After making lactose free whipping cream recently, I knew I had to post a recipe for a stabilised version. Lots of options for making stabilised whipped cream include lactose containing ingredients, which obviously won’t work for a lactose free cream. We’ll get into options further in the post, but for now let’s just say: we’ve cracked the code for stabilised lactose free whipped cream.
Stabilised lactose free whipped cream
As you will know if you came from the lactose free whipping cream post, this recipe uses homemade lactose free whipping cream. I know that lactose free dairy isn’t widely available everywhere, which is why I developed my own recipe.
It takes a bit of extra (hands off) work, but the result is that you can control exactly how much lactase is added and how long it’s left for. The longer you leave lactase in the cream, the more lactose is removed. That means that making your own is a great solution for people with more severe lactose intolerance issues.
So, we’re using our own homemade lactose free whipping cream. But what are using to stabilise the cream? Xanthan gum. If you’re a gluten free or food intolerance consumer or cook, you are quite likely to have some xanthan gum sitting in the back of your cupboard. It’s very accessible these days and requires only a small amount.
The result? Airy, light and delicious whipped cream that will hold its shape in heat or after piping.
Lactose free vs dairy free
I think it’s important to distinguish these two requirements in all my lactose free posts. There seems to be some confusion, so it’s helpful to clarify early on.
Lactose free products are dairy products that have had lactase enzyme added. Lactase enzyme is the enzyme that breaks down lactose in our digestive system. People who are lactose intolerant don’t produce enough lactase to break down the lactose they consume. This is why they get digestive symptoms after eating dairy – their body struggles to break down the lactose.
Lactase enzyme breaks down lactose into sucrose and galactose. These are two more easily digestible sugars. When people with lactose intolerance eat lactose free dairy products, they are less of an issue because the lactase has been ‘digested’.
Dairy free products, on the other hand, do not contain dairy or lactose at all. Examples of dairy free products include coconut yoghurt and oat milk.
If you have a lactose intolerance, you can consume dairy products with lactase added. If you have a dairy intolerance or allergy, you cannot consume any dairy, whether it is lactose free or not. The issue is the dairy itself, not the lactose.
This recipe is for people who can consume lactose but often have digestive symptoms when doing so. It is not for people who have an allergy to dairy as a whole.
International terminology
Cream has different names depending on where you’re buying it, so I thought this might be handy to include.
Regular thickened cream in Australia contains around 35% fat. It is often sold in 300ml tubs which is what I use for this recipe. If the tubs are sold in different sizes where you live, you can adjust the recipe accordingly. Adding more sugar to whipped cream will only make it sweeter; it won’t effect the whipping capability.
Note that light thickened cream, even though it says thickened, will not whip and is not suitable here. It contains around 18% fat.
Thickened cream is the same as heavy whipping cream, which contains around 36% fat. If you are based in the USA, you can also use regular whipping cream (30% fat) but nothing with less fat than that.
In England, thickened cream is called whipping cream. It should have around 36% fat.
In terms of icing sugar: it is an Australian/British term for confectioners sugar or powdered sugar. Icing sugar can be ‘pure’ (just sugar) or ‘soft’ (sugar with a small amount of starch, normally tapioca).
In America, icing sugar is called confectioners sugar or powdered sugar. Confectioners sugar has cornstarch added, whereas powdered sugar does not.
So, confectioners sugar is the same as soft icing sugar and powdered sugar is the same as pure icing sugar. In small quantities like these, the variety you use shouldn’t matter too much.
What is the texture of whipped cream stabilised with xanthan gum?
With the right amount, whipped cream stabilised with xanthan gum is smooth, extremely pipe-able and perhaps just a little less fluffy than whipped cream without a stabiliser. It has a slightly more cohesive mouthfeel but doesn’t have a different taste or any grittiness in the texture.
Xanthan gum is extremely easy to over-use – it requires only a tiny amount. Using more than necessary creates a slimy mouthfeel and a coating on your mouth (plus your hands, if it gets on them). This is why it’s important to weigh the xanthan gum or use the tiniest amount for the best results.
You will notice your whipped cream firm up immediately after adding the sugar and xanthan gum mix. Don’t be tempted to add more than is necessary. Aside from the fact that it only requires a tiny amount, a lot of store bought cream already contains a bit of xanthan gum.
You can see in the below photo that cream stabilised with xanthan gum is very sturdy and easy to pipe. This photo was taken after about an hour of the cream sitting there. I also find that frozen and defrosted leftover whipped cream made with xanthan gum still has a pleasant taste, consistency and texture.
Further down the post, you will see a photo of cream that I stabilised with agar agar powder. Note the differences in consistency and pipe-ability.
