How to make Homemade Sour Cream (No-fail method)
Have you ever wondered how to make sour cream? Homemade sour cream? Yes, this sour cream recipe is so simple, easy and effortless, not to mention healthier. Today I share with you my no-fail method on how to make sour cream. Furthermore, I will share with you two techniques to make sour cream at home. One using milk and vinegar, and another using lemon juice. As a result, you will never have to buy sour cream again.
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The Baking Hack
As a baker, I use a lot of sour cream. If you notice, quite a few of my cake recipes have sour cream in it. I personally think it gives the cake a nice soft crumb and the sourness blends all the different flavors beautifully.
How often have you decided you want to make a dish, for example, a cake, and then realized you don’t have one ingredient at home? Really ruins the mood doesn’t it. For me, sour cream is often one of those ingredients. Especially, when I want to make a cake. As a result, I end up not making a cake because I don’t have sour cream on hand. That was until I started making sour cream at home. Yes, it is possible to make a homemade sour cream. Furthermore, it’s not just simple and easy but also more affordable.
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Sour Cream vs Creme Fraiche
I get asked this a lot. I know this is confusing and often these 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 a 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.
What’s the best thing about making sour cream at home? Apart from the fact that it’s more affordable? Well, you can use it in so many things other than cake, like mashed potatoes, and baked potatoes. Another great option is to take a bowl of sour cream, drizzle some honey and sprinkle some chopped nuts and you have a perfect dessert.
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Homemade Sour Cream – Simple and Easy (Save/Pin)
Ingredients
- Heavy cream -1 cup
- Milk – 1/4 cup
- Lemon juice or vinegar – 1 tbsp
Method
- Place room temperature milk in a mason jar.
- Add lemon juice.
- Close the lid and give it a good shake.
- Open the lid again.
- Now add the room temperature fresh cream.
- Close the lid and give it a good shake again.
- Cover the jar again but DO NOT SEAL IT. Instead use a kitchen towel, paper-towel or just place a plate. (you want the milk to breathe)
- Let sit in a warm place for a minimum of 18 hours to a maximum of 24 hours.
- After 24 hours – you should have a thick luscious sour cream.
- Whey from the milk would have been separated and resting at the bottom of the jar. This is normal.
- If you want thick sour cream just spoon the thick mixture from the top.
- I prefer to stir the sour cream with a spoon and bring it all together.
- Cover the mason 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 two weeks in the fridge.
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A common issue with making the homemade sour cream (Save/Pin)
My cream became sour but did not set like sour cream?
Those of you that have made homemade yogurt from scratch or sour cream before may have seen this happen. The milk turned sour but it did not set. Why?
The temperature is important to make things like homemade yogurt from scratch or homemade sour cream. Now I don’t want to send you looking for a thermometer. But just as I gave you a fail-proof method in homemade yogurt this works the same.
The secret is in the process – boil the cream and bring it back to room temperature (110 F) – then make sour cream. This is the secret to the no-fail method. That heating of the milk though it sounds redundant helps take that internal milk temperature just where it needs to be to make homemade yogurt or sour cream.
How hot should the milk be? As hot as the milk you feed a baby. Lukewarm, barely warm – but above room temperature, not cold.
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The best place to set sour cream
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 needs to multiply and that happens only when it’s warm and untouched.
I find the best place to set the sour cream untouched is the oven. Even when switched off the oven is usually 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.
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Troubleshooting – based on some of the questions asked by you guys
- The milk curdled as soon as I added lemon – the milk was warmer than room temperature. Keep milk at no more than 110F just like when using yeast for bread. Lemon makes hot milk split. It separates the whey from the milk solids. You can still use this split milk but not for the sour cream.
- The cream is not set even after 4 hours – you have to let the cream sit untouched for a minimum of 18 hours so the bacteria can multiply.
- The cream is not set after 24 hours – The milk was cold when you started out or the place you kept it was not warm enough for the bacteria to set. Find a warm place like the oven and let it sit for a few hours more.
- My sour cream is not sour or too sour – As the bacteria multiplies the sour cream become sourer. By 12 to 18 hours if the sour cream is set – place it in the fridge – this will slow the process. The longer the sour cream sits untouched in the warmth the more mature the bacteria so the sourer the sour cream.
Don’t forget to save this recipe on Pinterest for later.
You can find a collection of my tutorials and recipes here on Pinterest.
How to make sour cream, Homemade sour cream from scratch, a fail-proof method to sour cream
How to make Homemade Sour Cream from Scratch Fail-Proof Method
Homemade Sour Cream - The Full Proof Method
Instructions
- Place room temperature milk in a mason jar.
- Add lemon juice.
- Close the lid and give it a good shake.
- Open the lid again.
- Now add the room temperature fresh cream.
- Close the lid and give it a good shake again.
- Cover the jar again but DO NOT SEAL IT. Instead use a kitchen towel, paper-towel or just place a plate. (you want the milk to breathe).
- Let sit in a warm place for a minimum of 18 hours to a maximum of 24 hours.
- After 24 hours - you should have a thick luscious sour cream.
- Whey from the milk would have been separated and resting at the bottom of the jar. This is normal.
- If you want thick sour cream just spoon the thick mixture from the top.
