Making stabilized whipped cream with gelatin is an easy way to get that beautiful sturdy whipped cream that holds its shape. Perfect for piping desserts, filling cakes, and licking the spoon!
Don’t get me wrong…I absolutely love making my homemade whipped cream, but it’s one of those recipes that is definitely best to use right after you make it. So if you’re looking for something to hold it’s shape a little longer, this stabilized version is a great option.
Have you ever wondered why your whipped cream becomes a runny mess and doesn’t hold its shape a little while after you’ve used it in a dessert, even when it’s in the fridge? It’s because you’re not using stabilized whipped cream which makes all the difference in the world!
With the addition of simple gelatin and added sugar, you get a sturdy, perfectly sweet cream ready to use for all of your baking needs!
There are slight variations in ways of making a stabilized whipped cream and this recipe is the best and easiest version. If you’ve got a bowl, a microwave, and a hand mixer, you’re ahead of the game!
Ingredients
- Gelatin: Make sure to get unflavored gelatin. Knox is an easy-to-find brand.
- Water: The gelatin dissolves into the water until it’s thick and gelatinous.
- Heavy cream: It needs to be cold in order to make this recipe.
- Sugar: I like to use powdered sugar, but granulated sugar will also work.
- Vanilla: This is my flavor of choice. You could always sub other extracts in it’s place.
How to make stabilized whipped cream
- Prep. One of the major components of any good whipped cream is temperature. It needs to be cold! Beforehand, put a medium-large mixing bowl and the beaters into the freezer for about 15 minutes.
- Dissolve. In a separate microwavable bowl with the water, dissolve the gelatin. Let it sit until it has thickened.
- Microwave. Place the bowl with the dissolved gelatin in the microwave for about 10 seconds to allow it to turn back to liquid.
- Pour. Take the chilled bowl out of the freezer and, to it add the cream, sugar, and vanilla. Beat on low until ingredients are blended then beat on high until soft peaks form. Slowly mix in the liquid gelatin while continuing to beat. Do this until a peak forms.
- Enjoy. Use this for cake fillings, cheesecakes, cupcake frostings, and more!
Tips for success
- Chill out. Heat is not what you want when using whipped cream. Chilling your bowl and beaters ahead of time is a great way to keep it nice and cold.
- The gelatin. Use unflavored. If you don’t, then you’re essentially using jello and then things start to get weird. Also, make sure you let it cool a bit before adding it to the whipped cream. Adding hot gelatin to it would be counterproductive.
- Other flavors. If one day, you’d like to try using a different flavor, such as lemon, orange, or almond to name a few then it’s just a matter of swapping out the vanilla for almond extract, or a few drops of citrus or zest. Flavor alternatives might be nice depending on what you’re using it for.
- Make ahead. It is great for making a couple of days ahead of time. Just keep it in the fridge until ready to use.
- Substitution. You can use this whipped topping in place of cool whip in most recipes.
How to store
Once you have made it, store it in the fridge. It can be made 1-2 days ahead of time. It will keep its shape at room temperature for a couple of hours, but you’ll want to put it in the fridge sooner rather than later.
Use as a topping on:
- No-bake cheesecake
- Pumpkin pie
- Caramel apple cider
- Banana pudding
- Oreo ice cream cake
- Strawberry pretzel salad
Stabilized Whipped Cream
Ingredients
- 1 teaspoon gelatin (unflavored)
- 1 Tablespoon water
- 1 cup cold heavy cream
- 2-4 Tablespoons powdered or granulated sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Place a medium-large sized mixing bowl and the beaters into a freezer for about 15 minutes.
- Dissolve the gelatin in a small bowl with the water. Allow to sit a few minutes until thickened. Then microwave about 10 seconds until it turns back to liquid.
- Pour the cream, sugar and vanilla into the chilled bowl. Beat on low until the ingredients are mixed together, then beat on high until a soft peak forms (about 1-2 minutes). Then slowly mix in the liquid gelatin while the beaters are on. Beat until a peak forms.
- Enjoy on your favorite desserts!
Notes
Nutrition provided is an estimate. It will vary based on specific ingredients used.
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do you add this to already made whipped cream icing
No you’ll use a heavy whipping cream (liquid) to whip into whipped cream :)
Heavy cream , heavy whipping cream. Does it matter which one ? Thanks
Either will work :D
Quick question, when using stevia or granulated sugar, do you dissolve with the gelatin and water? My guess would be yes, just making sure.
No I do not dissolve with the gelatin and water (that step is mainly to thicken the gelatin).
Stabilized whipped cream makes it so much easier to prep ahead for serving later!
Yes, definitely!! Great to prep ahead of time on busy holidays.
Love this recipe! This comes in handy for sure! Saved this recipe for anytime I need it! Thank you!
This whipping cream recipe is super useful. I will try it out the next time I need whipped cream for a recipe. Thank you.
I hope you enjoy!
Thank you for the tip about putting the bowl and beaters in the freezer beforehand. Such a game changer when making this.
Saving this whipped cream recipe. I always have the hardest time with it not lasting long.