A Tolerance Kitchen article
The Problem with Sour Cream and Crème Fraîche
Sour cream and crème fraîche are used in cooking all around the world, whether it's a dollop on a chilli, a splash in a pasta, poured over a pudding or a sweet chilli and sour cream for your potato wedges. Unfortunately, both sour cream and crème fraîche are much higher in histamine than fresh cream is, so if you're managing your histamine intake, you're likely going to find these on your avoid list.
The reason that sour cream and crème fraîche are high in histamine is down to how they are made. Both of them are, by definition, fermented dairy products, and as we've explored previously fermentation is one of the key processes that creates histamine in food. During the fermentation process, bacteria react with an amino acid called histidine, and convert it into histamine. This is why
What Job is it Doing in a Dish?
To find a successful replacement for any ingredient, we first need to understand the role that it is playing in your recipe, which is rarely just one thing. By identifying the primary role that your sour cream or crème fraîche is playing in your cooking, you can choose a swap that best mimics its function.
- Fat and Richness: This is the most obvious role. The high fat content provides a luxurious mouthfeel and carries flavour in sauces, soups, and desserts
- Body and Thickness: Cream acts as an emulsifier which means it binds ingredients together and adds a thick, velvety texture to dishes
- Tang and Acidity: The sourness of crème fraîche provides a crucial acidic note that cuts through richness and balances flavours, particularly in Mexican or Eastern European dishes
- A Cooling Element: A simple dollop on top of a spicy curry or a warm dessert provides a cooling contrast in both temperature and flavour
Low Histamine Swaps for Cream and Crème Fraîche
Here are some of the most reliable low histamine alternatives. Remember that individual tolerance varies, so it is always best to introduce new foods carefully.
| Swap | What it Replicates | What You Lose | How to Adjust | Freshness Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Coconut Cream | Fat, richness, body. | The neutral dairy flavour. Can impart a distinct coconut taste. | Use the thick, solid part from the top of a chilled can of full-fat coconut milk. Ideal for curries, soups, and some desserts. | Choose a brand with no added gums or stabilisers. Use a freshly opened can. |
| Mascarpone Cheese | Richness, body, thickness. | The pourable consistency of single cream. It is very thick. | Thin with a little water or a safe milk alternative to achieve the right consistency for a sauce. Great stirred into risotto or pasta. | Mascarpone is a fresh cheese. Use it as close to the purchase date as possible. |
| Blended Raw Cashews | Creaminess, body. | The exact dairy flavour. Requires preparation. | Soak raw, unsalted cashews in boiling water for 30 minutes, drain, then blend with fresh water until completely smooth. | Use with caution. Nuts can be histamine liberators for some people. Always make it fresh. |
| Fresh Cream | Creaminess, temperature. | The tang and acidity of sour cream or crème fraîche. | A like-for-like replacement for many dishes. Pour over a dessert or use in a creamy pasta dish. | Not suitable if you also have a lactose intolerance. Ensure that it is as fresh as possible. |
The Swap Everyone Recommends (and Shouldn't)
A very common piece of advice is to use natural or Greek yoghurt as a direct substitute for crème fraîche. While this makes sense from a culinary perspective (they both provide a tangy, creamy element) or for people with lactose intolerance (learn here why yoghurts are often OK even with lactose intolerance), it is not a good idea for those managing histamine intolerance.
Yoghurt is also a fermented dairy product, and the live cultures used to make it produce significant amounts of histamine. This makes it one of the dairy products most likely to cause a reaction. While some people may have a personal threshold that allows for a small amount, it is certainly not a 'safe' swap and should be approached with extreme caution.
If You Can Tolerate a Little
Histamine intolerance is all about your personal threshold. For some people, complete avoidance is necessary, particularly during an elimination phase. For others, a small amount of a potentially problematic food might be manageable. This is a journey of discovery that is best navigated with a qualified professional, who can help you with a careful reintroduction phase.
If you find your tolerance is improving, you might be able to experiment with a small amount of very fresh, pasteurised double or single cream. The key is always freshness; the closer to the use-by date, the more time there has been for histamine to develop. Avoid UHT (long-life) cream, as the processing can affect it. Similarly, a very fresh, high-quality ricotta cheese might be tolerated when stirred through a pasta dish to add creaminess.
The above content has been created with the input of a range of dietitians and sources. Following a low histamine diet should always be done alongside a qualified dietitian. Your own unique intolerances may make you more susceptible to certain foods than others, and long term adherence can lead to deficiencies in other important nutrients. You can find a list of trusted histamine practitioners here, all of whom offer 1:1 online sessions to help you get started and work with you to create a personalised diet.