Dairy

Heavy cream nutrition, in full.

For 1 tbsp of heavy cream, count 51 calories. The protein in that portion is 0.4 g. The record behind it is USDA’s “Cream, fluid, heavy whipping”. Change the amount below for your own portion. The panel and the nutrient breakdown both update.

By Alen Yaco · Updated 20 September 2026

Numbers come from USDA FoodData Central record 170859 and are worked out locally, with no sign-up.

How many calories does heavy cream have?

The short answer is 51 calories for 1 tbsp of heavy cream. By weight that is 340 per 100 g, and the table gives the other common portions.

How much protein does heavy cream provide?

Expect 0.4 g of protein from 1 tbsp of heavy cream, roughly 1 percent of a 50 g day. Protein is a minor part of heavy cream, at 3 percent of its calories. The case for eating it lies elsewhere.

Energy-wise, protein contributes 3 percent, fat 93 percent and carbohydrate 3 percent, which makes it mostly a fat.

Buying, keeping and using heavy cream

Heavy cream is the thick, rich layer gathered from the top of fresh milk. In shops, you will find it pasteurised or ultra-pasteurised, which alters the flavour and shelf life. Seek cartons without added thickeners or stabilisers like carrageenan. Fresh, unpasteurised options offer the cleanest dairy flavour for raw preparations.

This liquid resists curdling when boiled, making it ideal for reducing into sauces. When whipping, overworking is the most frequent error, turning the smooth foam into grainy butter and buttermilk. Keep the cream, bowl, and beaters cold to encourage stable air bubbles. Avoid heating it too rapidly over direct flames.

Cooks use this ingredient to enrich Indian curries, thicken French pan sauces, and soften northern European soups. It balances the acidity of fresh berries and stone fruits. Spooned directly over warm puddings or folded into cold desserts, it provides a smooth texture and moderates sharp, bitter, or spicy flavours.

Everything USDA measures in heavy cream

No single nutrient dominates here. The complete USDA breakdown is below, scaled to whatever serving you set.

Where heavy cream fits in a day

1 tbsp of heavy cream: 3 percent of 2,000 calories, 1 percent of the protein Daily Value. Those are reference numbers; the TDEE calculator finds yours, and the macro calculator converts them to grams.

Recipes that start with heavy cream

Three recipes from the Calorie Counter Team, each costed ingredient by ingredient against USDA records, so the per-serving figures are sums, not guesses.

Snack · Italian

Vanilla Panna Cotta

A chilled gelatin dessert made primarily with sweetened heavy cream and vanilla.

255 min · serves 4

466kcal

4.9gprotein

43gfat

16gcarbs

Ingredients

• heavy cream 480 g
• granulated sugar 50 g
• gelatin powder 7 g
• water 30 g
• vanilla extract 5 g

Method

1. Sprinkle the gelatin powder over the water in a small bowl and let it stand for five minutes.
2. Heat the heavy cream and granulated sugar in a saucepan over medium heat until the sugar dissolves.
3. Remove the saucepan from the heat and stir in the gelatin mixture and vanilla extract.
4. Pour the mixture into four ramekins and chill in the refrigerator for four hours until set.

Per serving, from 5 USDA FoodData Central records. Cooking changes weight and some nutrients; treat these as close rather than exact.

Dinner · French

Creamy Mustard Chicken

Chicken breasts cooked in a pan with a sauce of heavy cream and mustard.

25 min · serves 2

462kcal

36gprotein

34gfat

3.1gcarbs

Ingredients

• chicken breast 300 g
• heavy cream 120 g
• Dijon mustard 30 g
• olive oil 15 g
• salt 3 g
• black pepper 1 g
• dried tarragon 1 g

Method

1. Season the chicken breasts with the salt and black pepper on both sides.
2. Heat the olive oil in a frying pan over medium-high heat and sear the chicken for six minutes per side.
3. Remove the chicken from the pan and lower the heat to medium.
4. Stir the heavy cream, Dijon mustard, and dried tarragon into the pan, scraping the bottom.
5. Return the chicken to the pan and simmer in the sauce for three minutes until hot.

Built from 7 USDA ingredient records. A cooked dish never matches its raw sum exactly, but it stays close.

Breakfast · British

Classic Cream Scones

Baked scones made with flour, sugar, and heavy cream as the sole fat.

30 min · serves 6

315kcal

5.3gprotein

15gfat

40gcarbs

Ingredients

• all-purpose flour 240 g
• granulated sugar 50 g
• baking powder 12 g
• salt 3 g
• heavy cream 240 g

Method

1. Whisk the flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, and salt together in a bowl.
2. Pour the heavy cream into the flour mixture and stir with a fork until a dough forms.
3. Turn the dough onto a floured surface and pat it into a circle two centimetres thick.
4. Cut the circle into six wedges and place them on a baking sheet.
5. Bake at 200 degrees Celsius for fifteen minutes until light brown.

Summed from 5 USDA records and divided by servings. Heat alters weight and a few nutrients, so read it as a close figure.

Calorie Counter Team, food critic

Heavy cream as part of a meal

What a meal containing heavy cream comes to, using USDA numbers for every part of it.

Heavy cream against other dairy

Per 100 g, each in the form its own page leads with; the second column says which.

Common questions on heavy cream

How many calories are in 1 tbsp of heavy cream?

The USDA figure is 51 calories, or 340 per 100 g. It is taken from the record “Cream, fluid, heavy whipping”, FDC 170859.

How much protein is in heavy cream?

You get 0.4 g from 1 tbsp of heavy cream, equal to 1 percent of the daily reference amount; 100 g holds 2.8 g.

Can you eat heavy cream when trying to lose weight?

No food causes or prevents weight loss on its own. The useful facts are that 1 tbsp of heavy cream is 51 calories with 0.4 g of protein, which makes 3 percent of its calories protein; which means it needs a protein-rich partner on the plate.

Why does heavy cream sometimes fail to whip?

The liquid must be very cold to trap air effectively. Warm cream cannot hold the structure of the bubbles. Avoid using ultra-pasteurised varieties if possible, as the extreme heating process during packaging hinders successful whipping.

Can you freeze heavy cream for later use?

Yes, but freezing damages the emulsion. After thawing, the cream will no longer whip properly and may look separated. It remains suitable for stirring into hot soups, sauces, or baked dishes where texture is less dependent on whipping.

Sources

• Cream, fluid, heavy whipping — USDA FoodData Central, FDC ID 170859
• Daily Values for nutrition labelling, 21 CFR 101.9