Homemade Crème Fraîche
I first discovered crème fraîche when I made strawberry crème fraîche ice cream last summer, and I immediately fell in love with its rich smooth texture. When my sister-in-law got me a French cookbook (French Farmhouse Cookbook – love this book!) last year for Christmas, I noticed crème fraîche popping up in more and more of the recipes I wanted to try. Since I intend to share those recipes here on the blog (if they turn out well, of course!), I figured I’d better start by sharing a recipe for homemade crème fraîche.
Crème fraîche is really just cream that has been naturally soured. Because the cream you buy in the store is pasteurized, you need to add buttermilk to help it along a little. Having never had crème fraîche in France, I can’t vouch for the authenticity of this recipe, but I can tell you that the end result is thick and rich. And every recipe I’ve made with it has been delicious. 🙂 So give it a try and let me know what you think. And keep it in the fridge till next week – I’m sharing a recipe you’ll definitely want to make!
Homemade Crème Fraîche
Ingredients:
- 2 cups heavy whipping cream
- 3 Tbsp buttermilk
Directions:
- Whisk the cream and buttermilk together in a medium sized bowl. Cover with a towel and let stand in a warm spot until it thickens, 8 - 12 hours, depending on the temperature.
- Cover the crème fraîche and refrigerate for several hours until thickened. Tightly covered, it will keep in the refrigerator for 1 week.
from the French Farmhouse Cookbook
Welcome! I'm Megan and it's my hope that here you'll find food that has been made with love and recipes that are shared with joy. Thanks for stopping by! 
I have seen Creme Fraiche in recipes but I have never been able to find it in stores where I live. So glad I can make it at home now!
Interesting. Never imagined that it would be so simple. Thanks for sharing.
Megan, I am late reading this post… I had no idea it was so simple to make Creme Fraiche, so thank you for showing us. May I ask how you store it in the refrigerator… you mention “tightly covered”. What kind of container do you use? Thanks so much for sharing it.
I just store it in one of my glass snap and seal containers – anything with a lid on it should be fine.
I am thinking about making this but, I was just wondering how the heavy whipping cream and buttermilk won’t get spoiled when left out unrefrigerated for so many hours?
This is wonderful 🙂 and so simple too!