Homemade Crème Fraîche recipe ~ with just 2 ingredients you can make thick and creamy crème fraîche ~ no more last minute trips to the supermarket to buy one of those overpriced little tubs!
Never run out of crème fraîche again ~ make it yourself!
The other day I was making my Sweet Potato Spears with Lemongrass Dip, which required crème fraîche, and I was so frustrated when my regular grocery store didn’t have any. That’s one of the few downsides to the explosion of so many different types of foods we now have available to us in grocery stores…there simply isn’t the shelf space for all of them. It got me thinking about trying a homemade version.
Crème fraîche is basically a cultured cream
It’s a French version of sour cream, but more luxurious and subtle. Not quite as sour, or as thick as sour cream, though. It’s more of a tangy custard. (This post from The Kitchn breaks it down even further if you’re interested!)
The process of making crème fraîche is so simple!
- Mix buttermilk and heavy cream in a clean jar.
- Cover and let sit at warm room temperature for 12-18 hours.
- Voila! You’ve got thick rich crème fraîche.
It’s a little like making yogurt only with a cream base instead of milk, but nothing gets heated or cooked. And it’s much easier. All you need to do is stir a little buttermilk into heavy cream, and let it sit so the bacteria can do their job. It will thicken into a silky crème fraîche in about 12 to 18 hours. You can literally do it in your sleep!
Homemade Crème fraîche can replace mayo, cream, sour cream, yogurt, and mascarpone cheese in recipes.
Crème fraîche has a slightly higher fat content than sour cream, so when you add it to hot food it won’t break down or curdle like sour cream sometimes does. You can stir it into a sauce at the end to get a beautiful glossy finish and rich flavor. You can mix it with mayo when you’re making potato or shrimp salad. Stir it into an omelet or scrambled eggs. It makes amazing dips, salad dressings, and frostings. Sweeten it and use it like whipped cream with desserts and fruit.
Recipes using crème fraîche
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Crème fraîche forms the base layer in my Simple Asparagus Puff Pastry Tart
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Stir it into Wild Mushroom Soup for a creamy finish.
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It makes a rich sauce for my Cocktail Meatballs Stroganoff.
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Use it in place of mascarpone cheese in this fruit tart.
Homemade Creme Fraiche
Ingredients
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 3 Tbsp cultured buttermilk (look for it with the regular milk in your supermarket)
Instructions
- Pour the cream into a clean jar or small bowl. Stir in the buttermilk.
- Cover with a clean dishcloth and let sit at a warm room temperature for 12 to 18 hours until it is thickened.
- Stir it, and cover tightly.
- Refrigerate until ready to use. It will last 2 weeks in the refrigerator.
41 Comments
Sabie
July 17, 2021 at 5:49 pmI made this using 1 cup heavy cream and 3 tbsp yogurt. Left it for 20 hrs, and it turned out great! Thanks for the recipe! So easy, will definitely make more in the future!
Cyndy
August 21, 2020 at 9:15 pmI forgot just how easy it is to make your own creme fraiche. I will be making a fresh batch tomorrow with your recipe for my mushroom soup!
Patty at Spoonabilities
August 21, 2020 at 7:52 pmOh there is nothing like an amazingly creamy creme fraiche topped on sliced fresh fruit, or anything really! Yum! Thanks for the great directions!
Alexandra
August 21, 2020 at 7:40 pmThis is so much more simple to make than I ever would have thought – I will definitely be making my own creme fraiche from now on 🙂
Genevieve from @fittyfoodlicious
August 21, 2020 at 7:29 pmI had no idea Creme Fraiche was so easy to make! This recipe looks easy to follow and delicious. Yummy!
Chef Mireille
August 21, 2020 at 7:17 pmWhat a convenient recipe. Not only is creme fraiche expensive but not at the local market which means I usually have to travel to the gourmet market to get it. Thanks so much for this. Will definitely keep it on hand the next time I need creme fraiche
Chris-27
August 21, 2020 at 3:58 pmCan you freeze the rest of the buttermilk in ice cube trays, and use it for future creme fraiche? I can’t think of anything else I want to make that involves buttermilk. (Oh, wait, biscuits!) Actually, I might try with heavy cream and yogurt … surely, that will work as well as buttermilk?
Sue
August 21, 2020 at 6:07 pmGreat question, first of all, I never have an issue with the rest of the buttermilk because I use it in so much of my baking, and it keeps a really long time. And as for yogurt, I haven’t tried that, I’d be curious to hear how it turns out if you try.
thomas a wall
December 5, 2019 at 12:28 pmwhere can I get the jar?
Sue
August 21, 2020 at 11:16 amI just used a recycled jam jar, Thomas, but mason or canning jars work great, too.
Wesley
August 18, 2019 at 3:50 pmWhat if you don’t have buttermilk ?
Sue
August 21, 2020 at 11:17 amYou’ll need buttermilk for this recipe, but you can find it right with the regular milk in most grocery stores.
Cynthia Willis
May 11, 2017 at 1:03 pmHave you tried making this in the instant pot on the yogurt setting? I’m betting the results would be great.
I will try this next!
Sue
May 11, 2017 at 1:11 pmGreat idea, I’m on the verge of getting an instant pot, I keep hearing great things about them…let us know if you try!!