What to use instead of sour cream
It depends entirely on what it's doing in the dish. Here's the job, what else does it, and what to skip.
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Cold tangy topping or dip base
Around 20% fat with a lactic tang that cuts starch and grease, and thick enough to sit on a potato without running off.
Full-fat Greek yogurtRan out
1:1, drained 20 min in a sieve if it is loose
Sharper and slightly chalky, and it weeps liquid if the bowl sits out for an hour.
Creme fraicheRan out
1:1
Richer and less sour, and it holds a spoon shape better on a hot potato.
Labneh loosened with waterRan out
1/2 cup labneh + 1 tbsp water
Denser and already salted, so pull back on the salt in the dip.
Cashew cream + lemon juiceDairy-free
1 cup cashew cream + 2 tsp lemon juice + 1/4 tsp salt
Texture is right, flavour is sweeter under the acid with no dairy funk. Thickens in the fridge, so make it looser than you want.
Cottage cheese blended smoothRan out
1 cup cottage cheese + 1 tbsp lemon juice, blended 60 sec
Leaner, so it tastes thinner in the mouth. Blend it hard or it stays grainy.
What doesn't work: Mayonnaise. Same thickness, but it is oil and egg with no lactic acid, so a dip made from it tastes flat and greasy where sour cream tastes clean.
Enriching stir-in for a hot sauce or soup
Fat and acid loosen the sauce and round out paprika. The milk protein is the fragile part, and fat is what protects it from the heat.
Creme fraicheRan out
1:1
Will not split even if the pan boils, because the higher fat shields the protein. Less tang, so add a squeeze of lemon.
Heavy cream + lemon juiceRan out
1/2 cup cream + 1 tsp lemon juice
Glossier and thinner sauce with much less tang. Stroganoff made this way tastes closer to a cream sauce.
Full-fat Greek yogurt, temperedRan out
1:1, whisk a ladle of hot sauce into the yogurt first, then off the heat
Sharper and it still splits if the pan goes above a bare simmer even after tempering. Serve straight away.
Full-fat coconut milk + lemon juiceDairy-free
1 cup coconut milk + 2 tsp lemon juice
Coconut comes through clearly. Hidden under paprika and tomato in a goulash, obvious in a plain stroganoff.
What doesn't work: Low-fat or fat-free sour cream stirred into a simmering pan. The fat is exactly what stops the protein curdling, so it breaks into grains the second it hits heat.
Fat and acid in a cake batter
The fat shortens the crumb and the acid works with baking soda for lift, which is why a sour cream bundt stays tender for days.
Full-fat plain yogurtRan out
1:1
Batter is wetter and the crumb is a shade less rich. Bakes in about the same time.
Buttermilk + melted butterRan out
3/4 cup buttermilk + 1/4 cup melted butter per 1 cup sour cream
Matches the fat and the acid. The batter is looser, so it bakes a few minutes faster and the top domes less.
Creme fraicheRan out
1:1
Richer and slightly denser crumb, less tang against the sugar.
Unsweetened soy or coconut yogurtDairy-free
1:1
Less protein, so the crumb is more crumbly and slices raggedly. Coconut versions read sweet against vanilla.
What doesn't work: Cream cheese. Same aisle and same thickness, but it holds far less water and never thins out into the batter, so it leaves pale streaks and the cake bakes dense and dry.