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.
is it solid??? i want to use it on cupcakes that will be placed in naylon bag. will the cream be ok?
I wouldn’t suggest letting anything touch the whipped cream, it holds its shape but it will still be soft to the touch.
Hi there,
Can I add fondant decorations to a cake that’s frosted using this whipped cream recipe?
As long as they’re not too large/heavy that should be fine.
Can you use this to pipe flowers with? Would you need to freeze them? Or will they hold the shape on their own.
Yes, you can! They’ll hold their shape, I would just make sure to keep it refrigerated until you plan to serve it.
Hi Danelle. Thanks for sharing recipe. I will sure try it. I will to ask, can I used it on the inside of layer cake with fondant icing as the main decoration. And how long do you think it will last without refrigating it. Thanks
Hi, Glory! I’m not quite sure what you mean? Do you mean as a filling for cake layers? If so, it is whipped cream and it’s soft so some of it may kind of squish out when you add the top layer. You can leave it out for an hour or so, but after that, I do suggest keeping it refrigerated.
I am supposed to make a 2 tiered cake with whipped frosting. Do you think that this would work for it? I’ve seen several whipped tier cakes but they never say how the frosting was stabilized.
Yes, it would be okay to frost a layered cake. It may not work as great as a filling between layers, just because it is whipped cream and it’s soft.
hi. can i use this recipe to stabilize my cream cheese frosting? my recipe consist of cream cheese, heavy whipped cream and butter. and i was thinking to stabilize it using gelatin. will it be okay?
I honestly haven’t tried it with cream cheese frosting, so I’m not sure.
I have been making the exact same recipe, without the gelatin, for over 50 years and it always turns out great!!
I love reading replies from other bakers. It is so helpful and so much fun. : )
Yes! I make the same recipe without the gelatin or water too if I just need some whipped cream. It works great!
I was thinking of trying this out for my son’s bday cupcakes but he is averse to sweet frosting… would it be possible to do this with maple syrup and maple sweetened whipping cream and not use the powdered sugar? Thanks!
I haven’t tried either one, so I’m not sure. This whipped cream isn’t very sweet, but you can reduce the powdered sugar down to just 2 tablespoons.
Hi there just wondering how long the cream will hold for, I am making it the day before party and I need it to last at least 48 hours
It will hold up for two days. I would just make sure to add it to your dessert and keep it refrigerated until you’re ready to serve.
If i top my icebox cake with the cream and refrigerate overnight could i add the toppings the next day? Will it stick to this cream? Thank you!
They won’t stick, you can add the toppings anytime after you add the whipped cream.
Do you think I would be able to do a “chocolate drip” decoration on a cake using cooled ganache?
I think it would be okay to add cooled ganache on top of it. Just keep in mind that it’s whipped cream so if there’s too much it may kind of weigh it down.
Could i use this cream in my pineapple cake
You can use it as a frosting for your cake.
Do you know how well it works with huminity? I’m from New Mexico and have tried it over there and truned out wonderful. I just now have to make a cake in Alabama and not sure if it will turn out the same?.. Thank you!
I live in Arkansas where it’s really humid in the summer and it holds up just fine. I wouldn’t suggest putting it on a dessert and then leaving it outside or anything like that, but inside it will be fine!
Hello!
Could I make a chocolate version of stabilized whipped cream frosting?
I haven’t tried it, but you could probably add 1-2 tablespoons of unsweetened cocoa powder. You may need to add a bit more powdered sugar though since the cocoa powder can be a little bitter.
Can this same idea be used to help stiffen a vanilla buttercream frosting?
I haven’t tried it, but the vanilla buttercream recipe on my site does hold up well! Shortening has a higher melting point than butter, so if you’re wanting something that holds up well when it’s warm you can use half shortening and half butter in buttercream frosting too.
Good Morning!
going to make this tonight….. one question. can you taste the gelatin? I’m assuming no….but if you had like a strawberry? that would be amazing! 🙂
You can’t taste the gelatin at all. I don’t have a strawberry version, you could probably add some blended freeze-dried strawberries to it 🙂
I tried this recipe for Stabilized Whipped Cream, and I was delighted with the results. It lasted for days in the refrigerator. I will NEVER buy the fake again. Thanks for sharing this recipe.
How far in advance can you make a strawberry angle food cake with this whip cream . 2 days in advance?
It’s always held up fine for me for 3-4 days, so 2 days would be okay.
I made the recipe for stabilizing whipping cream, and it worked great!! and it tastes delicious also. Thank You.
Hi Danielle,
Does this work for both dairy and non-dairy whipping cream?
