• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Recipes
  • Tutorials
  • Online Shop
  • About Us
  • Contact Us

Sugar Geek Show logo

menu icon
go to homepage
  • Recipes
  • Tutorials
  • Online Shop
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
subscribe
search icon
Homepage link
  • Recipes
  • Tutorials
  • Online Shop
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
×
Home › Recipe

Updated: May 19, 2025 · Published: Jun 23, 2020 by Elizabeth Marek · This post may contain affiliate links · 91 Comments

Stabilized Whipped Cream

Jump to Recipe Jump to Video Print Recipe
how to make stabilized whipped cream using gelatin

Stabilized whipped cream can be piped or frosted onto cakes, and it won't lose its shape or melt. Best part? It only takes 5 minutes to make! Yep!

whipped cream piped between two round pieces of chocolate cake on a white plate

You can make your own amazing whipped cream, right at home, and it tastes wayyyyy better than that stuff that comes in a tub. Trust me. 

What's In This Blog Post

  • Ingredients For Stabilized Whipped Cream Using Gelatin
  • Step-By-Step Instructions
  • How to stabilize whipped cream with instant pudding mix
  • How to stabilize whipped cream using corn starch
  • Stabilized whipped cream using cream of tartar
  • How to stabilize whipped cream with powdered milk
  • FAQ
  • Looking for more recipes? Check these out!

Ingredients For Stabilized Whipped Cream Using Gelatin

This is my favorite way to make stabilized whipped cream. The gelatin sets the whipped cream so that it holds its shape, even in hot weather (as long as you keep it in the shade and for no more than 2 hours). Follow my easy step-by-step instructions below.

Step-By-Step Instructions

  1. Begin by sprinkling your gelatin over the water and let it sit for 5 minutes to bloom. This is important so that the gelatin has a chance to fully absorb the water. If you don't wait, you can get grainy lumps in your whipped cream. powdered gelatin and water in a small clear bowl
  2. Once the gelatin is bloomed, heat in the microwave for 5 seconds. It melts very quickly! If it's not fully melted, go another three seconds until it's melted. Don't overheat! You can tell the gelatin is melted when it's clear and you don't see any grains of gelatin anymore. melted gelatin in a clear bowl
  3. Add the 1 teaspoon of heavy cream to the melted gelatin and stir. This cools down the gelatin and helps it mix into the whipped cream better. If your gelatin starts to get solid then just reheat it for 5 seconds to make it liquid again. melted gelatin with cream
  4. Begin whipping your cream with the whisk attachment on medium speed.
  5. After it starts to get foamy,  you can add in the powdered sugar and vanilla extract.
  6. Whip until you start to see lines developing in the whipped cream, but the peaks are still very soft. whipping cream in stand mixer
  7. While mixing on low, start drizzling in your melted gelatin mixture. Keep mixing until your peaks are firm enough to hold their shape, but do not over-mix or your whipped cream will start to curdle and turn into butter instead of whipped cream. This can happen VERY quickly after you add the gelatin, so just watch the whipped cream and don't go checking your emails. close up of stabilized whipped cream
  8. This stabilized whipped cream will hold up at room temperature (up to 90ºF), although I don't recommend leaving it out for more than two hours because of the dairy. 

    It will be ok in the fridge for up to three days! Cool huh? We used to use this recipe in pastry school on top of all our tarts so we could make them ahead of time and they would still be fresh the next day for service in the restaurant. 
stabilized whipped creams

Here are some other ways to stabilize whipped cream!

How to stabilize whipped cream with instant pudding mix

This is the other way I generally stabilize whipped cream if I don't want to use gelatin. The only thing I don't like is that it's not quite as smooth as using gelatin. 

  1. 1 cup heavy whipping cream
  2. 1 tablespoon powdered sugar
  3. 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  4. 1 tablespoon instant vanilla pudding mix

Begin whipping your cream until you reach soft peaks. Then add in your vanilla pudding, sugar and vanilla extract. Continue whipping your cream until you have firm peaks but they are not crumbly.

I love the taste of this stabilized whipped cream. The vanilla pudding mix adds a nice flavor! Fold 1 cup of this stabilized whipped cream into the pastry cream and you have an excellent diplomat filling that's perfect for my cream tart recipe. 

How to stabilize whipped cream using corn starch

You can use cornstarch to help thicken and stabilize your whipped cream. This is a very common and easy way of thickening and stabilizing your whipped cream to keep it from turning into a melty mess.

