Out of Sour cream, one case
Can you substitute buttermilk for sour cream?
4 options, ranked, with the exact amount
Use Buttermilk + butter
Per cup of sour cream
¾ cup buttermilk + 1/3 cup butter
Not cup for cup. Buttermilk has the tang of sour cream but it pours, and it has 1 to 2% fat where sour cream has 18 to 20%. In a cake, muffin or quick bread, use ¾ cup buttermilk plus 1/3 cup melted butter for each cup of sour cream. For a dip, a topping, a frosting or a cheesecake, buttermilk does not work at all.
- Verdict —
- Tweak it
- The tweak —
- Melt the butter, let it cool for 5 minutes, then whisk it into the buttermilk and add the mixture where the recipe adds sour cream.
- Best for —
- cakes and coffee cakes
- Pantry —
- Likely in your cupboard
One casethe full sour cream card
Every option, one card
Ranked| # | Substitute | Instead of 1 cup sour cream | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Buttermilk + buttercakes and coffee cakes | ¾ cup buttermilk + 1/3 cup butterTweak it | Tweak it |
| 2 | Buttermilk alonepancakes and waffles | ¾ cupYou'll taste it | You'll taste it |
| 3 | Plain Greek yogurt (full-fat)dips, dressings and cold toppings | Same amountTweak it | Tweak it |
| 4 | Homemade crème fraîchetoppings and dips, when you have a day to wait | 1 cup heavy cream + 2 tbsp buttermilkTweak it | Tweak it |
| Not a swap | Buttermilk as a topping, dip or filling | not a swapNot for this | Not for this |
Buttermilk + butter
the same tang, slightly more buttery
The standard baking substitution: buttermilk supplies the acid and the liquid, and the butter puts back the fat that buttermilk lacks.
- Best for
- cakes and coffee cakes, muffins and quick breads, pancakes, waffles and cornbread
- Prep
- Melt the butter, let it cool for 5 minutes, then whisk it into the buttermilk and add the mixture where the recipe adds sour cream.
- Suits
- vegetarian
- Contains
- dairy
- Where it fails
- Batters only. The mixture is a liquid, so it cannot stand in for sour cream in a dip, a frosting, a filling or a topping.
For ½ cup sour cream: 6 tbsp buttermilk plus 2 tbsp and 2 tsp butter.
Buttermilk alone
the same tang, less richness
Buttermilk with nothing added keeps the acid for the baking soda and leaves out the fat, so the result is leaner.
- Best for
- pancakes and waffles, quick breads that already have plenty of butter or oil
- Prep
- Use ¾ cup per cup of sour cream and cut another liquid in the recipe by 2 to 3 tbsp.
- Suits
- vegetarian
- Contains
- dairy
- Where it fails
- The batter is looser and the crumb is less tender. In a pound cake or a coffee cake that counts on sour cream for richness, you notice.
Plain Greek yogurt (full-fat)
a sharper, brighter tang
When the recipe needs sour cream to stay thick, this is the swap to use in place of buttermilk. A spoonful or two of buttermilk stirred in makes it taste closer to sour cream.
- Best for
- dips, dressings and cold toppings, baked potatoes, tacos and chili, baking, cup for cup
- Prep
- Stir it smooth before measuring.
- Suits
- vegetarian
- Contains
- dairy
- Where it fails
- It curdles if it boils. Stir it into a hot dish off the heat.
Homemade crème fraîche
milder and richer than sour cream
Buttermilk can turn heavy cream into a thick cultured cream, which is the one way it becomes a spoonable stand-in for sour cream.
- Best for
- toppings and dips, when you have a day to wait, hot sauces and soups, because it does not curdle
- Prep
- Stir 2 tbsp buttermilk into 1 cup heavy cream, cover loosely and leave at warm room temperature for 12 to 24 hours until thick, then refrigerate.
- Suits
- vegetarian
- Contains
- dairy
- Where it fails
- No use tonight: it needs 12 to 24 hours to thicken.
It keeps about a week in the fridge.
Buttermilk as a topping, dip or filling
tangy but thin
Often suggested because both are cultured dairy with a similar tang. The difference is body, and no amount of buttermilk fixes that.
- Best for
- nothing that needs sour cream to hold its shape
- Suits
- vegetarian
- Contains
- dairy
- Where it fails
- It runs off a baked potato, thins a dip to a dressing, and leaves a cheesecake or a frosting too wet to set.
Tips for substituting sour cream
5 tips- Cake and coffee cake: ¾ cup buttermilk plus 1/3 cup melted, cooled butter per cup of sour cream. Add it where the recipe adds the sour cream.
- Half-cup amount: 6 tbsp buttermilk plus 2 tbsp and 2 tsp butter replaces ½ cup sour cream.
- Do not change the baking soda. Buttermilk is about as acidic as sour cream, so the leavening works as written.
- For a creamy dressing, buttermilk is useful: start with mayonnaise or Greek yogurt in place of the sour cream and whisk in buttermilk 1 tbsp at a time until it pours. That makes a dressing, not a dip.
- Skip buttermilk in cheesecake, frosting and stroganoff. Use full-fat Greek yogurt or crème fraîche there.
Questions
4 questionsCan I substitute buttermilk for sour cream in cake?
Yes, with butter added. Use ¾ cup buttermilk plus 1/3 cup melted butter for each cup of sour cream. Buttermilk alone, at ¾ cup per cup with another liquid cut by 2 to 3 tablespoons, also bakes, but the cake is leaner and less tender.
Why can I not use buttermilk cup for cup?
Because sour cream is a thick paste and buttermilk is a liquid. A cup of buttermilk adds far more free liquid than a cup of sour cream, so the batter runs and the cake bakes wet and flat. It also has 1 to 2% fat against 18 to 20%.
Can I thicken buttermilk to make sour cream?
Not quickly. Buttermilk does not thicken on its own. Stirred into heavy cream, 2 tablespoons per cup, and left at warm room temperature for 12 to 24 hours, it makes crème fraîche, which you can use like sour cream.
Can I use sour cream in place of buttermilk?
Yes, and that direction is easier: thin sour cream with milk or water until it pours like buttermilk. The buttermilk substitute page has the amounts.