Learn how to stabilize whipped cream with cream of tartar! One simple ingredient transforms fluffy, delicious whipped cream into something that will last for days.
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Whipped cream is the perfect topping for so many dishes! This fluffy, creamy topping can really make a dish special, from ice cream to pancakes. My family jokes that pie is merely a serving vessel for the true star, whipped cream.
I love to make my whipped cream from scratch instead of buying whipped topping from the store. The flavor is so much better; it is just cream, sugar, and vanilla without extra chemicals.
There is only one problem with homemade whipped cream: It isn't as stable as store-bought. Over time, the liquid separates from the cream. This process is called weeping, which can result in a messy, soggy dessert.
Thankfully, it is an easy fix! By adding just one simple ingredient, the whipped cream can be stabilized so that it holds up just as well as store-bought. This ingredient doesn't change the flavor at all! It is delicious, and now we have whipped cream that we can use for a variety of things.
This works for plain whipped cream and flavored varieties like Cinnamon and Caramel Cream.
Key Ingredients
Looking for the full recipe? The recipe card at the bottom of this post includes the complete list of ingredients, measurements, and instructions.
Heavy Cream - You may have seen both heavy cream and whipping cream at the store. Heavy cream has more milk fat (36%, instead of the 30% that whipping cream has), so it makes whipped cream thicker and richer and holds its shape longer. Since we are making stabilized whipped cream, we want heavy cream.
Sugar - It seems everyone has their favorite sweetener that they like to use for whipped cream. Powdered sugar does help with stabilization, but I prefer the taste of granulated sugar. Use whichever you prefer. It is an equal substitution.
Cream of Tartar is the magic ingredient that stabilizes whipped cream. It keeps the protein molecules in the cream in place, which provides structure to the water and air bubbles in the whipped cream, holding them together instead of allowing the water to seep out.
How to Stabilize Whipped Cream with Cream of Tartar
- Pour heavy cream into a large mixing bowl. Using the whisk attachment of your stand or hand mixer, start at low speed.
- Once the cream thickens, add sugar, vanilla extract, and cream of tartar.
- Increase to medium-high speed, and continue to beat for several minutes until it reaches your desired thickness (soft, medium, or stiff peaks).
- Be careful not to overbeat or the cream will turn into a sweet homemade butter.
Other Ways to Stabilize Whipped Cream
If you do not have cream of tartar on hand, then try one of these other ways to stabilize whipped cream:
- Cornstarch - One tablespoon of cornstarch can be added per cup of cream. This works in a similar way as cream of tartar, but it will make the whipped cream just a little bit grainy.
- Gelatin - Many bakers use gelatin, as it lasts the longest. However, it also takes the longest to prepare, which is why it is not my preferred method. I like easy! But if you need your whipped cream to hold up under hot temperatures or to fill a cake, whipped cream stabilized with gelatin is the right choice.
Tip for the Fluffiest Whipped Cream
Heavy cream should be very cold to produce the fluffiest whipped cream. To understand why we will take another trip to science class.
When the cream is cold, the fat molecules become solid. The solid fat stays in place while the air is introduced to the cream, allowing the cream to expand.
Pro Tip: In addition to keeping your heavy cream in the refrigerator until you are ready to whip it, you can freeze your bowl and beaters for 20 minutes, which will help your cream stay cold as it is whipped.
Ways to Use Whipped Cream
- My favorite dessert to top with whipped cream is Southern Peach Cobbler Pound Cake!
- This Banana Split Dessert layers whipped cream on top of cream cheese, bananas, and crushed pineapple for a refreshing summer dessert.
- Homemade whipped cream is used in Mississippi Mud Pie
- Black Forest Cupcakes have a stabilized whipped cream frosting.
- Ice Cream Sundaes with Homemade Hot Fudge
- Top a Bowl of Tin Roof Ice Cream
- Serve along with your favorite pie. I love piles of it on an old-fashioned chocolate pie.
If you have a whipped cream dispenser, try this easy recipe for whipped cream in a dispenser.
You can also make flavored whipped cream, like rich espresso-flavored whipped cream or chocolate-flavored cream!
Frequently Asked Questions
Whipped cream should go into the freezer in the shape you want to serve it, as it will not spread or pipe once frozen. Use a piping bag to create dollops of whipped cream that can be frozen and later placed on top of desserts. They will last in the freezer for up to 2 months.
