Sour cream substitutes: 7 swaps and how the nutrition changes
To replace 1 cup of sour cream, use 1 cup plain yogurt, 3/4 cup buttermilk plus 1/3 cup butter or 1 cup cottage cheese blended with 1/3 cup buttermilk and 1 tbsp lemon juice, plus 4 more options below. 1 cup of sour cream has 451 calories, and the swaps come to 189 to 675 calories for the same amount. The biggest change is in saturated fat: 24.6 g in the original, 5.5 g to 37.9 g in the swaps.
Per 1 cup
| Calories | Fat | Saturated fat | Protein | Carbs | Total sugars | Sodium | Cholesterol | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sour cream (original) | 451 calories | 41.4 g | 24.6 g | 7.1 g | 12.8 g | 7.8 g | 115 mg | 122 mg |
| 1 cup plain yogurt | 189 calories (-261) | 11 g (-30.4) | 5.7 g (-18.9) | 9.4 g (+2.3) | 13.7 g (+0.9) | 10 g (+2.2) | 102 mg (-13) | 35 mg (-87) |
| 3/4 cup buttermilk plus 1/3 cup butter | 641 calories (+190) | 64.2 g (+22.8) | 35.5 g (+10.9) | 7 g (-0.1) | 8.8 g (-3.9) | 10.2 g (+2.4) | 565 mg (+450) | 187 mg (+65) |
| 1 cup cottage cheese blended with 1/3 cup buttermilk and 1 tbsp lemon juice | 255 calories (-196) | 9.8 g (-31.6) | 5.9 g (-18.7) | 27.3 g (+20.2) | 14.6 g (+1.8) | 10.4 g (+2.5) | 810 mg (+695) | 42 mg (-80) |
| 1 cup cottage cheese pureed with 2 to 3 tsp lemon juice | 219 calories (-232) | 8.9 g (-32.5) | 5.5 g (-19.1) | 24.4 g (+17.4) | 10.5 g (-2.3) | 5.9 g (-1.9) | 735 mg (+620) | 38 mg (-84) |
| 3/4 cup buttermilk plus 1/4 cup oil | 560 calories (+110) | 56.5 g (+15.1) | 9.3 g (-15.3) | 6.3 g (-0.7) | 8.8 g (-4.0) | 9.8 g (+2.0) | 168 mg (+53) | 9.2 mg (-113) |
| 1 cup evaporated milk plus 1 tbsp vinegar | 340 calories (-110) | 19.1 g (-22.3) | 11.6 g (-13.0) | 17.2 g (+10.1) | 25.3 g (+12.5) | 25.3 g (+17.5) | 267 mg (+152) | 73 mg (-49) |
| 3/4 cup milk, 3/4 tsp lemon juice and 1/3 cup butter | 675 calories (+224) | 68.1 g (+26.7) | 37.9 g (+13.3) | 6.6 g (-0.4) | 8.8 g (-4.0) | 9.3 g (+1.5) | 466 mg (+351) | 200 mg (+78) |
Numbers in brackets show the change from the original. USDA FoodData Central.
How to make each swap
- 1 cup plain yogurt. For cooked dishes, NDSU suggests stirring 1 tbsp cornstarch into each cup of yogurt so it does not separate. Compared with 1 cup of sour cream: -261 calories, -30.4 g fat, +2.3 g protein, +2.2 g sugars, -13 mg sodium. Source: NMSU Extension, NDSU Extension, USU Extension.
- 3/4 cup buttermilk plus 1/3 cup butter. Compared with 1 cup of sour cream: +190 calories, +22.8 g fat, -0.1 g protein, +2.4 g sugars, +450 mg sodium. Source: NMSU Extension.
- 1 cup cottage cheese blended with 1/3 cup buttermilk and 1 tbsp lemon juice. Blend until smooth. Compared with 1 cup of sour cream: -196 calories, -31.6 g fat, +20.2 g protein, +2.5 g sugars, +695 mg sodium. Source: NMSU Extension, NDSU Extension.
- 1 cup cottage cheese pureed with 2 to 3 tsp lemon juice. Compared with 1 cup of sour cream: -232 calories, -32.5 g fat, +17.4 g protein, -1.9 g sugars, +620 mg sodium. Source: NDSU Extension.
- 3/4 cup buttermilk plus 1/4 cup oil. Compared with 1 cup of sour cream: +110 calories, +15.1 g fat, -0.7 g protein, +2.0 g sugars, +53 mg sodium. Source: NDSU Extension.
