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Creme Fraiche — Food Lens
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Food Lens · Recipe ingredients

Creme Fraiche

Rich and velvety with a mild, clean tang that is less sharp than sour cream; warm and slightly buttery in the finish.

Lens analyzed

Crème fraîche is a thick, cultured cream with a mild, pleasant tang produced by allowing cream to ferment with bacterial cultures. Unlike sour cream, its high fat content means it will not curdle when added to hot sauces or soups.

Where it comes from

Crème fraîche is a cultured cream from France, traditionally made by letting unpasteurized cream thicken and tang naturally. North American cooks buy it in small tubs or culture it at home from heavy cream and buttermilk, using it wherever a richer, less sharp sour cream is wanted.

Buying it

Look for crème fraîche with no added thickeners — cream and bacterial culture should be the only ingredients. Crème fraîche is thicker than sour cream; the two are not identical in behavior despite similar flavor.

Storing it

Keep refrigerated and use by the date on the container. Once opened, use within 1–2 weeks.

Keeps about 14 days in the fridge.

Out of creme fraiche? Good swaps

General cooking guidance — always check the labels on the products you use. Listahan’s allergen checks run automatically when you plan a recipe in the app. Not medical advice.

Common questions about creme fraiche

What can I use instead of creme fraiche?

Good swaps include Sour cream, Full-fat Greek yogurt. Each behaves a little differently — see the swaps above for notes, and always check labels for allergens.

How do I store creme fraiche?

Keep refrigerated and use by the date on the container. Once opened, use within 1–2 weeks. It keeps about 14 days in the fridge.

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Make creme fraiche about your kitchen — with Listahan Pro

Everything above is free, forever. Pro adds the Household Lens — the same food, seen for your family:

  • Checked for each member

    Flags creme fraiche per person against your household's allergies and school rules — not just a generic "contains" tag.

  • Pantry-aware

    Knows whether you already have it, what is running low, and the best swap from what is in your kitchen tonight.

  • What it costs near you

    A real price from the Presyo community index, so you can plan the budget — not guess.

  • Your household memory

    Who likes it, plus your own private notes — brand, where you keep it, who skips it.

Allergen safety is always free — Pro adds the automation, never the safety.

Cook with creme fraiche — safely

Plan a recipe in Listahan and the household allergen check runs automatically — every plan, every swap, every lunchbox. Safety is never paywalled.