Chocolate whipped cream is a fun twist on classic whipped cream that is so good spooned over hot chocolate, coffee, and your favorite desserts.
One of my favorite things about making whipped cream at home instead of getting it from a spray can is that you can control everything about it, the texture, the sweetness level, and best of all, you can customize the flavor any way you want.
Not quite feeling classic vanilla whipped cream today? Add a little cocoa powder and make that whipped cream into chocolate whipped cream.
Chocolate whipped cream is such a fun (and ridiculously good) twist on classic whipped cream.
It feels decadent enough to eat with a spoon and call it dessert, but it’s especially good spooned over hot chocolate , coffee, or your favorite desserts to add a little boost of chocolate flavor.
Best of all, it’s just as easy to make at home as regular whipped cream. The process is exactly the same, you’ll just add a bit of cocoa powder to the mix to get this chocolate version.
Ingredient Notes
- Heavy cream/heavy whipping cream: Both heavy cream (30–36% milk fat) and heavy (whipping) cream (36%+ milk fat) work just fine for whipped cream, so use whichever one you have on hand. Have leftover heavy cream? Check out my post What to Do With Leftover Whipping Cream for ideas for using up the leftovers. (I recommend using it to make a cute little batch of cream scones .)
- Granulated or powdered sugar: You can use granulated or powdered sugar when making whipped cream, but I prefer to use powdered sugar because it contains cornstarch which helps stabilize the whipped cream.
- Cocoa powder: Both natural and Dutch-process cocoa powder will work for this recipe. Experiment and see which cocoa flavor you prefer (I go back and forth on which is my favorite).
A note on sugar choice: When adding sugar, keep in mind that by weight, 1 tablespoon of granulated sugar is almost twice as much sugar as 1 tablespoon of powdered sugar, so whipped cream made with the same volume of granulated sugar will be much sweeter than whipped cream made with powdered sugar.
How to Make Chocolate Whipped Cream
If whipping the cream by hand, chill your bowl in the freezer for 15 minutes before starting. This will help your cream whip up a little faster and more easily.
In your chilled bowl or the bowl of your stand mixer, combine heavy cream, vanilla, sugar, and cocoa powder. I recommend using a fine-mesh strainer to sift the cocoa powder into the bowl. You can skip the extra step if you want, but you might end up with a few cocoa powder lumps in the finished whipped cream.
Use a whisk, handheld electric mixer, or the whisk attachment of your stand mixer to whisk the cream until it reaches your desired consistency (soft peaks for spooning over drinks, stiff peaks for piping).
Serve and enjoy!
Where to Use Chocolate Whipped Cream
- Hot Chocolate
- Homemade Mocha
- The BEST Crockpot Hot Chocolate
- Chocolate Chip Waffles
- Chocolate Milkshake
- Strawberries!!
How do you store chocolate whipped cream?
Whipped cream is best when made right before serving, but you can store the leftovers in a covered container in the refrigerator for 48 hours.
Can I use this as frosting/can it be piped?
You can absolutely pipe chocolate whipped cream and use it as a frosting. It pairs best with light desserts like fruit or angel food cupcakes .
I should note, while you can frost cakes with whipped cream, it’s considerably more challenging to work with than regular buttercream and not nearly as stable.
If you plan on making whipped cream to pipe, be sure to whisk it to stiff peaks so it’s able to hold its shape once piped.
Can you freeze leftover whipped cream?
You can, but I find whipped cream to be extra susceptible to freezer burn and “off” freezer flavors, so you’ll want to use it within a few weeks of freezing.
To freeze the whipped cream, pipe or spoon dollops onto a parchment paper-lined plate or baking sheet and freeze until solid. Once frozen, cut the parchment paper into squares and transfer the whipped cream (still on the parchment paper) to a freezer bag for storage.
When you’re ready to use one of the dollops, remove it from the bag and place it in a warm drink and serve immediately or give it 15 to 20 minutes to defrost and serve it over a dessert.
