Is Sour Cream Keto?

This post may contain affiliate links, which help keep this content free. (Full disclosure)

Even though the carbs in milk are too high, you can enjoy many types of dairy on a low carb diet. But is sour cream keto? This guide takes a closer look at this common ingredient, including carbs in sour cream, keto sour cream recipes, and more.

Looking for the keto stance on other foods? See this huge keto food list, or reference one of my easy-to-read keto cheat sheets.

Is sour cream keto friendly?

Can you have sour cream on keto? Yes! Although it contains a small amount of natural sugars, the carb count per serving is low enough to enjoy regularly.

How many carbs in sour cream?

If you’re wondering, “Does sour cream have carbs?” it does. As long as you pay attention to serving sizes, though, you won’t have a problem.

According to the USDA, one tablespoon of full-fat sour cream contains 0.6 grams of net carbs [*]. This is the most “keto” sour cream you can find, especially if you limit net carbs to 20-30 grams per day.

TIP: Many U.S. nutrition labels round up or down to the nearest whole gram. This is why you may see some labels say 1g per 2 tablespoons, for example. If you want to be precise, you’d need to manually calculate, or just use my Wholesome Yum app that calculates macros for you.

How many carbs in reduced fat sour cream?

Reduced fat sour cream contains less fat, but higher carbs.

One tablespoon of reduced fat sour cream contains 0.8 grams of net carbs [*].

How many carbs in fat free sour cream?

You could still enjoy this variety of sour cream on keto, but the net carbs will add up quickly.

A single tablespoon of fat free sour cream has 1.9 grams of net carbs — more than triple the amount of full fat sour cream [*]!

Keto Sour Cream Recipes

Sour cream adds so much flavor to recipes and keeps dishes moist. It’s fantastic for sauces, dressings, casseroles, and even keto desserts. Since you can have sour cream on keto, try it in these delicious low carb recipes!

1. Keto Beef Stroganoff – Sour cream adds the perfect amount of tang to the savory sauce in this dish.
2. Keto Chocolate Cake – Sour cream in a cake? Believe it – This secret ingredient helps make every slice perfectly moist.
3. Caramelized French Onion Dip – Sour cream makes the best dip, and this flavorful recipe is no exception.
4. Keto Sour Cream Cucumber Salad – Pairs crunchy cucumbers with an herby, creamy dressing.
5. Loaded Cauliflower Casserole – Tastes like a baked potato with all the fixings… including sour cream.
6. Keto Ranch Dressing – This homemade dressing swap gets plenty of flavor from herbs, spices, and sour cream.
7. Cream Cheese Cookies – Includes sour cream for unexpectedly rich taste.
8. Walking Taco Bowl – All the taco toppings you could want in a less-messy bowl!
9. Overnight 7-Layer Salad – Almost looks too pretty to eat, and uses a simple sour cream dressing to top off all the layers.
10. Stuffed Summer Squash Boats – Stuff your squash with a seasoned beef mixture that gets extra flavor from a touch of sour cream.

So, is sour cream keto? Most definitely – just be sure to use full-fat varieties and pay attention to serving sizes.

You might also want to check whether other foods you’d eat with sour cream are acceptable – for example, the carbs in potatoes make them too high to enjoy with sour cream.