Making homemade sour cream is actually quite simple to do. It only takes a few ingredients and a mixer.
Maybe you want to make your own homemade sour cream without preservatives, or you could be out of it and don’t want to go to the store.
In this house, we are big fans of sour cream. We add dollops of it to our baked potatoes, atop our chili and of course, we want it on tacos.
What goes in sour cream?
Homemade sour cream consists of fresh, cold heavy cream, milk, white vinegar, lemon juice, and a dash of salt. The vinegar and lemon sour the milk and give it a tangy taste, similar to homemade buttermilk.
How to make homemade sour cream
While there are several different methods for making sour cream at home, we prefer the fast method. Add ¾ cup of heavy cream, 3 tablespoons of whole milk, ½ teaspoon of white vinegar, and ½ teaspoon of lemon juice to a mixing bowl.
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Blend with a mixer until soft peaks start to form. Stop beating at the moment you see the hint of those peaks.
Using a fork, blend in a dash of salt. Transfer the mixture to a container with a lid. Refrigerate your sour cream for at least an hour.
Stir before serving! You can add more salt as you stir if the flavor seems one-dimensional.
How long will homemade sour cream last?
Homemade sour cream will last 5-7 days in the refrigerator. However, because it is a preservative-free condiment, it won’t keep as long. We recommend that you store in the back of the fridge where it is coldest.
Why is my homemade sour cream thin?
Homemade sour cream tends to be a bit thinner than store-bought sour cream because it doesn’t have any thickening agents. While it may be a bit runnier, it should be quite tasty.
How To Make Homemade Sour Cream
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Ingredients
- ¾ c cold heavy cream
- 3 T whole milk
- ½ t white vinegar
- ½ t lemon juice
- pinch of salt
Instructions
- Add all ingredients except the salt to a mixing bowl.
- Blend with a mixer until soft peaks start to form.
- Using a fork, blend in a dash of salt.
- Transfer the mixture to a container with a lid.
- Refrigerate your sour cream for at least an hour.
- Stir before serving!
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I was hoping making this recipe would save me time from driving to the store. I’m sorry, but this did not turn out. After 20 minutes in the mixer, there was no peaks. I gave up. I will still use in my mashed potatoes, but it was the same consistency as when I put it in the mixer.
Thanks, Deb. We will revisit the method.
@Deb, Did you use heavy whipping cream? Mine formed peaks within just a couple of minutes.
Just made this recipe worked out really good and so easy to make.Thankyou very much.Looking forward to seeing more good ideas and very helpful ways of doing them.
Thanks, Lynda! I’m glad it worked so well for you.
Thanks, worked great! Saved Christmas and our first try at homeade chili.
A. The “10 minute” total time doesn’t include the at least 1 hour of rest in the fridge.
B. TOO MANY ADS
Hi, Jamie. Thanks for your feedback, it’s an important fix! Sorry about the ads. I know they’re a pain.
Worked like a charm! Thanks!
Thank you for this recipe! I realized very last minute I needed sour cream and had none. I did use my vitamix for this and I think it took less than two minutes for it all to come together. So a high-powered blender would actually do the trick faster than a mixer. It turned out great!
have made this 5x now…and itz perfect every time! and great on our Taco salad and mashed potatoes!!!!!
I’m so glad it’s turning out so well for you, Patrick!! Enjoy!
Don’t waste your time. Followed recipe exactly but tasted exactly like whipped cream. I even added extra lemon juice.
I’m so sorry to hear it didn’t come out right for you. Did you let it rest in the fridge? We’ve had lots of good feedback so far. — Andi
Works like a charm!!! I ran out of sour cream but had a surplus of whipping cream. Recipe saved the day and in fact tastes better than store bought!! Thank you for sharing.
Hi, Emily! Glad we could help! -Andi
Great recipe! Didn’t have any for my cheesecake recipe and this was so convenient!
I’m glad it worked out so well, Blanca! –Andi
Looks worth trying!
Is it necessary to use lemon juice or can it be substituted?
I am allergic to citrus. I substituted champagne vinegar in a mayo recipe and it gave it a good flavor. Thx
Followed the instructions almost exactly, but whipped mine in a nutribullet instead. Dos not taste like sour cream at all.