If you would like colored whipped cream, add 2-3 drops of food coloring at the same time as you add your vanilla. Gel coloring can also be used. The whipped cream will be pale in color. Adding too much food coloring would thin the cream and make it runny.
Whipped cream that has been stabilized with cream of tartar will hold shape for 2-3 days. For information on the shelf life of other methods of whipped cream check out this detailed post on how long whipped cream lasts.
Yes, if you find your whipped cream has lost its fullness then just put it back in a large mixing bowl and beat with an electric mixer on high speed. In just a minute or two it will return to its nice, fluffy state.
Recommended Recipes
Let me know how you like this recipe by leaving a review! And follow along on Instagram @stateofdinner for behind-the-scenes and to be among the first to know when new recipes post!
Recipe
Stabilized Whipped Cream
Recipe by:Ingredients
- 2 cups (480 ml) heavy whipping cream
- ⅓ cup (67 g) granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon (5 ml) vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon (0.75 g) cream of tartar
Instructions
- Pour heavy cream into a large mixing bowl. Using the whisk attachment of your stand or hand mixer, beat the whipped cream on medium-high speed until it begins to thicken.
- Add sugar, vanilla extract, and cream of tartar. Increase to high speed, and continue to beat until soft peaks form.
- Use immediately, or cover and store in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Notes
Nutrition
The nutritional facts provided are only estimates. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Essa says
Cornstarch needs heat to activate and thickens.
Erin says
Yes, it does add some stability without heating, but you are correct, in order to fully unlock its stabilizing properties it needs to be heated.
Denise Ms. Parsons says
Hi Essa, I want to fill home made donuts and freeze them with whipped cream and some cherry jam.
Will they hold up to freezing and thawing? The donuts will be completely cooled before filling.
Or should I freeze the whipped cream and donuts separately, and fill after thawing, and just before serving? I don't want it to melt inside the donut.
Thank you for your time. Denise.
Erin says
Hi Denise! The whipped cream should hold up fine to freezing and thawing inside the donuts. Just thaw them in the refrigerator before serving to ensure everything stays fresh.
Gloria Earl says
I am 85 years old, and been making whipped cream for years. It was tasty, but it had to be eaten quickly or it lost its puffiness. Thanks to Goggle I was able to check out various ways to make stiff whipped cream. Tried using unflavored geletin, and ended up with lumps of it in the stiffened cream. Couldn't find Agar Agar in any grocery stores near me, but I did find Cream of Tartar. Your recipe is the best!
Erin says
How sweet, thank you, Gloria!
Jeannie Brandon says
Can I make this stabilized whipped cream in the ISO whipper instead of using my mixer?
Erin says
You can add cream of tartar to your ISO dispenser but it will not last as long as when you whip it using a mixer. The gases that cause the cream to whip escape over time and will make the whipped cream runny. You can rewhip the cream by using an additional n20 cartridge.
Jerica says
Awesome topping on my homemade angel food cake! A few fresh strawberries and it was perfect. Will use it again for sure! Thank you!
Erin says
Homemade angel food cake sounds amazing! So glad you enjoyed this recipe!
Rachelle says
Awesome recipe, turned out great for my birthday. I struggled a bit with the white chocolate whip cream, couldn’t get it to whip up. I think I didn’t let it cool long enough unfortunately. Just used regular whip cream instead and it was still great. Thank you
Erin says
Happy birthday, Rachelle! I am glad that this stabilized whipped cream turned out well for your birthday! Making whipped cream with white chocolate can be tricky. You basically have to make a white chocolate ganache and chill it thoroughly (like 24 hours) before you whip it.
IDA says
Hi Erin from a hot South Africa. I was wondering if a little white vinegar will have the same result? I use a little vinegar to stabilize meringue.
Erin says
Hello Ida! I do not recommend white vinegar as it will not work the same as cream of tartar and it will sour the flavor of the cream.
DeAnna says
This is such a great recipe! I love cream based desserts but don’t like ones with confectioners sugar. This is creamy, stable, and very tasty. I used it for black forest cupcakes and it was delicious!
(Normally don’t leave reviews)
Erin says
Thank you so much for taking to the time to leave this review, DeAnna! I am so glad that this worked well for as a topping for your cupcakes!
Ruth says
If I use this to frost the outside of a cake, will it hold up in refrig for at least 24 hours?