Tips for your lactose free whipped cream
- One of the great things about having to make your own lactose free cream is that you are forced to plan ahead and add the lactase 24-48 hours in advance. Why is this a good thing, you ask? Because the cream will be thoroughly chilled. It is so important for cream to be thoroughly chilled in order to whip. Because we’re making our cream ahead, we can be confident in this step.
- Make SURE you read the packaging because they are SNEAKY out there. Light thickened cream, even if it is thickened, will not whip. Cream needs to be at least 30% fat in order to whip. Generally speaking, cream has the fat percentage written on the tub so be sure to read labels.
- If you’re working in hot weather, cold bowls can help. Lots of recipes also specify that glass or metal bowls are more effective when making whipped cream.
- When lactase breaks down lactose, it breaks it into two sugars: sucrose and galactose. These sugars make lactose free cream taste slightly sweeter than regular cream. As such, you can use a little less sugar.
- 35% fat in your cream is the ideal level for making whipped cream. It will hold peaks a bit longer than 30% cream.
I can’t have xanthan gum. What else can I use?
Some whipped cream recipes use bloomed gelatin as a stabiliser. I am pescatarian and don’t eat or work with gelatin. If you would like to use it, follow a recipe using gelatin once you have made the lactose free cream. 300ml is equivalent to 1 1/4 American cups (give or take). So, if your recipe uses 1 American cup of cream (which many do) simply make 1 cup of lactose free cream and proceed with their recipe for gelatin stabiliser.
I’ve seen a few recipes floating around for stabilised cream using agar agar. Interestingly, they use agar powder that has not been bloomed. I tested the theory and found that it worked… OK.
I added 1.5g (1/2 teaspoon) of agar agar powder first, then additional 1.5g (1/2 teaspoon). After the first half teaspoon, I didn’t feel like the cream had thickened much at all. After adding the second 1/2 teaspoon the cream felt thicker under the beaters. However, it also had a gritty, airy look and slight gritty texture. It still tasted good, but didn’t look great and the texture had definitely changed. The mouthfeel was definitely gritty; noticeable but not absolutely terrible.
By comparison, I found that the xanthan gum version looks and feels just slightly less fluffy but it pipes beautifully and the texture doesn’t change. It’s slightly less airy than un-stabilised whipped cream, but you wouldn’t notice if you weren’t searching for it. I also felt confident piping the xanthan gum version, whereas the agar agar version spat and spluttered. I would feel nervous taking the agar agar version out on a hot day or relying on it to hold up a cake.
You can play around with the quantity and see if it works better for you, but personally I am hooked on the xanthan gum version.
Recipes to serve with your stabilised lactose free whipping cream
- Gluten free eclairs from Intolerance Friendly Kitchen
- Gluten free chocolate cake
- Low FODMAP, gluten free pumpkin pie
- Low FODMAP gluten free apple pie
- Gluten free American biscuits
Stabilised lactose free whipping cream
Ingredients
- 300 ml lactose free thickened/heavy/whipping cream with 30-35% fat content see notes for recipe
- 10-30 g+ 1 tablespoon soft or pure icing sugar (confectioner’s sugar or powdered sugar) to your tastes, sieved
- 0.3g (1/8th tablespoon) xanthan gum (see notes)
Instructions
- If you’re working on a hot climate, place a medium glass or metal bowl in the fridge about half an hour before you intend to whip your cream.
- Sieve your sugar into a small bowl and whisk in the xanthan gum. It is very important to be light handed with xanthan gum as it can easily become too much and make for a slimy end result.
- When you are ready to whip your cream, pour it into the cold bowl. Use hand beaters to whip the cream on a medium speed. It will start with large bubbles and the bubbles will start to dissipate. After that, you should feel the cream thickening under the beaters. Finally, you should see tracks from the beaters in the cream and then soft peaks should start to form. If you intend to add vanilla or liquid flavouring, add it here.
- When you are 90% happy with how whipped the cream is, add the sieved sugar mix. Xanthan gum will thicken the cream very quickly, so you want to be happy with the texture before you add it. Make sure all the sugar is mixed in and then stop beating.
- If in doubt, stop beating – cream can easily be over-whipped and start to form butter.
- Use your whipped cream promptly and store any leftovers in the fridge. You can also freeze and defrost whipped cream leftovers.
Notes
- You can find my recipe for lactose free whipping cream here.
- Add sugar according to what you are serving your whipped cream with. If you are serving your cream with a tart fruit or berry, consider using the upper amount of sugar. If you are serving it with a sweet dessert, use less.
- When you add the xanthan gum matters, in my opinion. The cream will thicken dramatically and quickly once you add it, so make sure you have already whipped the cream to a level you’re pretty much happy with (about 90% done).
- It is important to use a scant amount of xanthan gum. Too much and it will easily be too slimy. If you don’t have a scale or a 1/8th teaspoon, fill your 1/4 teaspoon around 1/3 of the way with xanthan gum. You really only need a tiny amount. I always recommend a scale for best results.
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