How Many Ounces Are in a Pint of Sour Cream?

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Ever wondered how many ounces are in a pint of sour cream?

The short answer is there are 16 ounces in a pint of sour cream. But before you proceed with your recipe, you may want to read this entire post.

Trust me; it would be worth your while, especially if you love cooking and baking with sour cream.

Because sour cream is a thick and creamy ingredient, measuring it can be confusing. Do we treat it as a dry ingredient or measure it like a liquid? 

With so many answers online combined with varying kinds of food measurements used in different countries, finding how much sour cream you’ll need for a recipe might be more complicated than you think. 

So, even if you just want to know how much is one pint of sour cream or what is a pint of sour cream, you still wouldn’t want to miss this complete guide on measuring sour cream.  

Let’s Get Into The Thick Of It: How Many Ounces Are in a Pint of Sour Cream?

You might be thinking, I just want to know the answer to “How many ounces are in a pint of sour cream?” so I can do my recipe!

To get to the point, there are 16 ounces, or more specifically, 16 fluid ounces, in a US pint of sour cream. 

That being said, we all know sour cream is tricky to measure.

Whenever I see it in recipes, I often have to search the internet for conversion charts, especially in baked goods where accuracy in ingredient quantities can’t be overlooked.

It can be a hassle, but it’s not sour cream’s fault to have that in-between consistency: not quite solid, but not quite liquid. Isn’t this what makes sour cream so good? 🤤

How Do You Measure Sour Cream?

Here’s a trick if you’re unsure how to measure sour cream for the recipe: treat it like a dry ingredient.

Yes, sour cream is not “dry” per se, but you’ll get a more accurate measurement for this thick ingredient with a dry measuring cup. 

Spoon the sour cream into the measuring cup, then level the top like you would with a dry ingredient. You can use a butter knife for this!

Is sour cream measured as a liquid or solid?

Sour cream is measured as a solid ingredient.

When measuring ingredients that are neither wholly liquid nor solid, use a dry measuring cup instead of a measuring cup used for liquids.

You can measure thick ingredients like sour cream, yogurt, and peanut butter the same way you would measure dry ingredients like flour.

Then, just scrape the semi-liquid ingredient into the bowl with a spatula. 

What measuring cup is best for sour cream?

The best-measuring cup for sour cream is a dry measuring cup. Then, pack the sour cream into the cup to ensure it’s free of air bubbles.

If you want to make things even EASIER for you, use a plunger-type measuring cup for sour cream. Its design will make it easier to push the sour cream out after measuring it. 

This measuring cup is definitely worth the purchase since it can be used for other semi-liquid/solid ingredients and thick, sticky ones like peanut butter, shortening, honey, and maple syrup. 

Buying Sour Cream

What is the standard sour cream size?

If the recipe calls for a pint of sour cream, as we have learned earlier, this just means you’ll get a 16-ounce container of sour cream. 

However, it’s also possible to buy sour cream in other sizes, such as half-pint tubs, which are equal to 8 ounces of sour cream. Depending on the brand, 24-ounce sour cream tubs are also available. 

Using Sour Cream

Sour cream is sometimes used to replace milk or even substitute buttermilk in some recipes. But of course, you need to know the proper ratio so the recipe will still turn out as expected. 

Besides knowing everything about the question, “How much ounces are in a pint of sour cream?” You might want to jot these down:

How much sour cream to replace milk in a recipe?

If you need to substitute milk with sour cream, follow a 1:1 ratio. 

Sour cream is a good milk replacement in sauces to boost their creaminess or in baked goods to keep them moist. 

If you have an Instant Pot, you can also make banana bread bites with sour cream! 😋

How much sour cream to substitute for buttermilk?

Some cake recipes call for buttermilk to make them irresistibly rich and moist (check our super moist black velvet cake!), but did you know you can also substitute buttermilk with sour cream?

Since it’s thicker, you need to thin sour cream with water or milk before using it to replace the buttermilk in the recipe. 

If the recipe needs 1 cup of buttermilk, prepare 3/4 cup or 172 grams of sour cream whisked with 1/4 cup of water or milk. 

Can I Use Light Sour Cream Instead of Regular Sour Cream?

Now that we know the answer to how many oz in a pint of sour cream, can we just grab any pint of sour cream and expect that the recipe will come out as expected?

Is a pint of light sour cream interchangeable with a pint of regular sour cream? Or will they need to be measured differently?

You can assume that in most recipes that call for sour cream, they are talking about the regular kind. This is especially true in baked goods since sour cream is needed for richness and moisture.

If you use a low-fat sour cream, you might not get the expected texture or flavor in the baked treat.

How Do You Measure a Half a Pint of Sour Cream?

Half a pint of sour cream is 8 ounces of sour cream.

If you remember earlier, when we found out, “How many ounces are in a pint of sour cream?” the answer is 16 ounces.

So, if the recipe only needs half a pint, you’ll need 8 ounces of sour cream. 

How much is 1/2 pint of sour cream?

A pint of sour cream is around 2 cups, so for half a pint of sour cream, you’ll need 1 cup of sour cream.

A cup of sour cream is also about 8.6 ounces or 240 grams. 

FAQ About Measuring Sour Cream

Conclusion

So, how many ounces are in a pint of sour cream? 

It turns out one pint will give you 16 ounces of sour cream!

This also means there are 2 cups in a pint-sized container of sour cream.

And if you need more conversions since recipes sometimes vary in the unit of measurement they use, just remember that a pint of sour cream is equal to 1 pound or 454 grams. ✍️

Pro tip: If you’re unsure how to measure sour cream for the recipe, treat it like a dry ingredient and use a dry measuring cup!

Bookmark this guide so you can always return to it when you need to convert the amount of sour cream in recipes.

Want to know more than how much sour cream is a pint?

You can visit our index of food-related questions and answers or start with these:

• What Does Sour Cream Taste Like?
• Can You Microwave Sour Cream? Everything You Should Know!
• Why and How Sour Cream is Used in Cakes: The Science
• Try This Tasty But Healthy Substitute For Cream Cheese Today!
• Does Coffee Creamer Go Bad? How Long Does Coffee Mate Last?