How To Fix Runny Whipped Cream
Whipped cream is a great topping for a dessert — it is sweet, obviously creamy, and has a deliciously light and airy texture!
To make whipped cream, heavy cream and powdered sugar are blended together until they form stiff peaks. It is then ready to be added to a dessert of your choice.
During this process, it can be easy to over-whip cream, but another problem often faced is when whipped cream becomes runny.
How do you fix runny whipped cream? There are a few ways you can fix runny whipped cream as well as a few ways you can prevent whipped cream from becoming runny. The top two ways to fix runny whipped cream are to add in some gelatin or cream of tartar.
So, if you have found yourself with runny whipped cream and no solution, read on to find out how you can fix it and what you can do to prevent runny whipped cream from happening in the future!
Why Does Whipped Cream Become Runny?
An important thing to note is that whipped cream can be very sensitive to temperature — the wrong temperature can cause the whipped cream to turn runny and watery.
Whipped cream is best when the cream is kept cold, and whipped when cold. Once the whipped cream begins to increase in temperature, then it might become more watery and thinner, and not hold its stiff peaks any longer.
In this case, you would need to either start off by whipping cold cream and keeping the cream cold while whipping.
If the cream is not kept cold and it does turn runny, then you would need to stabilize it using an additional ingredient.
How To Fix Runny Whipped Cream
Runny whipped cream does not need to be thrown away — you can fix runny whipped cream and enjoy stiff peaks on top of your dessert!
The two best ways to fix runny whipped cream are to add either gelatin or cream of tartar. Here is how to do both!
Fixing Runny Whipped Cream With Gelatin
Many bakers choose to add gelatin to their whipped cream to ensure that the cream does not become runny and to ensure that it will form stiff peaks. You can also use it to fix runny whipped cream!
Ingredients
- 1 cup cold whipped cream
- 4 teaspoons water
- 1 teaspoon unflavored gelatin
Method
- If the runny whipped cream is not cool, place it in the fridge to cool it down before you attempt to fix it.
- Place the water and unflavored gelatin together in a microwave-safe bowl, and leave it to sit for a few minutes.
- Give the gelatin and water a stir, and place it in the microwave for up to 5 minutes. Stir the gelatin and check to see whether it has dissolved fully.
- If it has not dissolved, place it back into the microwave for another 3 seconds.
- Once the gelatin has fully dissolved, leave the mixture to cool down to room temperature.
- Add the gelatin mixture to the whipped cream.
- Beat the cream and gelatin mix on low until they are fully incorporated.
- Once fully incorporated, place the whipped cream back into the fridge. It should set and form stiff peaks within a few hours.
This is actually called stabilized whipped cream as it holds its firm texture for up to 24 hours in the fridge, compared to normal whipped cream which will deflate.
The gelatin will help to bind the whipped cream together and set it to a stiffer texture so that it won’t be runny anymore.
Fixing Runny Whipped Cream With Cream Of Tartar
Another way you can fix runny whipped cream is to use cream of tartar. You likely have some cream of tartar sitting in the pantry, so it should be an easy enough fix for you!
Ingredients
- 1 cup cold whipped cream
- ¼ teaspoon cream of tartar
Method
- Make sure to chill the whipped cream before attempting to fix it. Refrigerate it in the bowl you will be mixing it in so that the bowl can help keep the cream at the right temperature.
- Pour the cream of tartar into the whipped cream and gently beat until it helps to form stiff peaks, and reduce runniness.
- Once the whipped cream reaches your desired consistency, stop beating.
- Serve the whipped cream right away, or place it in the refrigerator.
The cream of tartar contains some starch — this helps to bind and thicken the whipped cream, so it will be fine to be kept in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours.
You can add in a little more cream of tartar if it is not reaching the right consistency, but make sure to add in a tiny amount at a time.
Can I Add Powdered Sugar To Whipped Cream To Thicken It?
Most whipped cream recipes call for an inclusion of powdered sugar, to add some sweetness to the cream and make it more suitable for a dessert. However, not all whipped cream will contain powdered sugar — it’s up to personal preference!
If you have not added any powdered sugar to the whipped cream you have made, and the whipped cream has turned runny, then you can add some powdered sugar to try and thicken it.
How much powdered sugar you add in will depend on how much whipped cream you have made, but generally, one cup of heavy cream will require around ¼ cup of powdered sugar.
Make sure that the whipped cream is cold, and then slowly start adding in the powdered sugar gradually while gently beating the whipped cream.
Make sure to not beat the whipped cream too much or on high, as it could easily turn to butter.
The powdered sugar will absorb some of the water content in the runny whipped cream, and it will help it to become stiffer and form peaks — it will also give it a sweeter taste!
If you have already added powdered sugar to the whipped cream and it is still runny, you can add one tablespoon more at a time until the right consistency is reached.
Tips For Whipping Cream Properly
Whipping cream to form stiff peaks can be easy, but it can go wrong fast.
Here are some tips to remember in order so your whipped cream will stay stiff, not turn to butter, and not become runny.
- Make sure that you choose the right cream to whip. The best cream to use is double cream and whipping cream, which has higher fat content than single cream.
- The cream needs to be refrigerated and cold before being whipped. Cold cream whips much faster, and much more successfully than a room temperature cream.
- To help whip faster, the whisk you are using, and the bowl you are whipping the cream in, should be cold as well. Glass and metal bowls work best for this.
- It is best to whip the cream using an electric hand whisk, a stand mixer, or a food processor. These all require specific whipping times, so keep an eye on the cream as it is whipped. You can whip the cream by hand, but this can take some time and be quite tiring.
- Do not over-whip the cream — as it will turn grainy and then eventually turn into butter.
- Remember that cream will double in size when whipped, so only use around half of the cream you need before whipping.
- Whipping the cream slowly and uniformly will give you the best results, and will give you light and fluffy whipped cream.
Final Thoughts
Runny whipped cream might seem like a disaster and a waste, but before you go to throw it out or try to eat runny whipped cream with your dessert, take a read through the above to find out some handy tips on how to fix whipped cream!
Gelatin, cream of tartar, and powdered sugar can be added to runny whipped cream to thicken it up and to help reduce the runniness, so you can use the whipped cream how you intended.
Make sure to also read through our above tips on how to perfectly whip cream, so you don’t have to worry about runny or too-thick whipped cream next time you make some!
Related Questions
Now that we’ve learned all about whipped cream, and how to fix it if it becomes runny, here are some additional questions we thought you might have.
Can you re-whip whipped cream?
You can re-whip whipped cream, and this can help incorporate the whipped cream back into stiff peaks if it has deflated and become runny.
When re-whipping whipped cream, make sure to not over-whip it, as it could turn to butter.
Can you fix over-whipped cream?
Whipping cream for too long can cause it to become grainy, too thick, or like butter. If this happens, you can try to add one or two tablespoons of milk to the thick cream and beat it gently.
It likely won’t form perfect stiff peaks and be light and fluffy, but it can help to make it less thick and more suitable to top onto a dessert.
Make sure that the milk you add to the cream is cold, and you beat it gently and slowly.