- I prefer to stir the sour cream with a spoon and bring it all together.
- Cover the mason 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 two weeks in the fridge.
Master the Basics and Dominate the Kitchen
One way to improve your cooking or baking skills is to get a grip on your basic recipes. Often it’s easier and quicker than you think.
Simple things like making homemade caramel or butterscotch take five minutes but are so much better homemade. Baking the perfect pie or pastry crust from scratch can make a huge difference to your homemade pies and desserts.
Did you know homemade buttermilk or condensed milk take less than 5 minutes as well? Yes!!
See some of my Basic Recipes with details or check out my Recipe Index for a list of all my recipes.
A collection of basic recipes by Veena Azmanov on veenaazmanov.com
Sour cream makes cake incredibly delicious with a soft tender crumb. Check out some of my cake recipes.
Take a look at some of the most delicious cake recipes I have for you on this blog. All recipes are tried and tested. Whether you looking for a simple one bowl vanilla cake recipe, a fruit-flavored recipe for spring or luxurious recipe with decadent frostings. I’m sure you will find something you will love. Alternatively, take a look at my Recipe Index to see a list of all recipes on this blog.
A collection of cake recipes by Veena Azmanov – Tried and Tested Cake Recipes
When I brew my kombucha I put it on a seed warming mat. Would that same place work for your sour cream recipe? I am excited to try your method. My other 2 failed. But I am determined to keep trying! Thanks for posting!
Hey Debbie. It just needs a slightly warm place not heated. Don’t know about a seed warming mat but I think it will work. I highly recommend heating the milk to boiling then bringing it back to warm temperature before you add the culter and store it.
Hi Veena, will your recipes for sour cream work with lactose free milk? Thank you!
Hey Karen – I have not tried it but I think it should work as long as it has active live bacteria in there. I would recommend trying a small batch and experimenting. Sorry could not be of much help.
This sour cream recipe is fantastic! I made a couple of others before finding this one and yours is by far the best of the three. I will check put your other recipes and share this one with my friends
Thank you?
Than you Miffy. Happy to know that this recipe worked well for you. I hope you enjoy the other recipes too and thank you for sharing.
Hi, your recipes ard writing method are awesome!! Thanks for sharing. Can you also please share some recipe links where this sour cream is used.
Thank you Divya – Happy to hear you like my blog and writing methods. Thanks
At the end of the post I have given you the link to my cake recipes and cheesecake recipes that often use sour cream. Thanks
Hi veena can I store this sour cream and for how long? Thanks
Yes, you can for a few days – may be three or so..
Thanks for sharing.can I use amulet fresh cream
Sorry Vidhu. I have not used Amul Fresh Cream but you can try a small batch to see if it works. Thanks
hi Veena can i used yougart if i don't have this sour cream/
In some recipes yogurt would work just fine. I do mention in my recipes so look up the individual post please – Thanks
hi Veena do you have any good recipie l could make with sour cream? thanks
Yes of course Jessica. At the end of the post I have given you links to my cakes, cheesecakes and cupcake recipes. Please browse thru them. Try my Vanilla Sour Cream Cupcakes. You will love them.
I tried this recently and it was perfect. I love how easy it was to make. It was so delicious I ate it on it’s own just the way you said. A drizzle of honey and it was so tasty. Thank you for sharing this. I really will be making it again.
Thank you so much Donna. SO happy to hear that you enjoyed making your own sour cream! I do love eating homemade sour cream as well. Just some honey or fruit puree for me!! Thanks for coming back to write this feedback. Appreciate it very much
Hi veena., i have tried your fondant recipe and its awsome..it tastes great …iy has a good stretch….so thank you for sharing it with us…i did have question…when i used it on my daughters cake i had chilled her cake before putting the fondant…and what i noticed was as i kept smoothing the fondant on this cold cake the fondant was sweating on the outside pretty quickly due to which i could not continue …as it was getting sticky from the outside..but when dont on a room temp cake it was perfect…..was i doing something wrong
Thank you Michelle – Yes, if you live in climate with high humidity you will find that all fondant will sweat. That’s because the sugar is responding to the heat and humidity. The window of opportunity in high humidity is really small when covering a chilled cake I agree. I highly recommend cracking the Air condition on high.
can i use this sour cream recpie in baking for cream cheese cakes?
Yes Absolutely Meenakshi. You will find many of my cheesecake recipes on this blog as well. Thanks
thanx that was so easy and it turned out perfect..but one question do we beat this sour cream before icing our cake ?
Thank you!! Yes you can beat it into any icing your need to mix it in.
That was helpful. Do you have a suggestion in making easy buttermilk to be used in cakes?
Yes I do have a post that shares how to make Homemade Buttermilk as well. Thanks
Homemade Buttermilk Recipe in 5 mins
You use one liquid run milk to 1tbsp of apple cider vinegar or distilled vinegar, allow set for at least 15minutes before use.
Yes actually it works as well. I find some apple cider vinegars can give the sour cream a very sour and vinegar like flavor to the sour cream as well. Lemon is more neutral. Just a personal opinions.
Thank you so much for the recipe ur absolutely fabulously fantastic.. We don’t get sour cream in India so this will help many Indian bakers
Your very welcome Shalu. Thank you I am so happy to hear that.