On the list of 1950s food fads, convenient TV dinners, crowd-pleasing casseroles, and lots of Jello reigned supreme. But powdered gelatin wasn’t the only convenient dessert powder mix being whipped up in mid-century households. Dream Whip was first introduced in the late 1950s, and it advertised itself as a versatile dessert topping. Coming in a box that was indefinitely shelf stable, it hit the perfect dessert trifecta: It was a low-cost, low-effort, and low-calorie topping. Dream Whip was great for any busy household cooks still trying to make satisfying desserts, even during busy days. And the advertisements seemed to work. This sweet and airy topping was spread over all kinds of desserts, from cakes and pies to, of course, Jello parfaits and molds.
Almost a decade later, the pre-made Cool Whip debuted, and, eventually, Dream Whip fell away from being the number-one dessert topping. While the peak popularity of this sweet treat has passed and has been replaced with aerosol-whipped creams and other convenient methods, Dream Whip is still a great tasting and easy dessert option. And it takes just four minutes to prepare.
