Cream Whipper
A cream whipper is a metal canister, usually 500ml or a litre, with a screw-on head that takes small nitrous oxide chargers. It whips cream and makes foams, and in a bar it can also give a spirit a quick infusion. It takes only food-grade chargers made for catering, and the gas is never for inhaling.
About the Cream Whipper
A Canister, a Head and a Charger
The canister holds the liquid, usually 500ml or a litre of it. The head screws on over a gasket to seal it, and a charger holder pushes a small cartridge of nitrous oxide onto a pin that lets the gas into the canister.
Shaken, the gas dissolves into the cream or liquid. Turned upside down and released through the nozzle, it expands, and cream comes out whipped and a stabilised liquid comes out as foam.
Cream whipper, soda siphon and hand whisk compared
Cream whipper
- Gas
- Nitrous oxide
- Makes
- Whipped cream, foams, quick infusions
- Use it for
- Toppings and foams in volume
Soda siphon
- Gas
- Carbon dioxide
- Makes
- Sparkling water
- Use it for
- Topping highballs and fizzes
Hand whisk
- Gas
- None
- Makes
- Lightly or stiffly whipped cream
- Use it for
- Irish Coffee cream, whipped only until it thickens
| Tool | Gas | Makes | Use it for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cream whipper | Nitrous oxide | Whipped cream, foams, quick infusions | Toppings and foams in volume |
| Soda siphon | Carbon dioxide | Sparkling water | Topping highballs and fizzes |
| Hand whisk | None | Lightly or stiffly whipped cream | Irish Coffee cream, whipped only until it thickens |
Food-Grade Chargers, Never Inhaled
Use only food-grade nitrous oxide chargers sold for cream whippers, in the size and number the maker of your whipper gives.
Since November 2023 nitrous oxide has been a Class C drug in the UK, under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971, when someone has it in order to inhale it for a psychoactive effect. Catering use, such as whipping cream, is lawful and needs no licence.
Inhaling it is dangerous. The gas is very cold as it leaves the charger, and nitrous oxide can cause fainting and, used repeatedly, damage to the nerves.
Strain, Fill, Charge, Release
Strain everything through a fine strainer, fill no further than the maker's line, screw the head on square and charge it. Shake, turn it upside down and dispense.
When you finish, hold it upright and press the lever until no gas is left, then unscrew the head. A head opened under pressure can be forced off.
Irish Coffee Cream Is Whipped by Hand
Our Irish Coffee wants cream that has barely thickened and still pours, so it settles as a flat layer over sweetened coffee. A whipper usually makes cream thicker than that, and it sits on the coffee in a mound.
Whip the cream for that drink in a bowl. The whipper is for toppings meant to hold their shape, and for foams.
Using the Cream Whipper
Usage
Whipped cream toppings for hot drinks and desserts, foams of juice, syrup and egg white or aquafaba to spoon onto a sour, and quick infusions of a spirit with herbs, spice or peel. Not for an Irish Coffee, whose cream is whipped by hand only until it thickens, so it still pours.
Pro Tip
For a quick infusion, charge the spirit and the flavouring, wait a minute or two, then hold the canister upright and vent the gas through the nozzle before you open it. Taste, and strain it through a fine strainer before it goes into a bottle.
Professional Tips
- Strain every liquid through a fine strainer before it goes in, or a seed will block the valve.
- Never fill past the maximum line the maker marks.
- Use the number of chargers the maker gives for the canister; one 8g charger to 500ml of cream is common.
- Turn it upside down to dispense; held upright, it releases gas.
Alternatives
Budget Alternative
A hand whisk and a cold bowl. For the lightly thickened cream an Irish Coffee needs, it is the right tool rather than a compromise.
Premium Option
A stainless steel whipper from a maker that publishes how to use it and sells spare parts. It lasts, and some take warm or acidic liquids where the maker says so.
Specifications
Material
Stainless steel or aluminium canister and head, with a rubber gasket
Capacity
Usually 500ml or 1 litre
Details
Screw-on head with a charger holder and a nozzle; takes food-grade nitrous oxide chargers, most often the 8g size
More to explore
Common Questions
What is a cream whipper used for in cocktails?
Can I use a cream whipper for Irish Coffee?
What chargers does a cream whipper take?
Is nitrous oxide legal in the UK?
Is it safe to inhale the gas from a charger?
Why won't my cream whipper dispense?
How does a quick infusion in a whipper work?
Made with the Cream Whipper
Related Equipment
Guide by Jerry Can Spirits · Updated 10 October 2026