For more information on freezing whipped cream, check out my post, Can You Freeze Whipped Cream?
More Chocolate Desserts
- Small Chocolate Cake
- Chocolate Souffles for Two With Creme Anglaise
- Small-batch Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Decadent Frosted Brownies
Ingredients
Full Batch
- ▢ 1 cup heavy cream
- ▢ ½ teaspoon vanilla extract optional
- ▢ 2 tablespoons to ¼ cup (15-30g ) powdered sugar*
- ▢ 3 tablespoons ( 15g ) unsweetened cocoa powder sifted
Single Serving
- ▢ 2 tablespoons heavy cream
- ▢ A couple drops vanilla extract optional
- ▢ 1 to 2 teaspoons ( 3-5g ) powdered sugar*
- ▢ 1 teaspoon ( 2g ) unsweetened cocoa powder sifted
Instructions
- In a large bowl* or the bowl of your stand mixer, combine heavy cream, vanilla, sugar, and cocoa powder.
- Use a whisk, handheld electric mixer, or the whisk attachment of your stand mixer to whisk the cream until it reaches your desired consistency (soft peaks for spooning over drinks, stiff peaks for piping).
- Serve and enjoy!
Notes
Creamy and buttery microwave mashed potatoes are a quick and easy side dish you can make without ever having to turn on your stove.
Need a super speedy and simple side tonight? Make a homemade batch of mashed potatoes in the microwave!
Microwave mashed potatoes are everything you love about classic homemade mashed potatoes. They’re buttery, rich, and completely satisfying. They just happen to be made in your microwave. 😉
Equipment & Ingredient Notes
- A large microwave-safe bowl: Make sure you use a bowl that is large enough that the potatoes/water only fill about ½ to ⅔ of the bowl. If the bowl is too full, the contents can bubble over while cooking and make a bit of a mess in your microwave.
- Russet potatoes: I like to use russets for this dish, but if you have red or Yukon Gold potatoes on hand, you can use them (or a combo of them) instead.
- Milk, half and half, or heavy cream: Milk, half and half, and heavy cream will all work. Cream will give you the richest mashed potatoes and milk the lightest. If you have leftover cream or half and half after making the potatoes, check out my What to Do With Leftover Half and Half and What to do With Leftover Heavy Cream posts for recipe ideas to use up the leftovers.
How to Make Mashed Potatoes in the Microwave
Microwave potatoes: Place potatoes in a microwave-safe bowl and add just enough cold water to completely cover them. Add salt and cover the bowl with an upside-down, microwave-safe plate. Microwave for 10 minutes and allow to sit for 1 minute after the timer goes off.
Check potatoes: Very carefully (the plate, bowl, and steam will be hot!) remove the plate. Check to make sure the potatoes are fork-tender. If not, replace the plate and continue to microwave in 1-minute increments until the potatoes are cooked through.
Warm cream/milk: Place cream/milk in a microwave-safe container and heat until warm, 30 to 45 seconds. Using warm liquid will keep it from cooling down your potatoes so they stay piping hot on their way to the table.
Mash and mix: Drain the potatoes and add butter to the bowl. Use a fork or potato masher to mash potatoes. Add half of the milk or cream and stir until mixed. If needed, stir in more of the liquid until the potatoes reach your desired consistency. Add salt and pepper to taste. Don’t skimp on this step. Salt until the potatoes taste amazing!
Variations
- Vegan mashed potatoes: To make microwave potatoes that are vegan, you can use dairy-free butter or margarine and your favorite non-dairy milk.
Can I double/halve this recipe?
Yes. You may need a slightly longer cooking time if you’re doubling the recipe, but it will work. To change the recipe yield, in the recipe card, hover over the servings or click if you’re on mobile and slide the slider.
Do I need a potato masher to make mashed potatoes?
No, you can mash your potatoes with a good sturdy fork, but if you’re going to regularly make mashed potatoes in the future, you might want to invest in one. Potato mashers are not super pricey and make mashing potatoes so much quicker and easier.
