Make homemade sour cream

Surprise your friends by whipping up a fresh batch of sour cream.

Credit: Andrea Tucker

Make your own sour cream!

Surprise your friends by whipping up a fresh batch of sour cream! Simple to make with two alternative versions to try, including low fat and vegan

My (successful) attempt to make yogurt has inspired me to try a few other dairy products, like homemade sour cream. Why I hadn’t started making my own dairy products already is beyond me; it may seem a bit intimidatng at first, but it is extremely easy.

Just like its name, sour cream is the result of letting cream sour naturally. Store-bought sour cream often contains rennet, gelatine, artificial flavours, sodium citrate and added salt. By making your own, you not only guarantee freshness, but you also have complete control of what you’re putting into it. The result is the perfect finish to dips, potatoes, perogies and all of your other favourite dishes.

Once again, this post was inspired by the fantastic book The Home Creamery by Kathy Farrel-Kingsley.


 

Ingredients:

> 1 cup of light cream (half and half) at room temperature

> 1 tbsp of buttermilk at room temperature

* For low-fat sour cream: Subsitute above ingredients for 2 tbsp skim milk, 1 tbsp lemon juice, 1 cup low-fat cottage cheese.

* For vegan sour cream: Subsitute above ingredients for 4oz (115g) soft tofu (dry), 4oz (115g) firm tofu (dry), 1 tbsp lemon juice, 1 tsp soy sauce.


 

Tools:

> 1 small bowl

> Measuring cups

> Measuring spoons

> Spoon

Makes 1 cup of sour cream.
 

 

Step one

Mix.


 

Step two

Tightly cover and let sit in a warm place for 24 hours. I used the oven and knowing me, I also left a note on the oven door to make sure that I didn’t forget and turn on the oven!


 

Step three

After 24 hours, take the bowl out of the oven and refridgerate until cold.

If doing the low-fat or vegan version of this sour cream recipe, blend until smooth and chill for 24 hours.

Homemade sour cream is good for one month in an air-tight container stored in the refrigerator.