fat in low-fat cream isn’t enough fat to aerate and stabilise. Refrigerate the cream until just before pouring it into the bowl to whip.
    • Sugar. Some recipes call for granulated, and some call for caster sugar. I recommend powdered icing sugar (confectioners) because it dissolves into the cream and produces a silky-smooth cream. Granulated sugar and caster sugar can be used, but unless they dissolve fully, they can leave a slightly grainy feel to the cream.
    • Vanilla. I love to use vanilla bean paste, or the seeds of a vanilla pod scraped out as the flavour is intense but also incredible to see the hundreds of vanilla specs against the white cream. Alternatively, you can use just one teaspoon of vanilla extract or the seeds of a vanilla pod scraped out.

    📖 Variations

    Whipped cream doesn’t need to be flavoured with just vanilla. It can have many different flavourings added to it and can accompany many of your dessert recipes. Here are my favourite additions:

    • Extracts: rose water, orange blossom, almond or lemon extracts. Add a teaspoon at a time as a little goes a long way.
    • Espresso powder: My favourite way to flavour whipped cream! I used espresso crème Chantilly to fill a crêpes layer cake drizzled in espresso caramel in my cookbook Simply Sweet Nostalgic Bakes. I also piped it into these profiteroles. The flavour is amazing!
    • Cocoa powder: Want a chocolate flavour to your cream. That’s easy to create. Simply sift the cocoa powder into the cream with vanilla extract and icing sugar. A lighter option than buttercream for decorating your favourite chocolate cake.
    • Freeze-dried fruit powders: Adding fruit puree to whipped cream is tricky as it incorporates too much moisture, and the air dissipates. The best way for a fruity flavour is to sift in a freeze-dried powder of your choices, such as raspberry, strawberry or blueberry.
    • Liquor: Add a boozy kick to your whipped cream. Great liquors pair well are Baileys, Frangelico, Amaretto, Cassis, Grand Marnier or even rum.

    👩🏻‍🍳 How to Make

    *Be sure to see the recipe card below for the full ingredients list & instructions!**Be sure to see the recipe card below for the full ingredients list & instructions!*

    TIP: If it’s warm in your kitchen, pop the bowl and whisk it into the refrigerator for 20 minutes. This will help chill them right down. Your future whipped cream will thank you for it!

    Heavy cream bing poured into the bowl of a standwixer.

    STEP 1. Pour the cream into the bowl of a stand mixer fitter with the whisk attachment (Image 1).

    Sifting in powdered icing sugar and vanilla extract into cream.

    STEP 2. Sift into the bowl the powdered sugar and add in the vanilla extract (Images 2 & 3).

    The process of cream whipping with lots of bubbles and then it thickening and the bubbles reducing.

    STEP 3. Whisk cream on medium to high. The cream will start to bubble (Image 4), and then as it aerates and thickens, the bubbles will reduce until only a few remain (Images 5 and 6).

    Process of cream being whipped and thickening.

    It'll still be quite loose and won't hold on to the whisk, but it is thicker than when you started (Images 7 & 8).

    How much further you whisk the cream depends on the application you need it for. You can whisk it until either soft peaks form or firm peaks form.

    Soft Peaks

    Softly whipped cream.
    • Whisk to soft peaks for dolloping on top of fruit, filling crêpes, or spooning alongside your favourite tart. 
    • Consistency: The cream is lovely and aerated, and you can start to see trails in the cream (Image 9). When the beater is pulled out, the whipped cream will peak initially and then flop over at the top (Image 10). Any definition in the cream will gradually blend into one (Image 11).

    Firm Peaks

    Images showing firmly whipped cream- holds its shape and a peak on beaters.
    • Whip to firm peaks if you want a pipeable consistency. Once piped on top of a layer cake, cupcake or tart, the cream will maintain its shape.
    • Consistency: The cream is further along in the whipping process than softly whipped cream is. Trails hold their shape in the mixing bowl (Image 12), and when the beater is pulled out of the cream, the peak stands firm (Images 13 & 14). It can be piped on top of your dessert and, once refrigerated, will hold its shape.

    Easy Way to Fill a Piping Bag

    This is my mess-free, go-to tip for filling up a piping bag. This technique can be used for frostings too. The piping bag I used in the images is small. If you use a larger one, place the bag in a taller glass or jug- anything that will hold it in place.

    Images showing how to fill a piping bag in a glass.
    • Pop your piping tip into the bag and fold the end up.
    • Place the bag into a glass and fold over the open edges (Image 15).
    • Scoop cream into the bag (Image 16).
    • Unfold the sides of the bag and squeeze the cream down into the piping tip (Image 17). You are ready to decorate.

    Serving Amount

    The cream must be refrigerated once whipped until ready to use. It roughly doubles in size, so 1 cup of cream will make two cups of whipped cream. We use 2 cups of cream for this recipe, so you'll be left with approximately 4 cups of whipped cream.

