I love culturing probiotic whipping cream. It’s so easy, and it’s a great way to get more probiotics into our diet. Cultured whipping cream is easily whipped up into a stable cream that is perfect for serving with scones, cakes and pies!
How to use probiotic whipping cream
I nearly always have probiotic whipping cream in my fridge. My kids love it, and whipping cream makes everything taste deliciously fancy. Here are a few of my favourite ways to use cultured whipping cream:
- A last minute addition to creamy sauces like pasta Alfredo.
- A sugar-free breakfast topping for waffles, pancakes and crepes.
- It is the base of probiotic ice cream!
- Make probiotic treats like truffles or pudding.
Mesophilic dairy cultures:
A mesophilic dairy culture is a culture that will ferment at room temperature. It’s an easy way to culture whipping cream because it doesn’t require heating like yogurt or cheese cultures. Here’s a list of mesophilic cultures that I recommend for culturing whipping cream, along with the required amounts and culturing time:
- Buttermilk: Use 1/4 cup of cultured buttermilk, and culture for at least 12 hours.
- Milk Kefir: Use 1 tbsp of kefir grains, and culture for 8-12 hours. Don’t leave your kefir grains in the cream too long or it will separate the fat from the whey, and you’ll end up with butter! Even after 12 hours the fat will have floated to the top, so mix it up after removing the grains.
- Mesophilic Yogurt Culture: Use 2 tbsp of yogurt and culture for 12-24 hours.
- Sour Cream: If you are using a store bought sour cream, make sure it’s fermented. It should have probiotic cultures listed on the ingredients. Use 1/4 cup of sour cream and culture for at least 12 hours.
Probiotic Whipping Cream
Cultured whipping cream is an easy and delicious way to get more probiotics into your diet. Fermenting also helps to stabilize whipping cream, making it perfect for serving with scones, crepes and waffles.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Total Time: 5 minutes
- Yield: 2 cups 1x
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Fermented
- Cuisine: Probiotic
Ingredients
- 2 cups of whipping cream
- 2 – 4 tbsp mesophilic dairy culture (see section above)
Instructions
- Mix the cream and culture in a glass jar.
- Cover and leave at room temperature for 8-24 hours. The exact time will depend on the culture you use and how sour you want the whipping cream. Don’t over culture it as it will curd.
Notes
- Culturing whipping cream can result in a thick sour cream consistency (particularly if you use sour cream culture.) The best way to keep the cream thin enough to be whipped up for desserts or stirred into a soup, etc. is to avoid culturing it for more than 12 hours.
- See section above for details on each of the different types of mesophilic dairy cultures. They will each bring their own particular flavour to the whipping cream.
Keywords: buttermilk, sour cream, kefir, yogurt, full fat, keto, sugar free, healthy, creme fraiche, breakfast, treats
and then what? does the cream need to be whipped or is thick on its own after fermentation? thanks.
Depending on your culture it might thicken (like creme fraiche). However, I usually don’t culture until it’s thick so I can use it for making whipping cream (by whipping it), ice cream, etc.
Can I use milk kefir with out the grains, I mean, only the fermented bebarege?
Yes, it should work. However, if you are using store-bought milk kefir, then it’s usually more like yogurt culture than kefir culture. I would try it even if you have store bought kefir. You should know within 4-6 hours if it is working.
Do you need to chill it after culturing the cream, so that it can be whipped? I’ve never had success whipping cream that’s not cold, bu maybe this is different because of the culturing?
I assume so. I’ve never tried whipping it when the cream was warm. 🙂
How do you know if it’s cultured enough? It was out for almost 24 hours and tastes a little tart. I guess I expected it to be thicker or something. I just want to make sure it’s cultured not sour.
When it tastes sour enough for you, then it’s cultured. It will thicken, but it’s probably best to stop before then and whip the cream slightly for thickness. Especially if you don’t want it to be too sour. 24 hours sound perfect. Enjoy!