Homemade Creme Fraiche Recipe (No Buttermilk Needed!)
Sneak Peek: Learn how to make homemade creme fraiche using yogurt or yogurt whey—no buttermilk required! This probiotic-rich, French-style cultured cream is perfect for spreading, cooking, and baking.
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Homemade creme fraiche is traditionally made with buttermilk. But I have great news if you don’t keep buttermilk in the house and hate to buy a whole quart of buttermilk when you only need one tablespoon. Buttermilk is not the only game in town.
What Is Creme Fraiche?
Creme fraiche is a French-style cultured cream with a rich texture and mild tangy flavor. Unlike commercial sour cream, this probiotic-rich fermented dairy product is naturally thickened and free of stabilizers.
Why Make Creme Fraiche at Home?
- Cost-Effective: Store-bought creme fraiche can be expensive.
- Reduce Waste: Use up leftover yogurt whey.
- Enhance Recipes: Perfect for bread, sauces, and desserts.
- Easy to Make: Requires just two ingredients and minimal effort.
How It Differs from Sour Cream
- Higher Fat Content: Makes it richer and more stable when heated.
- No Additives: Unlike commercial sour cream, it contains no stabilizers.
- Milder Flavor: Less tangy than sour cream.
Ingredients and Substitutions
Optional Additions:
Add these after the creme fraiche is set.
- Sweeteners: Honey, sugar, or maple syrup.
- Extracts: Vanilla or almond for a flavored version.
How To Use Crème Fraîche
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1
Spread on Toast & Scones: Delicious with jam or honey. Try it on scones, biscuits, or rye toast. Also amazing on cinnamon melba toasts.
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2
Enhance Soups & Sauces: Adds creaminess without curdling.
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3
Pair with Fresh Fruit: A lighter alternative to whipped cream.
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4
Make Cultured Butter: Use your homemade crème fraîche—here’s how.
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5
Mix into Scrambled Eggs: Think Gordon Ramsay-style creamy eggs.
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6
Use as a Butter Substitute: Always spreadable, even cold—and only 52 calories per tablespoon.
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7
Use in Baking: Adds richness to muffins, cakes, and quick breads.
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8
Make Ice Cream: Use crème fraîche as a base and swirl in Nutella.
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9
Top Waffles & Pancakes: Especially good with syrup and fruit.
Step-by-Step for Making Creme Fraiche with Yogurt or Yogurt Whey
⬇️ Jump to the recipe below for exact amounts and detailed instructions.
Tips That Make a Difference
• Let it sit undisturbed: Like yogurt, crème fraîche needs stillness to culture properly.
• Choose the right cream: Heavy cream gives better results than whipping cream. Avoid half-and-half—it won’t thicken enough.
• Starter options: Use homemade or store-bought yogurt with live cultures.
• Yogurt vs. Whey: Yogurt makes a slightly firmer texture, but both work well.
Homemade Creme Fraiche Recipe (No Buttermilk Needed!)
Video
Ingredients
- 1 cup (238 g) heavy cream
- 1 tablespoon of fresh unflavored yogurt or yogurt whey
Instructions
- Pour 1 cup (238 g) heavy cream into a glass or ceramic bowl or a glass jar.
- Add 1 tablespoon of fresh unflavored yogurt or yogurt whey. Whisk until smooth.
- Cover with a coffee filter, cloth, or a flat plate. The mixture needs oxygen to work. Secure with the traditional metal collar or a rubber band if necessary to keep cover in place.
- Set mixture aside on a quiet shelf where it will not be disturbed for 8-24 hours. The ambient temperature should be in the 70s. Do not stir, shake, or jostle during this time.
- After 8 hours, check to see if your cream mixture is set by barely tipping the jar. It should be as firm as gelatin.
- When set, refrigerate for 2-3 hours until cold and stiff. If you like, use a whisk to make it creamy.
Nutrition
All images and text ©️ Paula Rhodes for Salad in a Jar.com
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use ultra-pasteurized cream?
Yes! Despite common advice to use only pasteurized cream, ultra-pasteurized works beautifully in my experience.
