Here at Delish, sour cream is one of our all-time favorite secret weapons in the kitchen. Sure, sour cream immediately brightens up tacos, nachos, and baked potatoes, but there are so many other ways to use this versatile ingredient. We love how it lends tons of fluffiness to our favorite cake, bread, and pancake recipes, as well as a signature rich tang we can't get enough of. After you try these sour cream recipes, you'll never just use it for sour cream and onion dip again, we promise!
Sour cream, like buttermilk and yogurt, is naturally acidic, which tenderizes the gluten in your favorite baked goods. This means when you add it to your sour cream coffee cake, banana pancakes, and chocolate birthday cake, you're going to be digging into a moist, fluffy result. Try our sour cream pound cake and you'll instantly be able to taste the difference! You can see both savory and sweet sour cream uses with our recipe for chicken and waffles. The sour cream, you guessed it, makes those waffles perfectly tender and fluffy.
Potatoes and sour cream are one of the most iconic duos of all time. And it's easy to see why, especially after you try our Instant Pot mashed potatoes, potato knishes, and Southern potato salad. And what would our dill & cheddar pierogis and house latkes with horseradish be without sour cream? We don't like to imagine it, TBH. Another thing we can't imagine? Our beef stroganoff without that rich spoonful of sour cream to finish. Does not compute! So we kindly won't.
Sour Cream Coffee Cake
Coffee cake is so simple to make, and that's just one of the reasons it's so beloved and perfect for serving to guests. Sour cream makes this one moist and tender and will stay that way for days. Brew a fresh pot and enjoy this with friends for an easy brunch or afternoon snack.
Get the Sour Cream Coffee Cake recipe.
Sour Cream & Onion Dip
Letting the onions caramelize properly is key to the flavor of this dip. Going low and slow lets them develop color while breaking down and becoming sweet and jammy. It will stay good in the fridge for a few days, so it's great to make ahead of time!
Get the Sour Cream & Onion Dip recipe.
Strawberry Upside Down Skillet Cake
Want to make a cake but aren’t confident in your baking skills? You’ve got to try an upside-down cake. They’re quick, easy, and pretty much decorate themselves. For this version, we kept it simple with strawberries, meaning you can make this for any summer soiree. We love it for outdoor picnics, birthdays, BBQs, or even after a casual weeknight dinner.
Get the Strawberry Upside Down Skillet Cake recipe.
Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes
We love finishing these off by mixing in sour cream for that rich tangy finish. Feel free to add roasted garlic, chives, shredded cheese, or—dare we say—crispy bacon!
Get the Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes recipe.
Honey Cake
The honey cake is an underestimated cake and perfect to bring along to Rosh Hashanah or any gathering. The trick here is to use really good honey. We used a wildflower honey, which is sweet and floral, and gives the cake lots of flavor. An orange blossom honey would also work well!
Get the Honey Cake recipe.
House Latkes With Horseradish
When Passover rolls around, it's time to get your box grater out and a batch of latkes on the stove (plus a slow-braised brisket in the oven). Though latkes are commonly served with applesauce and plain sour cream, here they get a flavor-boost with a spicy horseradish and chive sour cream topping, which adds savory depth to each bite.
Get the House Latkes With Horseradish recipe.
Apple Coffee Cake
Apples work wonders in this easy coffee cake. They add extra sweetness as well as making the cake moist and tender. We love it with Granny Smith and Honeycrisp apples, but your favorite baking apple will do the trick!
Get the Apple Coffee Cake recipe.
Dill & Cheddar Pierogis
When you're looking for something warm, comforting, and carb-y, do Polish pierogi come to mind? We think they should, and this cheesy dill version certainly satisfies on all fronts. Loaded with sharp white cheddar, sweet caramelized onions, and creamy mashed potatoes, the only thing more gratifying than making them from scratch is stuffing them in your mouth. 😋
Get the Dill & Cheddar Pierogis recipe.
