Is sour cream high in histamine?
Sour cream is likely mostly low in histamine: it was not measured, but it is cream soured briefly with lactic acid bacteria, like yogurt, and plain yogurt had no detectable histamine in lab tests.
- Histamine
- Not measured
- Other amines
- Not measured
- Liberator
- Not on the lists we use
- DAO blocker
- No evidence
What each source says
| Source | Verdict | What it says, in our words |
|---|---|---|
| Lab measurements of yogurt, Spain 1 | Measured | Sour cream was not measured. Five plain yogurts, also soured with lactic acid bacteria, had no detectable histamine. |
| Review of amines in dairy foods, 2012 2 | Fermented milks such as buttermilk and yogurt are not likely to contain significant levels of biogenic amines. | |
| 10 published low-histamine diets 1 | Sour cream is not on the review's chart of excluded foods; yogurt, the closest food on it, is excluded by 4 of 10. | |
| SIGHI food list 3 | See source | See SIGHI's own list for its rating. |
How freshness and processing change it
Sour cream is usually used a spoonful at a time, so a tub can sit open for a long time. That was not measured, but a 2012 review of dairy foods reports that amines can still build up in refrigerated cheese, and the same is likely for other cultured dairy. Buy small tubs, use a clean spoon and finish them soon.
Not measured; briefly fermented with lactic acid bacteria. (estimate)
Not measured; the cultures and any contaminating bacteria keep working slowly. (estimate)
Why we rate sour cream 1
Sour cream was not measured in the studies we use. It is cream soured with lactic acid bacteria and left to thicken for a short time, then chilled; crème fraîche is made the same way from richer cream. This rating is an estimate from that process and from the measured dairy foods closest to it.
The closest measured food is plain yogurt, which is also dairy fermented by lactic acid bacteria. Five yogurts sold in Spain, tested by a University of Barcelona team, had no detectable histamine and only traces of putrescine, averaging 2.04 mg/kg. A 2012 review of amines in dairy foods says that fermented milks such as buttermilk and yogurt are not likely to contain significant amounts. Cheese is different because ripening breaks down its protein into the amino acids that bacteria turn into amines, and sour cream is not ripened.
Sour cream is still a fermented food, and the team's 2021 review is clear that histamine in fermented foods depends on hygiene and on whether the bacteria used can make it. With no measurements, we rate sour cream 1, "mostly low", one step above fresh cream and yogurt, because it is fermented. Kefir, which is fermented with yeasts as well as bacteria, we rate higher.
Neither sour cream nor crème fraîche is on the 2021 chart of foods excluded by ten published low-histamine diets. Yogurt is, excluded by four of the ten even though it measured low.
The bigger risk is the open tub. Sour cream is used a spoonful at a time, and a tub that has been open in the fridge for weeks has given bacteria more time; the 2012 review notes that amines can still build up in refrigerated cheese, and nobody has measured an open tub of sour cream. We rate a long-open tub 2 as an estimate. Buy small tubs and finish them quickly. Plain yogurt is the measured swap on a baked potato, in a dip or on tacos, and fresh cream works in a sauce.
Questions about sour cream and histamine
Is sour cream high in histamine?
Sour cream was not measured. It is briefly fermented with lactic acid bacteria, like yogurt, and plain yogurt had no detectable histamine in five samples, so we rate fresh sour cream 1 as an estimate.
Is crème fraîche low histamine?
Crème fraîche is made the same way as sour cream, from richer cream, and was not measured either. We rate it 1 as an estimate, and an opened tub kept for a long time 2.
Evidence behind this page
- Five plain yogurts sold in Spain had no detectable histamine; putrescine averaged 2.04 mg/kg. 1
- Fermented milks such as buttermilk and yogurt are not likely to contain significant levels of biogenic amines, unlike cheese, where protein breakdown during ripening supplies the amino acids bacteria use. 2
- In fermented foods, histamine depends on the hygiene of raw materials and processing and on whether the fermenting bacteria can make it. 1
- Amines can still rise in cheese kept in the fridge; low temperatures slow the increase. 2
- Four of ten published low-histamine diets exclude yogurt; sour cream is not on the review's chart. 1
Sources
- Sánchez-Pérez S, Comas-Basté O, Veciana-Nogués MT, Latorre-Moratalla ML, Vidal-Carou MC. Low-Histamine Diets: Is the Exclusion of Foods Justified by Their Histamine Content? Nutrients 13(5):1395, 2021. doi:10.3390/nu13051395 (Sánchez-Pérez S et al. 2021)
- Linares DM, del Río B, Ladero V, Martínez N, Fernández M, Martín MC, Álvarez MA. Factors Influencing Biogenic Amines Accumulation in Dairy Products. Frontiers in Microbiology 3:180, 2012. doi:10.3389/fmicb.2012.00180 (Linares DM et al. 2012)
- Swiss Interest Group Histamine Intolerance (SIGHI). Food compatibility list for histamine intolerance. histaminintoleranz.ch (accessed November 2026), 2026. Link (Swiss Interest Group Histamine Intolerance (SIGHI) 2026)