Recipe Roundup

37 Recipes to Put That Extra Heavy Cream to Good Use

A half-empty carton of heavy cream is a cheat code for brunches, dinners, and desserts that wow.
Chocolate mousse in dessert glasses with whipped cream on top and spoons on the side.
Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Prop Styling by Nathaniel James, Food Styling by Simon Andrews

You probably already know that a little splash of cream makes pretty much any pasta dish more luxurious. But recipes with heavy cream go far beyond pasta, and an open carton of the stuff is a wonderful problem to have. Below, you’ll find a few of our favorite sweet and savory ways to use up heavy cream, including plush cakes, luscious dip, and an easy large-format take on twice-baked potatoes. Scones? They’re flaky, buttery, and so tender. Soup? As silky as could be. Restaurant-level desserts you can prep ahead? You’ll learn their secrets on this list of our best recipes with heavy cream. Dive in, and you might even find yourself grabbing the bigger carton next week.

All products are independently selected by our editors. If you buy something, we may earn an affiliate commission.

  • A bowl of mixed berries with a dollop of sweetened whipped cream on top.
    Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Drew Aichele
    1/37

    Sweetened Whipped Cream

    Okay, let’s get the obvious part out of the way with the simplest of all of our heavy cream recipes. It’s exactly what you need for dolloping onto strawberry shortcake or your Sunday morning waffles.

    Get This Recipe
  • Photo by Travis Rainey, Food Styling by Micah Marie Morton
    2/37

    Creamed Corn

    You really do want to make this while you can get fresh ears of corn—the kernels keep their texture beautifully, and the cob itself offers extra flavor. But we all know that what makes this dish a standout is the generous pour of heavy cream.

    Get This Recipe
  • Photo by Travis Rainey, Food Styling by Micah Marie Morton
    7/37

    French Silk Pie

    While we have a soft spot for blackberry cobbler and clafoutis with cherries, you can’t beat a summer dessert that requires no baking. This creamy pie begins with a press-in Oreo crust and is topped with a smooth chocolate filling lightened with whipped cream.

    Get This Recipe
  • Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Prop Styling by Alex Brannian, Food Styling by Rhoda Boone
    8/37

    Classic Spinach-Artichoke Dip

    Combine cream cheese, grated mozzarella, nutty Parmesan, and heavy cream with artichoke hearts, and you have a dip with real main character energy.

    Get This Recipe
  • Photo by Isa Zapata, Food Styling by Yekaterina Boystova
    9/37

    Panna Cotta

    Need an easy dessert to bring to a friend’s house? We nominate this make-ahead treat, topped with whatever fruit you like.

    Get This Recipe
  • Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Micah Marie Morton
    10/37

    Chicken and Potato Gratin

    When cream is dolled up with nutty brown butter, thyme, and sage, it becomes a luxurious sauce for chicken and potatoes. Toasty breadcrumbs (cooked in the chicken drippings for extra flavor) complete the dish.

    Get This Recipe
  • Photo by Travis Rainey, Food Styling by Emilie Fosnocht
    11/37

    Tiramisu

    If you don’t have Marsala to make this Italian no-bake dessert, swap in dark rum or brandy.

    Get This Recipe
  • Photo by Travis Rainey, Food Styling by Stevie Stewart
    12/37

    Biscuits and Gravy

    A report from a reader: “My husband orders biscuits and gravy at every breakfast spot…this recipe tops the best ones he has tried.”

    Get This Recipe
  • Photo by Elizabeth Coetzee, Food Styling by Mira Evnine
    19/37

    Twice-Baked-Potato Casserole

    The classic version is great and all, but sometimes you just can’t fuss with stuffing mashed potatoes back into potato skins. The answer is this large-format casserole, which gives you all the flavor of the original with much less effort.

    Get This Recipe
  • Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Kaitlin Wayne
    20/37

    Our Favorite Mac and Cheese

    There’s only ¾ cup of heavy cream in this mac and cheese recipe, but it guarantees an extra-luscious sauce that clings to every noodle.

