Recipes

39 Sour Cream Recipes That Prove It Makes Everything Better

These 39 recipes turn sour cream, our favorite dairy aisle find, into the moistest cakes, the richest dips and salad dressings, and one hell of a cheesecake.
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Peden & Munk

Sour cream, is there anything you don't improve? Our favorite dairy aisle find makes the moistest cakes, the richest dips and salad dressings, and one hell of a cheesecake. Buy a tub, then use it in these 39 recipes.

  • Slices of cheesecake with graham cracker crust on a blue background with forks to the side.
    Photograph by Emma Fishman, Prop styling by Emma Ringness, Food Styling by Mieko Takahashi
    3/39

    BA's Best Cheesecake

    Room temperature ingredients ensure a smooth and creamy texture; take the cream cheese, sour cream, and eggs out of the refrigerator about 2 hours ahead of time.

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  • Image may contain Food Dessert Creme Cream and Plant
    Michael Graydon & Nikole Herriott
    4/39

    Maraschino Cherry Parfaits

    Don’t feel like making your own maraschino? Luxardo brand, made with Marasca sour cherries, is our jarred go-to. (Skip those gross neon-red ones.)

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  • Image may contain Food Bread Creme Cream and Dessert
    Michael Graydon & Nikole Herriott
    5/39

    Fruity Rum Bundt Cake

    Flouring the fruit in this Bundt cake recipe helps keep it suspended throughout the batter, and using a serrated knife guarantees you won’t squash or shred the slices.

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  • Biscuits and Gravy on a pink plate placed on a tile background
    Photograph by Isa Zapata, Food Styling by Mieko Takahashi
    6/39

    Biscuits and Sausage Gravy

    Sour cream takes the place of buttermilk in these easy flaky biscuits with sausage gravy.

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  • Overhead view of a spinach salad with mature leaves roasted mushroom caps shaved shallots and a creamy herb dressing.
    Alex Lau
    9/39

    Classic Spinach Salad

    Mature spinach has a stronger flavor than baby spinach and holds up better to this creamy dressing. 

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  • Platter of four twicebaked potatoes with burnished tops and a garnish of chopped chives on teal tablecloth.
    Photograph by Isa Zapata, Food Styling by Taneka Morris, Prop Styling by Maya Rossi
    10/39

    Twice-Baked Potatoes

    If you’ve got a microwave, you can cook the potatoes in less time, but use the oven for the second bake.

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As the senior food editor at Bon Appétit, Christina spends her days in the BA Test Kitchen dreaming up recipes for home cooks (Chocolate-Matcha Butter Mochi Cake and Green Curry Lentil Soup are favorites). She also oversees the brand’s digital recipe content, working with freelancers and test kitchen staff to ... Read More
Senior Food Editor