What to serve with microwave mashed potatoes?
I love a good gravy with my potatoes, so I recommend a quick and easy gravy , but if you have some leftover drippings, try my gravy from drippings . For main dishes, serve this with something quick and easy like:
- Oven BBQ Chicken Thighs
- Roasted Tri-tip
- Crispy Lemon Chicken Thighs
- Easy Balsamic Chicken
More Easy Microwave Sides
- Microwave Baked Potato
- Microwave Sweet Potato
- Microwave Broccoli
- Microwave Corn on the Cob
- Microwave Green Beans
Recipe Notes
- Substitutions: You can try replacing the dairy in the potatoes with warmed chicken or vegetable broth. The potatoes won’t be as rich or as creamy as if you had used half and half/heavy cream, but it’s a good option if you’re out of milk or are dairy-free.
- Potato weight: This recipe calls for 1 pound of potatoes. That’s about 3 medium or 2 large russet potatoes. If you’re a couple ounces over or under, that’s not going to hurt anything, so just aim for about a pound.
- Yield: This recipe will make 2 large servings or 4 smaller ones.
Equipment
- Potato masher
- Medium microwave-safe bowl*
- Large microwave-safe plate
Ingredients
- ▢ 1 pound (about 3 medium or 2 ) large russet potatoes peeled and diced
- ▢ ¾ teaspoon salt divided, plus more as needed
- ▢ ⅓ cup milk, half and half, or heavy cream *
- ▢ 4 tablespoons (56g) butter cut into chunks, salted or unsalted is fine*
Instructions
- To a medium, microwave-safe bowl, add potatoes and just enough cold water to completely cover them. Add ½ teaspoon of the salt and cover the bowl with an upside microwave-safe down plate.
- Microwave for 10 minutes and allow to sit for 1 minute after the timer goes off.
- Very carefully (the plate, bowl, and steam will be hot!) remove the plate. Check to make sure the potatoes are fork-tender. If not, replace the plate and continue to microwave in 1-minute increments until the potatoes are cooked through.
- Place milk/cream in a microwave-safe container and heat until warm, 30 to 45 seconds.
- Drain potatoes and add butter to the potatoes. Use a fork or potato masher to mash potatoes. Add half of the milk or cream and stir until mixed. If needed, stir in more of the liquid until the potatoes reach your desired consistency. Add remaining ¼ teaspoon of the salt. Taste and add more salt and pepper as needed.
- Serve and enjoy!
Notes
My mom’s famous red wine pot roast recipe takes a chuck roast and braises it in red wine until tender with carrots, celery, and potatoes.
I’ve shared a few of my Mom’s recipes here over the years. Her easy carrot cake is a reader favorite as is her stroganoff recipe .
This is the roast my family makes on Christmas almost every year. It’s always a total show-stopper, and it’s my favorite pot roast recipe in the entire world because it is ridiculously good and ridiculously easy to make.
You take a chuck roast, fill it with slices of garlic, and then braise it low and slow in a mixture of red wine and tomato sauce until it is incredibly tender.
It makes your house smell delicious and best of all, once your roast is seared and simmering, the rest of the cooking is mostly hands-off.
Check on it once in a while and add the vegetables halfway through, but otherwise, the work is basically done. Time to tidy up the kitchen (or make someone else handle that) and relax.
Ingredient Notes
- 3½ to 4 pound chuck roast: If you’re having trouble finding a 3+ pound roast, try asking at the butcher counter (that’s what I had to do for the roast in the photos). I’ve also resorted to just using two 2-pound roasts a couple of times in the past, and that worked fine.
- Dry red wine: Cabernet Sauvignon is my go-to for this dish, but any dry red wine will work.
- Prepared horseradish: There’s only a small amount of horseradish in this dish, but I think it’s worth it to grab a jar at the store if you don’t keep it stocked at home since it’s a fairly inexpensive ingredient (around $2).
