Have you ever wondered how professional bakeries get that amazing, perfectly shaped whipped cream on their fancy desserts? The kind where you think it’s frosting, but then you take one bite into it and realize it’s the most perfectly light, whippy, fresh cream? Chances are it’s just stabilized whipped cream. If you like to bake, this is one little trick you need in your cooking arsenal. This method produces the perfect whipped cream that you love, but with a stabilizing agent, which means that it won’t fall flat or melt or get all goopy if it sits around for a while. If I’m taking dessert somewhere, or I know it’s going to sit in my fridge or on the counter for a bit, or I plan to pipe it and I want it to retain its shape, I always use this method. There are a few options you use for stabilizing whipped cream. I’ll show you one main recipe below, with two easy optional methods as well!
Ingredients Needed
- Unflavored gelatin – Such as Knox brand. Find this near the Jell-O on the baking aisle, usually up on the top shelf.
- Cold water
- Heavy cream
- Powdered sugar
- Vanilla extract
How to Make Stabilized Whipped Cream with Gelatine
- Stabilized whipped cream starts with most of the same ingredients as regular whipped cream. The little secret is a bit of unflavored gelatin. This won’t change the flavor or really the texture either, it simply provides some staying power. Sprinkle a teaspoon of gelatin over some cold water. If you’ve never worked with unflavored gelatin, it might seem weird, but it’s normal! You need to let this mixture sit for about 5 minutes to “bloom.” It will be thick and semi-solid.
- Once it’s done blooming, you’ll heat it in the microwave just until melted. It only takes about 5-10 seconds, no need to boil it. Just whisk it until smooth.
- I recommend you do this in a stand mixer with the whisk attachment. If you don’t have a stand mixer, use a hand mixer. Place the heavy cream, vanilla, and powdered sugar in the mixer and beat for about a minute.
- Then very slowly add the gelatin in a smooth, steady stream, as the mixer is running. Continue beating as normal until you reach medium-stiff peaks.
- At this point, just use the whipped cream as you normally would. It works really well for spreading and piping. As it sits in the fridge, it will set up a little more, and it will last significantly longer than regular whipped cream.
Storing and Other Tips
- Store leftover stabilized whipped cream in an airtight container in the refrigerator and use or consume within 2-3 days for best results.
More Stabilization Methods
- Pudding Mix– adding 1-2 tablespoons of dry vanilla pudding mix per pint of whipped cream helps stabilize because it too, contains gelatin. It will add a slight color to your whipped cream, and a little bit of flavor.
- Cream Cheese – cream cheese is another great stabilizer. As little as 2 ounces softened cream cheese beat into a pint of cream will help stabilize and up to a whole 8oz of cream cheese creates a gorgeous silky whipped frosting that feels like a whipped cream/frosting hybrid. (Click here for a recipe!) If using this method, be sure to beat softened whipped cream until completely smooth and creamy before adding cream in a slow drizzle. Otherwise it’s easy to get lumps.
Frequently Asked Questions
Stabilized Whipped Cream
Ingredients
- 1 teaspoon unflavored gelatin like Knox, found near Jell-o in the baking aisle
- 4 teaspoons cold water
- 1 cup heavy cream
- ½ cup powdered sugar more or less to taste
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Place cold water in small bowl and sprinkle gelatin over it. Let sit for 5 minutes. While it’s sitting, place heavy cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla in the bowl of a stand mixer with the whisk attachment or in a mixing bowl if using an electric beater. Once gelatin is set, place bowl in microwave and heat until gelatin turns to liquid, about 10 seconds.
- Turn mixer on to start beating cream. Let it run for about 1 minute and then with the mixer on high, very slowly pour the melted gelatin in, in a small steady stream.
- Continue beating cream until you reach medium-stiff peaks. Spread or pipe whipped cream as desired.
Questions & Reviews
I haven’t tried it with gelatin yet but I made whipped cream for my cheesecake & used 1 tbsp piping gel to 2 cups heavy cream. 24 hours later it’s still holding strong.
I’ve made this for three sweet potato chz cakes, awesome! Thank You.
I was wanting to make a stabilized cream to pipe into cream horns, but I was wanting to make a flavored cream. Will I be okay to add blueberry pie filling/ other flavorings to this? Perhaps more powdered sugar to make up for the extra liquids? Thank you!
You’d have to experiment! (but sounds delicious!)
I have used banana extract in whipped cream and it works great .any flavor of extract would work
Hi Thanks for this great tip. Would like to make a choc version. How would I incorporate the cocoa? Many thanks in advance Kathy
I would sift your cocoa powder with your powdered sugar and add it to the cream as it’s whipping.
Im using this method for stabilised whipped cream but since i am making a lychee cake im subtituting lychee syrup for watee to bloom the gelatin… Hope thus will work since thw gelatin bloom nicely…
Can this be made and stored in the fridge a day in advance, then piped onto the dessert the following day? How would you suggest storing it? Thanks in advance!!
I have used powdered milk added to the whipping cream to stabilize, worked well for me and so much easier.
I have been told to use skim or non-fat powdered milk but only have full cream milk powder available. Will this work?
I have a birthday party coming up and mother wants whipped icing but it’s going to be outside in 90\100 degrees weather will this hold up? I won’t have a cooler or frig either.
I don’t think anything will hold up for long- but if you eat quick you might be okay!
I’m making a strawberry shortcake, how do I adjust using the gelatin to a quart of heavy whipping cream
A quart is 4 cups. Take this recipe ×4. I do it a lot. My go-to whipped cream recipe. Also works really well blended with instant jello (dissolve first in a bit of hot water and drizzle info to the cream) to make quick fruit pies or fillings for cakes.
I made this recipe recently to ice a cake and it was great. Now, I’d like to do it again but attach an edible image/sugar sheet to the stabilized whipped cream after the whipped cream icing has been applied. Could you give me some parameters for that? Should the cake be freshly frosted or can I frost done hours ahead of applying the image? Should the image be applied immediately before serving or can it be applied a few hours ahead? I have information on applying it to buttercream and to non-stable whipped cream, but none for a stable whipped cream.
I’m sorry but I’ve never used edible images so I don’t have any instructions for you.
Hi, have you used the image/sugar sheet on this icing yet? I was wondering how it worked if you did. Thanks.
I haven’t, sorry!
I tried it, and the sugar sheet got really soggy and gross. I would recommend spreading some buttercream or putting a piece of fondant under it first, or avoiding altogether.