
How To Make Homemade Sour Cream
Sour cream is one of those ingredients that can be found in both sweet and savory recipes as well as cooked dishes and baked goods.
It is a typical topping for baked potatoes and generally used as a condiment with Mexican dishes such as nachos. It can also be the main ingredient in breads, appetizers, and desserts.
It adds richness, moistness, and even lightens up a recipe. But, sour cream has a high fat content, something that the fat conscious cook or diner may want to avoid. And, as it is made of cream, it is not safe for a dairy free diet or those who are vegan.
Other Variations
A container of powdered sour cream can be reconstituted just like powdered milk. Tuck it in the cupboard and you’ll always have sour cream on hand. You can make as much or as little as you need so there’s never any waste.
Using heavy cream, whipping cream, or one of the low fat ingredients results in sour cream thickening. Raw cream can be used instead, although it will have the same thinning effect as milk, half and half, or light cream.
You can even use a starter culture instead of the buttermilk, and this offers some nice probiotic advantages. But using ultra pasteurized cream isn’t recommended. The results can be iffy.
Did You Know?
Most grocery store sour cream isn’t really sour cream at all. It’s often just milk that’s been artificially thickened and flavored to taste like sour cream. In fact, if you buy fat free sour cream, there isn’t any cream in it at all.
Store bought sour cream also usually contains added ingredients like those thickeners. Do you really want your family ingesting that stuff?
Sour Cream Tips and Hints
Although sealed sour cream may be stored up to two weeks beyond the sell-by date, it will lose flavor as it ages.
Sour cream should always be kept refrigerated.
Do not use the carton as a serving container. Remove what you need and return the carton to the refrigerator immediately.
You may notice some liquid separation in sour cream after opening. You can either pour off the liquid or stir it back in.
Pink or green scum is an indicator of spoilage. Toss it out.
Before adding to any hot liquid, bring sour cream to room temperature.
Add 1 tablespoon of flour to 1/2 cup of sour cream as a thickener to discourage curdling.
Sour cream does not freeze well because it separates when thawed.
How To Make Homemade Sour Cream
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup milk
- 3/4 tsp distilled white vinegar
- 1 cup Heavy cream
Instructions
- Combine the milk and vinegar and let stand for 10 minutes.
- Pour the heavy cream into a jar.
- Stir in the milk mixture, cover the jar, and let stand at room temperature for 24 hours.
- Chill before using.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition Information is estimated based on the ingredients and cooking instructions as described in each recipe and is intended to be used for informational purposes only. Please note that nutrition details may vary based on methods of preparation, origin and freshness of ingredients used.
Conversion Information We get a lot of requests to help with conversions especially between various countries like Canada, the U.K. and Australia. These tables should help you make those conversions. For your convenience we have included a Conversion Chart.
Disclaimer Unless indicated recipes influenced by cookbooks, magazines or family traditions.
How to Make Low Fat Sour Cream
You can replace some of the cream with whole milk, half and half, or light cream if you’d prefer a low fat version. Just keep in mind that your sour cream won’t turn out quite as thick if you cut the fat.
Plain Yogurt
Yogurt is an excellent substitute for sour cream in most recipes, but keep in mind it is thinner in texture. You can thicken yogurt by draining it through a cheesecloth-lined sieve over a bowl And set n the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes. Alternatively, you can use Greek yogurt, which is a bit thicker, to achieve the desired consistency.
To substitute 1 cup of sour cream in a baking recipe, use 1 cup yogurt plus 1 teaspoon baking soda. If you are making a dip, it is an even swap. Just make sure you use Greek yogurt or the yogurt is drained. For a cooked sauce, use a combination of 1 cup yogurt, 1 tablespoon flour, and 2 teaspoons water for 1 cup of sour cream.
Buttermilk or Sour Milk
Buttermilk and sour milk are the next best options to swap for sour cream, but they are not quite as thick. Adding some softened butter can improve the texture. If you are baking, use 3/4 cup buttermilk or sour milk plus 1/3 cup of softened unsalted butter.
Cottage Cheese and Cream Cheese
Although the textures of cottage cheese and cream cheese are quite different from sour cream, their tastes are somewhat similar. Thus, it is best to blend either ingredient, along with some liquid to achieve a similar consistency and “rid” the cottage cheese of the curds.
If you are making a dip, use a blender or food processor to combine 1 cup cottage cheese with 1/4 cup yogurt or buttermilk. If you are simply looking for a lower-fat alternative to sour cream, mix 1 cup low-fat cottage cheese with 1 tablespoon lemon juice and 2 tablespoons skim milk, and whip until smooth in a blender.
To use cream cheese instead of sour cream in a dip, add 6 ounces cream cheese plus 3 tablespoons milk to a blender and briefly whirl to process to the right consistency.