Erin says
Yes, it will!
Ruth says
Thank you!!!
DeAnna says
Yes.
Jill says
Love this recipe! Is there any way I can thicken it enough to use for filling for a cake? If I use this in cake center with strawberries, will fruit effect whipped cream?
Erin says
If you beat it to stiff peaks you technically could use it to fill the cake. You'd want to serve it on the same day, as the weight of the cake will press down on the cream over time. That's why I prefer to stabilize with gelatin for cake filling. Try this recipe for whipping cream filling: https://stateofdinner.com/stabilized-whipped-cream-frosting/
Dru says
Thanks this was simple and perfect! And for those doing non-dairy, it also worked pretty well with Oatly whippable creamy oat (the white carton). The stuff is brilliant, I use it as coffee creamer.
Erin says
Great tip on the Oatly substitution! Thanks, Dru!
Helen says
Hi. I use cool whip to make a cream pie but the cool whip did’t stay stiff. How can i stitten the cool chip up again?
Erin says
I'm not quite sure what you are asking. It sounds like you used store bought Cool Whip, but if you made this recipe then make sure that you whip to stiff peaks and gently fold the whipped cream into the pie filling. Since I am not familiar with your pie filling recipe I am afraid I am not able to know if there is a way to thicken it.
Nice says
Can I use it as a layer cake filling? Would it hold the weight of the top layer?
Erin says
This whipped cream has a very similar consistency to regular whipped cream. It works great to frost the outside of a cake but the best option for a filling is this recipe stabilized with gelatin. https://stateofdinner.com/stabilized-whipped-cream-frosting/
Katelynn says
Just made it for the first time and it came out wonderful! Thank you!
Erin says
I am so glad to hear that! Thank you for sharing, Katelynn!
Rob says
Made a half recipe as listed above - was perfect! Thank you!
Erin says
That's wonderful! Thanks for sharing!
Sherry Darnell says
I’ve used a bit of vanilla pudding dry mix to stabilize whipped cream with good results but am going to try your cream of tarter this time. Thank you!
Erin says
Let me know how it compares once you try it!
Swathi says
This stablized whipped cream tutorial looks really nice.
Erin says
Thank you, Swathi!
Mama Maggie's Kitchen says
Thank you for sharing this! I can use this soon.
Erin says
That's wonderful!
Chef Dennis says
This is really helpful! Thanks for sharing.
Erin says
I'm so glad you found it helpful!
Millie says
So good! Thank you! 🙂
Erin says
Thank you for letting me know!
Nicole says
Looks great! Tried to make a lighter version with milk and failed. Any tips for a lower fat version or is it just not possible without a bunch of extra chemicals? Wondering if using half and half would work..
Erin says
Hi Nicole! Thanks so much for your question. This recipe definitely does need full-fat heavy cream. The good news of that is it is lower in carbs than low-fat milk. There are some recipes out there for making whipped cream using lower fat dairy products but I have not experimented with that myself.
Elaine says
Hello! Question , can you use powdered sugar in place of granulated sugar?
Erin Gierhart says
Yes, you sure can! Powdered sugar isn't quite as sweet cup for cup, so give it a taste and add a couple of additional tablespoons if you want.
Kamalika says
Does this recipe stay stable outdoor as a cupcake frosting?
Erin says
Hi Kamalika! This recipe is wonderful to use cupcake frosting! It is what I use in my Black Forest Cupcake recipe. Because it is dairy it does need to be refrigerated after being out for 1-2 hours. I have not tested how well it holds up in the heat.
Brianna says
Perfect whipped cream!
Erin says
Wonderful to hear!
Freya says
What a great idea! Perfect for icing cakes too!
Erin says
Yes, it is wonderful for cakes!
Jeannie says
That is very quick to prepare and helpful.
Erin says
Isn't it so easy?
Will says
Thanks! Can’t wait to whip this up.
Erin says
Let me know how you like it!
Alexandra says
Such a great trick for getting the perfect whipped cream!
Kay says
Perfect fresh filling for victoria sponge.
Erin says
That sounds delicious!
Erin says
Thank you!
Lisa says
Is it ok to add cream of tartar to stabilize the cream used in a dispenser?
Erin says
It won't hurt anything, but it does not work quite as well. The whipped cream will still deflate as the N20 naturally leaks out of the dispenser over time.