Know2eat

Sour cream

What sour cream has been studied for

1 association assessed — none with dependable human evidence behind them yet. Strongest first.

  • 1 Insufficient
3 things to know first — allergies, interactions and intake limits

About sour cream

Cream fermented with lactic acid bacteria until it thickens and sharpens. Crème fraîche is the same idea with a higher fat cream and a milder culture; both are cream first and a ferment second.

Also known as Cultured cream, Smetana, Crème fraîche (related)

Gut & Digestive Health

The evidence in depth

Best supported: Insufficient

What each association actually rests on, and the papers behind it. A rating describes the state of the research, not how impressive the food is. How we rate evidence.

Gut microbiome

Gut & Digestive Health
Insufficient evidence

Evidence is limited for sour cream and gut bacteria. It is cultured, but the strains are chosen for flavour and texture rather than for survival through the gut, and no human study has tested it.

Insufficient evidence. Not enough human research to say anything useful yet.

3 sources

Deep research mode adds each paper’s own conclusion and stated limitations.

Ask about Sour cream

Ask about Sour cream

Answers are written only from the entries on this page — the same nutrients, compounds, claims and citations you can read above. Nothing is added from outside the database, and every answer lists what it was built from.

AI explanations are not switched on for this site, so there is nothing to ask here. Everything above is read straight from the database and does not need them.

Key nutrients

Nutrient content per 100 grams
NutrientAmount% DV
Macronutrients
Calories198 kcal10%
Protein2.44 g5%
Total fat19.4 g25%
Carbohydrate4.63 g2%
Fibre0 g0%
Total sugars3.41 g—
Water73.1 g—
Fats
Saturated fat10.1 g51%
Monounsaturated fat4.59 g—
Polyunsaturated fat0.8 g—
Cholesterol59 mg20%
ALA (omega-3)0.068 g—
EPA (omega-3)0.0060 g—
DHA (omega-3)0.0010 g—
DPA (omega-3)0.011 g—
Linoleic acid (omega-6)0.648 g—
Vitamins
Vitamin A124 µg14%
Vitamin C0.9 mg1%
Vitamin D0 µg0%
Vitamin E0.38 mg3%
Vitamin K1.5 µg1%
Thiamin (B1)0.02 mg2%
Riboflavin (B2)0.168 mg13%
Niacin (B3)0.093 mg1%
Pantothenic acid (B5)0.472 mg9%
Vitamin B60.041 mg2%
Folate6 µg2%
Vitamin B120.21 µg9%
Choline19.2 mg3%
Minerals
Calcium101 mg8%
Iron0.07 mg0%
Magnesium10 mg2%
Phosphorus76 mg6%
Potassium125 mg3%
Sodium31 mg1%
Zinc0.33 mg3%
Copper0.018 mg2%
Manganese0.015 mg1%
Selenium3.7 µg7%
Other measured compounds
Beta-carotene25 µg—
Alpha-carotene0 µg—
Lycopene0 µg—
Lutein + zeaxanthin4 µg—
Caffeine0 mg—
Ash0.51 g—

Nutrient values are per 100 g of the USDA reference entry named on this page and vary with variety, growing conditions, storage and preparation.

Source record: Cream, sour, cultured (USDA FoodData Central, FDC ID 171257).

% DV uses the FDA Daily Values for adults and children aged 4 and over. A dash means no Daily Value has been established for that nutrient.

Bioactive compounds

Compounds present in meaningful amounts. Presence is banded rather than quantified, because whole-food levels vary enormously with variety, growing conditions, storage and preparation.

How preparation changes things

Only effects with real support are listed. If a preparation method is missing, it is because nothing dependable is documented — not because it makes no difference.

  • fermentedReduces lactose

    Lactic acid bacteria convert part of the lactose to lactic acid during culturing, which is also what thickens the cream.

Things to know

Allergies, interactions and intake concerns. Every food gets this section — a reference where everything is uniformly good is not a reference.

  • Too much

    Concentrated dairy fat

    Sour cream is cultured cream, so it is dominated by saturated dairy fat and supplies little protein. Reduced-fat versions usually replace the fat with starch and gums.

  • Allergy

    Cow milk protein allergy

    A major regulated allergen.

  • Worth knowing

    Lactose partly consumed

    Culturing removes some of the lactose but not all of it, and cream contains less to begin with than milk. Tolerance is usually better than with milk, at the portion sizes sour cream is normally eaten in.