Cream cultured to a gentle sourness at around 30% fat - thick, silky and, unusually among cultured dairy, stable in heat.
What it does in a recipe: Tang plus enough fat that it will not split when it hits a hot pan. Pick the swap that covers that job - the ratios below are written so you can act on them without doing any arithmetic.
3substitutes
1close matches
Dairy & milkscategory
Quick answer
Heavy cream cultured with buttermilk
1 cup crème fraîche = 1 cup heavy cream + 2 tbsp buttermilk, left at room temperature 12-24 hours
All substitutes, best first
3 ways to replace crème fraîche
Heavy cream cultured with buttermilk
Closest match
1 cup crème fraîche = 1 cup heavy cream + 2 tbsp buttermilk, left at room temperature 12-24 hours
The live cultures in buttermilk ferment the cream exactly as a dairy would, producing the real thing rather than an imitation.
MethodCover loosely and leave somewhere warm until noticeably thickened, then refrigerate. Use pasteurised, not ultra-pasteurised, cream - UHT cream often refuses to set.
Trade-offNeeds a day of lead time, which is the only reason not to do it.
1 cup crème fraîche = 1 cup mascarpone + 1 tsp lemon juice, whisked
Mascarpone matches the fat level, and the lemon stands in for the culture's acidity.
Trade-offSharper and simpler than fermented tang, without the same depth.
Raw / no-cookSaucesVegetarianGluten-freeNut-freeEgg-freeSoy-free
At a glance
Crème fraîche in summary
Crème fraîche at a glance: category, its job in a recipe, the diets it suits, the diets its substitutes can satisfy, and how many substitutes there are.
Can I use heavy cream cultured with buttermilk instead of crème fraîche?
1 cup crème fraîche = 1 cup heavy cream + 2 tbsp buttermilk, left at room temperature 12-24 hours. The live cultures in buttermilk ferment the cream exactly as a dairy would, producing the real thing rather than an imitation. Needs a day of lead time, which is the only reason not to do it.
Can I use sour cream instead of crème fraîche?
1 cup crème fraîche = 1 cup sour cream. The closest common product - cultured cream with the same tang, just leaner. Lower fat means it can curdle in a sauce that crème fraîche would survive. Keep it off a hard boil and stir it in off the heat.
Can I use mascarpone thinned with lemon juice instead of crème fraîche?
1 cup crème fraîche = 1 cup mascarpone + 1 tsp lemon juice, whisked. Mascarpone matches the fat level, and the lemon stands in for the culture's acidity. Sharper and simpler than fermented tang, without the same depth.
Cooking around an allergy? Diet tags here describe the ingredient itself, not any particular brand. Processed products change formulation without notice and shared production lines are common, so read the label on everything you use. A severe allergy is a medical matter - confirm with the manufacturer or your clinician rather than relying on a substitution chart.