How to Make Crème Fraiche
Creamy, rich and tangy crème fraiche will add flavor to all of your favorite creamy recipes.
You can culture it at home with two ingredients you can buy at the grocery store and no special equipment.
Once you see how easy this crème fraiche recipe is you will be able to make it all the time.
It keeps in the refrigerator for about 4 weeks.
You will be able to enjoy fresh homemade crème fraiche whenever desire. And you’ll be able to continually culture a new batch from your first batch.
I love eating sweetened Crème Fraiche with fruit. Especially in the summer when berries are in season.
Or you can eat it in place of regular sour cream in any recipe.
Homemade Crème Fraiche Ingredients
All you need are two simple ingredients you can find in the dairy department of any grocery store.
- heavy whipping cream: You will find heavy whipping cream in the dairy section. It may be labeled as heavy cream or whipping cream.
- cultured buttermilk: I usually use low fat but full fat buttermilk will work also.
Recipe Directions
Step 1: In a bowl or a jar combine the heavy whipping cream and buttermilk.
Step 2: Place a lint free dish towel over the bowl or a coffee filter over a mason jar to keep any debris from getting into it.
If using a mason jar place a paper coffee filter over the top of the jar and secure it with a rubber band.
Step 3: Place the bowl or jar in a warm draft free area, like on the kitchen counter out of direct sunlight, on top of a cold stove top or in a safe spot on the top of the refrigerator.
Step 4: Allow the heavy cream and buttermilk to culture overnight or for at least 12 hours if you start it early in the morning. (see recipe notes below for more info)
Step 5: After 12 hours check to see if the French sour cream has cultured and thickened. It should have thickened enough to look as firm or firmer than a container of store bought sour cream.
If the inside of your home is extremely cold it may not have completed the culturing process yet. If that happens recover it and put it back or find a warmer area.
Step 6: Once the culture has thickened and resembles a thick pudding put it in the refrigerator to chill for another 12 hours or overnight before using. It will thicken even more as it chills.
Recipe FAQ’s
Crème fraiche and sour cream are very similar but there is a difference. Crème Fraiche is thicker and has a richer flavor because it is made with heavy cream and buttermilk that has a higher fat content. While sour cream is lower in fat and slightly thinner because it is made with heavy cream and whole milk. Whole milk has less butterfat than butter cream.
Many French desserts are made using Crème Fraiche because the higher fat count makes baked good moist. You can make frostings, fillings, ice creams and pies with it.
Sour cream is the most common substitute for Crème Fraiche.
Culturing with pasteurized dairy
Yes, you can make homemade French sour cream using pasteurized cream and buttermilk. I have read that you can not use ultra pasteurized heavy cream to make crème fraiche.
When I first started making cultured dairy product at home like homemade yogurt everything I read said not to use it.
But I have found over the years of making countless batches of homemade sour cream and yogurt at home that this is not true.
Recipe Expert Tips
- Pasteurized dairy: can you use ultra pasteurized dairy buttermilk or heavy cream? Yes, you can to make Crème fraiche.
- Culturing time: the culturing time of cream and buttermilk will depend on the temperature of your home. Colder homes will take longer while warmer homes will take less time. 12 to 24 hours is an estimate.
- Crème Fraiche Starter: For your second and any future batches of crème fraiche you will reserve about ⅓ of a cup of your batch of crème fraiche to use as a starter. Put it into a pint jar and fill the pint jar full of heavy whipping cream. Leave enough head space so you can shake it up a bit while it is culturing. Leave for 24 hours and then refrigerate.
- How long does it last? Fresh made will stay good for as long as store bought as long as it is kept properly refrigerated.
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How to make Homemade Crème Fraiche
Ingredients
- 2 cups heavy whipping cream
- ¼ cup cultured buttermilk
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Instructions
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Place the whipping cream and buttermilk into a mason jar or glass bowl.
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Shake or stir well to combine the heavy cream with the buttermilk.
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Cover the container with a piece of cheese cloth or a paper coffee filter. Place the container in a warm area of the kitchen. On the counter is fine but not in a draft or direct sunlight.
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Allow the crème fraiche to culture for 12-24 hours.
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After 6-12 hours check to see if the crème fraiche has thickened.
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It should be as thick as sour cream or thicker. If not, recover and wait another 4 to 6 hours for it to culture.
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Once cultured and thickened refrigerate for an hour to chill before using. As it chills it will thicken further.
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Recipe Expert Tips
- Pasteurized dairy: can you use ultra pasteurized dairy buttermilk or heavy cream?: Yes you can to make crème fraiche.
- Culturing time: the culturing time of cream and buttermilk will depend on the temperature of your home. Colder homes will take longer while warmer homes will take less time. 12 to 24 hours is an estimate.
- Crème Fraiche Starter: For your second and any future batches of crème fraiche you will reserve about ⅓ of a cup of your batch of crème fraiche to use as a starter. Put it into a pint jar and fill the pint jar full of heavy whipping cream. Leave enough head space so you can shake it up a bit while it is culturing. Leave for 24 hours and then refrigerate.
- How long does it last? Fresh made will stay good for as long as store bought as long as it is kept properly refrigerated.
How to us a mother batch of homemade crème fraiche to culture the next batch
Use your mother batch of homemade crème fraiche to culture continuous future batches of crème fraiche. Using ¼ to ⅓ cup of the mother cultured crème fraiche to make the next batch.
- Place ¼ to ⅓ cup of crème fraiche in a jar.
- Add 2-3 cups of heavy whipping cream to the jar and shake to combine.
- Following the same culturing steps in the original recipe to culture this batch.
- This second batch of cultured buttermilk and heavy cream will thicken up much faster than the first. So check it frequently.
