How To Make Stabilized Whipped Cream
Stabilized whipped cream holds its shape and stays light and fluffy much longer than regular whipped cream! Use it to decorate cakes, cupcakes, pies, and more.
What Is Stabilized Whipped Cream?
If you’ve been following along for a while, you may recognize this stabilized whipped cream. Originally published in 2018, it quickly became a reader favorite because of how easy it is to whip up. Since it’s been a few years, I decided to give this post a much needed update with more tips and tricks for success!
In essence, this stabilized whipped cream is just whipped cream that’s been stiffened with unflavored gelatin. Regular whipped cream can deflate and become watery after just a few hours. However, whipped cream that’s been stabilized holds its shape and remains fluffy for up to two days.
I highly recommend using this stabilized whipped cream recipe any time you’re decorating a dessert in advance or if you know it will be sitting out at room temperature for a couple of hours!
Ingredients in This Recipe
Making whipped cream with gelatin might sound strange, but I assure you it tastes the exact same as regular whipped cream! Let’s quickly review the ingredients needed:
- Gelatin: This acts as the whipped cream stabilizer. Any brand of gelatin will work fine, just make sure that it’s unflavored. I typically use Knox unflavored gelatin and can usually find it in the baking aisle close to the Jello.
- Water: The gelatin must be sprinkled over a few teaspoons of cold water to hydrate it.
- Heavy whipping cream: Keep the heavy cream in the fridge until you’re ready to use it. Cold heavy cream will whip up faster and fluffier!
- Powdered sugar: Sweetens the whipped cream without making it grainy.
- Vanilla extract: Use pure vanilla extract for the best flavor.
How to Stabilize Whipped Cream
If you’ve made regular whipped cream before, you can easily make this recipe! There’s just one extra step to stabilizing whipped cream with gelatin. Here’s an overview on how to make it:
- Chill your bowl and beaters: This will ensure that your whipped cream thickens properly.
- Dissolve the gelatin in water: Add cold water to a microwave-safe bowl and sprinkle the unflavored gelatin powder over the top. Let the gelatin sit for 3 to 4 minutes. It should start to dissolve and look wrinkly, like the picture above.
- Heat the gelatin mixture: Place the gelatin mixture in the microwave and heat it for a few seconds. Remove it from the microwave and give it a good stir. If all of the gelatin has not fully dissolved, microwave it for just a few more seconds.
- Cool slightly: Once all of gelatin has fully dissolved, set it aside to cool slightly while you mix together the whipped cream.
- Make the whipped cream: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, combine the heavy whipping cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla. Whip the mixture just until it begins to thicken and soft peaks form.
- Add the cooled gelatin mixture: With the mixer running, slowly pour the dissolved gelatin mixture into the whipped cream. Increase the mixer speed to medium and beat until stiff peaks form. This won’t take long, so be careful not to over mix it!
- Use as desired: The stabilized whipped cream can be used as frosting for cakes and cupcakes or to decorate other desserts.
Different Ways To Use It
You can use this stable whipped cream for just about anything you’d like! Pipe it onto cakes as a finishing touch or use it to fill cream puffs. Here are a few recipes where you can use it:
- Banana Cream Pie
- Tres Leches Cake
- Key Lime Pie
- Chocolate Cream Pie
- Strawberry Shortcakes
- Cream Puffs
How Long Can the Whipped Cream Sit Out?
Since this recipe contains fresh dairy, the whipped cream shouldn’t sit out for more than 2 hours. It will stay fluffy and hold its shape the whole time, but after 2 hours it must be refrigerated for food safety reasons.
How Much Does This Recipe Make?
This recipe yields 2 cups of stable whipped cream, which is enough to frost 12 cupcakes, a 9×13-inch cake, or lightly frost a two-layer cake.
Baking Tips
- It’s best to chill your bowl and beaters before getting started. This will help your whipped cream thicken up quicker and increase the volume too!
- Let the gelatin sit on the cold water for 3 to 4 minutes. This will allow the gelatin to hydrate and ensure that it completely melts when you heat it in the microwave.
- Once you microwave the water and gelatin, the gelatin should be fully dissolved. If it’s not, microwave it for another 3 to 4 seconds.
- Make sure to let your gelatin cool just slightly before mixing it in, you don’t want it to be too hot when you add it to the bowl.
- Once you make the whipped cream, you can pipe it on your dessert, then refrigerate until you’re ready to serve it. This whipped cream will hold up just fine at room temperature for a couple of hours, but it’s best to keep your dessert refrigerated and avoid leaving it anywhere too warm for too long.
More Frosting Recipes to Try!
