How To Make Sour Cream

If you've run out of sour cream and don't want to run to the store for more—you can make it at home with just two ingredients: heavy cream and vinegar!

Prep time: PT5M

Total time: PT725M

Rating

4 stars (10 reviews)

Keywords

cream, easy sour cream recipe, fermenting cream, sour cream

Ingredients

1 cup heavy cream ($1.40)
1 Tbsp vinegar ($0.02)

Steps

Add the cream to a mason jar or other airtight container.
Add the vinegar to the cream. (Or whatever acid you decide to work with.)
Close the container and shake it for a minute or two, until the cream thickens.
Use the cream right away or leave the jar on your counter overnight to ferment and thicken.*

Nutitrion

Serving Size: 1 cup
Calories: 812 kcal
Carbohydrates: 7 g
Protein: 7 g
Fat: 86 g
Sodium: 65 mg

Reviews

Joseph Johnson on 2026-01-20 (1 stars):
Mine didn't taste like any sour cream I've ever had. Maybe if I used lemon instead of vinegar, it might be better.
Michael on 2025-11-20 (5 stars):
Thank you for this, I'm in the process of making my own... everything (stocks, butter, ghee, tallow,etc) so this is a great addition. FYI one great little item is a mason jar vacuum. You just put it on top and turn it on and it sucks the air out. So you just do that at the very end of your process, open as needed, and re-vacuum.
Cynthia on 2025-09-21 (5 stars):
I made this once a long time ago, but combined vinegar with homemade buttermilk (even though most say not to) left over from my homemade butter. I absolutely loved the tanginess, and it was perfect for our baked potatoes!!! Made it again just now and have it in the back of my fridge storing upside down for tacos tomorrow night. Just read the lime crema recipe and will be making that for our tacos tomorrow, but adding in some fresh cilantro! Thank you so much!
Alexia on 2025-05-23 (5 stars):
Had some leftover heavy whipping cream in the fridge and needed sour cream for a dish - I had no idea this would be so easy! I subbed vinegar for fresh lemon juice (1c cream to 1tbsp lemon juice), gave it a shake, covered with a coffee filter, and left it out on the counter for 20 hours. Absolutely mind blowing! I had no idea it was this easy. Never buying sour cream again!
Jacqueline on 2025-05-12 (1 stars):
This is... not sour cream. Doesn't taste anything like it. That's all I can say.
Tonya on 2023-11-17 (5 stars):
I’ve tried the ones where they add milk, not do good! This is the easiest and has the thickness I love!
Katy on 2023-09-11 (4 stars):
I tried this out for the first time to go along with the slow cooker taco chicken bowls, as I now live somewhere I can't access lactose-free sour cream. Thank you! I used unfiltered apple cider vinegar, as that is your best bet for getting a vinegar that will ferment anything, and it didn't add any perceptible off flavour. If you are on the west coast of America and lactose intolerant, look for Green Valley Organics brand - their fermented products are fantastic, and along with Mexican food (and easily-found ingredients to make semi-authentic Mexican) are one of the very few things I miss after having relocated to the UK. ; )
Dorothy Sowell on 2023-04-09 (5 stars):
You can also do the old trick of making your own buttermilk for recipes with the lemon juice. Love how it starts thickening up immediately ❤️❤️❤️
Didina Gnagnide Angorinie on 2022-10-14 (4 stars):
So I finally tried this for a chili. I started with the original proportions and let it ferment overnight, in the morning the cream was still liquid. I put it in the fridge thinking that maybe it would thicken there but it stayed liquid. I added a tsp of vinegar and let it sit outside again for some hours, this time it thickened. The flavor is pretty ok, not as good as real sour cream as I can taste a liiiiiittle bit of white grape flavor from the vinegar but better than the alternatives (and low fat sour cream). I dressed it up as Beth's lime crema for chili and now the grape vinegar's aftertaste is underectable. I think it can be safely used in baking and even as a savory sauce with some dressings (es lime, garlic, chives, sweet chili sauce...) depending on the use. Or use as it is, I'm picky.
Pam on 2022-09-23 (5 stars):
Thanks for getting back to me so quickly. You've got a great site here, I'm sure I'll be back again and again!