25 Recipes Including Heavy Cream If You Need To Use It Up

While you may have only needed to buy a tub of heavy cream for one single recipe, you can wonder what to do with the rest of it.

Do not even be tempted to throw it out as heavy cream can be an incredibly versatile ingredient.

While you should probably consume it in moderation and not be tempted to use it as a creamer in your coffee, it can be used in several recipes.

From breakfast items like scrambled eggs to soups, sauces, and even in desserts. 

In this guide, we will look at 25 recipes that include heavy cream if you need to use it up. We will also provide a bonus section dedicated to sauces.

1. Spinach And Feta Frittata

You will need to turn the oven on for this frittata and then crack some eggs to whisk with heavy cream, salt, pepper, and dill.

Sweat the onion in an oven-safe skillet then wilt the spinach and create a layer with some sprinkled feta cheese.

Pour over the egg mixture and cook undisturbed until the edges set and finish in the oven. 

2. Scrambled Eggs

Of course, you only really need eggs and milk to make scrambled eggs but involving heavy cream is a game changer.

These eggs are so creamy and moist, you may find yourself stocking up on heavy cream more often.

Whisk together the eggs with cream and seasoning then cook over a medium heat in a skillet. Stir occasionally yet after a few minutes you should have a delicious meal ready to serve. 

3. Three-Cheese Quiche

Heavy cream goes superbly well with eggs, as you can find out in a Three-Cheese Quiche.

Combine egg yolks with eggs, half-and-half, heavy cream, sun-dried tomatoes, seasoning blend, basil, Swiss cheese, cheddar cheese, and mozzarella cheese.

Pour the mixture into a deep dish pie plate, sprinkle on a bit more cheddar cheese and then bake until your knife comes out clean.

4. Cream Of Broccoli Soup

Add heavy cream to soup and you can create a rich texture and a creamy taste. For Cream of Broccoli Soup, add the heavy cream right at the end with chives and blitz it up until the contents of the whole pan are rich and thick.

You can use an immersion blender or a food processor yet you should transfer a single serving of the soup back to a pan to warm up before serving. 

5. Tomato Soup

Yes, a lot of the flavor for Tomato Soup comes from cans of whole peeled tomatoes, as well as basil, and tomato paste yet just a cup of heavy cream can be transformative.

Sweat onion and carrots in butter then add garlic and basil before stirring in the tomatoes, chicken broth, tomato paste, salt, pepper, and sugar.

Bring to a boil, lower to a simmer, remove from the heat, and blend. Once smooth, gradually add in the heavy cream to thicken the soup. 

6. Tomato Tortellini Soup

Another soup you can create with leftover heavy cream is Tomato Tortellini Soup. This can be considered a winter comfort food and almost a pasta dish though it remains a soup.

The heavy cream brings the whole creation together; including the crushed tomatoes, cheese tortellini, balsamic vinegar, and broth. Ladle the soup into bowls and top it off with some grated Parmesan cheese. 

7. French Onion Soup

Then there is the classic French Onion Soup which goes down really well when you cook it with heavy cream.

Sauté and then caramelize garlic, potato, and onions then deglaze the pan with wine before adding water, bouquet garni, and beef base paste and create a purée with an immersion blender after removing the bouquet garni.

This is where the cream comes in with balsamic vinegar for a creamy texture, though add seasoning too before adding your puff pastry rounds.

8. New England Clam Chowder

You do not need clams that are native to New England for this dish but you will need some heavy cream. This is a seriously tasty dish that uses smoked bacon for a deep salty flavor to complement the clams.

More flavor comes from thyme, bay leaves, garlic, and clam juice. However, the heavy cream brings a richness to the dish towards the end of the cooking.

9. Scalloped Potatoes

Heavy cream is essential for this Scalloped Potatoes recipe to create a decadent sauce with whole milk, seasoning, and garlic.

You will need to create layers of thinly sliced potatoes topped with the cream mixture and a combination of shredded Parmesan and Swiss cheese.

It may take over an hour for the potatoes to become tender but it is well worth it.

10. French Toast

Leftover heavy cream is also a worthwhile ingredient to creating a batch of incredible French toast.

