Cream Cheese VS Sour Cream : What’s The Difference?

Cream cheese and sour cream are dairy products used to prepare a huge variety of foods.

Their looks are pretty much the same, and in most cases, if you are not so familiar with them, you will not distinguish very well.

For that reason, in that article, we will try to understand better all the differences between cream cheese and sour cream.

What is the difference between cream cheese and sour cream? The main differences among the 2 are dictated by the ingredients and the methodology used for the production. The production of cream cheese is made by mixing milk and cream, while sour cream is produced only with cream. The cream cheese’s taste is soft and it has a soft texture, while the sour cream has a more acidic taste.

Anyway, there is much more to know about these 2 fantastic dairy products; if you are still curious to know more, what are you waiting for? Keep reading.

Cream cheese vs Sour cream : Productions Differences

The first and the most remarkable difference between cream cheese and sour cream is the process of how they are made.

How is cream cheese made?

The manufactured process of the cream cheese is made by mixing milk and cream; then the lactic acid is added to speed up the process of thickening and to ferment by giving the creaminess that we all know.

As soon as the cream cheese reaches a certain consistency, the temperature is lowered until 130 F to stop the fermenting.

Other products are added to keep the consistency of the cream cheese and for increasing its lasting time.

The cream cheese has a higher content of milk in comparison to sour cream and other cheeses.

How is sour cream made?

To make sour cream, sour cream undergoes fermentation by bacteria that produce lactic acid; that’s why it has that acid taste.

The majority of the sour cream contains 14-18% of the milk fat. The producers may add modified food starches or other ingredients during the manufactured process for a long-lasting process.

Cream cheese vs Sour cream: Taste Differences

There are some other important differences between cream cheese and sour cream, one of the most important for us, is for sure the taste of them,

The taste of cream cheese is soft and pleasing, as well as its texture. In contrast, the sour cream has a more acidic taste, as the name suggests.

We have to mention that the taste of cream cheese in the majority of the products is saltier than sour cream, and it will be more pleasurable to eat it with a slice of bread.

Cream cheese vs Sour cream: Uses

The list can become huge when it comes to cream cheese and sour cream recipes, but here’s an overview.

Cream cheese most common uses:

Thanks to its fantastic taste, the cream cheese can be used for almost everything that will blow in your mind.

From salt recipes to the preparation of cheesecake, if there is something true, is that it, it will always be a good and pleasant presence.

Over than be spread into a slice of bread, famous recipes that utilize the cream cheese are:

Omelet, yes, you can enrich the flavour of the omelette by adding it and mixing it with the eggs.
Topping for sweets: it is not common to see, and it is advisable to use it only if you are a cheese lover. This is because the strong taste of cheese may contrast with the sweetness of the sweet.
Prepare a sandwich: It is not a proper toast if there aren’t some dairy products inside. Why not add some delicious cream cheese? If you have not yet tried it, what are you waiting for?

The list of the use of cream cheese could be over, and our imagination dictates the only limitation of using it.

But, what about the uses of sour cream? How is sour cream mostly used? Let’s dive in.

Sour cream most common uses:

The sour cream will not be less than the cheese cream; it is also commonly used for many recipes.

Some of the most common ways in which sour cream is used are;

Adding it on biscuits: It will not be the best option if you don’t like foods with high acidic content, but you have to try it at least once. Incorporating sour cream on cakes and other sweets will increase the overall flavour, and you will be very happy with that.
In a soup: It might happen that after eating many of them, you might feel annoyed by it. If you are following a particular diet where the soup is integrated, you can improve its taste by adding a spoon of sour cream. Many people have had a positive experience of doing it, so why not try it?
Use it on Pancakes: Many people love to make breakfast with pancakes, and after topping it with almost every ingredient in the kitchen, you might feel that you have finished all the possibilities. Well, wait, you can try adding the sour cream, and let’s see how it is.

As well as for the cheese cream, the sour cream has many recipes, and it is out of the scope of that article to give a more in-depth look at all the recipes that you can prepare.

The uses of both cheese cream and soup cream are incredibly vast; you can use it practically everywhere.

Cream cheese vs Sour cream: Nutrition value

As you can imagine, both sour cream and cream cheese are 2 dairy products with high-fat content.

The milk fat content that the cream cheese contains is around 30%, while the sour cream contains around 16% of milk fat.

Here’s a summary of the main nutrition value of sour cream :

Calories: 57
Fat: 5.6g
Sodium: 9mg
Carbohydrates: 1.3g
Fiber: 0g
Sugars: 1g
Protein: 0.7g

The value listed is referred to as two tablespoons (29g) of sour cream.

while the nutrition value for 1 tablespoon of cream cheese has the following nutrition values: Source

Calories: 50.8
Fat: 5g
Sodium: 46.5mg
Carbohydrates: 0.8g
Fiber: 0g
Sugars: 0.5g
Protein: 0.9g

Cream Cheese vs Sour Cream: Lasting Period

We are all aware that dairy products can go bad in a few days and become poisonous if not stored correctly.

You have to pay attention to its use and be aware that both the cream cheese and the sour cream have more or less the same lasting period.

If opened and let in the pantry, they can go bad after some days; on average, depending on the temperature, they can go bad in 2 days.

Storing them in the fridge will increase the overall period, but always consider a maximum of 10 days if opened.

While if you bought them and let them in the fridge without utilizing them, you can consider a maximum time frame of 2 weeks.

Conclusion

Both cream cheese and sour cream are unique dairy products that enrich your dishes. Anyway, due to the high-fat content, you should stay aware of the risk they can bring if consumed in large quantities. The difference between cream cheese and sour cream is not so marked; they slightly change in the flavor and how they are done in the process. For the rest, we can say that they share the same nutrition value, and both can be used for many dishes.