What Is Creme Fraiche and How Do You Make It? (2024)

FAQs

What is a good substitute for crème fraîche? ›

Easy Substitutes For Crème Fraîche

Sour cream (which has less fat) is the best and easiest substitute, but it's not as rich or tangy as crème fraîche. Full-fat plain Greek yogurt is another substitute, but it doesn't have the same smooth texture or mild flavor.

Crème fraîche is incredibly simple to make at home: You simply combine cream with a small amount of buttermilk and allow it to rest in a covered container at room temperature for about 12 hours. Within the day, the cream will have transformed into a thicker, tangier, and more spoonable version of itself.

Though crème fraiche is a staple in Europe, it's not so common in the United States. You can find it in some grocery stores and specialty shops, but many American home cooks choose to make their own (more on that later) or use sour cream as an easy-to-find substitute.

What Is Creme Fraiche Used For? Because of its high fat content, creme fraiche does not curdle when boiled, which makes it ideal to use as a thickener in sauces and soups. Creme is also used as a finishing touch for sauces and soups, or spooned over fruit or warm desserts such as cobblers.

Sour cream may contain thickening agents like gelatin or polysaccharides to create a smooth texture, while creme fraiche's fermentation process naturally produces a thicker texture than sour cream. Plus, sour cream has a tangier taste than creme fraiche, which has a rich and creamy taste.

Ricotta Cheese

Of course, other options on my list might come in handy in recipes where the crème fraîche tang is the MVP. Otherwise, this Italian cheese works just fine as a 1:1 substitute. The only thing to keep in mind is its grainy and lumpy texture, which might end up with a different result.

Crème fraîche is essentially the European equivalent of sour cream. It's used widely throughout Europe but less commonly in the United States and Canada. Crème fraîche is a dairy product much like sour cream but it has a higher fat content.

Cream cheese has a similar creamy, slightly tangy flavour to crème frâiche, and can be substituted at a ratio of 1:1 in most recipes.

If you're wondering what is in crème fraîche—that is, the kind that you would make at home—the straightforward answer is just two ingredients: heavy cream and buttermilk (or yogurt).

Storage and Handling

Typically, crème fraîche will keep for up to eight weeks, if refrigerated. If separation occurs, gently stir the liquid back into the crème fraîche. If any mold forms on the surface of the crème fraîche, discard it immediately.

Is crème fraîche expensive? ›

I buy creme fraiche once a year, tops. At around $7 for the tiniest tub, it's not something that really makes sense in my grocery budget, especially in this moment of ever-increasing prices at the supermarket.

How Do Mascarpone and Crème Fraîche Differ? Mascarpone and crème fraîche, a French cultured cream, share a rich, creamy consistency. However, crème fraîche is more acidic and has a 30-percent fat content (compared to 50 to 85 percent fat content in mascarpone), which results in a lighter, thinner cream.

Sour cream is the most common substitute for crème fraîche, since both have a slightly sour taste and are cultured. You can substitute an equal amount of sour cream for crème fraîche in just about any type of recipe.

Crème fraîche is often dolloped onto baked potatoes, stirred into pasta or sauces, or eaten with puddings and fruit.

In general, crème fraîche and sour cream can be used interchangeably in most recipes, but crème fraîche will not curdle if boiled and can be whipped.

Can I use mayonnaise instead of creme fraiche? While you can easily replace mayonnaise with creme fraiche in most recipes, it's harder to use mayonnaise to replace creme fraiche. That's because creme fraiche is often used in sweeter, dessert style recipes and isn't quite as tangy as mayonnaise.

In a way, creme fraiche is just soured heavy cream, but soured in a very precise way that can be controlled by whomever is making it. That would be you, we hope, because it's easier to make at home than yogurt, ice cream or even a simple salad dressing.

So essentially the major difference as it relates to your cooking is in fat content. Sour cream is about 20 percent fat. Creme fraiche is around 30 percent. Yogurt is only around 10-12 percent fat.