  1. 1 cup heavy whipping cream
  2. 1 tablespoon powdered sugar
  3. 1 teaspoon cornstarch
  4. 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

The cornstarch can leave a slightly gritty texture to the whipped cream though.

how to stabilize whipped cream

Stabilized whipped cream using cream of tartar

Cream of tartar can be used to stabilize whipped cream according to fine cooking  all though I've never tried it. I'm definitely interested to see if this works. 

  1. 1 cup heavy whipping cream
  2. 1 tablespoon powdered sugar
  3. ¼ teaspoon cream of tartar
  4. 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Combine the sugar and cream of tarter. Whip your cream to soft peaks and add in your sugar/cream of tartar and vanilla. Continue whisking to firm peaks. 

how to make stabilized whipped cream

How to stabilize whipped cream with powdered milk

This is another cool way to stabilize whipped cream in a super duper easy way. If you have powdered milk around, you can use it as a stabilizer. The powdered milk adds just enough body to the cream to keep it from losing its shape. 

  1. 1 cup heavy whipping cream
  2. 2 teaspoon powdered milk
  3. 1 tablespoon powdered sugar
  4. 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
close up of stabilized whipped cream in a clear bowl

FAQ

Can you frost a cake with whipped cream?

The short answer is yes! You can frost a cake with stabilized whipped cream but you cannot cover it in fondant. Whipped cream has too much liquid in it and is not thick enough to support the weight of the fondant. I frosted my pink velvet cake in whipped cream and it was amazing!

But you CAN cover a cake frosted with whipped cream with mirror glaze if you freeze it first in fact, this is exactly what I did for my geode mirror glaze heart! 
I hope this answers all your questions about how to stabilize whipped cream! If you have any other issues you can always leave me a comment below. 

Looking for more recipes? Check these out!

Pink velvet cake with whipped cream frosting
Copycat Whole Foods berry Chantilly cake
Mirror glaze cake
Chocolate mousse recipe

Cake Batter and Frosting Calculator

Select an option below to calculate how much batter or frosting you need. Adjust the servings slider on the recipe card to change the amounts the recipe makes.

Choose a pan type

Choose a cake pan size
(based on 2" tall cake pan)

Choose a cake pan size
(based on 2" tall cake pan)

Choose a cake pan size
(based on 2" tall cake pan)

Cupcake Tin Size

Choose number of pans

Cups of Batter Needed

8 cups

Cups of Frosting Needed

5 cups

Note: measurements are estimated based off the vanilla cake recipe using standard US cake pans and sizes. Measurements used are for 2" tall cake pans only. Your results may vary. Do not overfill cake pans above manufacturer's recommended guidelines.

Recipe

whipped cream piped between two round pieces of chocolate cake on a white plate

Stabilized whipped cream

How to make the best stabilized whipped cream using a little bit of gelatin! So easy and your whipped cream will hold its shape for days! Check out the blog post for more ways to make stabilized whipped cream.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe Rate Recipe
Prep Time: 5 minutes minutes
Cook Time: 1 minute minute
Total Time: 6 minutes minutes
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Servings: 4 cups
Calories: 104kcal
Author: Elizabeth Marek

Equipment

  • Stand mixer with whisk attachment

Ingredients

Stabilized Whipped Cream

  • 12 oz heavy whipping cream cold
  • 2 ounces powdered sugar
  • 1 teaspoon gelatin I use KNOX brand
  • 1 ½ tablespoon cold water
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1 teaspoon heavy whipping cream
US Customary - Metric

Instructions

  • Sprinkle your gelatin over the water and let bloom for 5 minutes. 
  • Melt gelatin for 5 seconds in the microwave. If not fully melted do another 3 seconds. You can tell gelatin is melted when there are no granules of unmelted gelatin visible.
    After dissolving your gelatin, add in 1 teaspoon of heavy cream and mix. If your gelatin is too cold, heat again until it's melted (5 seconds).
  • In a cold mixing bowl, whip your heavy for 15 seconds on medium speed until its foamy
  • Add in your powdered sugar and vanilla and continue mixing on medium speed until you reach very soft peaks, barely holding their shape.
  • Turn your mixer down to low and drizzle in your gelatin. Continue mixing on medium speed until your peaks are firm and holding their shape but don't over-mix to the point when your whipped cream starts to look chunky or begins turning into butter.

