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Here are all the best sour cream recipes using this versatile ingredient! Make it homemade, or use it in salads, soups, dips…and even pancakes.
Sour cream is a velvety, rich thickened cream that’s completely versatile in the kitchen. No wonder it’s included so often in recipes! Use it in endless ways: in sauces, in dips, to thicken soups, and to dollop a good chili or potato. You can even use it to make pancakes: it’s tangy and fluffy, even better than buttermilk!
Here are all the best sour cream recipes for using up a container! And did you know you can make it homemade? You can make DIY sour cream at home with just 2 ingredients! Experience the magic of fermentation right in your own kitchen. Here’s how to do it, and then 9 more great uses for this silky, magical cream.
And now…the best sour cream recipes to try!
Did you know you can make DIY sour cream at home with just 2 ingredients? Experience the magic of fermentation right in your own kitchen! This sour cream recipe is a bit of a kitchen experiment that results in extremely delicious sour cream: much tastier than store bought. Whether you’re out of sour cream or just want to try a fun experiment with your kids, it’s 100% worth making it at home! It’s also a great way to use up leftover heavy cream or buttermilk. Here’s how to do it.
Need a sour cream sauce…fast? This one takes just 5 minutes to put together: and it tastes incredible! This cooling sauce uses garlic, onion and chives to make a quick sauce that’s bursting with savory flavor. It’s great with roasted potatoes, or as a sauce to drizzle over chicken or fish. You could even use it for tacos or falafel. Here’s how it’s done!
What’s the ultimate pancake? You might think buttermilk. But here’s a secret: sour cream pancakes are the best out there! They’re ultra fluffy, with a tangy flavor and a delicious texture. Even better: they’re made with a more common refrigerator ingredient. (At least, it is for us.) You never have to buy buttermilk again! This sour cream recipe includes whole wheat flour for a healthy spin, and taste incredible topped with maple syrup and a dollop of…you guessed it! Sour cream.
Got sour cream? Let's make cucumber salad! This cucumber salad is so refreshing, it’s hard to stop eating. Adding a bit of sour cream to a tangy cucumber salad makes an irresistibly creamy sauce. The silky sauce also features dill and shallots. Use fresh dill if you have it onhand!
Who said you need dairy for a sour cream recipe? Here's a plant-based option: vegan sour cream! It’s rich, creamy, and made with only 5 whole food plant based (WFPB) ingredients. And the texture and flavor? Weirdly similar the real thing. It’s the perfect dairy-free dollop for chili or baked potatoes. Really, what isn’t better with a little sour cream?
Sour cream is perfect for dolloping soup recipes. And this Loaded Potato Soup is our pick, is impossibly creamy with intermittent potato chunks. Old Bay gives it an irresistible undertone. It’s so easy to make: you don’t even need a blender! And like any good recipe, the best part is the toppings. Shredded cheese, sour cream and chives are the best classic pairing.
Here's a sour cream recipe that uses the thickened cream as a shortcut for Mexican crema. This zingy sauce is perfect for dolloping on tacos and burritos. At the same time, it’s just as delicious as a dip for sweet potato fries and grilled shrimp. It’s full of zesty, herby flavor, and it’s quick and easy to mix up.
Love dill pickles? Because we’ve got the perfect sour cream recipe for you: sour cream pickle dip! It's made with sour cream and Greek yogurt, starring both fresh dill and pickles. Creamy and tangy, the flavor is like biting into a dill pickle spear. It’s absolutely perfect with potato chips or cucumber slices.
Here’s a recipe where sour cream makes a quick and easy casserole sauce! This modern spin on wild rice casserole that’s cozy and all about whole foods! It’s broccoli cheese flavor, flecked with savory bits of broccoli, gooey white cheddar, and a creamy easy-to-make filling. While it’s got a vaguely 1970’s vibe, this one is all whole foods and heavy on the plants. (No cream of mushroom soup!)
Last up: a sour cream recipe where it's a sauce that brings the entire dinner together! This easy sheet pan dinner is full of colorful vegetables and loaded with flavor! It's a plant-based dinner that roasts up everything on a sheet pan at once: lots of good-for-you veggies and chickpeas for plant based protein. Throw it all in the oven while you cook rice or quinoa, then top with sour cream to tie it all together. Dinnertime win!
More ways to use sour cream
There are many more ways to use sour cream in recipes outside of these highlights! Here are a few more we’d recommend:
- Chili: Use it to dollop Best Vegan Chili, Vegetarian Chili, 3-Bean Healthy Chili, or Instant Pot Chili.
- Baked Potatoes: Try a Classic Baked Potato, Baked Sweet Potatoes or Mexican Sweet Potatoes
- Soup: Dollop soup recipes like Best Damn Lentil Soup or Tortilla Soup.
- Tacos: Add to Epic Fish Tacos or Crispy Avocado Tacos.
Related resources
Here are a few more resources related to making and using sour cream!
- Homemade Creme Fraiche You can make creme fraiche at home with just 2 ingredients! This rich French version of sour cream is perfect for creamy sauces and dolloping soups.
- Best Sour Cream Substitute Need a sub for this ingredient? Here are all the best foods to use in a pinch.
- Homemade Whipped Cream Recipe Bookmark this homemade whipped cream recipe: in just 5 minutes you’ve got sweetened whipped cream that tastes infinitely better than store bought stuff!
- Mexican Crema Recipe Mexican crema is a thickened cream for dolloping over tacos and soups! Creamy and slightly tangy, it’s easy to make at home! Or try tangy Lime Crema.