    Whipped cream being piped into a glass bowl.

    🥞 How to use Chantilly Cream

    The French have so many gorgeous types of creams such as crème diplomate, crème patisserie and crème mousseline. However, Crème Chantilly is the lightest making it the most classic and versatile cream.

    • It’s perfect for filling éclairs, profiteroles, and cream puffs.
    • Or you can serve it alongside various tarts, brownies, sponge cakes, crêpes and pies. It’s a dream when accompanied by my French Yogurt Cake.
    • You can also dollop it on top of a bowl of berries, pancakes, waffles, banana splits, ice cream sundaes, milkshakes, or even hot chocolate. (Talk about a necessary indulgence!)

    It's the absolute perfect accompaniment! Don’t you love how many sweet treats you can add it to, and I bet you can think of more! 

    French yogurt cake slice served with whipping cream and fruit.

    💭 Recipe Pro Tips

    1. Cold Cream. This is an absolute must. Cold heavy cream should be taken out of the refrigerator literally just before you need to pour it into the bowl to whip up. You’ll achieve the lightest cream if it's super cold. Warm cream can’t whip well, and you won’t get the volume.
    2. Chill your utensils. If you live in a warm climate, pop your bowl and whisk attachment or whisk into the refrigerator for 20 minutes before using them. Doing things helps maximise your chance of whipping the cream well in a hot environment.
    3. Use the right cream. If you’re not sure, the cream must have at least 35% milk fat for it to be able to get fluffy.
    4. Don’t over-whip. Whip the cream chantilly for too long, and you’ll be on your way to making butter! The cream will turn grainy and lumpy and have quite an unappealing texture.

    📋 Recipe FAQs

    How do you store Chantilly Cream?

    It needs to be refrigerated in an airtight container as soon as it’s whipped. It will keep in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days. If it starts to seep moisture in the last couple of days, then simply whisk again to bring it back together.

    Can you freeze whipped cream?

    Yes, you can actually. The sugar helps to stabilize the whipped cream before freezing. Pipe or spoon dollops of leftover cream onto parchment paper. Freeze for 3-4 hours. Once solid, use a knife to scrape cream into a zip-lock bag gently. Freeze for up to one month.
    Thaw in the refrigerator or the freezer bag so that that cream forms one mass. Or remove the individual piped whipped cream and place it on the dessert you are serving it with.

    Can I make vegan whipped cream?

    Yes, you can. It’s done by substituting the cream with one can/14oz coconut milk. Treat it the same way as regular cream and follow the method in the recipe card. It will, of course, have a mild coconut flavour (delicious in itself!).

    🇫🇷 More French Recipes

    • Classic Vanilla Madeleines
    • Lemon Crêpes
    • Earl Grey Creme Brulee Tart

    If you tried this French Whipped Cream or any other recipe on my website, please let me know how you go in the comments below. I love hearing from you. Also, please leave a star rating whilst you're there!

    Don't forget to subscribe to the newsletter so that you don’t miss out on more delicious food, tips and news but also the chance to download your FREE DESSERT E-BOOK! Happy baking, friends!

    📖 Recipe

    Firmly whipped cream being piped into a bowl.
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    5 from 7 votes

    French Chantilly Cream Recipe

    Crème Chantilly is whipped cream sweetened with powdered icing sugar and flavoured with vanilla. Easy to make, this French whipped cream is a must on all your desserts. It's light, sweet and airy. Absolute magic!
    Prep Time12 minutes mins
    Total Time12 minutes mins
    Category: Dessert
    Cuisine: French
    Servings: 12
    Calories: 148kcal
    Author: Emma Duckworth

    Equipment

    • Large mixing bowl
    • Whisk or
    • Stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment

    Ingredients

    Metric - US Customary
    • 480 ml double cream (heavy cream), cold
    • 30 g powdered icing sugar (or caster sugar), or caster sugar
    • 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste, or extract

    Instructions

    • Note: If your kitchen is very warm then refrigerate your bowl and whisk 20 minutes prior to whipping the cream.
    • Add the cream. Add the cream into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment (or a large bowl if whisking by hand or with an electric hand beater.
    • Add the sugar and vanilla. Sift into the cream the powdered icing sugar and add in the vanilla bean paste.
    • Whisk to soft or firm peaks. Whisk on medium to high for 2 minutes or until the cream starts to thicken and aerate.
      Whip to soft peaks or slightly longer to firm peaks. Refrigerate until ready to use.

    All recipes are developed and tested in Metric grams. I strongly recommend that you bake using digital scales for a more accurate result. I have provided a conversion to US customary in the recipe but please note that I haven’t tested using this method.

