What can I use instead of Crème fraîche?

Heavy cream + buttermilk, cultured: 1 cup heavy cream + 1 Tbsp buttermilk; rest 12-24 h at room temp. Sour cream: 1 cup.

What changes when you substitute Crème fraîche?

Takes a day. Tangier, less rich.

Substitute for Crème fraîche

What it does in a recipe: Thick, nutty cultured cream that never curdles under heat.

2 substitutes, ranked by what's already in your pantry. Amounts are dataset values — US and metric where a ratio exists.

Heavy cream + buttermilk, cultured

per 1 cup crème fraîche

US1 cup heavy cream + 1 Tbsp buttermilk; rest 12-24 h at room temp

Metric240 ml heavy cream + 15 ml buttermilk

Pantry stapleBaking-safe ✓Alcohol-freeEgg-freeFish-freeGluten-freeNut-freePeanut-freeShellfish-freeSoy-freeContains dairy

You are making the real thing.

What changes: Takes a day

Sour cream

per 1 cup crème fraîche

US1 cup

Metric240 g

Pantry stapleBaking-safe ✓Alcohol-freeEgg-freeFish-freeGluten-freeNut-freePeanut-freeShellfish-freeSoy-freeContains dairy

Tangier, less rich, curdles at high heat.

What changes: Tangier, less rich

Related swaps

Common questions

What can I use instead of Crème fraîche?: Heavy cream + buttermilk, cultured: 1 cup heavy cream + 1 Tbsp buttermilk; rest 12-24 h at room temp. Sour cream: 1 cup.
What is the exact ratio to substitute Crème fraîche?: Heavy cream + buttermilk, cultured (per 1 cup crème fraîche) — US: 1 cup heavy cream + 1 Tbsp buttermilk; rest 12-24 h at room temp. Metric: 240 ml heavy cream + 15 ml buttermilk.
What changes when you substitute Crème fraîche?: Takes a day. Tangier, less rich.

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