- Mustard: Regular yellow mustard or Dijon will both work fine.
- Small-to-medium red potatoes: Pick potatoes that are around 2½ inches to 2¾ inches max. If you’re using really large potatoes, cut them in half.
How to Make (the Best!) Red Wine Pot Roast
Make sauce: In a small bowl, combine tomato sauce, brown sugar, oregano, horseradish, and mustard. Stir until well-mixed and set aside.
Add garlic slices: Use a paring knife to poke small cuts about 1½ inches deep all over your roast and insert sliced garlic into the slits. This step seems fiddly and unnecessary, but it really helps the garlic flavor penetrate the meat, and when you get a bite of one of the slow roasted garlic pieces, you’ll be so glad you took the extra time for this step.
Dredge the roast in flour: Place the roast in a large bowl or plastic bag and sprinkle with flour, salt, and pepper. Rotate the roast as needed until all sides are well-coated.
Sear: In a large Dutch oven, heat oil over medium-high heat. Once hot, add roast to the pot and brown on all sides. Be very careful when you’re turning the roast not to let it fall too quickly and splash hot oil out of the pan.
Add red wine and tomato sauce: Add onions to the pot and pour red wine over the top. Pour tomato sauce mixture over the roast, cover the pot and bring the liquid to a simmer. Yes, this is all the liquid you will add, no this is not a problem. The roast will release a lot of liquid as it cooks.
Simmer: Once simmering, reduce the heat to keep it just at a simmer, and cook for 2 1/2 hours. Check on the roast occasionally to make sure it’s maintaining that nice easy simmer, but otherwise, it’s hands off for the next couple hours.
Add vegetables: Flip the roast over (so both sides cook evenly) and then nestle the vegetables around the meat, making sure they’re mostly submerged.
Finish cooking: Place the lid back on the pot, bring the liquid back up to a simmer, and cook for 1 hour more, until the vegetables and meat are tender. You should be able to pierce both the potatoes and the meat easily with a sharp knife.
Optional skim the fat: Between the cooking oil and the fat released from the roast, there will be a thin layer of fat over the top of the cooking liquid. If you would like to skim it off, transfer the roast to a cutting board and use a slotted spoon or spider skimmer to transfer the vegetables to a serving bowl. Let the liquid settle for two minutes, and then use a large spoon to skim the fat from the surface.
If you’re making the roast a day ahead, you can also just refrigerate everything and scrape the solidified fat from the top in the morning.
- Dish and eat: Taste the sauce, and add salt and pepper as needed. Serve the roast cut into large chunks alongside the cooked vegetables, with sauce spooned over the top and enjoy!
What is a good red wine to cook with beef?
A nice cabernet sauvignon is my favorite wine to use in beef recipes, but pinot noir and merlot are also great options.
Can I make a smaller roast with this recipe?
Yes. If your roast is less than 3 pounds, you can still follow the recipe exactly as written, but it might not need the full hour of cooking time after you’ve added the vegetables.
If you find that the roast is tender (you can pierce the meat easily with a sharp knife) before the vegetables are done cooking, simply remove the roast and transfer it to the cutting board tented with foil to keep it warm.
When the vegetables are done, if the roast has cooled too much, cut it into pieces and briefly return it to the simmering cooking liquid to reheat before serving.
Can you freeze pot roast?
Yes! Pot roast beef freezes exceptionally well. The carrots, celery, and onions will be softer after freezing and reheating, but freeze okay.
I’m not a huge fan of freezing potatoes because they become slightly mealy after being frozen, so I typically don’t freeze the potatoes and serve the roast over mashed potatoes when I reheat the leftovers.
That being said, if you want to freeze the potatoes, go for it. Most of the rest of my family does, and they don’t mind the texture change.
To freeze the roast: Portion servings of the beef and vegetables along with the sauce in airtight freezer bags, remove as much of the air as possible, and freeze for up to 3 months. Defrost overnight in the refrigerator and reheat in the microwave. (Do not try to thaw the roast in the microwave. It will turn the vegetables to mush.)
