Try These 5 Sour Cream Substitutes in Cheesecake!

Even though sour cream may seem like an irreplaceable ingredient in a cheesecake, it’s really not. I love the much-needed tangy and refreshing notes it gives to a cheesecake, but you can achieve this with some other ingredients, too. In those moments, when you either don’t have sour cream or you just want to try something new, it is always a good idea to have a few tricks up your sleeve. So, what are the best sour cream substitutes in cheesecake?

Greek yogurt, buttermilk, cream cheese, crème fraiche, and cottage cheese are the best sour cream substitutes in cheesecake. Still, they are not used the same way as sour cream, so make sure you learn how to use them properly.

If you are as big a cheesecake fan as I am, you will definitely want to stick around. In this article, I will give some valuable info about how to substitute sour cream for cheesecake and how to make the most of it. 

Greek Yogurt

We’re starting our list with the most famous one! If you are a fan of Greek yogurt, this will surely come as great news for you as it is the best option you can choose.

Greek yogurt’s consistency, thickness, texture, and light and tangy flavor make it an excellent sour cream substitute as far as cheesecakes go. It also reacts with the rest of the ingredients in almost the same way as sour cream does. 

To make things even better, you don’t have to make any adjustments whatsoever — use it as it is! Simply use the same amount of Greek yogurt you would with sour cream, and you’re done. The baking time and temperature also remain the same. 

Buttermilk 

You can easily swap sour cream for buttermilk in a cheesecake, but it doesn’t offer the same richness. It is slightly thinner and less creamy than sour cream, but in any case, very similar. Buttermilk does a great job delivering the tang and freshness of the sour cream. 

When substituting sour cream for buttermilk in cheesecake, you can make certain adjustments to the amount because buttermilk could make your cheesecake runny and overly moist. So, I always reduce the buttermilk amount for a stable cheesecake. You can put the same amount, but there’s no guarantee your cheesecake will set.

I usually mix buttermilk and cream cheese to make it thicker so that I can get a consistency similar to the one sour cream gives me. 

Crème Fraiche 

Crème fraiche is another obvious choice in this situation. Since crème fraiche is a type of sour cream, it’s a great candidate for going undercover as sour cream. The most significant difference between crème fraiche and sour cream is that sour cream is slightly more versatile. 

Still, when it comes to cheesecake, they can easily replace each other. Crème fraiche offers a very similar consistency and texture, while it is less tangy and zesty than sour cream, so your cheesecake will likely turn milder in taste — and I have found I quite like the milder flavor, so I’ve started using it more often when making a cheesecake. Because of this, you can combine it with fruits that are a bit acidic in taste, and blueberries are my absolute fav.

Cream Cheese 

Cream cheese is definitely a great option, but it will give your cheesecake quite a different flavor. Still, if you want to try something new and are open to experimentation with flavors, cream cheese is undoubtedly the one for you!

Since cream cheese is a soft cheese, it offers a more intense flavor than sour cream. Cream cheese is usually slightly thicker than sour cream. So, while sour cream could drip, cream cheese won’t. 

Your cheesecake will be tangier and even slightly savory, but it will also be irresistibly creamy and very rich. Cream cheese delivers richness and stability, injecting the flavor with its own unique tang. You can also add it in addition to any of the sour cream substitutes from this list if you want a denser creamy layer. 

To use it, increase the amount by a quarter or even a half to make up for the creaminess of sour cream in your cheesecake. So, if you use a cup of sour cream, use a cup and half of cream cheese. You can always make the cream cheese thinner using cream, so I never worry when I add more.

Cottage Cheese 

In addition to being tangy, cottage cheese can often be expressively salty. Although generally mild in flavor, cottage cheese is still cheese, so try it before using it in your cheesecake because you may not like the end result. 

Otherwise, cottage cheese is a great choice. To make it creamy and reduce its grainy consistency, I blend cottage cheese with a few drops of heavy cream. The blending smoothens up the cottage cheese, making it texturally rather similar to the sour cream.

The amount of cottage cheese you should use is the same as the amount of sour cream you would use, so don’t bother making any adjustments.