The cream is whisked together with milk, eggs, vanilla extract, and salt to create a batter for the bread to soak up.

Cooked until golden brown in a skillet, you can work in batches and leave the other slices to keep warm in the oven. Add a sprinkling of cinnamon sugar and fresh fruit to finish it off. 

11. Mashed Potatoes

There are many recipes for Mashed Potatoes but few can beat one which includes heavy cream.

Peel and cube some Russet Potatoes and boil until tender then drain. Mash the potatoes with cubed butter, salt, a dash of pepper, and heavy cream.

You may even want to use a whisk to create a smoother texture.

12. Creamy Grits

To create the creamiest grits you will ever make, use that leftover heavy cream.

Use a Dutch oven and combine the heavy cream with half-and-half, water, butter, and salt.

Bring that mixture to a simmer and then slowly whisk in the grits, ensuring that they do not clump together, and leave to cook on low for around an hour. 

13. Brussels Sprouts Gratin

Another vegetable dish that requires heavy cream is this Brussels Sprouts Gratin. With a cheesy and crispy topping, this is a surefire favorite to serve for the holidays.

The heavy cream should be left at room temperature, and with finely grated Gruyère, creates a wonderfully thick sauce.

This recipe also uses leftover breadcrumbs with Brussels sprouts being one of the few ingredients that you may need to freshly source. 

14. Chili Nachos

Chili is typically spicy yet adding heavy cream can give the dish a smooth earthiness. This recipe still includes ground beef, tomato sauce, pinto beans, a can of diced tomatoes and green chilies, and chili mix.

The chili is combined with heavy cream, and cheese, then poured over corn chips. To create an even more decadent taste, add sour cream right before serving.

15. Rich Chicken Alfredo Pizza

While you can expect a tomato sauce on a pizza base, a white sauce made with heavy cream, garlic, salt, pepper, and Parmesan cheese works really well.

Pour the mixture onto a pizza base, and top with mushrooms, chicken, spinach, and mozzarella cheese. The pizza will still need baking at a high temperature until the cheese has melted. 

16. Creamy Salmon Linguine

For subtle flavors, add heavy cream and lemon juice to garlic for a thick sauce to go with Salmon Linguine. First, cook the linguine as directed and add broccoli for the final five minutes.

To finish off the dish, heat through a piece of salmon, season it appropriately, and plate up with the drained linguine and broccoli.

You can also add lemon zest, capers, basil, and shredded Parmesan cheese as a garnish with extra flavor. 

17. One-Pot Creamy Parmesan Pasta

You will need heavy cream for a serving of Creamy Parmesan Pasta yet you only need a few pantry ingredients to complete the dish.

Simply sauté some garlic, add uncooked penne pasta, chicken broth, and heavy cream then simmer until the pasta has cooked through.

Check that the pasta is al dente or cook for a bit longer with a bit of water. Stir in Parmesan cheese and garnish with some parsley before serving.

18. Creamy Garlic Chicken

Garlic and heavy cream go really well together, as seen in this Creamy Garlic Chicken recipe.

You only need one pan to cook it too, so season the chicken breasts and cover them in a layer of flour before searing until golden brown in butter and olive oil.

Remove the chicken breasts and then toast the garlic in butter in the same pan. 

Add dry white wine and reduce then pour in the heavy cream and reduce again. Return the chicken to the pan and cook until it reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees.

Finally, add some spinach to wilt and season the dish.

19. Creamy Lemon Parmesan Chicken

Heavy cream is also used to a similar effect in this Creamy Lemon Parmesan Chicken recipe. Here, the cream is mixed with lemon juice, chicken broth, Italian seasoning, garlic powder, and Parmesan cheese.

Whisk in cornstarch for your sauce and return partially cooked chicken to finish cooking and serve over pasta. 

20. Tenderloin Steak Diane

Try using heavy cream with tenderloin steak and you can create an incredibly rich dish. Apply steak seasoning to the beef tenderloin steaks and cook in butter until just about done then remove.

For your sauce, cook mushrooms until tender then add beef broth, heavy cream, and steak sauce. Once thickened, return the steaks to the pan and cook to heat through.

