Human beings from ancient times are using several dairy products. Sour cream is one of those dairy products. It is used in various ways. Sometimes as toppings and sometimes as part of the recipe. It is a highly demanding ingredient in baking. For a luxury cream cake, you can not avoid sour cream. It is made in various ways. You can make it by boiling the whole milk and grab the layer of cream from the top of the milk. This top layer is then introduced with bacteria. Bacteria react with this layer and extract the liquid, which is known as lactic acid. It is a waste. The remaining part of this layer is called lactose. It is an almost sugar-free cause of bacteria interaction with this top layer. It needs some time to complete this natural process of making sour cream. This process makes the cream acidic. This acidic cream now has a tangent flavor. This tangent flavor cream is called the sour cream cause of its taste.
If you go for a substitute for sour cream, you have many options, both from dairy products and non-dairy products. We discuss some of the alternatives below.
What is a healthy substitute for sour cream?
Yogurt is one of the healthy substitutes for sour cream. It is in curd form, thicker and dense. It has a tangent smell like sour cream as yogurt is made from whole milk, so it contains all proteins and fats which present in sour cream. Again it has low calories, which makes it the best healthy substitute for sour cream. You can use yogurt as a substitute in topping recipes and a good alternative for dressings also. And the best dip substitute.
Is cream cheese substitute for sour cream?
Cream cheese has a mild texture and tangent smell. It has the elasticity in its surface. So it can be the best substitute for sour cream. To make this substitute use your processor to process this cream cheese first. The ingredients you will need for it: one cup of fresh cheese. Four tablespoons of milk with low fat. Two tablespoons of freshly extracted lemon juice. Put all these in your blender and process it till you get a smooth texture. If the curd of cheese is significant, then it will take more time to get soft. Small curds will shape thin very soon. Your sour cream substitute is ready to use. It is creamy and smooth and has the same tangent smell as of sour cream. You can use this substitute in one to one ratio.
How to Substitute Mayo For Sour Cream?
If you run out of sour cream, you don’t need to worry if you have mayonnaise. Mayonnaise is an excellent substitute for sour cream. It is creamy, having a smooth texture like sour cream. It has a tangent flavor like sour cream. So you can use mayonnaise as one to one ration with sour cream. To prepare this substitute, you will need:
One-third amount of heavy cream.
One-third amount of mayonnaise.
One-third amount of plain yogurt.
To prepare this substitute, mix these three in your processor. Turn on the processor on medium speed till you get the smooth, creamy texture just like sour cream. Store this mixture in a cool place. You can use it one to one ratio with sour cream.
Non-dairy substitute for sour cream
If you have any allergy to dairy products, you can choose from a variety of non-dairy substitute products as a substitute for sour cream. Below is the recipe to prepare a sour cream substitute from sunflower seeds.
Ingredients you need to make this substitute are:
One cup of water. Half cup of ground sunflower seeds. Half cup of pine-nuts. One-third cup of lemon juice. One dash of garlic. One tablespoon of dried and ground onion.
Put all ingredients in your processor, turn on the processor at medium speed. Your smoothy sour cream is ready to be served. As it is a tangent flavor cause of garlic, you should consider ti while using in sweet recipes.
Soy as a commercial substitute for sour cream
Many people are allergic to dairy products or like to eat vegan only. You can find many vegan substitutes for sour cream in the market. The primary ingredient used for these vegans substitutes is soy, which has the same ratio of calories. Again its fat average is equal to that of sour cream. You can use these substitutes in one to one ratio with soy cream because of the same nutritional values. The disadvantage of buying such replacements from the market is that these contain some additives or preservatives which may not suit you. But the good thing is that you can make all these very quickly at home with readily available items. A combination of soy, vinegar, and lemon juice can be a substitute if you blend all these in your processor. You can add salt as your taste.
Conclusion
Soy cream has become a necessary item for various cuisine these days as it has many variations of dairy and non-dairy ingredients, so it suits almost all moods of food lovers. Whether they like spicy, tangent, vegan, or savory flavors, again, it is being used in toppings and dressings. It has become an essential ingredient for baking items. If you want to substitute for sour cream, then good news, you have a variety of options available from texture to taste. In the above article, we mentioned many substitutes for sour cream. Keeping in view your choice of flavor or taste, you can choose one .from dairy product range, you have yogurt, cream cheese, and mayo as the best substitute for sour cream. From a non-dairy range, you can select coconut milk, soy, sunflower seed, baking powder. And many more. For dairy products, we recommend mayonnaise as the best substitute for sour cream. For non-dairy products, soy is the best replacement for sour cream.