- Cream Cheese Frosting
- Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting
- Peanut Butter Frosting
- Chocolate Buttercream
- Strawberry Frosting
Stabilized Whipped Cream
Ingredients
- 4 teaspoons cold water
- 1 teaspoon unflavored gelatin
- 1 cup cold heavy whipping cream (240 ml)
- ¼ cup powdered sugar (30 grams)
- ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Instructions
- Add the water to a microwave safe bowl and sprinkle the unflavored gelatin on top. Allow to sit for 3 to 4 minutes.
- Transfer the gelatin mixture to the microwave and microwave until the gelatin is fully dissolved, this will just take a few seconds. Stir the mixture, then set aside to cool slightly.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, or in a large mixing bowl using an electric mixer, combine the heavy whipping cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract. Whip the mixture until it starts to thicken and soft peaks form, then turn the mixer to low speed.
- Slowly pour in the gelatin mixture until well combined. Increase the mixer to medium speed and continue mixing until stiff peaks form.
- Pipe the whipped cream on your favorite dessert (or use it to frost it) and refrigerate your dessert until ready to serve.
Thank you for this recipe! It turned out great! I quadrupled it (needed that much for the German Black Forest Cherry Cake I was making) — everything but the sugar. I actually added only a scant 1/4 cup to the whole quart of cream and it was perfect for us (we prefer rich over sweet 🙂 )
I also made two other changes. The first was using maple syrup instead of powdered sugar. The other was adding a pinch of salt per cup of cream, which is supposed to keep it from turning into butter.
If you are frosting cupcakes, do you suggest letting the mixture set before piping, or would doing so immediately be just fine?
I pipe it onto cupcakes immediately after I make it.
Unfortunately my gelatin was thick and didn’t dissolve in the whipping cream. So I scooped it out of the cream.
Another way to stabilize whipped cream add package for favorite Instant Pudding.
Was the white chocolate pudding mix added in addition to the gelatin or instead of the gelatin? Would like to know asap so I can continue on with making this frosting
I’m not sure what you mean unless you’re referring to another comment someone left?
Turned out perfect and this will be my go to recipe. The gelatin cooled only while I whipped the cream as it is almost room temp right after heating. It poured in with no issues. I am serving it tomorrow on a chocolate pie with dark chocolate mint curls scattered on top. Looks great!
I used allulose instead of sugar and it turned out fine too!
Hi Danielle!
This sounds great. I’m excited to make your key lime pie with the stabilized whipped cream tomorrow. My question is in regards to using the unflavored gelatin. I do not own a microwave, so how do you suggest I heat it with the water? On the stove top is it better low and slow, or faster on med heat? Thank you.
I’d recommend heating it over low heat.
I have found this to be true…..every time I make something of yours, it turns out perfectly and this stabilized whipping cream is no exception. You are my go to person when it comes to baking! Thank you for sharing your knowledge in creating these recipes and for your expert directions and tips that you always provide.
Thank you! I really appreciate that!
I totally screwed this recipe up and it still turned out great. I sprinkled the gelatin over the cold water in a pyrex measuring cup and let it sit. Just then I became distracted by the dog needing attention. After dealing with him I came back to the kitchen and took the heavy whipping cream out of the fridge and accidentally poured it into the same pyrex cup as the gelatin. I had other pyrex measuring cups on the counter and since this mixture is clear I didn’t notice it was the one with the gelatin in it until it was too late. I stirred the gelatin at the bottom of the pyrex cup and put it into the microwave for a few seconds, it wasn’t hot. I decided it was too late, I ruined it, so I might as well just whip it and see what happens. To my surprise it turned out fine. It whipped up much quicker too. I still had 1 tsp Knox gelatin left so I tried making it according to your instructions, this time I made sure I was not interrupted. Amazingly you couldn’t tell the batches apart. Thanks for the great recipe.
Quick question from a newbie to filling desserts or pastries. What if my dessert doesn’t go to refrigerator e.g. chiffon cakes – how would you proceed? Or should I use a different type of fillings than whipped creams? Thanks so much!
Hi, Jess! Since this recipe has dairy in it, you don’t want to let it sit out for too long. It will probably be fine for a couple of hours at room temperature, but needs to be refrigerated after that. You could wait until closer to the time that you plan on serving to fill them, but if you need to let it sit out for several hours I would suggest a different filling.
This was a little tricky and I ruined the first batch. First time I made it, there were lots of chunks of congealed gelatine that I could not smooth out. Still tasted great, but the lumpy texture was less than desirable. I tossed it and tried again. I was determined to get it right. The second time around, I slowly poured the gelatine in while still slightly warm and in liquid form (as opposed to when I allowed it to cool and firm the first time). All this while the machine was running, and it worked perfectly!! I used the stablized whipped cream to decorate the top of my pumpkin cheesecake. Terrific and delicious results! Thank you for this recipe!
