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Where to buy crème fraîche? Trick question!
Have you ever bought crème fraîche, just in case you might need it, and then had to throw it away because you didn’t have a chance to use it before the expiration date?
Do you have a hard time finding decent crème fraîche in your local grocery store in the first place?
If the answer to either of these questions is yes, then you’ll be thrilled to know that you can make your own crème fraîche in less than a minute, for a fraction of the cost of the store-bought kind — and you can make as little or as much of it as you need. Best of all, it’ll taste better than any crème fraîche you’ve ever bought.
What is crème fraîche?
Crème fraîche is a thickened cream that’s incredibly versatile, and thanks to its wonderfully thick texture, a little goes a long way. A dollop of this tangy cream will add a velvety-smooth consistency to soups or sauces and will give a wonderfully rich texture to any dessert. But the list of dishes that can be enhanced by crème fraîche is practically endless.
For the best flavor, use organic heavy cream to make your batch of crème fraîche. If you can find heavy cream from a local farmer, even better!
Homemade crème fraîche
makes 1/2 cup
active time: 5 min
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 1 1/2 tablespoons cultured buttermilk
- Place the cream in a glass jar. Add the buttermilk. Close jar tightly with a lid and shake well. Store the jar at room temperature for 12 to 24 hours until the mixture is thick. The fermentation will happen faster when the room temperature is warmer. Refrigerate in its jar for up to 2 weeks. Double or triple the recipe according to your needs.
condiment, crème fraîche, buttermilk
77 Comments
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Tammy
December 18, 2018 at 5:49 am ·Reply
Can you use the buttermilk you get from making your cultered butter?
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Viviane Bauquet Farre
December 21, 2018 at 4:56 pm ·Reply
Hi Tammy, I have never tried using buttermilk for making cultured butter. I recommend using the cultures listed in the recipe. They’re inexpensive and arrive quickly in the mail (see links in the ingredient portion of the recipe)… Good luck making your butter!
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Eilen
January 3, 2018 at 8:52 pm ·Reply
I don’t have buttermilk but wonder if milk kefir would work? What do you think?
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Viviane Bauquet Farre
January 12, 2018 at 7:15 pm ·Reply
Hi Eilen, I haven’t tried to use kefir to make creme fraiche, so I cannot say… A quick search on Google tells me people have done it, though. I’d be interested to see if it works and if there is a change in flavor as the culture for kefir is not the same as the culture for buttermilk.
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Georgetta
November 7, 2017 at 6:44 pm ·Reply
When can I use this after first making it do I have to wait two weeks to first use it.
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Viviane Bauquet Farre
November 10, 2017 at 3:24 pm ·Reply
Hi Georgetta, You can use the crème fraîche as soon as it’s made. Enjoy!
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Marjorie
February 15, 2017 at 7:45 pm ·Reply
Thank you for this helpful recipe for crème fraiche which make homemade ranch dressing devine!!!
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Viviane Bauquet Farre
February 24, 2017 at 12:24 am ·Reply
You are most welcome, Marjorie! I am delighted you enjoyed this recipe!
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Kathleen
Can I use pasteurized heavy cream?
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Viviane Bauquet Farre
August 26, 2016 at 2:59 am ·Reply
Hi Kathleen, Yes! You can use either pasteurized or ultra pasteurized heavy cream for this recipe. Have fun making your crème fraîche!
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November 24, 2010 at 6:44 pm ·Reply
It is quite hard to find Creme Fraiche here in Northern Cyprus and definately over priced when you do find it, however, Buttermilk I think would be almost impossible to find! Is it true that you can allow a pint of Milk to ‘go off’ and use this? I have also not seen Sour Cream here.. Do you think yoghurt would work! I read an article saying you can make Buttermilk by adding vinegar or lemon juice I wonder if this would affect the flavour..
Many Thanks
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November 17, 2010 at 11:37 am ·Reply
Hi Viviane, thanks for this post. What if buttermilk is not available? thanks.
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November 17, 2010 at 5:31 pm ·Reply
Divina, You can use sour cream instead of buttermilk to make creme fraiche (use the same measurements). Can you find sour cream in Asia?
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September 26, 2010 at 12:53 pm ·Reply
Thank you for posting this. We can’t get crème fraîche easily here so this is perfect. Now to make sure I always have buttermilk on hand!