    Get This Recipe
  • Photo by Ben Fink
    21/37

    Whipped Cream Cake

    The butteriest cake of all time may contain no butter at all. Heavy cream does the heavy lifting here.

    Get This Recipe
  • Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Prop Styling by Alex Brannian, Food Styling by Grace Parisi
    22/37

    Quiche Sardou

    Fill your quiche with spinach and artichoke hearts and serve at brunch with lots of coffee.

    Get This Recipe
  • Photo by Sarah Kieffer.
    25/37

    Caramel Candies

    Heavy cream is an essential in caramel, whether you’re making glossy caramel sauce or these giftable candies.

    Get This Recipe
  • Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Food Styling by Kat Boytsova
    26/37

    3-Ingredient Tomato Soup

    You don’t need a ton of ingredients to make really good homemade tomato soup. But roasting the tomatoes—which can be done several days in advance—turns this version into something extraordinary.

    Get This Recipe
  • Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Kaitlin Wayne
    27/37

    One-Pot Chicken and Biscuits

    The loosely scattered drop biscuit layer adds a fluffy texture and crispy top that contrasts the creamy filling in this weeknight-friendly rendition of the classic comfort food.

    Get This Recipe
  • Photo by Travis Rainey, Food Styling by Tiffany Schleigh
    28/37

    Flan

    There’s a reason versions of this simple dessert are popular all over the world. Make this straightforward rendition to find out why.

    Get This Recipe
  • Photo by Elizabeth Coetzee, Food Styling by Erika Joyce
    37/37

    Grasshopper

    After all these recipes with heavy cream, we’d be remiss if we didn’t offer you something to drink. This minty after-dinner cocktail is part dessert, part beverage, and completely fun.

    Get This Recipe
Following stints at StarChefs and Saveur, Joe joined Epicurious in 2016 where he’s written about how to make the very best biscuits, the singularity of third-culture cooking, and the ultimate cream cheese frosting. Currently, he works across both BA and Epi as the senior SEO editor for cooking stories, which... Read more
Senior SEO Editor, Cooking
The Epicurious editorial team develops original recipes, and publishes stories about cooking better, faster, and more creatively, sustainably, and affordably. See our full masthead, here.
Read More
31 Sour Cream Recipes to Finish Off That Tub in Your Fridge
icon
31 Sour Cream Recipes to Finish Off That Tub in Your Fridge
If you have sour cream in your fridge, these muffins, cakes, and comforting main dishes are just moments away.
41 Easy Buttermilk Recipes for Any Time of Day
icon
41 Easy Buttermilk Recipes for Any Time of Day
For better fried chicken, and salad, and fudge, simply pour on the tang. 
71 Pasta Recipes to Cook If Spaghetti Is Your Love Language
icon
71 Pasta Recipes to Cook If Spaghetti Is Your Love Language
Or bucatini. Or linguine. Or orzo. Or… you get the picture.
29 Pork Shoulder Recipes for Braising, Roasting, Smoking, and More
Like grilled shoulder steaks, sticky char siu, and all the pulled pork.
18 Types of Peppers and How to Cook With Them
From mellow and sweet to can’t-take-the heat.
Recipes From Bon Appétit’s August 2024 Issue
In the August issue, we’re celebrating the Olympics, cooking all the summer produce, and tailgating like a pro.
$349 vs $28 Shrimp Scampi: Pro Chef & Home Cook Swap Ingredients
Professional chef Frank Proto and home cook Joe are swapping ingredients and hitting the kitchen to make shrimp scampi. We set Joe up with a whopping $349 worth of ingredients for his attempt at Frank's luxury recipe. Meanwhile, a modest $28 worth of ingredients was sent back the other way to be elevated into something gourmet by our esteemed pro. Will Joe be able to execute the restaurant-quality feast Frank intended to make? Can Frank turn Joe's simple ingredients into a grand seafood feast?
Our 29 Best July Recipes
Our most popular recipes for the month—plus a few staff picks.