I tried 8 brands of whipped cream from the grocery store and ranked them from worst to best
I tried eight brands of whipped cream from the grocery store to see which one is best.
The lone nondairy option held its own, but it didn't make it to the top of my list.
My favorite brand, Cabot, was a classic, and it had the coolest-looking can.
Whipped cream is rarely the star of the show. It's like an extra in a movie — you barely notice it, but things don't feel right when it's missing.
I decided to try eight store-bought brands of dairy and nondairy whipped cream and rank them from worst to best. I tasted each product on its own and with strawberries for a fair comparison.
Here's how they stacked up.
8. Foodtown sweetened light whipped cream
Everything about this feels generic, but I still want to try it.
The packaging has a classic but uninspired feel — like someone recreated it from their hazy childhood memory of a whipped-cream can.
I didn't like this at all.
I didn't like the flavor of the whipped cream's artificial sweetener. There was also a bit of a funky aftertaste that didn't make things much better.
Unfortunately, trying it on a strawberry didn't mask anything, either.
7. Whole Foods whipped topping
I don't love the look of this can at all. It's bland, and the 365 logo seems out of place.
I understand that whipped cream is white, but it's not exactly an exciting color to look at.
It was pretty good but much lighter than I prefer.
I thought the whipped cream melted in my mouth a little too quickly.
The use of cane sugar was a nice touch. I certainly tasted the difference from the Foodtown brand, but it wasn't immense.
I put a bunch of this on a strawberry and the consistency left a little to be desired. I think good whipped cream enhances the flavor of fruit, but this struggled not to get lost.
6. Dairy Star original dairy whipped topping
I don't expect to like this one too much. The can looks a little too sterile for my taste.
However, all the other red, cow-themed cans were good, so I'm keeping an open mind.
This is delicious.
All I could think about was how this one would be especially good with coffee. It tasted like there was a little hint of cinnamon, which I knew was just in my mind.
It wasn't my favorite can overall because I lost a little of the unique flavor when I used it as a topping — the berry was slightly overpowering.
5. Coconut whipped topping
The can is unassuming, but I've actually had this before and remember loving it.
To further the hype, the Trader Joe's cashier couldn't stop raving about this product when I bought it.
I'm not sure I'd want to eat this on its own, but it was delicious.
I tasted a very fresh coconut flavor, and I love how fluffy it is. It's a great alternative and holds its own against dairy whipped cream.
Coconut and strawberry isn't my go-to flavor combination, but they paired nicely without canceling each other out.
I think the lightness of the coconut cream gives it great versatility and allows it to work with many flavors.
4. Original Reddi-Wip
The can here is lovely — sleek and beautiful. It stands out among all the others on the shelf.
I looked it up, and it actually was the first aerosol whipped cream.
It's so good.
The cream is light, fluffy, and perfectly sweet. I could eat this out of a bowl with a spoon.
I wasn't sure I even wanted to try it with the strawberry. It just melts away so quickly and leaves you with a milky-sweet taste.
However, the sweetness of the fruit went well with the cream. If the cream was a little thicker, I would've been even happier.
3. Krasdale original dairy whipped topping
I don't have a great feel for this one.
The can looks like a nicer version of the other generic products I tried. However, the cream looked great coming out of it.
This was the closest thing to the whipped cream I remember eating as a kid.
The cream was light and airy, with a sweet but not overpowering taste.
It got a boost in my ranking for the nostalgia factor.
The whipped cream also went perfectly with the strawberries. There was enough sweetness to prevent the flavor from getting lost, but I didn't feel like it was overpowering the fruit.
2. Farmland real whipped light cream
The can looks great. I like the cow logo and the spots.
It reminded me a lot of the Cabot can.
This was very milky and had a richer flavor than most.
It actually did remind me a little of Cabot, though less textured and vanilla-y. It kind of tasted like Cool Whip without the tang.
This whipped cream brought a bolder flavor than most to the strawberry, but it worked.
The topping felt fresh instead of just like an accent, like some of the others.
1. Cabot premium natural sweetened light whipped cream
Now, this is a can of whipped cream. I love the pink — it really stands out — and you can't get any more classic than cow spots.
I can't wait to try it.
This was the closest I'll ever come to drinking milk straight from a cow on a farm.
I know the can says light, but this had a thickness to it that I appreciated.
It was also far milkier than the others, and though it could've been a little sweeter, I was eager to eat more.
The cream and strawberries genuinely went together. The richness of the fruit didn't outmatch the creaminess of the topping.
I liked Reddi-Wip more on first taste, but I kept going back for more of Cabot's whipped cream.
Foodtown is the only brand I definitely wouldn't buy again, mostly because I didn't love the flavor. I probably wouldn't get the Whole Foods brand again, either, unless I was in a pinch.
I preferred the thicker whipped creams like Reddi-Wip, Krasdale, and Farmland.
That said, Cabot was easily my favorite one of the bunch. It was so simple and rich, making the strawberries an experience to eat.
I felt like I was enjoying a full-fledged dessert rather than just some berries and cream.
This story was originally published in July 2023 and most recently updated on February 20, 2024.
Read the original article on Business Insider
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