Do I need to heat the cream first?
No. It will come to room temperature on its own.
Can I use older yogurt as a starter?
Yes, as long as it smells and tastes fresh with no mold.
How long does it keep?
Store in the fridge for 1–2 weeks.
Can I freeze it?
Freezing makes it grainy, so fresh is best.
How is it different from Mexican crema?
Crema is thinner, slightly sweeter, but can be used the same way.
Final Thoughts
No buttermilk? No problem. This simple, yogurt-based creme fraiche is rich, tangy, and endlessly useful. Think of it as the French cousin in your fridge—always ready to dress things up. Try it once, and you’ll wonder how you ever lived without it.
Need help troubleshooting? Please email me: Paula at saladinajar.com–photos welcome!
I tend to drain my store bought plain yogurt at home because it’s typically too “loose” for me, but then have about 1/2 cup of whey left over…what to do with that? ? And while I literally just made a batch of creme fraiche using buttermilk (you’re right – now what do I do with all that leftover buttermilk?), I stumbled across your website with a recipe that uses yogurt instead – genius! Just knowing I can make this creamy concoction at home thrills me (and my wallet!). I plan to use this recipe next time, so thank you for the tip! ❤
Glad you found my website and the creme fraiche recipe. Just reading your letter is making me want to go make some. I’m excited to hear how it turns out for you.
Hi, greetings from Germany!
I just tried this recipe and it worked out great! Delicious Crème Fraîche and another way to reduce plastic!
Hi Katharina,
Welcome! Glad it worked for you. Enjoy!
Hi, I was so excited for this recipe. I used the whey option as I had just made yogurt left it out for 24 hours then put it in the fridge to chill. When I went to stir it half of it was the correct consistency and half was liquid. I mixed it all together, but it is just completely runny. Can I do it again and see if that completely cultures it?
Hi Colby,
I have not heard of this happening before. What was the ambient temperature where you set the cream to ferment? If the mixture still smells good, you can always try again. If you left the creme fraiche out for 24 hours, that was probably too long. (I only leave mine out for 8 hours or less.) When the bacteria run out of food, there’s no telling what will happen next.
Yum!
How long will it keep?
Hi Shawna,
In my experience, it will last about two weeks. Of course, creme fraiche is always best the first 2-3 days.
Hi,
I am in the middle of attempting the cream fraiche. When you say it should be like jello do you mean throughout or just the top. The reason I ask is because it’s been 21 hours and it has that jello like texture but only on the top, the rest is still liquid. It had this texture after I checked it at 10 hours of sitting too and hasn’t changed other than a little thicker on top. I’m assuming the jello consistency should be throughout so I ‘ll give it a full 24 hours and see what happens.
Thank you!
I would go ahead and refrigerate it. It won’t get really firm until it’s chilled.
Will this work with lactose free cream and lactose free yogurt?
I haven’t tried it, but I’m guessing it will.
Can I double this recipe?
Yes. Should work just fine.
Delicios and easy to make!
You and I are on the same wavelength today. I just made creme fraiche myself to go with our Challah tomorrow for Easter dinner.
Who would have thought there were so many uses for (rather unappetising) whey left over from Greek yoghourt. Brilliant. Thank you.
Thank you!!
I’ve never seen real heavy cream here in the Philippines. We avoid most recipes calling for heavy cream but when we do need it we substitute with evaporated milk or whole milk and butter. Do you think either of these, or something else, would work to make crème fraîche? I should probably also mention that store bought whole milk are all UHT processed.
Dave,
I’m not 100% positive, but I feel pretty sure evaporated milk or whole milk won’t work. If anything, it will probably make a thin yogurt. You need cream with at least 30% butterfat or very close to it. It’s probably not the healthiest food, but it doesn’t take much to work its magic.
I will try it. Thank you. We use yogurt whey to make a fresh cold drink. In a bottle add some yogurt to the whey and minced garlic, salt shake then refrigate and enjoy with every greek or meditterrian dish
What an interesting “recipe”! Fiere, it’s also a delicious way to use more whey. Thanks so much for writing.