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September 25, 2010 at 1:53 pm ·Reply
we always replace crème fraîche with sour cream, and were just commenting that we should try the real stuff some time. i love the idea of MAKING our own instead of buying it, since it can be rather expensive. will definitely bookmark this!
cheers and thanks,
*heather*
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September 25, 2010 at 7:44 am ·Reply
Now this is ‘news you can use’! The price of store-bought creme fraiche is really absurd and yet it’s so easy and inexpensive to make at home. Great stuff!
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September 25, 2010 at 7:18 am ·Reply
Lordy! That’s it! This isn’t sold in my country so this is a godsend for me. I can’t believe it’s so ridiculously easy
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September 25, 2010 at 5:07 am ·Reply
Wow, home-made creme fraiche. That is another level of cooking! Well done!
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September 24, 2010 at 2:27 pm ·Reply
Yes we always make our own, trouble is it generally doesn’t work out cheaper as buttermilk is expensive and also hard to come by, but if you are organised (which sadly we seldom are) you can keep it going by making the next batch with the creme fraiche you’ve already made.
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September 24, 2010 at 7:27 pm ·Reply
Choclette, I had no idea buttermilk was so expensive in the UK! I guess you have to make sure to use it some something ultra delicious as you need so little for the crème fraîche!
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September 24, 2010 at 12:56 pm ·Reply
Come to think of it, I’ve never seen creme fraiche at the grocery store! I bet Fairway in Paramus would have it, though. Very happy to know it can be made with buttermilk. I’d made it half whipped cream half soure cream, but I bet the texture would be lighter this way.
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September 24, 2010 at 7:29 pm ·Reply
Hi Jen! Sour cream changes the flavor of crème fraîche quite a bit… Definitely try it with the buttermilk and let me know what you think.
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September 23, 2010 at 7:29 pm ·Reply
This would be very easy…if we could find fresh cream or buttermilk here. We mostly have Ultra Heat Treated milk in boxes here in Kuching.
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September 23, 2010 at 6:10 pm ·Reply
Thanks for your post!!! I made a Martha Stewart version like 10 years ago and don’t remember even how I did it.
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September 23, 2010 at 5:04 pm ·Reply
I’m obsessed with making my own ricotta and mascarpone and now this? I can’t wait to try it. Thanks for your lovely post. ALways enjoy your blog.
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September 23, 2010 at 12:11 pm ·Reply
So easy to make. Secret confession: I love anything that is thick, creamy and full-fat. So, making my own Creme Fraiche will be a real treat!
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September 23, 2010 at 12:03 pm ·Reply
Fabulous! Thanks so much for sharing!
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September 23, 2010 at 9:12 am ·Reply
That’s it? Creme fraiche is cream with a little buttermilk? No kidding. I learn something new everyday. Thanks! This will make a big difference.
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September 23, 2010 at 9:06 am ·Reply
Looks great to me. I hope non pasteurized cream works. Got to try this soon!
Thanks for sharing it so beautifully!-
September 23, 2010 at 9:15 am ·Reply
I don’t see why the unpasteurized cream wouldn’t work… although I have not tried it since there are no farmers selling non pasteurized cream in my neck of the woods.
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September 23, 2010 at 9:05 am ·Reply
I had absolutely no idea you could do this at home. All I need is buttermilk from the store? Can’t wait to try it! Thank you.
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September 23, 2010 at 9:12 am ·Reply
El, yes… all you need is buttermilk. I’ve tried it with buttermilk from the farmers’ market (sheep’s milk) and it was truly delicious, a bit more tangy. You’ll be a convert after your first batch!
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September 23, 2010 at 3:57 am ·Reply
Lovely, good post.
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September 23, 2010 at 1:09 am ·Reply
Is that it for the creme fraiche? I can run to my fridge right now and make this! 🙂
I can never find this in stores and am always at a loss when it’s called for in a recipe. Thank you…this is a keeper!
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September 23, 2010 at 1:16 am ·Reply
Yes, Cristina… It’s unbelievable but true. Crème fraîche is the easiest thing to do in this whole wide world! I make a batch every week.
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September 23, 2010 at 12:57 am ·Reply
what a great idea. I’ll be sure to keep it in mind for the future 🙂
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