Lemon Whipped Cream is a quick and easy recipe that makes a light and citrusy topping for berries, waffles, pound cake, and more!
Nothing screams spring like a big bowl of fresh berries topped with light, luscious, Lemon Whipped Cream!
Seriously, though, how magical is fresh whipped cream to begin with?! The way that cloud-like fluff materializes from heavy cream before my very eyes impresses me every time. And adding flavorings to it? Even better.
I've honestly never played around too much with my homemade whipped cream, aside from swapping out vanilla extract for some other variety of extract. So to add fresh lemon juice and zest was a revelation!
Ingredients
Who would argue with a light and lovely treat that can be quickly whipped up with just a handful of ingredients?
- Heavy cream. Chilled. The colder the better, as your Lemon Whipped Cream will whip quicker and stay loftier when the fat globules in the cream start out nice and frosty.
- Powdered sugar.
- Lemon juice. I highly recommend using fresh juice, as you'll need the zest from a fresh lemon anyway. But if you must use a bottled/refrigerated lemon juice, I recommend one where lemon juice is the sole ingredient.
- Lemon zest. Finely zested is preferred, such as by using a microplane.
Doesn't get much simpler than that!
How to Make Lemon Whipped Cream
(The below photos are intended to be helpful, but please refer to the recipe card at the bottom of this post for FULL DIRECTIONS.)
It's seriously as easy as making regular whipped cream!
- Use an electric mixer to beat chilled heavy cream (ideally in a chilled metal bowl, if you've got one!) until it begins to thicken.
- Gradually mix in powdered sugar and lemon juice and then beat until soft peaks form. Do not overbeat or your Lemon Whipped Cream! More on that below. 😉
- Gently fold in lemon zest.
- Serve immediately, or refrigerate for up to a few hours.
Serving Ideas
Homemade whipped cream doesn't need to be overly sweet to begin with. But splashing in some lemon juice adds the perfect amount of pucker.
The resulting Lemon Whipped Cream is a lovely complement to:
- Angel food cake.
- Pound cake.
- Gingerbread.
- Waffles.
- Pancakes.
- Crepes.
- French toast.
Or -- my favorite -- a big bowl of juicy, vibrant berries!
An Important Tip
Seriously, y'all...this recipe is so simple but so good. My one word of caution is to watch it carefully and do not over beat, because the ingredients can quickly go from Lemon Whipped Cream to lemon butter. So whip until soft peaks just form and you'll have achieved light and lovely lemony lusciousness.
Because the only thing better than fresh whipped cream is, of course, alliteration... 😉
Enjoy, friends!
More Ways to Enjoy Berries
- Fluffy Chocolate Fruit Dip
- Easy Strawberry Cream Cheese Pastries
- Slow Cooker Chocolate Peanut Butter Fondue
- Fruit Pizza
Lemon Whipped Cream
Ingredients
- 1 cup heavy cream, chilled
- 3 tablespoons powdered sugar
- 1 tablespoon fresh-squeezed lemon juice
- 2 teaspoons finely grated lemon zest
Instructions
- Use an electric mixer to beat heavy cream until it begins to thicken. Gradually mix in sugar and lemon juice. Beat until soft peaks form. Fold in lemon zest and serve immediately, or refrigerate for up to a few hours.
Video
Notes
- Heavy cream should be as cold as possible for the best Lemon Whipped Cream volume. And if you have a metal bowl, you can pop it in the freezer for a bit before beating your cream for even further loft.
- Watch carefully and do not over beat, because the ingredients can quickly go from whipped cream to butter. Whip until soft peaks just form.
Adapted from Food.com.
Post originally published on July 21, 2015, and updated on April 10, 2021, and March 31, 2023.
Katie
This made a perfect topping for blueberry pie. So fresh and flavorful!
Krissy
This is so good with fruit. But I want to put it on everything!! Super easy to make too!
Nora W
I just made a lemon cake and this was the perfect topping!
JanieG
Morning coffee and baking on my mind....lemon and blueberries! I was going to make a stabilized whipped cream using cream cheese and was wondering if adding the 🍋 lemon juice and zest would work? I'm going to make a lemon blueberry poke cake and the lemon whipped cream would be fantastic to finish it off!
Avril Racht
so good and not too sweet. very lite. perfect on lemon cake!
Emma
Hi, if I just hand mixed it instead of using a machine do you think I would get the same results?
Samantha Skaggs
Hi Emma. I don't see why whipping by hand wouldn't work! 🙂
Phyllis
Topped a lemon cream pie with it. Christmas eve pie for my daughter!
Patricia
Used this to frost a raspberry layer cake and it turned out great
Dolores A.
Just made the lemon whipped cream today! I made a box lemon cake and covered it with this delicious whipped cream for my daughter's birthday since she LOVES lemon!!! I tasted it and WOW!!! I am definitely going to be using this again!!!
Julie Allouch
Excellent and easy!
Kit
would this work with grapefruit juice/zest?
Samantha at Five Heart Home
I haven't tried it, Kit, but I don't see why not?
Lanie
I’m thinking this would be delicious on some blueberry scones I just baked!
Samantha at Five Heart Home
Sounds scrumptious, Lanie! Invite me over? 😉
Mary Timman
Made this today with my own IP Lemon Curd and was Delicious! Thank-you!
Samantha at Five Heart Home
Yay! I'm so happy you enjoyed it, Mary. 🙂
Karyn
This is exactly what I'm looking for to attempt a many-layer crepe cake! I saw a picture and have been dreaming of making one since. I'm grateful for the recipe and answer about the lemon mixed with cream- I also worried about curdling. Off I go...I'll let you know the results!
Megan
I made this lemon whipped topping last weekend as cupcake frosting for lemon cupcakes for my sons baptism. They were a hit! I did add more powdered sugar and lemon juice as I wanted it to be a little sweeter with more lemon flavor for the cupcakes. I did a trial run of the whipped cream a week before to make sure it would keep for a few days after being made and it was still delicious even after 5 days. I will definitely be making this again. Thanks for the recipe
Shelly Cluff
This sounds so yummy! I know that lemon added to milk turns it into buttermilk, does the lemon juice in this have any similar effects on the whipped cream?
Samantha at Five Heart Home
That's a great question, Shelly! I've never had any problems with that, as long as I work quickly and don't overbeat the cream. Also, we always enjoy the Lemon Whipped Cream soon after it's made...if it sat in the refrigerator for a day or two, I'm not sure if it would start to curdle like buttermilk. Hope you enjoy if you have a chance to try it! 🙂
Vicki
This would be great made with coconut milk for the whipping cream. Can't wait to try it on fruit for a paleontology desert.
Samantha at Five Heart Home
That's a great idea, Vicki! Just be sure to check the label and buy canned coconut milk without guar gum (sometimes labeled "simple"), as I've learned that ingredient can interfere with the whipping process when you try to make whipped coconut cream. 🙂
Joanna
I think your right, this would go great on so many things. I would start with your suggestion of waffles, because I'm starving at this point. I'm on my second cup of coffee and looking at delicious recipes is not helping. 😉
Samantha at Five Heart Home
Ha, Joanna...the dangers of food blog reading first thing in the morning! 😉