Food and Recipes Dairy 25 Recipes To Make With Sour Cream Don't underestimate this staple ingredient. By Hallie Milstein Hallie Milstein Hallie Milstein is an Editorial Fellow for Southern Living covering food and culture. She has been published in Modern Luxury magazines, Our State Magazine, and Hudson Valley Magazine. Southern Living's editorial guidelines Updated on January 19, 2023 Share Tweet Pin Email Trending Videos Photo: Hannah Zimmerman / Southern Living Don’t put sour cream in a box. This surprisingly versatile grocery staple is the unsung hero of so many dishes, balancing out sweetness and battling dryness. Its tangy, tart taste adds a much-needed, subtle zing in some of our most favorite foods and adds unbeatable moisture to others. From breakfast to dinner, and even dessert, so many of our most cherished recipes start with sour cream. To prove its superiority, we’ve gathered our favorite sour-cream-forward recipes from salads and side dishes to casseroles and cakes. Start your day with a breakfast recipe like Creamy Egg Strata and finish it with something sweet, but not too sweet thanks to the sour cream, like one of our pound cakes (because the best pound cakes always include sour cream). From cooking, to baking, and even raw food preparation, sour cream is a rockstar ingredient we can’t get enough of, so make sure to stock up for these recipes on your next trip to the grocery store. In a pinch, you can even make your own. 01 of 25 Instant Pot Crack Chicken Southern Living This chicken dish uses our key ingredient to amp up its creaminess factor. It's sure to become a staple in your dinnertime rotation. 02 of 25 Best-Ever Sticky Buns Greg DuPree; Prop Styling: Kay E. Clarke; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall The secret to the best sticky buns you've ever had is... you guessed it: sour cream. A buttery brown sugar topping and toasted pecans certainly don't hurt either. 03 of 25 Sour Cream Pound Cake If you come across a pound cake recipe that doesn't include sour cream, cast it away. You don't want that. Try this instead. 04 of 25 Creamy Avocado Dip Johnny Autry; Prop and Food Styling: Charlotte L. Autry Move over, guacamole. Paler in color, but oh-so much richer than guacamole, this ultra-creamy avocado dip deserves its time to shine. 05 of 25 Mini Potato Skins Photo: Greg DuPree; Prop styling: Claire Spollen; Food styling: Chelsea Zimmer Baked potatoes topped with sour cream and all the fixings will always have a place in our hearts, but these Mini Potato Skins have taken up residence in our minds and stomachs. Guests will rave over this bite-sized snack that goes great with a cold beer. 06 of 25 Creamy Egg Strata Iain Bagwell Brunch is made easy and delicious thanks to sour cream, a cheese blend, eggs, and French bread. This holiday-worthy dish demands its beauty rest so make ahead and give it time to chill. 07 of 25 Cherry Delight Photographer: Jennifer Causey Food Stylist: Melissa Gray Prop Stylist: Heather Chadduck Hillegas This bright take on a classic, cool treat will be a welcome addition at the church potluck or family reunion. It's delightfully light and airy, and owes its slight tang to sour cream. 08 of 25 Homestyle Ground Beef Casserole Will Dickey Our version of this classic casserole recipe with sour cream is the total package. It's cheesy, hearty, and takes less than 25 minutes of hands-on time. Plus, it holds excellently when made ahead. 09 of 25 Three-Cheese Pasta Bake Parmesan, ricotta, mozzarella, and sour cream lend their creaminess to this pasta bake. It's not quite mac and cheese, but you'll love it just the same. 10 of 25 Old-School Squash Casserole Photographer: Fred Hardy II, Food Stylist: Emily Nabors Hall, Props Stylist: Christina Brockman Everyone knows that vegetables taste best when smothered in the good stuff: cheese, breadcrumbs, and yes, sour cream. This classic dish is a must-have on holiday sideboards across the South. 