After trying Whipshots, I wanted to take a shot at making my own version…
For this Labor Day weekend, Nathan and I committed to our THIRD attempt at potty-training Orson. I can’t think of a better time to experiment with booze. After publishing my recent Caramel Whipped Cream recipe, I stumbled upon Cardi B Whipshots Vodka-infused Caramel Whipped Cream.
With my curiosity piqued, I read some reviews on Whipshots. I kept encountering a running theme: great flavor, HORRIBLE packaging. Reportedly, this can is borderline defective. You can hope to get about two sprays of cream from the container before it typically stops functioning.
But still, people swear up and down that it tastes FANTASTIC. Which makes the can issue such a disappointment. I wanted to check out Whipshots for myself. To investigate the hype and see if the flavor is worth the potential disappointment of a impotent dispenser.
The Quest for Whipshots
The closest store that carried Whipshots in stock was a Total Wine & More about 25 minutes away. So I stole away Friday afternoon, during Orson and Nova’s naptime, to make the drive. Side note: Total Wine & More is absolutely magical to me. First time visiting, 10/10, will return. I especially love the free samples.
I found the selection of Whipshots at the front of the store near checkout. It comes in a variety of flavors, it’s kept at room temperature (since it’s non-dairy), and boasts a whopping 10% alcohol content. It’s also got a pretty hefty price tag for the volume. A mere 50-mL costs about $7, and the standard 200-mL can set me back about $16. For alcoholic whipped cream.
Anyway, I went on this excursion for Whipshots whipped cream with the ultimate goal in mind of creating a boozy copycat recipe or two. With that in mind, I grabbed some vodka, some various liqueurs, a couple bargain bottles of wine for cooking, and my can of caramel Whipshots and checked out.
The Verdict Is…
Taste-wise, honestly, Whipshots isn’t terrible. It’s pretty artificial, truth be told, but if you’re into vodka, it’ll be a pleasant enough delivery. The vodka smacks you in the face, while almost overpowering the strong artificial caramel flavor. The vodka burn is there.
But the texture, the stability of the whipped cream itself, blegh. It turns into a puddle within seconds of being dispensed. It doesn’t hold it’s shape, and it doesn’t dispense easily. I wouldn’t go so far as to say that the can doesn’t work, like people have claimed. But there on the can are listed directions…for whipped cream. It’s high-maintenance whipped cream, at best.
Whipshots just seems to be a cheap, but expensive, product. I don’t know what you could use this on that it wouldn’t instantly disintegrate into. And while it’s okay in very tiny doses, it’s just so sickeningly artificial that I couldn’t let the opportunity pass without providing a more natural, cheaper alternative.
The Alternatives
Inspired by my previous iterations of recipes utilizing granulated caramel (a.k.a. toasted sugar), and my love of boozy desserts, I knew I had to take a crack at this. I won’t claim that the punchy, overpowering artificial caramel flavor will burn the back of your throat like Whipshots does. What I will claim, honestly, is that these taste infinitely better and are insanely easy to “whip” up.
Even the most artificial-flavored concoction I came up with during my flavor experimentation came out tasting far less harsh in comparison. Even as it was the closest in taste to Whipshots. Prior to making these alternative recipes, I actually considered Whipshots to be pretty decent. But it was hard to go back to for additional taste tests after tasting my creations.
Following, I have three separate recipes for boozy, caramelly, delicious whipped cream. I made different versions in an attempt to match the Whipshots flavor profile, and dang it, they were just all so delectable.
Two of these recipes do require that you have some toasted sugar on hand (which requires some worthwhile time investment), but I do include a cheap, fast, copycat recipe that won’t disappoint. And, to be fair, it does taste the most like Whipshots. Read on, and enjoy!