Video

Notes

Whipped cream whips better if your bowl is cold and the whipping cream is straight from the fridge. 
Don't over-mix your whipped cream. I like to finish whipping mine by hand so it stays nice and creamy
You cannot re-use leftover whipped cream or make it ahead of time. It needs to be used right away before the gelatin sets. 
You can make stabilized whipped cream by hand using a whisk and some elbow grease! Just follow the same steps, it will just take a bit longer. 

Nutrition

Serving: 1oz | Calories: 104kcal | Carbohydrates: 1g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 10g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Cholesterol: 38mg | Sodium: 12mg | Potassium: 21mg | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 415IU | Vitamin C: 0.2mg | Calcium: 18mg
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

 

 

 

More Recipe

  • close up of sausage gravy on biscuits
    Keto Sausage Gravy
  • close up of keto biscuits on a plate
    Fluffy Keto Biscuits
  • gold drip on a white cake
    Drip Cake Recipe
  • sliced focaccia on a wooden board
    Easy Sourdough Focaccia Recipe

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Nadia says

    June 23, 2020 at 10:06 pm

    Hi Liz, thanks so much for all your generous tutorials and recipes, you're an inspiration!

    May I check, do all your recipes use US teaspoons and tablespoons i.e. ~4.9mL for a US tsp and ~14.8mL for a US tbsp? I want to get it right, as here in Australia our standard measures are metric i.e. 5mL for a tsp and 20mL for a tbsp!

    Reply
    • Elizabeth Marek says

      June 29, 2020 at 8:31 am

      Yes you are correct, all the measurements are for US Tbsp and tsp

      Reply
  2. Pathma says

    June 29, 2020 at 8:31 pm

    Hi are you using non dairy cream for this recipe?

    Reply
    • Elizabeth Marek says

      June 30, 2020 at 8:59 am

      No, I'm using heaving whipping cream made from dairy

      Reply
  3. Angie says

    June 30, 2020 at 11:09 am

    Hey Liz! I hope you and the family are well! I was wondering... In the blog you said the whipped cream recipe lasts for 3 days and in the tutorial video you said a week. A week would be fantastic! Just wanted to make sure I heard it right. Thanks so much in advance!

    Reply
    • Elizabeth Marek says

      July 05, 2020 at 8:33 am

      It definitely can last a week, it just depends more on what the whipped cream is piped onto because not all baked goods will last a week 🙂

      Reply
  4. Nadia C says

    July 01, 2020 at 3:14 pm

    Thank you!

    Reply
  5. Laura Craig says

    July 02, 2020 at 1:50 pm

    At what point can you add gel or a powder color to tint your stabilized whipping cream? Would you recommend gel color or powdered color so the consistency is not too soft or stiff? Thank you Liz! You're the BEST!!

    Reply
    • Elizabeth Marek says

      July 05, 2020 at 8:35 am

      You can add food coloring with the vanilla extract

      Reply
  6. Kandace says

    July 05, 2020 at 10:40 am

    Can you use this to fill cupcakes...????

    Reply
    • Elizabeth Marek says

      July 05, 2020 at 12:40 pm

      Sure can!

      Reply
  7. Kandace says

    July 05, 2020 at 8:20 pm

    Thanks for responding so quickly Liz! I may have missed this, but do you need to keep this in the fridge for any period of time if you're filling cupcakes! I really want to make the orange creamsicle cake and fill them with this stabilized whipped cream and top it with your easy buttercream flavored with orange dream 🙂

    Reply
    • Elizabeth Marek says

      July 06, 2020 at 9:00 am

      Whipped cream cannot be out of the fridge for more than 4 hours due to health and safety 🙂

      Reply
  8. Latanya says

    July 05, 2020 at 9:27 pm

    5 stars
    Hi , Liz would you do anything different if you wanted to use whipped frosting on a cake? For the layers can you still use buttercream and the outside part do the whipped frosting?

    Reply
    • Elizabeth Marek says

      July 06, 2020 at 8:59 am

      Oh yea, you definitely could.

      Reply
  9. Immie says

    July 07, 2020 at 3:45 am

    Hi, I was just wondering whether it was necessary to add the sugar or whether it can be left out of these recipes?

    Reply
    • Elizabeth Marek says

      July 07, 2020 at 10:06 am

      You can leave the sugar out of whipped cream 🙂

      Reply
  10. Scott says

    July 08, 2020 at 4:56 pm

    5 stars
    This worked very well for my cake which had to travel in the heat. The whipped cream did not sag or split due to the heat like it has before plus I did it ahead of time without freezing my cake! I also used this method for a pot de creme that had to travel 1.5 hrs in 102 degree heat. No problem. I used the gelatin for both. Thank you for sharing your recipes.

