Homemade Sour Cream - 3 Methods

Have you ever wondered how to make sour cream, homemade from scratch? Today, I share with you my no-fail method using three simple ingredients along with three ways to make your own at home.

Table of Content

• Ingredients
• Why make sour cream at home?
• A few ways to make sour cream
• How to make sour cream
• Substitute for sour cream
• Sour cream vs. creme fraiche
• Make your own
• Frequently asked questions
• You may also like
• Printable Recipe
• Join the conversation

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Ingredients

• Heavy cream - use no less than 32% fat otherwise the sour cream will be thin consistency. The higher the fat the thicker the sour cream.
• Acid - use lemon juice or white vinegar. Personally, I always use fresh lemon juice but if you do use vinegar make sure to use white or flavorless vinegar.
• Milk - we use a small amount of milk and the main purpose of the milk is so we can combine the acid to make a lemon or vinegar mixture before adding it to the heavy cream. I highly recommend using whole milk, not skimmed milk.

Why make sour cream at home?

• Apart from the fact that this rich tangy condiment is so simple and easy, it is also more affordable? But, also there are no preservatives or additives.
• You can use it in so many things from baking cakes to savory dishes such as casseroles and salad dressing.
• Use it in dips for a nice tang, in mashed potatoes or over baked potato. Garnish it over fruits with a drizzle of honey. Serve it with cakes instead of whipped cream
• It also makes a great dessert on it own. Take a cup of sour cream, drizzle some honey and sprinkle some chopped nuts and you have a perfect dessert or breakfast parfait.
• Sour cream is a great substitute for mayonnaise in many dishes especially salad dressings.
• It gives the cakes a moist texture or soft crumb and the sourness blends all the different flavors beautifully. In fact, in some of my cakes its almost like a secret ingredient that makes a huge difference to softenss and texture.
• Below I have given you two techniques - the first technique requires the heavy cream to be boiled and cooled while the second does not need any cooking at all. It uses raw cream and a sour cream starter.

A few ways to make sour cream

1. You can make sour cream using lemon juice, or you can make it using vinegar. Of the two, I prefer lemon juice as some vinegar can be a bit strong flavored. Both of these methods include heating the cream and bringing it back to the barely warm or room temperature, which is just right for the culture to multiply.
2. But, you can also make sour cream from raw cream. This method involves buying a sour cream starter that has a strong active culture. You don't need to heat the milk but it works best with room temperature milk.

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How to make sour cream

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1 & 2 - Using lemon juice or vinegar

• Place room temperature milk in a mason or glass jar. Add lemon juice or vinegar. Close the lid and give it a good shake.
  Pro tip - if the milk was in the fridge, make sure to warm it in the microwave for 10 seconds so it's not too cold.
• Open the lid again. Now, add the room temperature heavy cream. Close the lid and give it a good shake again. Alternatively, use a whisk to ensure it is well combined.
  Pro tip - it is important that the cream is almost room temperature (about 110F) If not warm it in the microwave or in a saucepan on the stovetop. The cooler the cream the longer it will take for the bacteria to ferment.
• Cover the jar with a kitchen towel, or use a breathable cheesecloth and rubber band.
  Pro tip - we want the active culture in the milk to breathe and multiply so we need it to be covered but not sealed.
• Let sit in a warm place for a minimum of 12 hours to a maximum of 24 hours. At this time - you should have a thick luscious sour cream.
  Pro tip - depending on the percentage of fat in the milk and cream some whey would have been separated and resting at the bottom of the jar. This is normal.
• Thicker sour cream - If you want thicker sour cream, pour the sour cream in cheesecloth to drain all the excess whey.
  Pro tip - dry milk powder can also be added to the milk and cream mixture to improve the consistency of sour cream.
• Cover the mason or glass jar with its own lid now and store it in the fridge to chill. The sour cream is ready to use. It will stay fresh for up to 2 weeks in the fridge.
  Pro tip - the sour cream will thicken and mature, making it sourer over time as it cool in the fridge.

3. Using a sour cream starter

You can buy sour cream starter here

• Place raw cream in a bowl. Add one sachet of sour cream starter and mix well with a whisk. Let sit for 2 minutes then whisk well again
  Pro tip - it is very important that the sour cream starter is well mixed with the cream so letting it rest and soak then stirring again helps.
• Pour the cream into a mason jar and cover with a kitchen cloth or cheesecloth with a rubber band. Leave in a warm, dark place for at least 12 hours undisturbed or until it is set and tastes sour.
  Pro tip - we want the active culture in the milk to breathe and multiply so cover but do not seal.
• Place in the fridge for at least 3 hours before you use it. This sour cream will keep in the fridge for up to 3 weeks.

Substitute for sour cream

• Yogurt works as a good substitute for sour cream in baking. If it still lacks that tartness that comes with sour cream you can add 1 teaspoon of lemon juice or a teaspoon of apple cider vinegar to one cup of full-fat active bio Greek yogurt. Give it a good mix and wait 5 minutes.
  Pro tip - make sure to taste the yogurt before you add any lemon juice because natural bio yogurt when kept long can be naturally sour.
• In some savory dishes like casseroles, you can use cottage cheese and cream cheese. In fact, a combination of both gives the perfect sour cream texture. 
• For sauces, you can use evaporated milk (unsweetened) - combine one cup of evaporated milk with 1 tablespoon of lemon juice or white vinegar. Wait five minutes for it to thicken before you use it.

Sour cream vs. creme fraiche

I get asked this a lot. I know this is confusing and often these terms are used interchangeably. And yet, sour cream and creme fraiche are not the same. While the ingredients to make them are quite the same, there are some differences. I don't want to get into too many details, and yet here's just one difference.

Sour cream - has lower fat content than creme fraiche. I believe about 20% fat. Also, it has a distinct sour taste and acidity. That's why it's used in baking cakes and savory toppings such as baked potatoes but not on desserts. If you read the label you will often see that store-bought sour cream may have gelatin or artificial enzymes to stabilize it.

Creme fraiche - has a much higher fat content so it's a lot richer and creamier than sour cream. Of course, it's not sour so it works beautifully on desserts. Also, soups and sauces will not curdle with creme fraiche because of the high-fat content.

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Make your own

• How to Make Yogurt or Greek Yogurt
• Evaporated Milk Recipe (2 Methods)
• Homemade Condensed Milk (2 Ways)
• Homemade Dulce De Leche (2 methods)
• and Homemade Caramel Sauce or Creamy Caramel Filling
• Homemade Butterscotch Sauce
• Homemade Whipped Cream - 4 Methods
• or How to Make Stabilized Whipped Cream (5 Methods)

Frequently asked questions

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