Sour Cream Yogurt Recipe with Yogurt Culture

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Making sour cream is really easy! This homemade sour cream yogurt recipe is so much more nutritious than commercial options. 

Sour cream yogurt recipe

Sour cream recipe with yogurt culture 

This is seriously one of the easiest nutrient dense foods out there. You can easily make this sour cream yogurt recipe at home, and it takes no time at all!

If you’re looking for a GAPS legal sour cream, this one fits the bill nicely. It is a nice, mild sour cream. For an even bigger probiotic punch and stronger flavor, check out my other blog post where I show how to make sour cream from raw milk using a kefir culture

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I couldn't believe how easy it is to make sour cream at home! All you need are two ingredients. My family loves it! #sourcream #yogurt #recipe #probiotic #homemade

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Making sour cream is really easy

If you have some cream and some live active yogurt on hand, you’re ready to make homemade sour cream. That’s all you need!

You literally just mix the two together and let it sit in a warm place to culture.

If you’re the “throw it together” type, you’re good to go. If you’re a person who likes specific directions and measurements, I’ll share exactly what I do, as well as some tips on getting it to turn out well. 

How do you make sour cream with yogurt?

Here are some tips for how to make sour cream with yogurt culture:

  • Try to use raw cream if you can. This will be the highest quality nutrient, and will give the best results. If raw cream isn’t available, use small batch, low temperature pasteurized cream. Definitely try to avoid ultra pasteurized cream, and cream with additives, such as thickeners. 
  • Make sure that the yogurt you’re using has live, active cultures. Homemade yogurt is perfect. If you use commercial yogurt, try to get a plain one without additives, and check for “live active cultures” on the label. 
  • Try to find a warm place of about 108-112°F. A yogurt maker works best. This is the yogurt maker I use. If you don’t have a yogurt maker, you can try putting the cream in a dehydrator, in an oven with just light turned on, or another gently warm place. 

If you want to learn how to make homemade yogurt, check out my 24 hour raw milk yogurt recipe here

I love topping so many of my GAPS approved recipes with this delicious sour cream with yogurt culture. Keep reading to learn how to make your own…

Sour Cream Yogurt Recipe Directions

Ingredients:

Instructions:

  1. Stir yogurt culture into jar of cream.
  2. Top jar with a cloth or paper towel secured with a rubber band.
  3. Put jar in a warm place for around 24 hours. (Time will vary depending on temperature.)
  4. When cream is thickened, it’s ready to use. Sour cream with thicken more when chilled.
  5. Store in refrigerator. 

Sour cream with yogurt and lemon juice

Making sour cream with yogurt and lemon juice is an excellent way to make a really fast homemade sour cream. While it won’t contain as much of the nutrient benefits of the sour cream recipe in this article, it’s an excellent option if you need a quick sour cream and don’t have time to wait for cream to culture. 

A great option for this version is from SkinnyGirl.

Quick sour cream recipe with milk

It is important to note that if you don’t have cream available to you, that this recipe can be successfully done with full fat milk instead. The thicker the milk, the better consistency that the sour cream will turn out to be. 

Sour cream with yogurt and vinegar

White vinegar can be used in your homemade sour cream as a fermenting agent. Simply mix with the yogurt and let it sit out for 24 hours. This will create a nice, healthy topping for your next meal. 

While this recipe is on the simpler side, there are a few things to keep in mind before you begin culturing. 

Here are a few tips to help you make some delicious sour cream with yogurt culture…

How is sour cream different from yogurt?

Sour cream is made from cream, while yogurt is made from milk. Both are cultured with beneficial bacteria, and both are delicious!

You’ll find yourself reaching for sour cream more as a topping for foods, since it is very rich. Yogurt is nice to eat in larger quantities. 

What I love about both is how nutritious they are for my family. Both feed gut bacteria so well that everyone’s immune system will be working in tip-top shape. 

Culturing raw, grass fed cream into sour cream makes an already wonderful food even better. Yogurt and kefir cultures are wonderful for providing lots of friendly probiotic bacteria. 

Regularly eating homemade probiotic foods can be a wonderful way to maintain good gut health. Having homemade sour cream is a delicious way to do just that. 

Homemade sour cream is rich in beneficial probiotics. Some commercial options have live probiotics as well, but not all. Be sure to check labels if you opt for a store bought sour cream. 

If you’re looking for another delicious probiotic topping or mix in, check out my lacto fermented zucchini relish recipe here.

My best advice? Make sure you make enough sour cream for a few recipes (it’s that good!) Keep reading to get some ideas for how to cook with sour cream…

Ways to use sour cream

Sour cream is a delicious topping for so many foods. Here are some of our favorite ways to enjoy homemade sour cream:

  • As a topping for Mexican dishes
  • On top of fruit desserts
  • Swirled into blended soups
  • As a topping for baked potatoes
  • Whipped into mashed potatoes
  • Blended into freshly pressed juices
  • As a filling or spread on top of homemade baked goods
  • As an ingredient for homemade dressing or dip, like this lemon garlic dill dressing 

Of course, if you are in a pinch and need something like sour cream quickly, there are alternatives that you can add. Keep scrolling to learn some of the best alternatives for sour cream…

What are different alternatives for sour cream?

