Question: What is the difference between Cool Whip vs whipped cream?
Answer: At some point in your life you have probably internally debated on whether to choose Cool Whip or whipped cream as your whipped topping. Cool Whip is the stuff you find in the grocery store freezer section that comes in a plastic blue and white tub. Whipped cream is found in the dairy section and comes in an aerosol can. Alternately, you can make homemade whipped cream with heavy cream and sugar.
Cool whip and whipped cream are often believed to be the same thing. They are actually quite different products. Let’s take a look at what makes them so different.
Ingredients
Below we have provided the ingredients for original Cool Whip and Reddi Wip. These are two of the most popular choices when it comes to whipped toppings. The most abundant ingredients are listed first. The three main ingredients in Cool Whip are water, hydrogenated vegetable oils, and high fructose corn syrup. Reddi Wip’s main ingredients are cream, water, and sugar. Reddi wip is a much better option than Cool Whip because it is actually made from cream and not oil.
The better option than Cool Whip and Reddi Wip is to make your own whipped cream. All you need is heavy cream and sugar. Check out our recipe here. By making your own whipped cream, you eliminate additives and you control the sugar content.
Cool Whip Ingredients
Cool Whip: Water, Hydrogenated Vegetable Oil (Coconut & Palm Kernel Oils), High Fructose Corn Syrup, Corn Syrup, Skim Milk, Contains Less Than 2% Of Light Cream, Sodium Caseinate, Natural And Artificial Flavor, Xanthan And Guar Gums, Polysorbate 60, Sorbitan Monostearate, Sodium Polyphosphate, Beta Carotene (Color).
Whipped Cream Ingredients (Store -Bought)
Reddi Wip – Original: Cream, Water, Sugar, Corn Syrup, Nonfat Milk, Contains Less Than 2% Of The Following: Natural And Artificial Flavors, Mono- And Diglycerides, Carrageenan, Propellant: Nitrous Oxide.
Nutrition
We have provided a side-by-side nutritional comparison of Cool Whip vs Reddi Wip below. Which one is better for you? Reddi Wip. However, if you choose Cool Whip as your whipped topping there is not a major difference compared to Reddi Wip. You consume 10 extra calories and .5 extra total fat grams by eating Cool Whip over Reddi Wip.
| Brand/Product | Serving Size | Calories | Total Fat (g) | Saturated Fat (g) | Trans Fat (g) | Cholesterol (mg) | Sodium (mg) | Total Carbohydrate (g) | Sugar (g) | Dietary Fiber (g) | Protein (g) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reddi Wip Original | 2 Tbsp | 15 | 1 | 0.5 | 0 | <5 | 0 | 1 | Less Than 1 g | 0 | 0 |
| Cool Whip Original | 2 Tbsp | 25 | 1.5 | 1.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 g | --- | 0 |
Taste & Texutre
Cool Whip is thick and holds together nicely when plopped on something like a piece of pie. It does a much better job standing up to heat and sitting out at room temperature than whipped cream.
Reddi Wip is light and creamy. It will quickly dissolve in hot chocolate leaving you wanting more. It works best when eaten on something cold like fruit or pudding so it doesn’t dissolve.
We have heard from people that Cool Whip and Reddi Wip taste the same to Cool Whip tasting like an oily artificial mess. In our opinion, there is definitely an artificial element to the taste of Cool Whip. Cool Whip doesn’t give you a sense that you are eating real whipped up cream like Reddi Wip.
Conclusion
It takes a couple of minutes to make homemade whipped cream from cream and sugar. This type of whipped cream, by far, tastes the best and has the best ingredients. However, we understand that it is convenient to have a store-bought whipped topping in the refrigerator. In this case, Reddi wip is the winner in terms of ingredients, nutrition, and taste.