Homemade Sour Cream - 3 Methods

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, it's almost like a secret ingredient that makes a huge difference in the softness and texture of the baked cakes.
• 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.

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.

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.

Tips for success

• 1 teaspoon of cornstarch helps thicken 1 cup of sour cream. Adding too much cornstarch can make it very gummy.
• Temperature is important in making things like homemade yogurt from scratch or homemade sour cream. Now I don't want to send you looking for a thermometer but it must be around 110 F which is close to body temperature. If it is heated to a higher temperature let it cool completely before you add the acid or starter. 
• The second important thing in order to let the sour cream set is warmth and do not disturb. So, you must not peek. I know the first time is very difficult. We are very curious and excited to see if it is working.
  • The active bacteria in there need to multiply and that happens only when it's warm and untouched.
  • I find the best place to set the sour cream untouched in the oven. Even when switched off the oven is naturally the warmest place in the house. Plus it will stay untouched. 
  • If you want to check after 8 hours - slowly open the jar and see. A slight jiggle will tell you if it's set or not.
  • In winter - I put the oven on at 100 F /50 C for just 5 minutes - then I switch the oven off and place the jar in there. Works every single time.

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)

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