Making Homemade Crème Fraîche
Crème fraîche is simply heavy cream thickened by a live culture. By introducing a small amount of buttermilk to room-temperature cream and leaving it in a warm spot for a day, the natural sugars convert to lactic acid, resulting in a thick, velvety cream with a clean, sharp finish.
Temperature is the only variable that matters.
If your kitchen is cold, the culture won't wake up. Keep the jar in an area that stays consistently between 70°F and 75°F for the duration of the set.
- Glass mason jar with a lid
- Cheesecloth or a clean tea towel
- Rubber band or string
What goes in.
- 2 cupsheavy whipping cream (pasteurized, not ultra-pasteurized)
- 2 tbspcultured buttermilk
Finding the sweet spot
The quality of your result depends entirely on the label of your cream. Avoid ultra-pasteurized cream, as the high heat treatment prevents the culture from binding to the proteins correctly.
The method.
Combine the ingredients
Pour the cream and buttermilk into a clean glass jar. Seal the lid and shake vigorously for thirty seconds to ensure the culture is evenly distributed.
Cover and rest
Remove the lid and replace it with a layer of cheesecloth or a thin tea towel, securing it with a rubber band. This allows the mixture to breathe while keeping dust out.
Incubate
Place the jar in a warm, dark spot in your kitchen. Leave it undisturbed for 24 hours. You are looking for a thickened, custard-like consistency that holds its shape when stirred.
Chill and set
Remove the cloth, screw on the lid, and transfer the jar to the refrigerator. The cream will continue to firm up as it chills; it is ready to use after 4 hours of refrigeration.
Other turns to take.
Thicker consistency
If you prefer a denser product, replace the cloth cover with a solid lid after the first 12 hours of incubation, but do not shake it.
When it doesn't go to plan.
Use the smallest jar possible to fit the volume; less headspace means less risk of unwanted surface mold.
If after 24 hours the cream is still thin, move it to a warmer spot and give it another 6 to 12 hours.
Homemade crème fraîche will keep in the refrigerator for up to two weeks.
The ones that keep coming up.
How do I know if it has spoiled?
If you see fuzzy growth of any color, or if it smells strongly yeasty or metallic rather than tangy and milky, discard it and clean your jar thoroughly.
Can I use low-fat milk?
No. The high fat content in heavy cream is required to build the structure of the thickened product.
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