Creme fraiche is sour cream’s sophisticated European cousin. It’s thicker. It’s sweeter. And it’s incredibly easy to make. Today I’ll be sharing a simple creme fraiche recipe and tips for making, storing and using this popular European dairy staple.
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I lived in France for nearly ten years. And I definitely love me some creme fraiche. But I think I’ve bought it at the store here in the US maybe once since returning. I simply can’t bring myself to spend $8 on less than half a cup of dairy. A few years ago, I discovered how easy it is to make at home, and I’ve never looked back.
The Difference Between Creme Fraiche and Sour Cream
Creme fraiche is just a cultured heavy cream. Way back when, French farmers used to leave cow’s cream out. There are naturally occurring bacteria that work to thicken and ferment cream. Obviously, most people don’t have access to farm-fresh cow’s cream and dairy products in the US are either ultra-pasteurized or pasteurized to kill off harmful bacteria. Today’s creme fraiche needs live, bacterial cultures added to it to kickstart the fermentation process.
In many cases sour cream is an acceptable substitute for creme fraiche. But one spoonful of each and you’ll discover sour cream is much tangier. Because creme fraiche is more subtle, you can use it in a greater variety of dishes. For example, one of my favorite ways of eating it is spooned cold over a hot scone with jam. Probably not something I’d ever do with sour cream…
One of the other big differences between creme fraiche and sour cream is that the former has a higher fat content. Not only is it richer and creamier, it’s great for stovetop cooking as it is less likely to curdle than sour cream.
Ingredients Needed to Make Creme Fraiche
All you need are two ingredients and a little patience to make creme fraiche.
- Heavy whipping cream that hasn’t been ultra pasteurized
- Cultured buttermilk: In today’s recipe, we’re using cultured buttermilk because it contains (good) bacterial cultures that multiply and act as a fermenting agent that protect and thicken the cream.
How to Make It
- Pour your heavy whipping cream into a jar or a tupperware container, stir in your buttermilk and cover with a kitchen towel or a cheese cloth for at least 12 hours.
- Once it reaches your desired consistency, remove the towel, stir, add a lid and stick it in the fridge until you are ready to use it.
- How much buttermilk you use and how long you let it sit on your countertop will determine how thick the creme fraiche gets and it will get thicker as it sits in the fridge.
Et voila!
How Long Does It Last?
This creme fraiche recipe will keep for about a week or two stored in the fridge. That is, if it makes it that long!
How to Use This Creme Fraiche Recipe
If you make this to use in a specific recipe and still have some left over there’s more than one way to make sure it gets used up!
- Pizza Sauce: You can use this as a base for a white pizza, the way I have in this Asparagus, Bacon Pizza.
- Pasta Dishes: For a truly unctuous sauce, try adding a few generous spoonfuls to pasta dishes.
- With Smoked Salmon: A common appetizer in France are blinis the size of silver dollars, topped with a small slice of smoked salmon, and a garlic, chive creme fraiche.
- Scrambled Eggs: In France, creme fraiche commonly gets added to the egg mixture for quiche. Why not add a spoonful or two to your eggs?
- Mexican food: I personally think creme fraiche tastes more like Mexican crema than sour cream. Use it on top of chilaquiles, sopes, tacos or these entomatadas.
- Fruit Desserts: One of the easiest ways to class up fruit for dessert is whipping a little creme fraiche with vanilla and sugar and serving it with fresh strawberries or blueberries.
- Dips: Use as a substitute for sour cream in most cases.
- Dessert Toppings: Add a dollop of creme fraiche to brownies, moelleux au chocolat, fruit cobblers or angel food cake.
- Scones: If you want an indulgent breakfast try serving cold creme fraiche with a generous dollop of jam over a hot scone.
📖 Recipe
Creme Fraiche
Ingredients
- 1 pint heavy cream pasteurized but not ultra-pasteurized
- 3 tablespoon cultured buttercream
Instructions
- Pour your heavy whipping cream into a jar or a tupperware container, stir in your buttermilk and cover with a kitchen towel or a cheese cloth for at least 12 hours.
- Once it reaches your desired consistency, remove the towel, stir, add a lid and stick it in the fridge until you are ready to use it.
