Ran Out Of Sour Cream? Here Are 10 Substitutes You Probably Already Have In Your Kitchen (2024)

FAQs

Ran Out Of Sour Cream? Here Are 10 Substitutes You Probably Already Have In Your Kitchen? ›

Cream Cheese, Mascarpone, and Cottage Cheese

Instructions. Place 1 cup heavy cream and 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice or distilled white vinegar in a clean 1 pint glass jar and stir with a clean spoon until combined. Cover with a paper towel or cheesecloth and secure with a rubber band.

In most cases, plain yogurt or Greek yogurt can be used in place of sour cream—and vice versa. Sour cream will give you a similar texture and tanginess, and swapping sour cream for yogurt is a simple 1-to-1 ratio.

Sour cream is a great substitute for mayo when you're in a pinch. Not only are sour cream and mayonnaise similar in consistency, but they're also both rich and creamy condiments that can be used interchangeably in most instances. They're both neutrally flavored and serve as ideal bases for party dips.

"I didn't have any sour cream so I added 2 or 3 tablespoons of miracle whip instead. It turned out very tasty.

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.

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.

However, when we compare sour cream vs yogurt, the main difference is that yogurt is thinner and often has a tangier taste than sour cream. Furthermore, yogurts have significantly lower fat content—an appealing quality on its own—but this reduced amount also alters the consistency of your results.

milk – just the tiniest bit of milk is going to thin out sour cream to a saucy, pourable consistency. I like using whole milk to keep the sauce creamy but if you don't have milk on hand, you can actually use a bit of water.

What does sour cream do in cooking? ›

How Is Sour Cream Used in Baking? Sour cream is one of the fattiest dairy products; the extra fat content (for example, adding sour cream to a cake instead of milk) will make the cake moister and richer, says Wilk. "Fat, in any form (butter, lard, cream, etc.)

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.

Let your cream warm up to room temperature (around 76°F / 24°C) on its own, or if you want to speed up the process, gently heat it up that temperature. Add the starter from the pack to the cream and stir until it dissolves.

Sour cream is made by adding lactic acid bacteria (probiotics) to regular pasteurized cream and leaving it to ferment for one day. The lactic acid bacteria increases the thickness of the cream and adds its characteristic tangy flavor.

12. Regular Milk. Although not an ideal substitute due to the lack of flavor and thick texture, you can use regular milk as a substitute for sour cream when in a pinch. Regular milk, as a replacement, is best in baked goods such as cakes, cookies, and bread.

Buttermilk. Buttermilk is creamy and acidic like sour cream, so it's great for dressings and dips. Use 3/4 cup buttermilk for every 1 cup of sour cream called for in a recipe.

Fresh, spreadable cheeses like cream cheese and mascarpone generally work well as 1:1 substitutes for sour cream in baking. Be sure to let them warm up to room temperature before using, and thin them out slightly by stirring in milk or lemon juice to get a similar texture.

SOUR CREAM can also be used in place of yoghurt. Since sour cream has a higher fat content it can actually mimic the fats in an egg and make our recipe extra rich and moist. One egg can be replaced by ¼ cup of sour cream. It acts as just the perfect egg substitute!

The most common way to replace oil in baked goods is by using applesauce or mashed banana. Other fruit purees work too, but most of them add more flavor – apple and banana are neutral enough to not overpower other flavors.

Can I use mayonnaise instead of sour cream? ›

With a similar consistency to sour cream, mayonnaise makes for a great swap! It's delicious in recipes like potato salad or dips. You can substitute mayo for sour cream in baked goods, as the eggs and oil will provide extra moisture.

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.

According to the FDA, as long as a product has 36% milk fat or more, it's a good substitute for sour cream, whether it's called heavy cream or heavy whipping cream.

Whether you want a low-fat alternative to sour cream or a richer dairy option than Greek yogurt, you can use these dairy products interchangeably. Both Greek yogurt and sour cream have somewhat sour, tart, and tangy tastes and creamy textures.

For baking, sour cream or yogurt are easy 1:1 substitutes for half-and-half, though both are tangier. When cooking, however, yogurt and sour cream may separate over direct heat and result in a chalky or gritty texture, so they may not be ideal for soups or sauces.

Applesauce and sour cream also have a similar consistency, and they both provide a soft and smooth texture to whatever you're baking.

Greek yogurt, cream cheese, or heavy cream all work with this recipe as well. If you want to omit the sour cream to make it vegan or because you have dietary restrictions, you can substitute the milk in this recipe for your favorite dairy-free alternative like coconut milk or almond milk.