Stabilized Strawberry Whipped Cream Frosting (Gelatin-Free)

Searching for an easy, fluffy stabilized strawberry whipped cream for your desserts? Look no further!

This whipped cream is stabilized using a bit of cream cheese (no gelatin needed = great for any vegetarians!), which adds such a nice velvety, smooth texture. It’s not-too-sweet and the freeze dried strawberry powder adds such a bold flavor to it! Use it to frost lighter cakes, cupcakes, pipe fun designs, and more!

Pink strawberry whipped cream frosting in a glass bowl with a whisk, which has stiff peaks.

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What Is Stabilized Whipped Cream?

In comparison to regular whipped cream, stabilized whipped cream is thicker and sturdier. It holds its shape longer when piped or spread into a design, rather than falling flat.

There are a few different methods to stabilize whipped cream, some including gelatin, pudding mix, mascarpone, and cream cheese. I’ve tried them all, but my top two are definitely cream cheese or mascarpone. This is because they add such velvety creaminess and structure to the whipped cream, without any overpowering cheese-y flavor.

And here, I will be sharing the cream cheese method!

Want to try another flavor? Check out my stabilized matcha whipped cream frosting or creamy matcha cream cheese frosting!

❤️ Why You’ll Love This Recipe

The recipe is super beginner friendly. The frosting easily comes together in one bowl and is a great alternative to making buttercream. No need to worry about the buttercream becoming too hard or soft!
You can use it for so many recipes! It’s not-too-sweet, light, and super fluffy. You can frost and pipe designs on different desserts, like cakes, cupcakes, tiramisu, cheesecake, and more.
It’s vegetarian-friendly! Making a cake or dessert for your a vegetarian friend? It’s best to use cream cheese instead of using gelatin and pudding mix (some include gelatin powder) as your thickening agents.

Ingredients

To make this strawberry whipped cream frosting, you’ll need the following ingredients:

Make sure to use chilled heavy cream (interchangeable with heavy whipping cream) so it whips up easily.
To stabilize our whipped cream, we will be using a few oz of a softened full-fat cream cheese block. The high fat content provides the structure and thickness the whipped cream needs when frosting or decorating desserts.
- It is very important to use block cream cheese instead of whipped cream or cream cheese from a tub. They have added ingredients that will not work as well in this recipe.
Powdered sugar, freeze dried strawberry powder, and vanilla extract provides the sweetness and flavor we’re looking for.

For the full list of ingredients and measurements, see the recipe card below.

How To Make Stabilized Strawberry Whipped Cream

Pouring vanilla into a glass mixing bowl with whipped strawberry cream cheese.

Step 1: Whip softened cream cheese and freeze-dried strawberry powder on medium speed until smooth, about 2-4 minutes. Add vanilla extract. Gradually add heavy cream while mixing on medium speed until medium peaks form. Add a small drop of gel red or pink food coloring if desired.

Stiff peak strawberry whipped cream frosting on a whisk on top of a bowl with the rest of the pink frosting.

Step 2: Mix in the powdered sugar a third at a time. Taste and add more if needed. Turn the mixer to medium high and keep beating until you reach stiff peaks. There should be visible track marks from the whisk and the cream should easily hold its shape.

Whisked too much and now your whipped cream is chunky and split?

No worries! Add a splash or two of heavy cream. Mix on low speed until it smooths back out!

For full instructions, see the recipe card below.

Stabilized Strawberry Frosting FAQs

How is this different than cream cheese frosting?

Cream cheese frosting typically uses an entire block of cream cheese or more and a bit of heavy cream. This recipe is the opposite: a lot of heavy cream and a bit of cream cheese!

Can I use cream cheese from a tub?

I do not recommend using tub cream cheese because it has higher water content and different consistency. It will not be as stable if you were to use block cream cheese.

Can I use fat-free or reduced-fat cream cheese?

No, I would only use full-fat cream cheese. The high fat content helps make the whipped cream much more stabilized.

My whipped cream split and is chunky… how can I rescue it?

This is because the whipped cream was over whipped! No worries, you can 100% save it.

I recommend adding a splash of heavy cream and whipping again on low speed. Add more as needed. The whipped cream should smooth back out.

How much do I need to make to frost a cake?

I’ve used 1x batch of this recipe to frost a 2-layer 6-inch cake, or 24 cupcakes. I recommend using this on lighter cakes, like chiffon or sponge. Heavy cakes may collapse.

How long can the whipped cream last at room temperature?

At room temperature, the whipped cream should last about 2 hours. But if it’s warmer than that, it will be much less time and it will start to flatten/melt. Use your best judgment!

Storage

I recommend using the stabilized whipped cream immediately for your dessert and not making it ahead of time.

Since there is cream cheese in the whipped cream, it will slightly stiffen when chilled in the fridge. If you were to re-whip it, you will first have to let it come back to room temp, stir (possibly losing any fluffiness), and whip in more heavy cream until you get the desired consistency. It is honestly more work than if you were to make it the day of!

However, if you have any leftovers, you can store it in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. Scoop it on top of your oats, ice cream, brownies, etc. 🙂

Stabilized Strawberry Whipped Cream Frosting