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.
Hi, I was just wondering I don’t have a microwave so can I use boiling water?
Yes, that’s fine!
Okay, I just bought some Knox unflavored gelatin to make some stabilized whipped cream for my lemon blueberry cheesecakes. The gelatin smells so bad, I want to vomit. There is no way I’m using it in my whipped cream. The date is 2025. Have you ever had this happen?
Hi, Tonya! Unflavored gelatin does have a little bit of a smell to it, but you can’t taste it in the whipped cream. If it’s not expired, it may be okay. You could always try another brand or package though in case the one you have isn’t good.
So this is delicious and takes me right back to my youth – it was how I told my kids what “cool whip used to taste like”. My problem is, no matter how I tweak this, I always end up with some rubbery gelatin bits in my final product. I stir it well in the water to make sure its all wet. It looks well soaked when I microwave it 5 minutes later. It is steamy hot and looks totally dissolved. I stream it in perfectly and every time same thing. Little rubbery bites. Any tips?
Thanks, it’s so good that I really am dedicated to figuring this out.
Oh, I and I do let it cool before I pour it in. Maybe this is not cool enough. I fear if I let it go much lower than I do, that it will solidify.
Hi, Ryan! You could try mixing a few tablespoons of the whipped cream just after it reaches the soft peak stage into the slightly cooled gelatin, then stir that mixture into the whipped cream, and continue mixing until stiff peaks form.
Will this hold up well frozen? I want to use it to frost and decorate an ice cream cake.
I haven’t tried it, but it may be fine if you’re using it to decorate an ice cream cake and immediately serving it once you remove it from the freezer.
Thanks, Danielle! I’ve made this several times, and it’s delicious. However, through trial and error, I’ve found that a whole teaspoon of gelatin is a bit too much. The final product has an unpleasant texture. I’ve gotten better results using only 3/4 teaspoon of gelatin. The whipped cream still remains stable for days, and it’s much softer.
Thank you, I will try this in my next birthday cake, hopefully this will be the one.
I love this recipe. I use it when I make Cream Puffs as the filling . It holds up so we’ll.
How many cupcakes could one batch frost?
It will frost about 12 cupcakes.
This turned out incredible!! Thank you!! *note- I added some gelatin to the whipped cream to stabilize it
Can you add gel coloring to this icing or will it destabilize it?
I think it would be fine to add some to the whipped cream.
If tripled, do you also triple gelatin?
I would triple the gelatin as well.
Made it exactly as directed and it turned out perfect. I drizzled in the cooled gelatin after the cream was almost completely whipped. Would definitely make again.
Hello, can I stabilize this without adding gelatin?
You can use other things, like cornstarch, cream cheese, etc, but you would need to make other adjustments to the recipe.
Are you sure it wasn’t supposed to be 4 tablespoons of water with a gelatin instead of teaspoons? The gelatin became thick and gooey like slime.
4 teaspoons of water is correct. If the gelatin became thick and gooey, then it probably sat too long and firmed back up. You only need to let it cool slightly.
How much cornstarch can I add to one cup of whipped cream?
I’d recommend searching for a different recipe that specifically uses cornstarch.
EXCELLENTE!!! I use it for my Key Lime Pie and Lemon Chiffon Pie, as well as other custard and cream cheese pies. It also works well on pumpkin pie, as you can use your piping tips to make beautiful toppings.
whipped cream was softer after adding gelatin. It was still peaking but just not as stiff.
It shouldn’t be softer after adding it, it should come to stiff peaks pretty quickly. Was your gelatin mixture warm/too hot when you added it?
Hi.. thank you for sharing. Can I add pineapple chunks to this for layering a pineapple icebox cake?
I haven’t tried it, but I imagine you could. I would recommend draining the pineapple if there’s any excess liquid.