21. Lemon Cream Biscuits

These Lemon Cream Biscuits can keep for some time which may be ideal if you have a lot of heavy cream to use up. Combine self-raising flour with lemon zest then stir in the cream to form a dough.

Create your biscuit shapes with a cutter and brush with an egg and milk wash before sprinkling with sugar and baking until golden brown. Delicious when served warm with some jam or whipped cream. 

22. Coffee Ice Cream

For an indulgent cup of Joe, you should add cream yet that same ingredient can work really well in a batch of coffee ice cream. Begin by mixing together whole milk with granulated sugar, salt, and coffee granules.

Next, create a custard by slowly incorporating beaten egg yolks then strain through a sieve, cover, and refrigerate then whisk in the heavy cream and vanilla extract until smooth.

Churn in your ice cream maker then freeze.

23. Triple Chocolate Cheesecake Bars

With semisweet chocolate chips, baking cocoa, and ganache, these Triple Chocolate Cheesecake Bars are seriously tasty.

Create a brownie base layer from melted butter, sugar, cocoa, and vanilla extract with an egg, flour, salt, and baking sugar.

Then comes the crucial cheesecake layer which includes chocolate chips. All of that is topped off with a ganache from melted chocolate chips, heavy cream, and vanilla extract.  

24. No-Bake Cherry Cheesecake

With some leftover heavy cream, you can create this effortlessly simple No-Bake Cherry Cheesecake.

The heavy cream is whipped up with sugar and vanilla and then added to cream cheese for the crucial filling to go on top of a layer of crushed graham cracker crumbs combined with melted butter and sugar.

You only need a few cups of cherry pie filling to finish it off. Simply leave it in the refrigerator for 90 minutes to chill before serving.

25. Pumpkin Cheesecake

A Pumpkin Cheesecake, much like delicious sour cream cake recipes, could be ideal for a Thanksgiving gathering, during fall, or any other time of the year.

The texture is akin to a mousse and comes by mixing pumpkin purée with heavy cream, cream cheese, light brown sugar, salt, ground ginger, ground cinnamon, ground cloves, ground nutmeg, vanilla extract, eggs, and whipped cream.

Placed on a base layer of crushed gingersnap cookie crumbs, this is sheer indulgence.  

Bonus Section: Sauces

If creating a full meal seems onerous with your leftover heavy cream then consider making a sauce. That could be a salted caramel sauce for dessert, a ragù sauce to go with pasta, or a roasted garlic cream sauce.

Salted Caramel Sauce

If you need a sauce to go over a dessert then use up that heavy cream by creating a batch of salted caramel sauce.

Melt sugar in a saucepan and then move it to the center of the pan and, once it turns a dark amber color, remove it from the heat, and stir in the heavy cream, butter, salt, and almond extract.

Serve it warm or leave it cool and store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

Ragù Sauce

Knowing how to make a Ragù Sauce from scratch may be knowledge that is passed down generations but you can always use a recipe like this one.

Cook off pork, beef, bacon, celery, onions, celery, and carrots in a Dutch oven then add garlic and red wine to reduce.

Add in tomato sauce, crushed tomatoes, sugar, bay leaves, salt, thyme, oregano, and cumin.

Bring to a boil, then simmer until thickened before removing the bay leaves and adding heavy cream with butter and parsley before finishing with grated Parmesan cheese. 

Roasted Garlic Cream Sauce

You can use this Roasted Garlic Cream Sauce on pasta or simply as a dip. Roast a head of garlic then create a paste from the cloves. Melt some butter in a pan and pour in your heavy cream with the paste. 

Whisk until smooth with some finely grated Parmesan cheese. To thicken it up, combine cornstarch and more heavy cream to create a paste then add it to the rest of the sauce. 

Final Thoughts

Heavy cream can go off pretty quickly so you may want to plan your cooking around it. Perhaps there is a certain dish that you want to create and you have some leftover.

Look in the refrigerator to see what else you can create or simply use up some of the cream as an accompaniment to desserts or in coffee for a touch of indulgence. 

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