Is there a way to make this chocolate flavored,please?!
Yes! You can sift in 3 tablespoons of unsweetened cocoa powder and increase the powdered sugar to 1/3 cup.
Worked great and was delicious!
I used this on a chocolate pudding pie! Love it! I used to use cream of tartar, but this works much better! Thanks for the recipe! 😁
Worked perfectly and it has a really lovely taste Thank you
Great recipe. Here’s a tip. I love whipped cream but hate to throw it away when I can’t use it all. So I pipe mounds onto a cookie sheet lined with waxed or parchment paper, freeze and place in a freezer bag for later use. Pull one out when you want something special and it doesn’t take long to thaw at all!
When the gelatin is too warm, it DOES change the texture and airy consistency of the whip cream and I don’t like that! Can this still work with just letting it ‘bloom’ in tepid water and adding it that way? The irony is that if I stick in the fridge for a minute to ‘cool down’ it will congeal. But everytime I try and add it at ‘room temp’ (making it in order suggested), it SEEMS always too warm and breaks my peaks and breaks down the cream. Maybe its just ME! Ugh!
You need to heat the gelatin. How long are you heating it for though? I usually only heat mine for 5 to 7 seconds in the microwave, it doesn’t take very long.
I’ve made this recipe before and it came out beautifully ☺️ I’m now making this my go to recipe for all of my desserts 😄 I even had friends who ask how did I get frosting to look and keep it’s shape so nicely. Thank you for posting this
Tastes delicious, I used strawberry jello instead of unflavored gelatin, and it tasted like ice cream. It did NOT stay in a whipped cream consistency though and was a lot more runny when I was ready to ice my cake a few hours later, which was really disappointing. It was still thick enough that I could use it on my sheet cake still in the pan. I swirled in some strawberry compote when it was on my cake and that really upped the flavour. Once it sat in the fridge, uncovered, for another day on my cake it firmed up slightly. If I were to make this again I would make it immediately before I was going to put it on my cake.
Hi Danielle,
If I am using 4 Cups of whipping cream do I need to increase the gelatin proportionately?
Thank you!
Yes, I recommend multiplying all of the ingredients by 4.
This didn’t work. It made my whipped cream so watery and then it made clumps. With hot or cold gelatin
The gelatin shouldn’t be hot or cold when you add it. You need to let it cool slightly, so it’s no longer hot to the touch, but it needs to be in a liquid state so you can pour it in.
The first time I made this recipe I didn’t notice any tiny bits of gelatin that were floating throughout the whipped cream. The next 3 times I made it there were a few. The gelatin has to be warm enough to remain liquid but not too warm to solidify when hits the cold cream. I wish I knew how to prevent it from happening.
Making tres leches cupcakes for a bridal shower. I think this will be great, but my question is the cupcakes will be sitting out during the event, will the whipped cream be ok?
Yes, as long as it’s not too hot it will be fine. This recipe does contain fresh dairy though, so I wouldn’t let it sit out for more than 2 hours (for food safety reasons).
I want to make a stabilized whipped cream to top mini margarita cheesecakes by adding one tbsp of tequila and t tbsp fresh lime juice per one cup of heavy cream. Do you think that will significantly change the stability and taste of this recipe?
I don’t think that the whipped cream will hold up well if you try to add that to it. You could add a little lime zest or lime extract to it though.
I’m getting ready to decorate (piping with a star tip) an Easter cake. Is it safe to add a few drops of food coloring without messing up the consistency ?
As long as it’s just a few drops it will be fine!
I have a catering business and I make this all the time to top and layer into my cookies and cream dessert! Then I top it with an Oreo and this stabilized whipped cream helps to hold the Oreo in place! And it looks great. I make the desserts the day before my events and they hold their shape great over night. Thanks for the great recipe!
Could I use this in a trifle recipe? I need to travel with the trifle and don’t want my whipped cream to be a runny mess when I arrive! I would be keeping it in a cooler as well. Also will adding liquor change the consistency of this? My recipe calls for Irish cream to be added as well.
Yes, it would be fine to use it in a trifle! You may be able to add a little Irish cream to it, but I don’t recommend adding very much because it will change the consistency.
I’m just wondering if I can freeze this for later use?
I wouldn’t recommend it for this recipe.
Can i make a night before to frost my cupcakes the next day? Will it hold in the fridge?
Hi, Andrea! If you leave it in the fridge overnight it will firm up (because of the gelatin) and it won’t be as easy to pipe. You could frost the cupcakes the night before and refrigerate them overnight though.
Hey , have you ever used this icing to ice a ice-cream cake or froze? Would it hold up durning thawing ?
Yes, it works great and thaws just fine!