Sour Cream in Indian Cooking: Substitutes, Uses, and Myths

When you think of sour cream, a thick, tangy dairy product commonly used in Western cooking. Also known as cultured cream, it’s not native to Indian kitchens—but it can step in when yogurt isn’t available. Most Indian recipes rely on yogurt, a fermented dairy base that tenderizes meat and balances spices in marinades like tandoori chicken. But if you’re out of yogurt or just curious, can you swap in sour cream? Yes—but it needs help.

Sour cream is richer and higher in fat than yogurt, which means it won’t penetrate meat the same way. Left as-is, it can make your chicken greasy instead of tender. The fix? Thin it with a splash of water or lemon juice until it’s pourable—like the consistency of thick cream. That’s how you turn a Western ingredient into a workable substitute. This trick works best for dishes where texture matters more than tradition, like grilled chicken or kebabs. It’s not the same as using dahi, but it’s close enough to save dinner.

Indian cooking rarely uses sour cream because it’s not part of the cultural pantry. Instead, paneer, a fresh, non-melting cheese made by curdling milk with acid, and yogurt, fermented and often strained into thicker variants like hung curd, dominate. Even in creamy curries like butter chicken, the richness comes from cream added at the end, not sour cream stirred in early. The real magic? Fermentation. Yogurt’s lactic acid gently breaks down proteins without making them mushy. Sour cream’s acidity is stronger and less forgiving—it can over-tenderize if left too long.

Still, if you’re experimenting at home or cooking outside India, sour cream can be a useful backup. It’s especially handy when you need a quick tangy base and don’t have time to ferment yogurt. Just remember: always thin it, never skip the spices, and don’t expect it to behave exactly like dahi. The best results come when you treat it like a tool—not a replacement.

You’ll find real examples of this swap in recipes that test boundaries—like tandoori chicken made with sour cream, or creamy dips inspired by Indian flavors but built with Western ingredients. These aren’t traditional, but they’re practical. And in a world where kitchens are mixed and ingredients travel, that’s not a bad thing. Below, you’ll see how people have made this work—what went right, what went wrong, and how to avoid the common mistakes.