How to Make Sour Cream

5 from 3 votes

I discovered the trick to making a THICK and tangy yet not too zingy sour cream, just like my family was used to from the store!

Prep Time10 mins

Cook Time15 mins

Inactive Time1 d

Total Time1 d 25 mins

Course: Condiment

Cuisine: American

Servings: quart

Calories: 51kcal

1 quart heavy cream skimmed from raw milk or pasteurized cream from store
2 teaspoons gelatin
1/4 teaspoon mesophyllic culture I've had good success with aby2c yogurt culture too!

Stir cream and gelatin together and let sit a few minutes.
Warm to 90-95F, then sprinkle mesophyllic culture over the cream and let sit a few minutes to rehydrate.
Whisk it in, pour into a jar (i like to rinse jar i used to scoop cream into with hot water to warm it up). Put a lid on and wrap with a tea towel. Tuck somewhere warm (i like beside stove) and let sit 24-36 hrs.
To know if its done, gently tip it on its side, does it look like its thickening up? If so, move to fridge. If not, leave another 6-12 hrs and check again.
When its chilled, it will have thickened up more and be PERFECT for all your sour cream needs!

Make this to your desired thickness - incubation time is anywhere from 24-36 hours depending on your preference.