I was recently asked by a reader what 24 Hour GAPS Diet Sour Cream was and how to find out more information, and I realized that it would be a very helpful addition to the Honest Body recipe section. So, over the next few weeks, we are going to be adding some very basic GAPS recipes. We’ll start with 24-hr sour cream, which is featured in several of my decadent ice cream recipes like raspberry, cherry mango, and strawberry.
My favorite method is to use finished 24-hr dairy kefir as my sour cream starter, but you can also use 24-hr yogurt as a starter.
Benefits of 24 Hour GAPS Dairy
- The lactose, or milk sugar, in the cream or milk that is cultured for 24-hours is consumed by the beneficial bacteria & yeasts
- Dairy from grass-fed cows is incredibly nutrient-rich and contains a full profile of amino acids, vitamins, minerals, enzymes, essential fatty acids, as well as more digestible fat and protein.
- Many beneficial bacterias and yeasts are introduced to the body, from the esophagus down to the lower GI tract. This can help to rebuild a healthy intestinal tract.
**Note: In cases of constipation on GAPS, it can be helpful to add in high-fat dairy (i.e. sour cream or ghee), rather than high-protein dairies such as yogurt or kefir.
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24 Hour GAPS Diet Sour Cream
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 24 hours
- Total Time: 24 hours 5 minutes
Description
24 Hour Sour Cream is the dairy that is allowable on the GAPS™ Protocol.
Ingredients
- 1 cup of heavy cream (preferably organic, raw and from grass-fed cows)
- 1/4 cup of finished 24-hr kefir
Instructions
- In a clean pint mason jar with lid, mix the cup of heavy cream with the 1/4 of kefir.
- Let it sit in a warm place on your countertop for 24+ hours.
- Stir and refrigerate.
- Enjoy in any recipes that call for sour cream!
18 thoughts on “24 Hour GAPS Diet Sour Cream”
Can you use pasteurized cream? Thanks!!
Hello Ariel,
You can use pasteurized cream, yes. But not ultra-pasteurized.
It’s still best to get organic and grass-fed, even if pasteurized.
Kindly,
Melanie
After my kefir is ready and the grains are removed from the jar, I add the cream to the jar.
Just the left over residue kefir in the jar is enough to grow the sour cream. No need to use up any of the precious kefir.
I use raw milk and cream only but have had success with souring all types of cream including ultra pastuerized. Also, a tbs of store bought sour cream or yogurt will sour any cream. A robust culture just needs lactose to feed on.
Did you ever think of kefir and yogurt as bacteria poop? 😁
Hi Melanie 🙂
Should you cover it with cheese cloth or a sealed lid while it ferments?
Hi Jessi,
You can do either, but with a kefir culture, I find it is best to cover with a sealed lid to prevent yeast from becoming overwhelming.
Deanna
Honest Body Assistant
Do you have directions for how you care for your kefir?
Hi Theresa!
A kefir post is coming soon 🙂
Melanie
Could I use yogurt instead of kefir for this?
Hi Bridgette,
You should be able to, yes. I have less experience with yogurt as I typically use kefir for making my sour cream.
Kindly,
Melanie
Can I use 1/4 cup of raw yogurt? I use the recipe from Wardee from Traditional cooking school. Will that work still?
Hello Rachel,
You can certainly try that. The results may not be as consistent as using a starter.
Melanie
Can whole milk be used in place of cream?
Hi Tammy,
Yes, you can use whole milk, however the result would be a milk kefir rather than a sour cream. If using whole milk it’s also fine to use the kefir grains rather than finished kefir as the sour cream recipe suggests, since the grains can be strained out of the finished kefir (not an easy task with sour cream since it is so thick.) Here’s our recipe for milk kefir: https://honestbody.com/24-hour-dairy-kefir/.
Happy fermenting!
Deanna
Honest Body Assistant and Certified GAPS Coach
This recipe could probably be helpful if it didn’t include using kefir (with no kefir recipe). There’s no hyperlink to the kefir recipe so unless we want to do another Google search, this is a dead end. I call this a rabbit hole recipe. I started on a recipe linked to the sour cream, then I clicked on it, now I have to go to another recipe to make the sour cream to make the other recipe. So frustrating for people with very limited time trying to navigate gaps.
Hi Ashley,
I can understand your frustration. Making kefir is another GAPS basic that we later realized wasn’t easy for everyone to get started with and wasn’t anywhere on the website. So we did the kefir recipe after making the sour cream post. Here it is for you:https://honestbody.com/24-hour-dairy-kefir/
You can also make GAPS sour cream using the same method as making yogurt in a yogurt maker, see our link here for instant pot yogurt: https://honestbody.com/instant-pot-gaps-diet-yogurt/ Or follow your yogurt maker directions and use cream instead of milk.
Thank you for pointing this out!
Warmly,
Deanna
HB Assistant and Certified GAPS Coach
Hi there – once made, how long does the sour cream last? And same question for the 24 hour kefir.
Thank you, Lee-Anne
Hello Lee-Anne,
Thanks for your question! The sour cream and kefir are good for weeks in the refrigerator once made, especially if the item is stored in a full (so it doesn’t dry out), sealed container that doesn’t get opened and closed much. If it is moldy or smells off (doesn’t happen very often), then you should throw it away. Usually, it is so delicious it doesn’t last long 😉
Warmly,
Deanna
Certified GAPS Coach and HB Assistant
I’ve bern doing this using organic, grassfed creme frâiche. It makes a lovely, delicate sour cream using heavy cream.