What to use instead of 1 cup sour cream
1
1 cup plain Greek yogurt
The closest match; full-fat is best for baking.
Best for: Dips, tacos, baking, toppings
2
1 cup plain whole-milk yogurt
A little thinner; fine for baking.
Best for: Muffins, cakes, marinades
3
1 cup crème fraîche
Richer and doesn't curdle in hot sauces.
Best for: Soups, sauces
Chef's tipAdd yogurt to hot dishes off the heat; it can curdle if boiled.
Substituting dairy
Dairy brings fat, moisture and sometimes acidity to a recipe. Full-fat versions of a substitute behave most like the original, and adding a dairy swap to a hot sauce off the heat helps stop it from splitting. For dairy-free cooking, unsweetened soy and oat milk are the most versatile all-rounders.
Need more or less than 1 cup sour cream? Scale the swap the same way as the original amount, or paste your recipe into the recipe converter to scale everything at once.
