What's the Difference Between Sour Cream and Crème Fraîche? (2024)

FAQs

What's the Difference Between Sour Cream and Crème Fraîche? ›

The flavor of crème fraîche is slightly less tangy than sour cream but the texture tends to be thicker, and the taste overall is richer because it gets about 90% of its calories from fat. Unsurprisingly, crème fraîche is French for "fresh cream." Crème fraîche is phonetically pronounced "krem fresh" in English.

Crème fraiche and sour cream are alike in a lot of ways and they can be substituted on a 1:1 ratio (if your recipe calls for ½ cup crème fraiche, use ½ cup sour cream).

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.

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.

Crema originated in Mexico and is thinner than either creme fraiche or sour cream. It has a milder taste than sour cream and has a similar tang to creme fraiche, and it is the sweetest of the three. It is often used in recipes to balance out spicy chipotle flavors.

Crème fraîche, a thick cultured cream, is of French origin and means “fresh cream” in French. You can usually find it in small tubs in the dairy aisle of the grocery store, close to where you would find sour cream and cream cheese. It tastes a lot like sour cream, but it's usually sold in much smaller tubs.

Terminology. A literal translation of crème fraîche is "fresh cream." However, in French-speaking countries, crème fraîche may refer to either: (A) the thick fermented product, crème fraîche épaisse or fermentée, or (B) a liquid cream, crème fraîche liquide or fleurette.

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.

Another creme fraiche substitute in a pinch? Greek yogurt! However, keep in mind that Greek yogurt is not nearly as rich and creamy, and the flavor is much tangier than creme fraiche. This substitution can work in baking recipes, but it will change the texture because there is less fat.

Ricotta Cheese

Ricotta cheese and creme fraiche both have a tangy taste, but creme fraiche wins out on smoothness and richness. Because of its lumpy and slightly grainy texture, ricotta works better as a substitute for creme fraiche in pasta dishes rather than in a silky and creamy sauce.

How do the French eat crème fraîche? ›

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

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.

It's truly an everyday kitchen staple and is delightful added to sweet or savory dishes. It's good for baking in cakes, or lightly sweetening and topping slices of pie. Its food BFF may be the potato, but we'd also add a spoonful to soups or stews, pasta, or even in a salad dressing.

If you can't find crème fraîche at your local grocery store, sour cream can be used as a 1:1 substitute, and vice versa. Just keep in mind that sour cream is a bit more sour in flavor and less rich than crème fraîche. "Crème fraîche can substitute in any recipe that calls for sour cream," suggests Druart.

Trader Joe's Crème Fraîche Review, $3.99 - Trader Joe's List.

Creme Fraìche makes whatever it touches fancy. It's the cultured French cousin of sour cream, a rich and luscious topping for everything from baked vegetables, to pancakes, to soups, to tacos, and beyond.

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.

Crème fraîche: Meaning "fresh cream" in French, crème fraîche is similar to sour cream in that it has bacterial cultures in the mix, but the result is thicker (and has a higher fat count). It can be used as a sour cream substitute for baking or cooking in equal amounts.

Most fajita recipes will recommend sour cream as an accompaniment, but I use either reduced-fat crème fraiche or natural yogurt. Skip the grated cheese too, to save on calories and fat – there's enough flavour so you don't need it.