Chocolate Birthday Cake
This cake is perfect for the chocolate-obsessed, thanks to the addition of coffee, which really ups the richness of the cocoa. We top this with whipped ganache for a less sweet frosting than a traditional chocolate buttercream.
Get the Chocolate Birthday Cake recipe.
Esquites Fritters
We’re happy to report that esquites, the irresistible and less-messy version of everyone’s favorite cotija-coated snack, elote, were the perfect inspiration for these bite-sized fritters. Paired with a lime and garlic-spiked sour cream sauce, these crisp patties are guaranteed to disappear in a crowd in minutes.
Get the Esquites Fritters recipe.
Sour Cream Pound Cake
This easy pound cake is a wonderful dessert for all occasions. Take it to a friend, bring it to Christmas, serve it at your dinner parties. It's always the perfect ending. Simple and moist, we can't speak highly enough of the pound cake.
Get the Sour Cream Pound Cake recipe.
Elote (Mexican Street Corn) Nachos
A recipe we keep coming back to again and again is elote, otherwise known as Mexican street corn, where the corn is simply paired with mayo, chili powder, and cotjia cheese. It’s such an incredible flavor combination, we knew it shouldn’t be confined just to the summer. The solution? Turning it into skillet nachos that can be enjoyed all year long.
Get the Elote (Mexican Street Corn) Nachos recipe.
Classic Beef Stroganoff
Buttery egg noodles smothered in a creamy beef and mushroom gravy; is there anything better than beef stroganoff? In our book, it's the ultimate comfort food.
Get the Classic Beef Stroganoff recipe.
Baked Spinach-Artichoke Dip
There are a lot of spinach-artichoke dip recipes out there. What’s so special about ours? Well, for one thing, the ratios are perfect. Our recipe contains the perfect proportion of spinach and artichokes, and uses a trifecta of cream cheese, mayo, and sour cream to create ultimate creaminess.
Get the Baked Spinach Artichoke Dip recipe.
Cranberry Cake
This cranberry loaf cake is by far our favorite way to use cranberries. It's the perfect balance of sweet and tart, and the sugar topping adds just the right subtle crunch.
Get the Cranberry Cake recipe.
Keto Beef Stroganoff
Nothing says comfort food quite like a warm bowl of classic beef stroganoff. Though keto dieters can't have the requisite egg noodles that normally accompany this dish, a big scoop of steamed cauliflower rice is a great alternative.
Get the Keto Beef Stroganoff recipe.
Fluffy Banana Pancakes
These are by far the fluffiest pancakes we've ever made. If you don't like bananas, you can skip them or add in your favorite fruits. Don't have sour cream? Sub in full-fat plain yogurt, and they'll be just as fluffy.
Get the Banana Pancakes recipe.
Potato Knishes
These hearty pastries—mashed potatoes, studded with bits of caramelized onion, enveloped in a thin crust—are easy, delicious, and so comforting. Our recipe includes classic potato & onion knishes, spanakopita-style knishes, and samosa-style knishes. The simple potato filling is ripe for riffing, so feel free to invent your own.
Get the Potato Knishes recipe.
Classic Chicken & Waffles
Making fried chicken and waffles at the same time is quite a feat, but this soul food classic is worth the effort. Brining your chicken beforehand is NOT required! Sure, it'll make your chicken taste even better, but we understand if spending 3+ hours on brunch isn't really up your alley.
Get the Classic Chicken & Waffles recipe.
Pumpkin Zucchini Bread
Banana bread is the queen of loaf cakes, sure. And just plain pumpkin bread is truly fantastic. But you know what might be the dark horse in the race to loaf cake royalty? This pumpkin zucchini bread. The zucchini adds a level of moisture and subtle sweet flavor that will make this bread a must-make for your next brunch, Thanksgiving, or potluck.
Get the Pumpkin Zucchini Bread recipe.
