Sour Cream Substitutes

Sour cream in a white bowl with a wooden spoon.

Have a recipe that calls for sour cream but don't have any? Try one of these Sour Cream Substitutes!

Course Baking, Side Dish

Cuisine American

Prep Time 5

Cook Time 0

Total Time 5

Servings (varies)

Calories 37kcal

Author Allison - Celebrating Sweets

Ingredients

Option 1 (the BEST substitute):

plain yogurt (preferably 2% or full fat)

Option 2:

crème fraîche

Option 3:

buttermilk

Option 4:

plain kefir

Option 5:

cream cheese or mascarpone cheese

Instructions

Plain yogurt:

Use Greek yogurt or regular yogurt as a one to one substitute in just about any recipe.

Crème fraîche:

Use Crème fraîche as a one to one substitute. Note creme fraiche is less tangy than sour cream, if desired you can add a little lemon juice if you want a tangy flavor.

Buttermilk:

Buttermilk will impart acidity and tang, but it is much thinner than sour cream. If you're baking with it and using a fairly small amount you should be able to substitute one to one without any problems.

Plain kefir:

Kefir will impart acidity and tang, but it is much thinner than sour cream. If you're baking with it and using a fairly small amount you should be able to substitute one to one without any problems.

Cream cheese or mascarpone cheese:

Cream cheese and mascarpone cheese are a bit thicker than sour cream. Thin them by whisking in a splash of milk and a bit of lemon juice (for acidity). You should be able to get fairly close to the same consistency of sour cream.

Notes

When using an ingredient substitute it is important that the ingredient that you are subbing is not a huge part of the recipe. For example, if you're making a Sour Cream Coffee Cake that calls for 1-½ cups of sour cream, you'll want to use real sour cream, not a substitute.

For recipes that use a smaller amount of sour cream, or a recipe that is forgiving (like salad dressing or pancake batter), you can definitely use these substitutes.

Nutrition