Out of Sour cream, one case
Can you substitute heavy cream for sour cream?
4 options, ranked, with the exact amount
Use Heavy cream + lemon juice
Per cup of sour cream
1 cup heavy cream + 1 tbsp lemon juice
Yes, once it is soured: stir 1 tablespoon of lemon juice or white vinegar into 1 cup of heavy cream and let it stand 10 minutes. That replaces 1 cup of sour cream in baking, sauces and soups. It stays pourable, so it will not dollop like sour cream, and plain heavy cream with no acid is the wrong swap in a batter raised with baking soda.
- Verdict —
- Tweak it
- The tweak —
- Stir 1 tbsp lemon juice or white vinegar into 1 cup heavy cream and let it stand 10 minutes at room temperature.
- Best for —
- cakes, muffins and quick breads
- 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 | Heavy cream + lemon juicecakes, muffins and quick breads | 1 cup heavy cream + 1 tbsp lemon juiceTweak it | Tweak it |
| 2 | Whipped heavy cream + lemon juicea dollop on soup, chili or a baked potato | ½ cupYou'll taste it | You'll taste it |
| 3 | Homemade crème fraîchetoppings and dips | 1 cup heavy cream + 2 tbsp buttermilkTweak it | Tweak it |
| 4 | Plain Greek yogurt (full-fat)dips and cold toppings | Same amountTweak it | Tweak it |
| Not a swap | Plain heavy cream in a baking soda batter | not a swapNot for this | Not for this |
Heavy cream + lemon juice
rich and lightly tangy, less sour than sour cream
Acid thickens the cream slightly and gives it the sourness that sour cream brings. The result is a tangy pouring cream, richer than sour cream and thinner.
- Best for
- cakes, muffins and quick breads, stroganoff and pan sauces, creamy soups, casseroles
- Prep
- Stir 1 tbsp lemon juice or white vinegar into 1 cup heavy cream and let it stand 10 minutes at room temperature.
- Suits
- vegetarian
- Contains
- dairy
- Where it fails
- It will not hold a dollop, so it fails as a topping, in a thick dip and in a frosting. It adds nearly twice the fat of sour cream.
In a batter it is thinner than sour cream. If the recipe has another liquid, hold back 2 tbsp of it.
Whipped heavy cream + lemon juice
rich, airy and mildly tangy
Cream doubles in volume when whipped, so ½ cup makes about 1 cup. Whipped to soft peaks with lemon and salt, it gives the cool, spoonable topping that liquid cream cannot.
- Best for
- a dollop on soup, chili or a baked potato, blini and smoked fish
- Prep
- Whip ½ cup cold heavy cream to soft peaks, then fold in 1 tsp lemon juice and a pinch of salt. Taste and add more lemon if you want it sharper.
- Suits
- vegetarian
- Contains
- dairy
- Where it fails
- It melts quickly on hot food and deflates within an hour or two. Not for baking or cooking.
Homemade crème fraîche
milder and richer than sour cream
With a day to wait, heavy cream becomes a true thick cultured cream, the closest thing to sour cream you can make from it.
- Best for
- toppings and dips, hot sauces, because it does not curdle
- Prep
- Stir 2 tbsp buttermilk into 1 cup heavy cream, cover loosely, leave at warm room temperature for 12 to 24 hours until thick, then chill.
- Suits
- vegetarian
- Contains
- dairy
- Where it fails
- It takes 12 to 24 hours, and it needs buttermilk to start it.
Plain Greek yogurt (full-fat)
a sharper, brighter tang
When the dish needs sour cream to be thick and sour, yogurt does what cream cannot.
- Best for
- dips and cold toppings, cheesecake and frosting, baking, cup for cup
- Prep
- Stir it smooth before measuring.
- Suits
- vegetarian
- Contains
- dairy
- Where it fails
- It curdles if it boils. In a simmering sauce, heavy cream is the safer of the two.
Plain heavy cream in a baking soda batter
sweet and rich, no tang
Heavy cream on its own is not acidic. Sour cream often supplies the acid that makes baking soda work.
- Best for
- nothing raised with baking soda; sour the cream first
- Suits
- vegetarian
- Contains
- dairy
- Where it fails
- With no acid, the baking soda does not react fully: the cake rises less and can taste soapy. Add the 1 tbsp lemon juice per cup.
Tips for substituting sour cream
5 tips- Smaller amounts: ½ cup heavy cream plus 1 ½ tsp lemon juice replaces ½ cup sour cream; ¼ cup cream plus ¾ tsp replaces ¼ cup.
- Sauces and soups: simmer the plain cream in the dish, then stir in the lemon juice off the heat, 1 ½ tsp per ½ cup of cream. Heavy cream can boil without curdling.
- Baking: sour the cream first, measure after it has stood 10 minutes, and expect a slightly looser batter and a richer crumb.
- Half-and-half and light cream sour the same way but are thinner still and can curdle in a boiling sauce. Use them in baking only.
- For a topping, whip ½ cup cold cream to soft peaks with 1 tsp lemon juice and a pinch of salt. Serve it right away.
Questions
5 questionsCan I turn heavy cream into sour cream?
Quickly, you can make a soured cream that works in cooking: 1 tablespoon of lemon juice or vinegar per cup, left 10 minutes. It thickens only a little. For real thickness, culture it: 2 tablespoons of buttermilk in 1 cup of cream, 12 to 24 hours at warm room temperature.
Can I use heavy cream instead of sour cream in a cake?
Yes, soured. Use 1 cup heavy cream with 1 tablespoon lemon juice or vinegar for each cup of sour cream. Without the acid, a cake that relies on baking soda rises poorly. The crumb comes out richer, and the batter is a little thinner.
Can I use heavy cream instead of sour cream in stroganoff or soup?
Yes, cup for cup, and it is more forgiving than sour cream because it does not curdle at a boil. The sauce is thinner and sweeter, so simmer it a few minutes to reduce and finish with lemon juice, about 1 ½ teaspoons per ½ cup of cream, or a spoonful of mustard.
Can I use heavy cream as a dip base or taco topping?
Not as it pours. Liquid cream runs off the food and makes a dip into a dressing. Whip it to soft peaks with lemon juice and salt for a topping, or use full-fat Greek yogurt.
Can I use sour cream in place of heavy cream?
Sometimes. Thinned with a little milk it enriches a soup or sauce off the heat, but it will not whip and it can curdle if boiled. The heavy cream substitute page covers that direction.