Hi Paula. I don’t use yoghurt much, so am wondering if frozen yoghurt would work to make the crème fraiche. Was thinking of buying a small tub or two and freezing it in tablespoon portions in an ice-cube tray. Chris
Hi Chris,
Glad you asked. Frozen yoghurt should work to make creme fraiche, but it has its limits. It seems to lose strength in the freezer, too, but not as fast. In my experience, it still has enough live bacteria to make more yogurt (or creme fraiche) for at least 6 weeks. Beyond that, it just depends. Experimentation might be in order.
Sorry to correct you, Paula, but you said that we serve creme fraiche with our scones in the UK. It’s actually clotted cream which doesn’t have the sour taste (but all the calories!!)
You can feel free to correct me anytime. So you think it was clotted cream I was served with Sally Lunn bread in Bath? It has been over 20 years ago but I still remember it as some of the best stuff ever. The Sally Lunn was to die for.
@Paula,
Your newsletters always make me feel very hungry!! I’ve lived in France for the last 13 years and there are a lot of things that are not available here – including clotted cream? It’s traditionally made in the West Country (mostly Devon, Cornwall & Somerset). When my husband & I went back to the UK a couple of years ago, we bought a pot from a supermarket near London. We knew that it wouldn’t be as good as the clotted cream made in dairies & farms but what a disappointment!!!!!! Creme fraiche is readily available here but other cream, for pouring and whipping, is not very good. The highest fat content is around 30%. After reading your email, I decided that I would try making my own clotted cream. It should be made with what you call heavy cream but I thought I would try with the 30%(pasteurized but not ultra-pasteurized). The results weren’t quite as thick as usual but it was delicious!! Real clotted cream should have an uneven texture and should never be whipped or stirred much – the lumps are intentional.
Here is what I did in case you want to try it yourself. Pour 1 litre of cream into a shallow, rectangular, (much easier to pour from than a round one) ceramic or glass baking dish so that it’s about 1 inch deep and put it in an oven preheated to 80 degrees C (175 to 180 degrees F). Bake for 12 hours without stirring, prodding or jiggling. The top will go pale brown. Carefully remove from oven and allow to cool to room temperature. Cover dish with cling film and refrigerate for at least 8 hours until completely chilled. Remove a little of the top layer of thickened cream from one corner with a spoon (I ate it) and carefully pour the liquid underneath into a container to use in cooking or baking. Strangely I didn’t get much liquid but I got more clotted cream? Put it into a bowl or jar, cover and refrigerate up to 5 days. The brownish skin can be broken up a little so you get some in every spoonful but don’t stir too much. Wonderful served with gooseberry crumble, warm treacle tart, dark chocolate mousse (in equal quantities), scones and strawberry jam, warm poached fruit such as peaches, cherries, apricots, etc etc and, of course, Sally Lunn.
I have a book that I think that you would love. It’s called ‘Porters English Cookery Bible’ by The Earl of Bradford. It is a by-product of Porter’s restaurant in Covent Garden, London. You can find it on amazon.com but it’s much cheaper from amazon.co.uk (£6.43 secondhand including delivery to America from The Cotswold Library). You can ‘Look inside’ and read the index of recipes and it gives american measurements as well as imperial and metric. The recipes say to use fresh yeast and that’s what I do. There’s a recipe for Sally Lunn which I haven’t tried but the hot cross buns are excellent. I do use more spice and dried fruit and also add nutmeg, ginger and cloves. Maybe Covid-19 has dulled my tastebuds.
Oh my goodness, Charlotte. This recipe for clotted cream sounds fantastic. I will definitely try it. I found the cookbook for 6.00 and free shipping. Can’t resist. I’ll let you know when I try something.
I’m amazed that there are a lot of foods you can’t find in France. I would have thought they had everything.
Thanks so much for writing. Have a great weekend.
@Charlotte,
I ordered that book. Can’t wait to get it.
@Paula,
I do hope that you like it otherwise I’ll feel very guilty!
I order cookbooks all the time–mostly used. It’s the only thing I collect, and I really do read them and/or use them. Thanks for the tip.