11 of 25 Old-Fashioned Caramel Cake Courtney West With the consistency of a pound cake but all the nostalgia of a classic Caramel Cake, this recipe is a show-stopper. Just make sure you give the cake enough time to cool before adding frosting. 12 of 25 Poppy Seed Chicken Southern Living Comforting dinner starts with cream of chicken soup, poppy seeds, and sour cream. It's no wonder why Poppy Seed Chicken is a favorite in so many Southern households. 13 of 25 Sour Cream Banana Bread With Pecan Streusel Topping Victor Protasio Give your usual banana bread recipe a break and try this easy yet over-the-top version. One taste and the old recipe may never see the light of day again. 14 of 25 Creamy Cucumber Salad Hannah Zimmerman/Southern Living When in doubt, make Creamy Cucumber Salad. This crunchy sweet and sour salad will score for any occasion, from picnics to parties or barbecues. 15 of 25 Peach Cream Kuchen Victor Protasio; Food Styling: Chelsea Zimmer; Prop Styling: Buffy Hargett Miller Best when made a day ahead, this German-influenced Texas Hill Country treat is a prime example of why we love sour cream desserts oh-so much. Just one bite of this pie-like pastry and you'll get it too. 16 of 25 Three-Ingredient Sour Cream Biscuits Wendy Yarborough Associate Editor Kaitlyn Yarborough claims that you haven't lived until you've tried her mom's sour cream biscuits. Delicious to boot and effortlessly easy to make with just sour cream, butter, and flour, we can't help but agree. 17 of 25 Old-Fashioned Sour Cream-Raisin Pie Victor Protasio; Prop Styling: Heather Chadduck; Food Styling: Chelsea Zimmer Have you noticed the theme? So many of our favorite old-fashioned baked goods all feature sour cream. Grandma's favorite pie takes full advantage of that secret, and definitely deserves a comeback. 18 of 25 Make-Ahead Mashed Potatoes With Cream Cheese Hannah Zimmerman / Southern Living The rich combination of cream cheese and sour cream takes these mashed potatoes to new levels of smoothness. The creamy, fluffy texture holds up beautifully for up to two days before digging in. 19 of 25 Sour Cream Flag Cake Southern Living This topped sheet cake is a winner on Independence Day, but rearrange the stars and stripes and you've got a go-to dessert for any occasion. The vanilla-sour cream frosting is what really takes the cake. Try it on our Confetti Cake with Vanilla-Sour Cream Frosting, too. 20 of 25 Jocelyn Delk Adams' Sour Cream Pound Cake Marisa Siriano This reliable pound cake will always hit the spot. Jocelyn Delk Adams' Sour Cream Pound Cake is one recipe you'll want to have in your back pocket. 21 of 25 Strawberry-Pretzel Jello Salad This old-school dessert is a Southern classic due for a resurgence. It's a salty-sweet gelatin salad with a host of unexpected ingredients like strawberry gelatin, cream cheese, and sour cream that hits the spot on a summer day. 22 of 25 Grandby's Sour Cream Pound Cake Magdalena NiemczykâElanArt/Getty Images Gary Stanton from country duo, Muscadine Bloodline, touts this recipe, his mama's, as the best pound cake out there. Butter, sugar, and sour cream are the trick to its light and fluffy texture. 23 of 25 French Onion Chicken Casserole Stacy Allen; Food Stylist: Karen Rankin; Prop Stylist: Lindsey Lower French onion soup devotees will adore this casserole. The recipe takes advantage of a hefty helping of sour cream for creamy texture and tart flavor. 24 of 25 Sidney's Potato Salad Antonis Achilleos; Food Styling: Ruth Blackburn; Prop Styling: Kay E. Clarke Sour cream sends classic potato salad soaring to new, tangy heights. This recipe will become a go-to for many barbecues to come. 25 of 25 Sock It To Me Cake Hannah Zimmerman / Southern Living If you've never had old-school Sock It To Me Cake, we're thrilled to introduce you. It's a buttery sour cream Bundt layered with brown sugar, cinnamon, and pecans, and topped with vanilla icing. It'll be love at first bite. Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit