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Whip cream
Whipping Cream vs. Cool Whip
Hi Cinzia!
From a nutritional point of view, is it more healthy to use real whipped cream or products like Cool Whip® or Nutri Whip® in recipes?
Thank you!
Stephanie
Hi Stephanie,
In order to determine the nutritional value of a product, it is imperative you look at two things: the nutrition facts table and the list of ingredients.
We compared Ultra’crème‘s® whipping cream to Cool Whip®. The first thing that we noticed is that the whipping cream contains more fat. In fact, when comparing the same quantity, the whipping cream contains almost 2 times more saturated fat than Cool Whip®. But, Cool Whip® (and other similar whipped toppings) have a lot more sugar than whipping cream.
Whipping cream “only” has 7 ingredients – with cream and milk as the first two listed. Whereas the first three ingredients listed for Cool Whip® are water, corn syrup and hydrogenated vegetable oil (translation: trans fats!) from a list of 10 ingredients in total. With the effects of trans fat on the cardiovascular system now common knowledge – it is better to avoid it at all costs.
Our conclusion? If you’re not a calorie-counter and aren’t concerned by the amount of fat you consume, it is better to opt for the natural stuff: whipping cream. It tastes better and has more natural ingredients than products like Cool Whip® (plus, you can exercise your arm by whipping it up by hand!). We think this is a better choice – in moderation, of course!
To simplify the comparison, consult the following table. We compare the nutritional values of 15ml of whipping cream vs 15ml of Cool Whip®.
| For 15ml | Whipping cream (35%) | Cool Whip® |
| Energy (kcal) | 50 | 13 |
| Total Fat (g) | 5 | 0.8 |
| – Saturated (g) | 1.5 | 0.8 |
| Carbohydrates (g) | 1 | 1 |
| – Sugars (g) | 0 | 1 |
Author
Cinzia Cuneo, founder of SOSCuisine.com, never wanted to neglect the quality of her food. She shares her special expertise to make good food quickly and without complications!
Can I use beaten egg whites with beaten nutri whip? Can I mix them together?
WILL WHIP CREAM HOLD ITS SHAPE IN FRUIT SALAD FOR A POTLUCK DINNER? OR SHOULD I USE COOL WHIP?? I DO NOT WANT IT TO BECOME RUNNY.
Hi Sandy,
Whether you use real cream or cool whip, it would be preferable to add it at the very last minute.
If you have dairy free concerns go for the Nutri Whip in your recipe or whipped coconut cream. Nutri holds up well in fluff but Gae Lea makes an aerosol coconut cream that is great on coffees and pies. You can whip your own but it might separate sooner than the Nutri Whip.
Can real homemade whipped cream be substituted for Cool Whip in a recipe?
I cannot find Nutri Whip any more.
Have they stopped making it?
It’s a great ‘Dairy Free’ Alternative
I mean, if you’re going to use whipped cream at all, why not simply. use the real stuff? Cool Whip is artificial. It’s non-dairy, which should tell you all there is you need to know. Water, corn syrup, a bunch of hydrogenated oils and a wee bit of light cream (a VERY wee bit) and a bunch of thickeners like carageenan. And the taste is completely different. It tastes like some sweet, fluffy, sort of vanilla-flavored something, but not anything like whipped cream. Whipped cream should be heavy cream, sugar and vanilla. Period.