Yogurt Whipped Cream

I first made myself some yogurt whipped cream about a year ago and just wasn't all that impressed.  I didn't think you would be either, so I let it go.  But not totally, as you might have guessed.  I continued to be a little haunted by the creamy possibilities of a yogurt whipped cream and recently decided to give it another go.  My first attempts last year were informed by a recipe posted on Serious Eats, which is usually a dependable resource, but sadly, not this time.  So back to the drawing board, and with a major overhaul and a little more tweaking, my hopes and dreams for a luscious yogurt whipped cream have now been realized.  Have they ever.

There are a few things that yogurt whipped cream have going for it, the first being the obvious health benefits of adding something healthy like yogurt (with active bacterial cultures) to what is normally just a cream and sugar-based topping.  Of course, this assumes you're going to be using a high quality Greek yogurt, so let's promise to do that.  Next is the flavor that frankly surprised me a little. Could it really be this good?  Well, if you get the ratio of cream to yogurt to sugar right, then yes, folks, it really is this good.  

Another thing that sold me on our yogurt whipped cream is the texture.  As you can imagine, it's denser than whipped cream and has an almost (but not quite) pudding-like texture.  It has body and holds up to longer periods of storage in the fridge.  That means you can keep it on hand for a week or two and use it to top your strawberries or peaches for a light dessert or breakfast, and/or basically use it anywhere you might think a dollop of enhanced whipped cream might bring you joy.

I've used it to top cakes and am now ruminating on the possible bliss of a chocolate yogurt-whipped cream pie.  I may just have that recipe for you soon.  But mostly I'm excited for my next post which will feature our beautiful yogurt cream in a dessert that blew us away with its deliciousness. In the meantime, if you want to give this a try (and you should 😁), here's the recipe...

Yogurt Whipped Cream

Click here for a printable recipe

Obviously, the quality of the yogurt that you use is going to make a big difference in the flavor and texture of your yogurt whipped cream.  I tested this with Fage whole milk Greek yogurt, but there are other good quality yogurts that would work as well.  I like to add vanilla to my whipped cream, but I'm not crazy about how it changes the color of the cream.  My work-around for this is to either use vanilla sugar (I keep it on hand with used vanilla bean pods) or by using vanilla bean seeds.  Either method delivers a nice hint of vanilla if you like that sort of thing.

3/4 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup cup plain Greek yogurt, preferably whole milk
2 - 4 tablespoons sugar, depending on your sweetness preferences
seeds from 1 vanilla bean, split and scraped (optional)

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk or a hand mixer, beat heavy cream, sugar and yogurt on medium-high speed until soft peaks form.  Store tightly covered in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.

Use as you would traditional whipped cream.