There’s nothing worse than being in the middle of a recipe that calls for sour cream and opening up the tub only to find it’s almost empty or worse- there’s mold all over it. Luckily, if you’re out of sour cream, you can make your own! All you need is two ingredients and a lot of upper body strength. (I’m exaggerating about the need for muscle tone. I can do it, and I haven’t worked out since the 90s.)
What is sour cream?
First things first- there are two types of sour cream: cultured and acidified. Without getting too sciency, cultured sour cream is made with bacteria, while acidified sour cream is made with an acid. Fun fact: many store-bought sour creams aren’t made from cream at all. They’re made with milk that’s thickened with artificial ingredients. Homemade sour cream doesn’t have artificial thickeners so it will be a little runnier than what you’re used to, but the flavor will be spectacular!
Making Sour Cream From Scratch
Since you probably don’t have a vial of lactic bacteria in your pantry, you’ll need heavy cream and an acid. I like using vinegar, but you can also use lemon juice or buttermilk. You’ll also need a mason jar or another air-tight container. To make sure the container is squeaky clean, boil it for a few minutes, let it cool, and then add your cream and acid. Then cover and shake it (or blend it) until it thickens. That’s it. You’ve made sour cream.
To Ferment Or Not To Ferment
I’m a pretty impatient person, so if I’m using the sour cream for a batter or a dip, I add it a few minutes after I’ve made it because its primary purpose is to add creaminess and flavor. It’s not the star of the show; it’s a background singer. (Like the one chick in Destiny’s Child whose name no one ever remembers.) Now, if it’s the Beyonce of your dish, you’ll want to let it sit for a day on your counter to let the cream ferment and thicken and then refrigerate. To keep it 100, I usually skip fermenting it and just put it in the fridge to thicken overnight. It still tastes great.
How long does it last?
That depends on you. It’s best to store the sour cream in the back of your fridge, not the fridge door, where temperatures fluctuate. If you clean your container well and keep the sour cream at 40 degrees, it should last about two weeks. To keep it fresher longer, store it upside down so it isn’t affected by air. When the cream falls to the lid of the jar, it creates a vacuum, which slows down mold and bacteria growth. You can use this nifty trick on all dairy products that come in a container or a jar. I’m looking at you, cottage cheese.
Some of the things you can make with sour cream
Don’t limit your sour cream to just a topping for baked potatoes or a heap of nachos. It works magic in all sorts of dishes. You can use it in sweet and savory preparations to add tang, moisture, and tenderize. It’s the little cream that could.
- Use it to make frostings and sauces like in this Lime Crema.
- Use it for spreads and dips like in this Hot Corn Dip.
- Use it for dressings like in this Creamy Cucumber Salad.
- Use it to thicken sauces like in this Creamy Salsa Chicken Skillet.
- Use it as a topping for soups like in this Pumpkin Soup.
- Use it to tenderize and add tang to proteins and baked goods like in this Sweet Potato Cornbread.
How To Make Sour Cream
Servings 1 cupIngredients
- 1 cup heavy cream ($1.40)
- 1 Tbsp vinegar ($0.02)
Instructions
- Add the cream to a mason jar or other airtight container.
- Add the vinegar to the cream. (Or whatever acid you decide to work with.)
- Close the container and shake it for a minute or two, until the cream thickens.
- Use the cream right away or leave the jar on your counter overnight to ferment and thicken.*
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Notes
Nutrition
How to Make Sour Cream – Step by Step Photos
Add the cream to a mason jar or other airtight container.
Add the vinegar (or lemon juice) to the cream.
Close the container and shake it for a minute or two until the cream thickens.
Use the cream right away or leave the jar (with the mouth covered in cheesecloth or other lightweight cloth and secured with a rubberband) on your counter overnight to ferment and thicken.
Now your deliciously fresh homemade sour cream is ready to use in your favorite recipe!
Great recipe! I used a cuisinart hand held stick mixture and it whipped up almost instantly. Tasted good, covered lightly with plastic wrap and put in fridge for chili.
What kind of vinegar apple cider or white distilled? Or doesn’t it matter?
White distilled! But you should be able to do ACV as well.
I’ve tried the ones where they add milk, not do good! This is the easiest and has the thickness I love!
I tried this out for the first time to go along with the slow cooker taco chicken bowls, as I now live somewhere I can’t access lactose-free sour cream. Thank you! I used unfiltered apple cider vinegar, as that is your best bet for getting a vinegar that will ferment anything, and it didn’t add any perceptible off flavour.
If you are on the west coast of America and lactose intolerant, look for Green Valley Organics brand – their fermented products are fantastic, and along with Mexican food (and easily-found ingredients to make semi-authentic Mexican) are one of the very few things I miss after having relocated to the UK. ; )
Wonderful recipes!!
Thanks!
You can also do the old trick of making your own buttermilk for recipes with the lemon juice. Love how it starts thickening up immediately ❤️❤️❤️