How To Make Whipped Cream Last Longer (Hint: It's One Ingredient)

When serving up dessert for family and friends, no one will complain if you need a few minutes to whip up your whipped cream topping. But perfectionists and planners are reclaiming that time and breaking down the barriers of what can and can't be made ahead of time. Whether hosting a crowd for Thanksgiving or putting the finishing touches on a showstopping ice cream cake, there's more than one occasion where you'd want a large stash of whipped cream in advance. The good news is that whipped cream actually has one of the easiest make-ahead hacks in the game and it's sitting in your pantry.

Adding a tablespoon of powdered sugar for every cup of heavy cream before whipping will create a heavenly whipped cream that can withstand up to 12 hours in your refrigerator without wilting. Most home cooks already reach for a little sweetener when whipping cream and powdered sugar tastes just as good as granulated sugar in the final, fluffy product. The reasoning behind why confectioners' sugar works is simple: it has cornstarch in it. Just as cornstarch thickens soups, sauces and stews, it adds structure and stability to whipped cream.

If you prefer the taste of unsweetened whipped cream, try adding just a tablespoon of cornstarch to every cup of heavy cream. This will give you a stable, shapeable whip without changing the flavor or the color of the cream. To maintain your perfectly mounded swirls, try stashing them in the freezer.

Powdered sugar will give you a maximum of 12 hours of lead time, perfect if you're preparing ahead in the morning for an after-dinner dessert. But for large parties and holidays, you may want even more time. To whip up a dreamy-tasting whipped cream that can last up to 24 hours in the refrigerator, try adding a tablespoon of marshmallow fluff for every cup of cream. Unlike powdered sugar, you'll want to add the fluff after your cream has formed soft peaks, otherwise it won't whip up. Marshmallows contain gelatin, which will give you a similarly stabilizing factor, plus a sweet, marshmallowy taste. Skip the addition of confectioners' sugar here, unless you like a very sweet cream.

While a 48-hour whipped cream is possible, it will neither be as easy to work with nor look or taste as close to the original. Still, if your whipped cream application can withstand a stiffer texture (like if you're piping whipped cream on cookies or cakes instead of frosting), you can add a tablespoon of instant pudding mix alongside a tablespoon of powdered sugar before whipping. Use white chocolate or vanilla pudding mix to maintain the creamy white coloration and also note that your final product will taste subtly like pudding. Give these stabilizing tactics a try — you might learn to love their unique flavors even more than the classic.