If, for some reason, sour cream just doesn’t work for your family’s meals, there are plenty of alternatives that you can use. Here are just a few:

  • Yogurt
  • Buttermilk
  • Cottage Cheese
  • Mayonnaise

What are different flavorings for sour cream?

You can also mix different ingredients into sour cream to fit whatever dish you’re serving. 

For Mexican food, try stirring in some lime juice or chili powder. If you’re making a dessert topping, mix in some honey or maple syrup. 

The options here are really endless. Get creative and see what you come up with!

What are the benefits of eating sour cream?

In a nutrient dense diet, sour cream is a star player! Cream from pasture fed cows contains a lot of wonderful nutrients, including important fat soluble vitamins and conjugated linoleic acid, or CLA (source).

Including a healthy fat with your meals, like homemade sour cream, helps to keep blood sugar balanced (source). It’s no wonder that sour cream is delicious with carbohydrates, like baked potatoes! 

Read all about raw milk benefits here. Sour cream is one of the ingredients I like to add to my GAPS milkshakes, made with fresh juices. I explain how to do GAPS diet juicing here.

How to properly store sour cream

Wondering how long homemade sour cream yogurt can actually last? Remember, fermentation is a traditional food preservation method. 

If you make enough to have leftovers, this recipe can last many weeks or even months in the fridge. Just be aware that after 24 hours, the sour cream can have a firm layer on the top. That is totally normal, just give it a quick stir before serving.

If cultured dairy becomes contaminated, it will grow mold in pink or other colors. If this happens, toss it. Otherwise, if it looks and smells good, it should be fine. 

Raw milk sour cream

Is sour cream good for the gut?

Culturing raw, grass fed cream into sour cream makes an already wonderful food even better. Yogurt and kefir cultures are wonderful for providing lots of friendly probiotic bacteria. 

Regularly eating homemade probiotic foods is a wonderful way to maintain good gut health. Having homemade sour cream is a delicious way to do just that. 

For other fermented food recipes, check out my recipe for how to make kefir with raw milk, and my sauerkraut recipe

Does sour cream have probiotics? 

Homemade sour cream is rich in beneficial probiotics. Some commercial options have live probiotics as well, but not all. Be sure to check labels if you opt for a store bought sour cream. 

If you’re looking for another delicious probiotic topping or mix in, check out my lacto fermented zucchini relish recipe here.

Ways to use sour cream

Sour cream is a delicious topping for so many foods. Here are some of our favorite ways to enjoy homemade sour cream:

  • As a topping for Mexican dishes
  • On top of fruit desserts
  • Swirled into blended soups
  • As a topping for baked potatoes
  • Whipped into mashed potatoes
  • Blended into freshly pressed juices
  • As a filling or spread on top of homemade baked goods
  • As an ingredient for homemade dressing or dip, like this lemon garlic dill dressing 

Flavoring sour cream

You can also mix different ingredients into sour cream to fit whatever dish you’re serving. 

For Mexican food, try stirring in some lime juice or chili powder. If you’re making a dessert topping, mix in some honey or maple syrup. 

The options here are really endless. Get creative and see what you come up with!

How to make sour cream at home

More recipes for fermented foods

24 hour raw milk yogurt recipe

How to make kefir with raw milk

How to make sour cream from raw milk with kefir culture

Sauerkraut recipe

What’s your favorite way to eat sour cream?

Have you ever tried mixing anything into it to flavor it? Share your ideas in the comments!

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Yield: 2 cups

Sour Cream Yogurt Recipe with Yogurt Culture

Sour Cream Yogurt Recipe with Yogurt Culture

Making sour cream is really easy! This homemade sour cream yogurt recipe is so much more nutritious than commercial options. 

Prep Time 5 minutes
Additional Time 1 day
Total Time 1 day 5 minutes

Ingredients

  • 1 pint cream
  • 1/4 cup plain yogurt with live, active cultures

Instructions

  1. Stir yogurt culture into jar of cream.
  2. Top jar with a cloth or paper towel secured with a rubber band.
  3. Put jar in a warm place for around 24 hours. (Time will vary depending on temperature.)
  4. When cream is thickened, it's ready to use. Sour cream with thicken more when chilled.
  5. Store in refrigerator. 

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

32

Serving Size:

1

Amount Per Serving: Calories: 52Total Fat: 5gSaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 17mgSodium: 5mgCarbohydrates: 1gFiber: 0gSugar: 1gProtein: 1g

 

 

 

 

5 thoughts on “Sour Cream Yogurt Recipe with Yogurt Culture”

  1. I made this cultured cream with yogurt recipe but I got a lot of separation of whey. Is this normal. I will have to strain it out like making yogurt. I kept it in my oven with the light on, so maybe it was too warm. I’m not sure.

    Reply
  2. Thanks for this recipe! I’ve used it many times.
    I’ve seen recipes using lemon juice and the same basic method. Is this something that would be GAPS legal (using raw cream) or would there be too much lactose in it?

    Reply
  3. We’ll be getting our Jersey to our house soon and I can’t wait to try sour cream! I’ve done yogurt, butter, and mozzarella but not sour cream. Thank you for the recipe ❤️

    Reply

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