Creme Fraiche Recipe
Prep Time
5 mins
Set for
2 d
Total Time
2 d 5 mins
Make rich, tangy creme fraiche at home with just 2 ingredients! This easy, budget-friendly recipe is perfect for sweet and savory dishes.
Servings: 2 cups
Ingredients
- 1 pint (16 oz/480 ml) heavy cream
- 2 tablespoons (1 oz/28 g) plain yogurt (or cultured buttermilk)
Instructions
-
Whisk the heavy cream and yogurt (or buttermilk) together in a medium bowl.
-
Pour the mix into a medium glass jar and tighten on a lid. Allow the jar to sit at room temperature for about 48 hours, or until thick.
-
Once thickened to desired texture, place in the fridge until needed. Store in the refrigerator for up to 7 days. Use in both sweet and savory cooking.
Recipe Notes
- Correct container: Use a container made with non-reactive material. (Use glass, not metal.)
- The right ingredients: When choosing ingredients, try to find pasteurized (as opposed to ultra-pasteurized) heavy cream and yogurt or buttermilk.
- Mixture tips: The cream-to-yogurt (or buttermilk) ratio doesn't matter all that much. If you add more yogurt or buttermilk, you'll need less time for the cream to thicken (but the mixture will be less creamy). Add less yogurt or buttermilk, and it will take longer to thicken but taste better. We found one tablespoon of yogurt or buttermilk per cup of cream (that's a 1:16 ratio) strikes the best balance.
- Thinner or thicker: If you like a softer, runnier consistency, check your crème after 24 hours. I've left some batches for as long as 48 hours, especially when using yogurt, because I found that yogurt (and not buttermilk) produces a thinner version. Just keep in mind that the mixture will continue to thicken once you place it in the fridge.
- Temperature advice: Even though some recipes recommend kickstarting the process by heating the cream mixture to take off the refrigerator chill, I found that using cold cream actually worked better. It made for a thicker, creamier result. Plus, after 12 to 24 hours on the counter, the short amount of time you save by preheating the mixture is not that significant in the long run. You may want to warm the cream slightly if you're working in a cold kitchen.
- Stop early: This crème fraîche becomes super rich and creamy around the 48-hour mark. You can also halt the process early by refrigerating it to stop the bacterial action.
- Flavor clues: Just as every brand of store-bought crème fraîche tastes different, yours will vary slightly depending on the flavor of your milk or yogurt, its butterfat content, and how long it ferments.
- Tangy topping: Use crème fraîche as-is on desserts, or make my fluffy Crème Fraîche Whipped Cream (the crème fraîche adds tang and also stabilizes the whipped cream a bit).
- Don't freeze: Freezing can make the crème fraîche grainy, so it’s not recommended.