Can I use Greek yogurt instead of sour cream?
A 1:1 swap chart for using Greek yogurt in place of sour cream, the cornstarch fix that keeps it from breaking in hot sauces, and the dishes where the swap is a bad idea.
Yes, you can use Greek yogurt instead of sour cream at a 1:1 ratio, with one hard limit: heat. A cup of sour cream has about 40 grams of fat, and a cup of whole-milk Greek yogurt has about 11, per America's Test Kitchen. Fat is what protects milk proteins from heat, so yogurt splits in a hot pan where sour cream holds. ATK watched Greek yogurt break in a hot stroganoff sauce. Use it cold or baked, and stir in cornstarch if it has to simmer.
Greek yogurt for sour cream: ratios at a glance
| Substitute | Ratio | Best for | Watch out |
|---|---|---|---|
| Whole-milk Greek yogurt, cold uses | 1:1 | Tacos, baked potatoes, dips, horseradish sauce, chilled soups, dressings, tzatziki | Reads slightly leaner and tangier than sour cream |
| Whole-milk Greek yogurt, baking | 1:1 | Coffee cake, muffins, quick breads, biscuits, cheesecake | Nothing much. ATK's sour cream drop biscuits worked with the swap |
| Greek yogurt plus cornstarch | 1:1 yogurt, plus 1 Tbsp cornstarch per cup | Stroganoff, curries, goulash, pan sauces | Stir the cornstarch in before heating, temper, and never let it boil |
| Plain regular yogurt | 1 cup = 1 cup sour cream | Whatever is already in the fridge | Thinner than sour cream, so drain it or cut back the other liquid |
| Cottage cheese, blended | 1 cup cottage cheese plus 2 to 3 tsp lemon juice = 1 cup sour cream | Dips, baking | Has to be pureed completely smooth |
| Sour cream, going the other way | 1 cup sour cream = 1 cup plain yogurt | Using up sour cream in a yogurt recipe | Adds fat and lowers protein |
Purdue Extension and U.S. Dairy both list the 1:1 sour cream swap. The fat numbers are ATK's.
How to swap Greek yogurt for sour cream
- Buy whole milk, never nonfat. Nonfat Greek yogurt is the most likely of all of these to break, and it tastes noticeably sharper.
- For anything cold, spoon it in 1:1 straight from the tub. No other changes.
- For baking, measure 1:1. Oven heat is gentle and gradual, and the flour and eggs in a batter keep the yogurt stable.
- For a hot sauce or soup, whisk 1 tablespoon of cornstarch into each cup of yogurt while the yogurt is still cold. Purdue Extension puts that cornstarch rule right in its chart because yogurt separates when cooked.
- Temper it. Whisk a few spoonfuls of the hot liquid into the bowl of yogurt first, then stir the loosened yogurt into the pot.
- Add it off the heat, at the very end. Do not let the pot boil again.
What changes when you use Greek yogurt instead of sour cream
Flavor gets tangier and the dish reads a little leaner. ATK's testers said as much about the horseradish sauce they made with it, and the sauce still passed. Greek yogurt is also thicker and stiffer than sour cream out of the container. That is fine in a dip and heavy in a thin dressing, where a spoonful of milk or lemon juice loosens it.
When not to use Greek yogurt instead of sour cream
Skip the swap when the pot simmers for a while and you have no cornstarch on hand. Stroganoff, goulash, and long-cooked curries all sit in that category.
Acid plus heat is the highest-risk case of all. Yogurt going into a tomato or wine sauce is the one most likely to curdle, so cornstarch and tempering matter even more there.
The case people assume is a no is when sour cream's richness is the point. It is still a yes, but only with whole milk. Nonfat Greek yogurt is the most likely of all of these to break, and it tastes noticeably sharper. A Greek yogurt cheesecake still sets, it just comes out lighter than the sour cream version.
If it does break, dinner is still fine. ATK called their split sauce visually unappealing but palatable. An immersion blender usually pulls it back together.
Storing Greek yogurt and sour cream
USDA puts yogurt at one to two weeks in the refrigerator and sour cream at about one to three weeks. Neither one freezes. The National Center for Home Food Preservation advises against freezing sour cream because it separates and will not blend back acceptably, and Greek yogurt has the same weakness. When a tub is close to its date, cooking it into dinner beats throwing it out, which is the whole idea behind our app to track food expiration dates.
Related Greek yogurt and sour cream swaps
- Substitute for sour cream in baking covers the oven side in more detail.
- Can I use Greek yogurt instead of buttermilk? is the same tub, a different job.
- Buttermilk substitute for when a recipe wants acid rather than fat.
- Cornstarch substitute for thickening if you are out of the thing that holds yogurt together.
- Ingredient substitution chart printable for the cabinet door.
- Substitute for heavy cream in soup for the other dairy gap.
Find the sour cream swap in your own fridge
Well Stockd tracks what you have, and its substitution engine suggests swaps from that list when a recipe calls for something you are out of. Frozen and canned forms count as matches, and you can reject any suggestion you do not want to see again. For the shelf-stable side of the same job, see what we think a pantry inventory app should do.
Greek yogurt and sour cream FAQ
Can I substitute Greek yogurt for sour cream?
Yes, 1:1. It works cold and in baking. In hot sauces it can break, so add cornstarch and temper it first.
Why did my Greek yogurt curdle in the sauce?
Too little fat. Whole-milk Greek yogurt has about 11 grams per cup against sour cream's 40, so it cannot survive high heat.
Does Greek yogurt taste like sour cream?
Close, but tangier and leaner. Whole-milk Greek yogurt is the closest match, and nonfat is the furthest.
How do I stop Greek yogurt from splitting when cooking?
Stir in 1 tablespoon of cornstarch per cup, temper it with hot liquid, and add it off the heat.
Is Greek yogurt a healthier swap than sour cream?
It is lower in fat and higher in protein. That is also exactly why it behaves differently under heat.
Sources: America's Test Kitchen, Purdue Extension / NDSU Extension FN198, U.S. Dairy, USDA FSIS, National Center for Home Food Preservation.
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