how to make sour cream

Sour Cream Recipe Homemade with progress pictures and video

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

a mason jar with sour cream and spoon — How to make homemade sour cream,

Table of Content

Why make sour cream at home?
A few ways to make sour cream
Set by step instructions
4. Sour cream with yogurt
Sour cream vs. creme fraiche
Frequently asked questions
You may also like
Printable Recipe
Comments

Sour cream is fermented cream made by adding lactic acid bacteria to the whipping cream and left to multiply over a few hours similar to making yogurt. The bacteria thickens the cream naturally but, often store-bought sour cream will have artificial thickeners added to it. It is a gluten-free product and perfect for so many things from cake batters, to onions dips and sandwich spreads.

As a baker, I use a lot of sour creams. If you notice, quite a few of my cake recipes have sour cream in them. I personally think it gives the cake a nice soft crumb and the sourness blends all the different flavors beautifully. So, as a rule of thumb, I always have store-bought sour cream on hand.

Why make sour cream at home?

Apart from the fact that it is so simple and easy, it is also more affordable?
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.

A few ways to make sour cream

You can make sour cream using lemon juice, or you can make it using vinegar. Between 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.
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.

mason jar with sour cream on a table — How to make homemade sour cream,

Set by step instructions

1 & 2 - Using lemon juice or vinegar

Place room temperature milk in a mason jar. Add lemon juice or vinegar. 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. Alternatively, use a whisk to ensure it is well combined.
Cover the jar again but DO NOT SEAL IT. Instead use a kitchen towel, paper towel, or just place a plate.
Pro tip - we want the active culture in the milk to breathe and multiply so cover but do not seal.
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 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.
Pro tip - the sour cream will thicken and mature, making it sourer over time as it cool in the fridge.
It will stay fresh for up to 2 weeks in the fridge.

Progress pictures collage homemade sour cream recipe — How to make homemade sour cream

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.
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.
Let sit for 2 minutes then whisk well again. Pour the cream into a mason jar and cover with a towel
Pro tip - we want the active culture in the milk to breathe and multiply so cover but do not seal.
Leave in a warm, dark place for at least 12 hours undisturbed or until it is set and tastes sour.
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.

Homemade Sour cream in a jar. — How to make homemade sour cream

4. Sour cream with yogurt

While yogurt works as a great substitute for sour cream in baking it still lacks that tartness that comes with sour cream. So, 1 teaspoon of lemon juice to one cup of full-fat active bio Greek yogurt does the trick. Give it a good mix and wait 5 minutes.

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.

Sour cream in a mason jar. — How to make homemade sour cream

Frequently asked questions

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 a 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 sour cream with lemon juice or vinegar is not set even after 4 hours

you have to let the cream sit untouched for a minimum of 12 hours so the bacteria can multiply.

The sour cream with lemon juice 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 with vinegar is not sour or too sour

As the bacteria multiply the sour cream becomes sourer. By 12 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.

What can you substitute for sour cream?

Sometimes we don't have the luxury of time to let the sour cream ferment naturally. Often Yogurt is the best substitute when baking. I like to use Greek yogurt as a substitute because it's thicker and with a higher fat percentage.

Printable Recipe

a mason jar with sour cream and spoon

Description

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

Sour cream using lemon juice

▢ 1 cup (240 ml) Heavy cream
▢ ¼ cup (60 ml) Milk
▢ 1 tablespoon Lemon juice

Sour cream using vinegar

▢ 1 cup (240 ml) Heavy cream
▢ ¼ cup (60 ml) Milk
▢ 2 tablespoon White vinegar distilled vinegar

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Using lemon juice or vinegar

Place room temperature milk in a mason jar. Add lemon juice or vinegar. 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. Alternatively, use a whisk to ensure it is well combined.
Cover the jar again but DO NOT SEAL IT. Instead use a kitchen towel, paper towel, or just place a plate.

Pro tip - we want the active culture in the milk to breathe and multiply so cover but do not seal.
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 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.

Pro tip - the sour cream will thicken and mature, making it sourer over time as it cool in the fridge.
It will stay fresh for up to 2 weeks in the fridge.

Using raw cream

Place raw cream in a bowl. Add one sachet of sour cream starter and mix well with a whisk.

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.
Let sit for 2 minutes then whisk well again. Pour the cream into a mason jar and cover with a towel

Pro tip - we want the active culture in the milk to breathe and multiply so cover but do not seal.
Leave in a warm, dark place for at least 12 hours undisturbed or until it is set and taste sour.
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.

In baking, yogurt, or buttermilk works as a great replacement.
1 teaspoon of cornstarch helps thicken 1 cup sour cream. Adding too much cornstarch can make it very gummy.
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 (110F)
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 in 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.

Calories: 272- kcal Carbohydrates: 3.4- g Protein: 2.2- g Fat: 28.4- g Saturated Fat: 17.7- g Polyunsaturated Fat: 10.7- g Monounsaturated Fat: 0- g Trans Fat: 0- g Cholesterol: 105- mg Sodium: 38- mg Potassium: 0- mg Fiber: 0- g Sugar: 3.2- g Vitamin A: 0- IU Vitamin C: 0- mg Calcium: 0- mg Iron: 0- mg

The nutrition information and metric conversion are calculated automatically. I cannot guarantee its accuracy. If this data is important to you please verify with your trusted nutrition calculator. Thank you

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