    Notes

    Step-by-Step Photos: My blog post includes helpful step-by-step photos to help guide you through making this recipe.
    To Store: It needs to be refrigerated in an airtight container as soon as it’s whipped. It will keep in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days. If it starts to seep moisture in the last couple of days, then simply whisk again to bring it back together.
    To Freeze: Yes, you can actually. The sugar helps to stabilize the whipped cream before freezing. Pipe or spoon dollops of leftover cream onto parchment paper. Freeze for 3-4 hours. Once solid, use a knife to scrape cream into a zip-lock bag gently. Freeze for up to one month.
    Thaw in the refrigerator or the freezer bag so that that cream forms one mass. Or remove the individual piped whipped cream and place it on the dessert you are serving it with. 
    TIP 1: Cold Cream. This is an absolute must. The cream should be taken out of the refrigerator literally just before you need to pour it into the bowl to whip up. You’ll achieve the lightest cream if it's super cold. Warm cream can’t whip well, and you won’t get the volume.
    TIP 2: Chill your utensils. If you live in a warm climate, pop your bowl and whisk attachment or whisk into the refrigerator for 20 minutes before using them. Doing this helps maximise your chance of whipping the cream well in a hot environment.
    TIP 3: Use the right cream. If you’re not sure, the cream must have at least 35% milk fat for it to be able to get fluffy.
    TIP 4: Don’t over-whip. Whip the cream for too long, and you’ll be on your way to making butter! The cream will turn grainy and lumpy and have quite an unappealing texture.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 148kcal | Carbohydrates: 4g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 15g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Cholesterol: 45mg | Sodium: 11mg | Potassium: 38mg | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 592IU | Vitamin C: 0.2mg | Calcium: 27mg | Iron: 0.04mg
    Have you tried this recipe yet?Mention @emmaduckworthbakes or tag #emmaduckworthbakes! I’d love to see what you are getting up to in the kitchen!

    More Everyday Sauces, Curds & Jams

    • Plum Jam in a glass jar with a spoon lent up on the jar.
      Simple Plum Jam
    • Jar of easy blackberry jam set on a white plate with a teaspoon next to it.
      Easy Blackberry Jam (No Pectin)
    • Lemon Curd in jar with fresh lemons.
      Homemade Lemon Curd
    • Jar fill on a plate with crepes.ed with cream cheese
      Cream Cheese Crêpes Filling

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

      5 from 7 votes (5 ratings without comment)

      Leave a Reply Cancel reply

      Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

      Recipe Rating




    1. Manuale

      July 31, 2022 at 9:13 am

      5 stars
      I adore chantilly cream but forget to make it. Thank you for reminding me of it -I'll definitely be following your recipe. It's such a simple way to make a dessert taste great!

      Reply
      • Emma

        July 31, 2022 at 12:44 pm

        I'm super happy that this post has reminded you. That makes me happy! Enjoy x

        Reply
    2. Debbie Ballesteros

      October 17, 2023 at 3:25 am

      5 stars
      I have never made this whip cream but your recipe was easy and is so delicious. I will be using more of your recipes. Thank you for sharing

      Reply
      • Emma

        October 17, 2023 at 10:11 am

        Hi Debbie- Thank you so much for the feedback - it's such a delicious and versatile cream to use on everything!! Enjoy!

        Reply

    Primary Sidebar

    Smiling lady standing in front of bookshelves

    Welcome to Emma Duckworth Bakes, a destination for approachable, delicious seasonal homemade treats shaped by European influences that you can re-create at home.

    Learn more about me →

    Cookbook Cover
    Packed full of delicious bakes

    Brownies & Bars

    You must use the category name, not a URL, in the category field.
    Dear Coco: Artisanal Coffee by The River Thames, London

    Featured On

    Featured In Image

    My Personal Favourites

    • How To Make Salted Caramel Sauce
    • yogurt loaf cake sliced on board.
      Traditional French Yogurt Cake (Gâteau Au Yaourt)
    • Serving plate filled with brown butter madeleine that have been dipped in espresso glaze.
      Brown Butter Madeleines dipped in Espresso Glaze
    • chocolate cheesecake decorated in red fruit.
      Easy No-Bake Chocolate Cheesecake
    • Spooning hot fudge sauce from jar.
      Easy Homemade Hot Fudge Sauce
    • The Best Cherry Scones

    Footer

    About

    About Me

    Food Photography

    Dear Coco Street Coffee

    ↑ back to top

    SUBSCRIBE

    Information

    Contact

    Work With Me

    Privacy Policy

    As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

    Copyright © 2024 Emma Duckworth Bakes

    Pinterest graphic for whipped cream.
    Creme chantilly piped into a glass bowl.

    Rate This Recipe

    Your vote:




    A rating is required
    A name is required
    An email is required

    Recipe Ratings without Comment

    Something went wrong. Please try again.