Whipshots Copycats
Cheat Code Whipshots
Equipment
- 1 Stand Mixer with Whisk Attachment
Ingredients
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 4½ tbsp dark brown sugar
- 50 mL caramel flavored vodka Veil Caramel
- 2 tsp whipped cream flavored liqueur 99 Proof
- ½ tsp vanilla bean paste (in this case, you could use imitation extract)
- ⅛ tsp kosher salt
Instructions
- Chill the mixing bowl and whisk attachment in the freezer for at least 15 minutes.
- Whisk the heavy cream and dark brown sugar on high speed until soft peaks form.
- Add the alcohol, the vanilla bean paste, and the kosher salt.
- Whisk on high speed until all ingredients are thoroughly incorporated and desired consistency/stiffness has been reached. Enjoy!
While it doesn’t taste AS SIMILAR to Whipshots as the first recipe, ohmigosh, it is FAR SUPERIOR. It captures the deep caramel notes without tapping into the artificial, chemically burn as the canned, store-bought product. Toasting sugar is a time investment, but it ALWAYS yields undeniably incredible results.
Superior Copycat Whipshots
Equipment
- 1 Stand Mixer with Whisk Attachment
Ingredients
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 4 T granulated caramel
- 4 T vodka
- ½ tsp vanilla bean paste
- ⅛ tsp kosher salt
Instructions
- Chill the mixing bowl and whisk attachment in the freezer for at least 15 minutes. I also recommend chilling the vodka in the freezer as well.
- Blitz the granulated caramel until powdery fine.
- Whisk the heavy cream on high speed until soft peaks form.
- Add the alcohol, powdered caramel, vanilla bean paste, and kosher salt.
- Whisk on high speed until all ingredients are thoroughly incorporated and desired consistency/stiffness is reached. Enjoy!
This one tasted the LEAST like actual Whipshots, but it was arguably close to being our favorite of the batches I made. I learned that a little of the Black Irish goes a LONG WAY and yields HUGE flavor. But it SHOUTS Irish Cream far louder than caramel. Or any other flavor, for that matter. It is delightful and absolutely worth a mention.
Just for “Shots” and Giggles…
Equipment
- 1 Stand Mixer with Whisk Attachment
Ingredients
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 4 T granulated caramel
- 2 T vodka
- 50 mL Black Irish Salted Caramel Liqueur
- ⅛ tsp kosher salt
Instructions
- Chill the mixing bowl and whisk attachment in the freezer for at least 15 minutes. I recommend chilling the vodka in the freezer as well.
- Blitz the granulated caramel/toasted sugar in a food processor until powdery fine.
- Whisk the heavy cream on high speed until soft peaks form.
- Add the alcohol, powdered caramel, and salt.
- Whisk until all ingredients are well incorporated and desired consistency/stiffness is reached. Enjoy!
Copycat Whipshots Storage
My versions all contain dairy, in contrast to the actual Whipshots product. That being said, if you aren’t making these whipped creams with the intent of immediately smashing or serving them, you’ll want to store them.
I found that with the Superior Copycat Whipshots recipes, if just keeping it in the fridge, the vodka would separate slightly. Easy enough to fold back in, no biggie, just unsightly. After this discovery, I attempted storing these whipped creams in the freezer…with satisfying results.
Since the whipped cream is alcohol-infused, it doesn’t quite freeze like traditional whipped cream does. It maintains its creaminess instead of becoming icy and crystallized. Nathan and I immensely enjoyed tasting it right out of our freezer and noted that, while still creamy, it reminded us of over-churned ice cream. Not at all a bad thing, considering it’s whipped cream.
Whip It Good
Try these recipes. Seriously. Just give them a (whip)shot, and you won’t be disappointed. The actual Whipshots product can be hit or miss, depending on your tastes and preferences. But these whipped creams I’ve created are sure to please.
If you shoot your shot and make these delicious whipped cream iterations, let me know what you think! Did you eat the whipped cream by itself or did you find a delightful dessert to pair it with? Tell me! And, as always, feel free to leave a comment, shoot me an email, and/or follow me on my socials! I look forward to hearing from you.