    Reply
    • Elizabeth Marek says

      July 09, 2020 at 10:15 pm

      Yay! That is so great to hear!

      Reply
  11. Dawn Hakanson says

    July 08, 2020 at 7:12 pm

    Hi! I’d like to make a chocolate version of this. Do you have an option for chocolate stabilized whipped cream. Thank you for these great recipes and video!

    Reply
    • Elizabeth Marek says

      July 09, 2020 at 10:14 pm

      You can add some cocoa powder (sifted) in with the powdered sugar! So yummy!

      Reply
  12. Amy Royea says

    July 11, 2020 at 9:55 pm

    If I iced a cake with this could I freeze it? Or would it all melt as it was defrosting?

    Reply
    • Elizabeth Marek says

      July 15, 2020 at 5:13 pm

      It will not melt while defrosting 🙂

      Reply
  13. Melissa Ficker says

    July 17, 2020 at 9:46 am

    OMG! I just made this for the first time because I'm doing a strawberry layered cake so I flavored the cream strawberry. It is out of this world and so easy! Thank you so much for this recipe!

    Reply
  14. Louise says

    July 17, 2020 at 10:54 am

    I am making my white cake recipe 3 times and baking in 3 10” pans. I’m splitting each cake to have 6 layers with filling. Because I will probably need to make your recipe 6 x’s, do I need to times 6 will all of the ingredients?

    Reply
    • Elizabeth Marek says

      July 27, 2020 at 1:59 pm

      You can use the frosting calculator to figure out how much you need. Its right above the recipe.

      Reply
  15. Shakthi says

    July 17, 2020 at 8:55 pm

    Hey!
    I wish to use pudding powder. Is it stable enough to use for decorations?
    And should this also be piped immediately? Thanks 😊

    Reply
    • Elizabeth Marek says

      July 27, 2020 at 1:57 pm

      Yes it should be piped immediately before the pudding sets the whipped cream

      Reply
  16. MeAnna says

    July 19, 2020 at 11:03 pm

    Hi, thanks for sharing. For the gelatin part, can i use warm water instead of microwave it?

    Reply
    • Elizabeth Marek says

      July 27, 2020 at 12:39 pm

      The water needs to be cold to absorb the gelatin and then it needs to be melted either by microwave for gentle stovetop heating

      Reply
  17. Kat says

    July 23, 2020 at 12:05 pm

    Hi Liz! Im new here! Youre video is fantastic! May I just ask if this recipe could cover a 3 layer 10 inch wide cake? And 14 cupcakes. Im making a unicorn cake for my daughters birtday next month. If not, can you pls help me about the measurement. Pls and Thank you!

    Reply
    • Elizabeth Marek says

      July 27, 2020 at 11:30 am

      You can use the cake batter and frosting calculator right above the recipe card to calculate how much frosting you will need.

      Reply
  18. Anna says

    August 02, 2020 at 8:49 pm

    Hi Liz! I tried this recipe twice and both times there were strikes of gelatin in the cream when I was frosting my cakes. (The gelatin was fully melted when I used it.) What could be the cause of that?

    Reply
    • Elizabeth Marek says

      August 03, 2020 at 8:31 am

      did you add the additional tsp of cream to the gelatin before adding it to the whipped cream?

      Reply
  19. Krysia says

    August 03, 2020 at 8:58 am

    5 stars
    Best Recipe! I used this to assemble my Schwartzwald Torte (black forest cake). Delicious & stable - thanks for the great idea to use gelatin to stabilize the cream.The cake came out awesome!

    Reply
  20. Thelema Bagabagon says

    August 09, 2020 at 10:28 pm

    can we still salvage a butter-turned overwhipped cream??

    Reply
    • Elizabeth Marek says

      August 11, 2020 at 11:07 am

      Unfortunately not, unless you want to keep whipping and just make butter 😀

      Reply
  21. Zee says

    August 11, 2020 at 5:19 pm

    5 stars
    Hi Liz! I've tried this recipe twice now and it tasted amazing both times... BUT I keep finding bits of gelatine in the cream. I used the same gelatine as you did and I put the spoon of cream in before I mixed it into the whipped cream. The gelatine looked dissolved when I warmed it up and it looked dissolved when I mixed in the cream, but still bits of chunks resulted. Whyyyyyyyyy???? Any thoughts?

