Update 1/22/13: A few readers have commented to let me know of my error in calling this recipe sour cream, when in actuality it is yogurt cheese. I apologize for any misrepresentation in the post. I am, however, leaving the post as-is and hope you’ll be aware that this product should not be called sour cream. I will say that I do use this yogurt cheese in many instances where you would traditionally use sour cream. It is very versatile.
If you would like a true recipe for sour cream, you could try this one using raw milk, or this one using conventional store bought milk.
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Sour cream ranks really high on my list of must haves for mexican fare. And what could be easier than always having it available for mere pennies?
If you have homemade yogurt on hand, sour cream is one of the most simple things to make. Seriously, it takes about three minutes of work and a little space in the fridge.
Here’s what you’ll need:
~ Plain yogurt (I use a pint)
~ Strainer/sieve
~ Coffee filter
~ Large bowl
Once you’ve gotten your items together, the only real effort involved is placing the strainer over the bowl and scooping the yogurt into the coffee filter-lined strainer. Then sit it in the fridge.
I typically do this at night before bed and leave it in the fridge to drain overnight and take care of it after breakfast. Typically, it drains for 8-10 hours.
Once it has drained sufficiently, remove from coffee filter and refrigerate.
Be sure to save the whey. Whey is packed with probiotics, healthy fats, vitamins and minerals and is considered a great digestive aid (and it’s lactose free) and can be used as the liquid in smoothies and baked goods. It can be heated and used to reconstitute dehydrated veggies (tomatoes, etc.). Whey can also be used as the acidic medium in soaking grains to improve their digestibility. Katie at Kitchen Stewardship has a great post about the many uses of whey.
I started with about 15 oz. of yogurt and that yielded 8oz. of sour cream and 7oz. of whey.
Cost breakdown:
I purchased a gallon of whole milk for $1.99 and an individual serving size of plain yogurt for my starter (I usually use my own yogurt as starter for my next batch, but had been out of town and had no yogurt left) for $.33. Total spent $2.32.
Yield: 8 pints at $.29 per pint!
This post is linked to:
Tempt My Tummy Tuesday
Tasty Tuesday
Hi, I just found your website and I love it! I am just learning to make things from scratch. My question is, what is the shelf life for homemade sour cream? How do you know when it’s gone bad? I am so dependent on expiration dates right now
Thanks!
I find that it lasts about 3 weeks for me. It does get a bit of a funny taste when it goes bad, though. Also, I’ve made it with yogurt that was 3 weeks old and it still seems to last about 3 weeks. It truly doesn’t seem to go bad very quickly.
Hi, I make yogurt every week and I especially love drinking the whey. In fact, I like the whey more than the yogurt, but I wanted to point out that actually the majority of the lactose from the milk is in the whey portion.
Being an Indian, I always make yogurt. This surely is the easiest way for me to make sour cream. Thanks a Lot!!
Just fyi, you’re making yogurt cheese here, not homemade sour cream. Yogurt cheese is a very nice substitute for sour cream (or cream cheese, for that matter), but it is still a different product. The misleading label is a bit frustrating for people looking for postings on how to make Actual sour cream from scratch.
I agree with Emma that this is yogurt cheese called jocoque.
Emma and Gina, thank you for clearing this up. Gina, I’m not sure why I never saw your original comment – I’m so sorry about not responding sooner.
I have done some additional research and definitely agree with you. I’ll correct this post to reflect the clarification.
Thank you again!
Thank you Emma for your clearification. I am making homemade yogurt for a while and looking for more homemade recipes. I appreciate your information. So what is the actual recipe for homemade natural sour cream?
Maria,
Try 1 cup heavy cream and 1/4 cup cultured buttermilk. If you have some sour cream already on hand, you can use it instead of the buttermilk as a starter. Cover, shake it well, and let it sit out overnight or until you get your desired consistency. Then refrigerate.
Laura and readers, just to reiterate, this technique is for making yogurt cheese, which is very similar to store-bought cream cheese. For sour cream, you will use heavy cream and cultured buttermilk or vinegar. There are many recipes online. But…try the yogurt cheese! I love it.
Kerri, thank you for helping clarify my mistake. I will be revising the post to reflect the changes. And will also be trying your recipe for actual sour cream!
Thank you again!