There may be no worse feeling in the kitchen than that moment when you are halfway into cooking a recipe only to discover you are missing a key ingredient. For me, that often means sour cream. I’ll assume that the tub of the good stuff in the fridge is full, only to discover there’s just a couple sad tablespoons in a big empty container. Or (even worse), sometimes the contents of that container are terrifyingly green and furry.
Luckily, there are many substitutions you can use, depending on how you are using sour cream in your recipe. And these options cover you when you want to make something vegan or dairy-free.
There are guidelines. In most cases — and anytime the use is hot or baked — you will need the full-fat version of any sour cream substitute. Sour cream is just that, cream-based, and the fat is essential to how it works in recipes for desserts like sour cream cheesecake, gelato. So, while you can sub in reduced or fat-free versions of substitutions for recipes to make dips or frosting, if you need to cook or bake with it, full fat is the only way to go. Here's what to use, and when to use it.
Swap in Greek-style yogurt, labneh or skyr
These extra-thick fermented dairy products are terrific swaps for sour cream in pretty much any application. They bring a similar tart, punchy flavor, plus an almost identical texture and creamy richness to the party for dips and dollops. And in baking, they have enough acidity to interact with leaveners and still add that tenderness that sour cream provides sour cream poundcake and sour cream chocolate cake.
Go less tangy with crème fraîche
An elegant but slightly less-tangy swap for sour cream is crème fraîche. It has a thick texture similar to sour cream, but the flavor is a bit milder. Crème fraîche works well in sauces, casseroles, and cakes, but may require an added squeeze of lemon to work as a substitute in dips.
Make a thinner sauce with buttermilk
If what you are looking for is the tang, especially when baking cakes, you can sub in an equal amount of buttermilk by volume. That said, buttermilk has a much thinner consistency, and is not thick enough to sub in for dips. It works well for a dressing for coleslaw or other greens.
Go rich and creamy with cottage cheese, mascarpone or ricotta
If you are making dips or garnishes, full-fat cottage cheese, mascarpone or ricotta cheeses, preferably creamier styles, are a simple substitution. If you are using cottage cheese or ricotta, whip it in a food processor until the consistency is smooth before using.
Whip up a plant-based sour cream
If you need a sour cream substitute because of dietary restrictions, you can buy one of the many plant-based sour creams on the market. To make your own, blend either soaked cashews or silken tofu with lemon juice, vinegar, and salt to get that creamy texture and tart flavor.
Make sour cream at home
Want to DIY your own sour cream? If you can plan a day or so ahead of when you need it, sour cream is actually pretty easy to make. And, you can control how tangy it gets. Whisk a cup of heavy cream in a large jar or container with a teaspoon of either lemon juice or distilled white vinegar. Let the mixture sit for 10 minutes, then stir in 2 ounces of whole milk until well-blended. Cover the container with a piece of cheesecloth, and tie it with twine or secure it with a rubber band to keep bugs out. Let it sit in a cool, dark place in your kitchen for 24 to 48 hours, then chill before using.
Therefore, to substitute 3/4 cup of sour cream, you would use 3/4 cup of heavy whipping cream. Keep in mind that sour cream has a thicker consistency than heavy whipping cream, so the texture and consistency of the final dish may be slightly different when using heavy whipping cream as a substitute.
Serve a dollop on baked potatoes, chili, nachos, enchiladas, or stir into recipes in place of sour cream. Great for sour cream based dips. *Use white vinegar for a taste that is most similar to sour cream. Use lemon juice if you prefer a faint hint of lemon taste.
Homemade sour cream requires just two ingredients: heavy cream and an acid, like freshly squeezed lemon juice or distilled white vinegar. I like to use a ratio of 1 cup cream to 1 tablespoon lemon juice or vinegar. Combine heavy cream and lemon juice (or vinegar) in a clean glass jar and stir with a clean spoon.
Greek yogurt is a healthy alternative to the traditionally used sour cream in beef stroganoff recipes, so you can be confident that your family is getting a satisfying, healthy meal. Fresh dill and paprika will provide a sweet, slightly smoky garnish to top off the dish.
Sour cream and mayonnaise are two different condiments, and you may need to adjust your recipes if you want similar results. Mayonnaise is primarily made with oil and raw egg yolks, while sour cream is made with milk and cream. So they do taste slightly different.
Cultured sour cream is made by adding a culture of Streptococcus lactis to pasteurized light cream and incubating at 72˚F until the desired flavor and thickness is reached. The lactic acid produced by the culture coagulates the protein, thickening the cream and adding the characteristically sour flavor.
Cream that is past it's best before date and which has developed a sour taste can often be used in the same way as sour cream. The 'best before' date is not the same as the 'use by' date. But for safety reasons, follow the mantra 'when in doubt, throw it out'.
If you find yourself with an empty or unusable container of sour cream, you can always make some from scratch using 1 cup of heavy cream combined with a teaspoon of lemon juice or white vinegar. The process will mimic the creation of sour cream in texture, though many people feel like the taste is not quite the same.
That said, the product can sour entirely when the lactic-acid producing bacteria is exposed to room temperatures. If this occurs, your sour cream may have an abnormally sour smell, or odor. Like other dairy products, sour cream can also grow mold and discolor.
If sour cream has been left out at room temperature for more than two hours, it is recommended to discard it. However, if the room temperature is above 90°F, sour cream should not be left out for more than one hour. To ensure the safety of sour cream, it is best to keep it refrigerated at all times.
All you need to do is add a few tablespoons of lemon juice or vinegar to the yogurt and stir it until the yogurt has thickened. The acid in the lemon juice or vinegar will cause the yogurt to thicken and separate, just like sour cream would.
However, when mayonnaise isn't available or when a lighter alternative is desired, sour cream serves as an excellent substitute due to its similar texture and tanginess.
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