    Reply
    • Elizabeth Marek says

      August 17, 2020 at 2:43 pm

      The cream could be causing it to firm up too soon. You can make sure its all liquid again by microwaving the gelatin and the cream together for 5 seconds.

      Reply
  22. Denise says

    September 29, 2020 at 8:54 am

    Hi Liz, I’d like to add 1 TB maple syrup and some cinnamon for flavoring. Is this possible and at which point would you add it? Thanks!

    Reply
    • Sugar Geek Show says

      September 29, 2020 at 9:47 am

      Yum! I'd add it once it's at soft peaks, then mix a bit and add the gelatin

      Reply
  23. kareen says

    October 04, 2020 at 7:55 pm

    4 stars
    Hi Liz last week I've been doing this recipe a lot .... but every time I started piping it I realized that the tip of my piping bag kept obstructing with something.... and I figured it was the gelatine. I've been doing exactly what you do and I really don't know what its happening .... today was the fifth time making it and I was crossing my fingers to don't happen again but no, it happened 😥
    Help me pleaseeeee

    Reply
    • Elizabeth Marek says

      December 06, 2020 at 1:18 pm

      Make sure your gelatin is still melted when you add it in. Sometimes when you add the cream it can seize the gelatin.

      Reply
  24. Maria says

    October 09, 2020 at 12:21 pm

    5 stars
    Awesome! Thank you so much for the recipe! What kind of heavy cream do you use? I’ve heard it must have a high percentage of fat but I don’t know if the one I’m using works.

    Reply
    • Elizabeth Marek says

      October 17, 2020 at 10:05 am

      I just buy the box that says "whipping cream" 🙂

      Reply
  25. Ari says

    October 11, 2020 at 9:16 am

    I put the stabilized whipped cream in fridge before frosting the cake . After one hour it was all hard and lumpy , will it melt and get soft if I leave out ?

    Reply
    • Elizabeth Marek says

      October 12, 2020 at 4:02 pm

      The stabilized whipped cream needs to be used right away as it sets from the gelatin. It will not be smooth again unfortunately. I do say in the recipe that it should be used right away.

      Reply
Newer Comments »
4.90 from 135 votes (119 ratings without comment)

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




All comments are subject to our Terms of Use

Primary Sidebar

Liz Marek with strawberry cake

Hi, I'm Liz! I'm an artist and cake decorator from Portland, Oregon. Cakes are my obession, which is why I'm dedicated to crafting tried-and-true recipes, small cake tutorials, as well as advanced online cake courses!

More about me →

Buy Flawless Fondant

Sugar Geek Flawless Fondant
It's incredibly stretchy, stays soft on the cake and can be rolled 50% thinner than other brands without tearing or becoming transparent. No elephant skin, no frustration, just flawless fondant every time. Buy Fondant

Our Cake Greatest Hits

Check our our best cake recipes

Summer Recipes

  • closeup of vanilla cake with vanilla buttercream slice on a white plate
    Moist Vanilla Cake Using Cake Flour
    Cook Time45 Minutes
  • slice of pink velvet cake with whipped cream frosting and fresh raspberries on a white plate
    Pink Velvet Cake
    Cook Time40 Minutes
  • slice of fresh strawberry cake on a white plate with strawberries behind it
    Fresh Strawberry Cake
    Cook Time1 Hours 10 Minutes
  • close up shot of double chocolate chip cookie
    Chewy Double Chocolate Chip Cookies
    Cook Time20 Minutes
  • Fast Bread Recipe
    Cook Time1 Hours
  • sourdough bread cut open to show crumb
    Beginners Sourdough Bread Recipe Step-By-Step
    Cook Time25 Hours 10 Minutes

Popular Recipes

  • ganache cake with dark, milk, and white chocolate on it
    The Best Chocolate Ganache Recipe
    Cook Time20 Minutes
  • close up of easy buttercream rosettes
    Easy Buttercream Frosting
    Cook Time10 Minutes
  • close up slice of marble cake
    Moist and Fluffy Marble Cake Recipe
    Cook Time40 Minutes
  • close up of red velvet cake slice
    Red Velvet Cake Recipe
    Cook Time1 Hours 40 Minutes

Footer

↑ back to top

About

  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Service
  • Fondant

Newsletter

  • Sign Up! for emails and updates

Contact

  • Contact
  • About Us
  • About Liz Marek

Copyright © 2024 Sugar Geek Show, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Rate This Recipe

Your vote:




A rating is required
A name is required
An email is required

Recipe Ratings without Comment

Something went wrong. Please try again.