Hi, Maureen! When you say non-dairy whipping cream are you referring to coconut cream or something else? If the non-dairy cream you’re using whips fine, I would think it would work.
I have to make a lot of mini-cheese cakes for a wedding and want to use this whipped cream w/ fruit as the decorative topping. How far ahead can I make this whipped topping, keeping it refrigerated, and ready to pipe on to my cheesecakes the morning of the wedding? Have you done that?
I would recommend waiting to make it until you’re ready to pipe it on the mini cheesecakes. If you make it, then refrigerate it, it will firm up in the refrigerator because of the gelatin and it won’t be as easy to pipe. You can pipe it on the cheesecakes the day before and just keep them refrigerated.
Made this yesterday to pipe rosettes onto a very rich cheesecake. Recipe was very easy to follow and it came out beautifully. It was very quick to make and my entire family loved it. I was told I am no longer allowed to buy whipped cream. ? Thank you for such an easy and delicious recipe!!!
So happy to hear that, Mariel!
What could i do if i don’t have a microwave?
You could use a small saucepan and warm the water and gelatin on the stove top.
Thanks so much for sharing this easy peasy recipe. I tried making whipped cream a few years ago with no success and never tried again. I tried your recipe and it turned out perfect! I frosted pink velvet cupcakes and they’re delicious. Sometimes buttercream is just too sweet for me and this is a great alternative. And I can pile the frosting high! Thanks again
So happy to hear that, Angela!
Hi! Could this be used for frosting an ice cream cake? I need to frost the cake the night before the party so it would be in the freezer for about 18 hours before serving. Will that work? Thanks!!
I think that would be fine!
How would you color the stabilized whipped cream with gel coloring??
Gel food coloring would be fine. You can dip a toothpick into the gel and then drag it through the whipped cream and fold it in or mix it in on low speed.
could you pour a mirror glaze over this without it melting?
I haven’t tried it, but I’m not sure that it would work very well.
This recipe is a blessing for me. I always fail at making whipped cream and I don’t know why. I always chill my ingredients + the ustensils before. So I’ll definitely try this! Quick question though: can I substitute the gelatin with something else, since I’m a vegetarian and using gelatin really bothers me.
I haven’t tried it yet, but I think you can probably substitute the gelatin 1:1 for agar powder.
Although this will not make the whipped cream of the same consistency, an alternate method can use cream of tartar to stabilize. It will not pipe as well as this recipe w gelatin. However adding more confectionery sugar to taste might give you a pipeable whipped cream, I don’t have measurements because I did it by taste. So I suggest you do a taste test as you are adding the confectionery sugar. A trial run is a good idea as well. Also I sometimes mix fat free 1/2&1/2 to heavy cream. Whips just fine.
Thank you for your reply. Do you think
Jell-O would work instead of using gelatine.
Thanks
I haven’t tried it, but it may work.
Jello would work but of course it has sugar and flavoring in it so you’d want to adjust the sugar or possibly completely omit it,
Hi,
Can I use pectin instead of Gelatin? Also could I use cononut cream (cream from coconut milk) instead of heavy whipping cream?
Thanks
I haven’t tried pectin, but I’m not sure how well it would work because I believe it needs something acidic to work properly. The coconut cream would probably be okay though.
Hi, I keep getting lumps of gelatin in my whip cream, it taste great and holds up fine, but the lumps are annoying. Any thoughts?
You have to pour the gelatin in very slowly and mix it at the same time, it can be a little tricky. You could try to add a little bit of the whipped cream from the bowl into the gelatin to cool it down before adding it and see if that helps.
Hello, your description says to use beaters bur your recipe card says to use a whisk. Which fo I use, whisk or beaters? Thanks
Hi, Lydia! If you’re using a hand-held mixer, you’ll want to use the beaters (like in the picture in the post). If you’re using a stand mixer, you’ll want to use the whisk attachment.
Hi Danielle,
I need to frost a 10′ inch round cake with 3 layers with whipping cream. I need to stabilize the cream as the cake has to hold up for a day.
Can you please guide me with the measurements ( quantity) of whipped cream and gelatin, as i can adjust the sugar levels accordingly.
Thanks in advance.
Hi, Nita. It’s really hard to give a suggestion, since it depends on how much you need to decorate the cake with too. This recipe will make 2 cups, I would figure out how many cups you will need and adjust the recipe as needed.
I make a cake with three layers and generally doubling the recipe is enough. And I double all the ingredients across the board including the gelatin and water. If you are also wanting enough to pipe on decorations, I would probably triple the recipe.
Is the recipe the same if you want to add food coloring?
Using a few drops of liquid food coloring should be fine. If you need to use more, I would stick with a gel food coloring just so it doesn’t thin out the whipped cream.