Evaporated Milk
This unsweetened, condensed milk has had about 60 percent of the water removed, resulting in milk with a thick consistency. Make sure you are using unsweetened milk and not sweetened condensed milk, which has added sugar.
For cooked sauces, combine 1 cup evaporated milk with 1 tablespoon vinegar or lemon juice. Let the mixture stand 5 minutes to thicken. If you are looking for a lower fat option to sour cream, mix 1 can of chilled evaporated milk whipped with 1 teaspoon lemon juice.
Non Dairy Substitutions
It will be difficult to replicate the taste and texture of sour cream while using an ingredient that is dairy-free, but if you have an allergy or are on a vegan diet, there are a few foods you can substitute when necessary. You may be able to find store-bought dairy-free sour cream, but it can have a lot of processed ingredients and may not hold the same flavor of sour cream.
You can actually make your own dairy-free sour cream at home. It only takes about 5 minutes to prepare in a food processor but does require some chilling time, however, so you may want to prepare it in advance and refrigerate it.
If you prefer to avoid soy, you can use cashews to make a vegan sour cream. Soak the cashews overnight to soften, then puree in the blender with lemon juice and nutritional yeast to taste. Cashew cheese also can be used as a ricotta substitute.
It has been our pleasure to feature your post at Full Plate Thursday,482. Thanks so much for sharing with us and hope you are having a great week!
Miz Helen
Thank you so much Miz Helen. You made my evening. I am glad this sour cream appealed to you. See you at the party and have a great week!
Great kitchen recipe! Thank you for sharing with Encouraging Hearts and Home! Have a great week ahead!
You are welcome Melynda. I am glad you like the sour cream recipe!! And thanks again for continuing the party each week!
Hi Marilyn, great info on sour cream! I love this product, and it’s nice to know I can make it if I need to. In fact, when I’m ‘settled’ (I’m currently temporarily in a random country somewhere in the world!) I’m going to try your recipe. Thank you for sharing it! 🙂
Thank you Cheryl. I love to have a simple recipe for something I need in a pinch. And I hope you enjoy where you are and will be home and snuggled in soon. Thanks for sharing and stay positive and healthy!
I usually buy low fat. Fat free tastes wrong and now I know why! Great post! Thanks for sharing last week at the what’s for dinner party. You are going to be featured this week!
I am glad to help Helen. And thanks so much for the feature!! I am almost done with my how-to series. I am going to miss those recipes. Stay healthy. Hugz.
Marilyn,
I never even knew that powdered sour cream exists!! I will have to have Joe look for it!! Thanks so much for stopping by!!
Stay safe, healthy and happy!!
Hugs,
Debbie
I hope he can find it!! Here it is in the aisle near the powdered milk. I like to have those things on hand in an emergency. They dont take up refrigerator Space either!! Stay healthy and positive. I get good vibes from you on fb. Hugz
Making sure I pin this so I can make this for my family!
Thank you Lesa for the pin. I hope you get a chance to make this sour cream!! Enjoy your week.
Thanks for sharing this Marilyn, we have been trying out plain non fat greek yogurt right now as our substitute.
I use plain yogurt a lot. I also add frozen fruit and granola in it. Have a great day,
Until now, I did not even know that I could make sour cream at home. This is definitely on my list to try and now that it has been brought to my attention we will not be using the store sour cream anymore. I try to keep our family as healthy as possible. I pinned this post.
Thank you for the pin Michelle. This isolation has shown me just how much I can actually make that is cheap and healthy. I was surprised about store bought too! I hope you enjoy the sour cream that is “ready when you need it!” Have a great week!
Yay! Love this post. Am definitely going to try your sour cream recipe. I had no idea about the store bought version. I know the real thing will be just delicious. Thanks for all the info about other dairy as well. Be well! Jen
I am glad you like te sour cream idea Jen. I was really surprised at the store bought stuff. Just like when I heard that some shredded parmesan is made from a composite of wood chips!! Yes, it is true if you read the label.
You are so self-sufficient. TFS
Nah. I just have these in my arsenal. But with it hard to go to the store and have things in stock they are coming in handy!! Thanks for being “You”. Thanks for sharing and enjoy your [email protected]
thanks so much for this tip sheet of sorts it will be very helpful
come see us at http://shopannies.blogspot.com
Thank you Angie. It is always nice to have options in a pinch! Enjoy your week.
What an informative, useful post. I have never made sour cream before, but this who post made so much sense, right down to what is really in the sour cream that we purchase at the grocery store. Thank you for sharing.
I was shocked when I learned about the grocery store sour cream. I think Io will make my own from now on since it is so easy and better for you. Thanks for commenting Amy. Stay safe and positive.
I never thought of being able to make sour cream! I am so glad I have the recipe now. Thanks for sharing and for all the information!
We have trouble getting dairy items right now. So I am learning all kinds of tricks to use my odds and ends and make what I need! Glad you liked it. Please be safe this week and stay positive!