How to Make Sour Cream at Home

Sour cream is one of those tried-and-true condiments that can add texture and richness to many a dish. As a less common dairy product, it can also get forgotten in the grocery store shuffle or accidentally expire in the back of the fridge. Thankfully, homemade sour cream is simple to make with a few kitchen tools and ingredients that you probably have on hand. A homemade sour cream recipe can also easily be modified for plant-based eaters.

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Two ingredients are key to tangy sour cream

The good news is that the formula for homemade sour cream is even simpler than you might think: combine heavy cream, an acid like lemon juice or white vinegar and time. What might surprise you is that sour cream is a cultured food, so the acid and cream will ferment for at least 24 hours to obtain the condiment's signature tang. The wait time could impede any immediate dinner plans, but the patience will pay off. The aging process produces a thicker cream and ensures the sharp flavor comes from the cream itself instead of merely a note from the lemon or vinegar.

What you'll need to make it

Here's what you'll need to make sour cream.

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The key ingredients are a heavy cream and acid of your choice, such as half a lemon, white vinegar or apple cider vinegar if in a pinch. We used an electric handheld whisk to infuse more air into the heavy cream, which will help with to create a firm consistency without the added thickeners and fillers used in many store-bought brands. You can also mix the cream and acid together with a spoon or whisk. Keep a measuring cup and tablespoon on hand. 

You'll also need a glass container, rubber band or twine, and paper towel to contain the mixture while it sits to ferment. Fortunately, this is one recipe where you don't need to overcomplicate things, so use whatever you have on hand. 

How to make homemade sour cream

Step 1: Start with 1 cup of heavy cream or vegan base.  Step 2: Squeeze one-half of a lemon, if that's your choice of acid.  Step 3: Mix 1 cup of cream with 1 teaspoon of lemon juice or vinegar. If you want to froth the cream, blend the mixture until the cream becomes slightly stiff, similar to whipped cream or a dalgona coffee recipe. Step 4: Scoop the blended cream into a glass container like a mason jar. Cover the glass with paper towel and use a rubber band to keep out any unwanted pests. Make sure to use a breathable material like power towel or cheesecloth to allow for air circulation.  Step 5: Let the cream ferment for at least 24 hours, and up to 48, at room temperature. Step 6: After the day of fermentation, store the sour cream in the fridge. 

After a day of fermentation, you're ready to slather the stuff.

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Homemade sour cream can stay fresh in the fridge for up to two weeks, according to the USDA. The topping is best served cold and the cooler temperature will help thicken the cream. If you frothed the sour cream, you might want to stir before serving to help smooth out the texture. 

Vegan sour cream is just as simple to make  

Vegan yogurt is one seriously genius hack for making speedy plant-based sour cream.

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Vegan sour cream might sound like an oxymoron, but living in a dairy-free household doesn't mean you have to give up a tempting dollop. Store-bought options are made from a range of vegan bases and are often much more expensive that the standard dairy options. 

You can make vegan sour cream easily with soft tofu, puréed cashews or a plant-based heavy cream from the grocery store. Thick coconut cream from a can, versus a dried brick or diluted milk made for drinking, will also work well -- just make sure the cream isn't pre-sweetened. 

Replace the same amount of heavy cream with the vegan option, then dilute with water until you reach a smooth consistency. 

How to make vegan sour cream 

It's not exactly the same taste as dairy-based sour cream, vegan and lactose-intolerant cooks can easily make a very similar condiment for their baked potatoes, Mexican food or pasta salads.

The easiest and quickest way to make vegan sour cream is by starting with unsweetened vegan yogurt -- try to find a brand that's as thick as possible. For every cup or so of vegan yogurt, add 1 tablespoon or lemon juice and 1 teaspoon of apple cider vinegar, plus a pinch or two of salt. 

A blender or immersion blender will get you great consistency, but a whisk or fork with enough elbow grease will also do the trick. To make vegan sour cream from scratch, soaked cashews are a great option, but you'll definitely need a blender. 

If you've got a high-speed blender like a Vitamix, you can soak the cashews for a couple hours. For regular blenders, soaking for several hours or overnight makes it easier. Blend your soaked cashews with the same ingredients above -- 1 tbs of lemon juice, 1 tsp of ACV and a couple pinches of salt -- and voila. You can also add a bit a dijon mustard for extra tang.