More Favorite Beef Recipes
- Easy Short Ribs
- Homemade Carne Asada
- Slow Cooker Beef Ribs
- Roasted Tri-Tip
- Easy Beef Pasties
Red Wine Pot Roast Recipe Notes
- Prepping the vegetables: You don’t need to start prepping your carrots, celery, and potatoes until the roast is simmering. If you’re prepping the potatoes early in the cooking time, place the peeled potatoes in a large bowl and cover them with cold water so they don’t turn brown while they’re waiting to be added to the roast.
Equipment
- Large Dutch oven with a lid
Ingredients
- ▢ 1 8-ounce can tomato sauce
- ▢ 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- ▢ 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- ▢ 1 teaspoon prepared horseradish
- ▢ 1 teaspoon mustard *
- ▢ 3½ to 4 pound boneless chuck roast
- ▢ 2 large garlic cloves thinly sliced
- ▢ ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- ▢ ½ teaspoon salt
- ▢ ½ teaspoon pepper
- ▢ ⅓ cup olive oil
- ▢ 1 medium onion cut in half root to tip and sliced into half moons.
- ▢ 1 cup dry red wine *
- ▢ 1 bay leaf
- ▢ 8 small-to-medium red potatoes peeled*
- ▢ 6 medium carrots peeled and cut into 2-inch pieces
- ▢ 4 celery ribs cut into 2-inch pieces
Instructions
- In a small bowl, combine tomato sauce, brown sugar, oregano, horseradish, and mustard. Stir until well-mixed and set aside.
- Use a paring knife to poke small cuts about 1½ inches deep all over your roast and insert sliced garlic into the slits.
- Place roast in a large bowl or plastic bag and sprinkle with flour, salt, and pepper. Rotate the roast as needed until all sides are well-coated.
- In a large Dutch oven with a lid, heat oil over medium-high heat. Once hot, add roast to the pot and brown on all sides.
- Add onions to the pot around the roast and pour red wine over the top. Pour tomato sauce mixture over the roast and add the bay leaf. Cover the pot and bring the liquid to a simmer.
- Once simmering, reduce the heat to keep the liquid at just a simmer and cook for 2½ hours.
- Flip the roast over and then nestle the potatoes, carrots, and celery around the meat, making sure they’re mostly submerged.
- Place the lid back on the pot, bring the liquid back up to a simmer, and cook for 1 hour more, until the vegetables and meat are tender. (You should be able to pierce both the potatoes and the meat easily with a sharp knife.)
- (Optional) If you would like to skim the fat from the top of the sauce, transfer the roast to a cutting board and use a slotted spoon or spider skimmer to transfer the vegetables to a serving bowl. Let the liquid settle for 2 to 3 minutes, and then use a large spoon to skim the fat from the surface.
- Taste the sauce, and add salt and pepper as needed. Serve the meat cut into chunks with sauce spooned over the meat and vegetables* and enjoy!
Notes
Recipe from Southern Living Five-Star Recipe Collection (appears to be out of print) via my mom 😉
Chocolate Whipped Cream
Ingredients
Full Batch
- 1 cup heavy cream
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract optional
- 2 tablespoons to ¼ cup (15-30g ) powdered sugar*
- 3 tablespoons ( 15g ) unsweetened cocoa powder sifted
Single Serving
- 2 tablespoons heavy cream
- A couple drops vanilla extract optional
- 1 to 2 teaspoons ( 3-5g ) powdered sugar*
- 1 teaspoon ( 2g ) unsweetened cocoa powder sifted
Instructions
- In a large bowl* or the bowl of your stand mixer, combine heavy cream, vanilla, sugar, and cocoa powder.
- Use a whisk, handheld electric mixer, or the whisk attachment of your stand mixer to whisk the cream until it reaches your desired consistency (soft peaks for spooning over drinks, stiff peaks for piping).
- Serve and enjoy!