- 1 cup evaporated milk plus 1 tbsp vinegar. Use the milk at room temperature (70 °F) and let it stand until it thickens. Compared with 1 cup of sour cream: -110 calories, -22.3 g fat, +10.1 g protein, +17.5 g sugars, +152 mg sodium. Source: NDSU Extension.
- 3/4 cup milk, 3/4 tsp lemon juice and 1/3 cup butter. Compared with 1 cup of sour cream: +224 calories, +26.7 g fat, -0.4 g protein, +1.5 g sugars, +351 mg sodium. The numbers use whole milk. Made with 2% milk, 655 calories and 65.7 g fat or with nonfat milk, 625 calories and 62.4 g fat. Source: NMSU Extension, NDSU Extension.
Which swap fits what you need
Per 1 cup, among the swaps above.
- Fewest calories: 1 cup plain yogurt, 189 calories (451 calories in sour cream)
- Least saturated fat: 1 cup cottage cheese pureed with 2 to 3 tsp lemon juice, 5.5 g (24.6 g in sour cream)
- Most protein: 1 cup cottage cheese blended with 1/3 cup buttermilk and 1 tbsp lemon juice, 27.3 g (7.1 g in sour cream)
- Least sodium: 1 cup plain yogurt, 102 mg (115 mg in sour cream)
- Least sugar: 1 cup cottage cheese pureed with 2 to 3 tsp lemon juice, 5.9 g (7.8 g in sour cream)
Choosing a swap
Plain yogurt is the swap all three main guides list, and it has about 260 fewer calories per cup. In a cooked dish, NDSU suggests stirring in 1 tbsp of cornstarch per cup so the yogurt does not separate.
Blended cottage cheese with buttermilk and lemon is the high-protein option, at 27.3 g a cup instead of 7.1 g. It also brings 810 mg of sodium, so taste before you salt the dish.
The butter-based swaps have more calories and saturated fat than sour cream itself.
Written from the extension guidance and USDA numbers on this page, reviewed by the Bioma editorial system. How we verify.
Sources
Substitution ratios
- New Mexico State University Cooperative Extension, In a Pinch Ingredient Substitution (Guide E-131, revised May 2016). https://pubs.nmsu.edu/_e/E131/ (accessed 2026-10-12)
- NDSU Extension, Ingredient Substitutions (FN198, J. Garden-Robinson, April 2013 edition). https://www.extension.purdue.edu/extmedia/HHS/HHS-784-W.pdf (accessed 2026-10-12)
- Utah State University Extension, List of Ingredient Substitutions for Cooking and Baking. https://extension.usu.edu/archive/list-of-ingredient-substitutions-for-cooking-and-baking (accessed 2026-10-12)
Nutrition numbers: USDA FoodData Central (accessed 2026-10-12)
- Sour cream: Sour cream, regular, FDC ID 2705614 (FoodData Central survey (FNDDS) 2024-10-31)
- Plain whole-milk yogurt: Yogurt, plain, whole milk, FDC ID 2259793 (Foundation Foods, published 2022-04-28) · full profile
- Buttermilk: Buttermilk, FDC ID 2705393 (FoodData Central survey (FNDDS) 2024-10-31)
- Butter (salted): Butter, stick, FDC ID 2710155 (FoodData Central survey (FNDDS) 2024-10-31)
- Cottage cheese: Cheese, cottage, creamed, large or small curd, FDC ID 2705748 (FoodData Central survey (FNDDS) 2024-10-31)
- Lemon juice: Lemon juice, raw, FDC ID 167747 (SR Legacy, published 2019-04-01) · full profile
- Vegetable oil (soybean): Oil, vegetable, soybean, refined, FDC ID 172370 (SR Legacy, published 2019-04-01)
- Evaporated milk: Milk, canned, evaporated, with added vitamin D and without added vitamin A, FDC ID 171276 (SR Legacy, published 2019-04-01)
- White vinegar: Vinegar, distilled, FDC ID 172237 (SR Legacy, published 2019-04-01)
- Whole milk: Milk, whole, FDC ID 2705385 (FoodData Central survey (FNDDS) 2024-10-31)
How we calculate: each part of a swap is converted from its household measure to grams with the USDA portion weight for that food (1 cup = 16 tbsp = 48 tsp), then multiplied by the USDA values per 3.5 oz (100 g). Water counts as zero, and so do pinches under 5 g (salt, baking powder) where USDA lists no value. A dash (—) means USDA reports no value for at least one part. USDA measures sugars directly but calculates total carbohydrate by difference, so in a few foods here, mostly dairy, sugars come out slightly higher than carbs. We show the USDA numbers as published. How we verify.