Try mixing it into a soup, or whipping it into a topping for a slice of pie!
When you can’t get your hands on media crema, there are plenty of substitutions available. Any sort of cream will work in a pinch, but for the best results, you need to consider how you were planning on using media crema.
The right substitution for tacos might not go so well with your fruit salad!
In this guide, we’ve taken a look at the best substitutes for media crema, and when is the right time to use them. Let’s explore your options.
What Is Media Crema?
Media crema is a light cream with a mild taste that can be used in both sweet and savory dishes. Media crema is sometimes known as table cream, and it’s made with a high milk content and no added sugar.
Media crema is known for having an adaptable texture. Stored out of the fridge, media crema is quite runny and easy to pour. But if you keep it in the fridge, it gets thicker, making it easier to whip.
The best way to store media crema depends on how you want to use it! But once you’ve opened your media crema, it should be kept in the fridge.
The light taste of media crema means it can be used in sweet or savory dishes.
You can pour media crema straight from the can onto your favorite fruit pie, but it can also be whipped! If you want to whip your media crema, keep it in the refrigerator.
You can use a hand whisk or an electric mixer to make whipped media crema.
But you can also use media crema in savory meals. Try mixing a spoonful of media crema into a soup or stew, to add a rich and creamy decadence.
The 6 Best Substitutes For Media Crema
Media crema can be thick or thin, sweet or savory.
It’s adaptable, so you need to think carefully when making your substitutes. We’ve chosen our 6 favorite substitutes for media crema, and explored the best ways to use them in different foods.
1. Creme Fraiche
Creme fraiche is a thick cultured cream with a slight tang and a nutty base. It’s made using sour cream, but it has a higher fat content than traditional sour cream and a milder taste.
Creme fraiche has a thicker texture than media crema, but it can be made thinner with just a splash of water. Alternatively, use a squeeze of lime juice to loosen the texture and add some extra tangy flavor.
Because it’s naturally quite thick, you can use creme fraiche in place of whipped cream with no extra work. Make sure to keep it cold, so that it stays thick. Spoon your creme fraiche on top of a pie or dessert and enjoy!
Another benefit to creme fraiche is that it doesn’t curdle when boiled. You can add a dollop to soups and stews to add a creamy richness, and the heat won’t ruin the texture.
If you can’t find creme fraiche, Mexican crema is a very similar composition. Mexican crema is slightly thinner and goes well with Mexican dishes.
2. Sour Cream
Another excellent substitute for media crema is sour cream, particularly if you’re using it for Mexican cooking. Sour cream is made by fermenting regular cream with lactic acid-producing bacteria.
This gives the cream a thicker texture and that distinctive sour tang.
As you might guess, sour cream has a noticeable sour taste that’s stronger than media crema. However, sour cream has a very similar texture, and it can be enjoyed with both sweet and savory foods.
Sour cream is a particularly good replacement if you’re looking for a topping for tacos and chili. Sour cream can also be added to soups and stews, but you need to do this at the end of the cooking time.
If you add sour cream while the soup is still cooking, it’s likely to curdle. Instead, wait until the last minute, add it slowly, and enjoy!
Sour cream is less versatile when it comes to sweet foods. It doesn’t whip well, but it’s too thick to pour. However, sour cream can be used in many baked goods to add moisture!
You’re most likely to use half-and-half in your morning coffee, but it has a surprising number of uses.
Half-and-half can be used essentially anytime you want something thicker than milk but not as thick as cream, which makes it particularly useful for desserts!
Half-and-half is a mixture of half cream and half milk. It’s thicker than standard milk, but not quite as rich as cream. Half-and-half isn’t particularly sweet, but it does have quite a luxurious taste and texture.
The best time to replace media crema with half-and-half is when you’re trying to add a velvet texture to sauce and soups. It’s best to add half-and-half at the end of cooking, as it can curdle in the heat.
Add it slowly and stir it through to create a luscious texture.
You can’t whip half-and-half, but it can be enjoyed as a topping for sweet foods such as desserts and pies.
4. Yogurt
There are a lot of types of yogurt available, and most of them can be enjoyed as a substitute for media crema. Unless you choose a flavored yogurt — these don’t make good replacements!
Our top substitute choice is Greek yogurt. This has a creamy texture with a slight tang and a relatively mild taste. You might want to try thinning the yogurt with some water (or even a splash of milk).
If you want to use Greek yogurt on sweet foods, try stirring through a spoonful of honey.
Another good option is soy yogurt! This has a similar creamy texture with a mild taste. Soy yogurt is a particularly useful substitute as it can be enjoyed by people with dairy allergies.
Try using it as a topping for your favorite Mexican dishes!
Evaporated milk is made by removing around 60% of the water in milk.
This makes it thicker than standard milk, and it’s also shelf stable! Canned evaporated milk tends to have a long use-by date, which makes it a store-cupboard staple for many families.
So, if you don’t have media crema in your pantry, you might have evaporated milk! Evaporated milk has a luscious consistency that goes well in sweet and savory dishes.
Try mixing it into your mashed potatoes, or transforming it into a flan.
Evaporated milk can also be whipped. It isn’t sweet, so you might want to add some powdered sugar and vanilla before you start whipping.
In some places, evaporated milk is known as unsweetened condensed milk, and this is an apt description! You can use condensed milk in place of media crema, but condensed milk has a much stronger, sweeter flavor.
Coconut milk has a lightly sweet flavor and a slightly thickened texture, so it isn’t the perfect substitute for media crema. However, coconut milk is suitable for those with restricted diets and allergies.
Coconut milk is delicious in curries and other spiced dishes and can be used to add body to a soup or stew.
You can also enjoy coconut milk whipped by cooling it, separating the solidified fat, and whipping it into soft peaks.
Final Thoughts
It can be hard to find media crema for sale in the U.S., so if you see it in a recipe, you might be wondering what can work in its place. For sweet foods, both creme fraiche and evaporated milk are excellent substitutes.
For savory dinners, try sour cream, and if you want to thicken a sauce, consider half-and-half. If you have allergies, why not try soy yogurt or coconut milk?
Hi, I’m Aubrey, and I have been a chef for close to 8 years. Cooking has always been a passion of mine, as long as I can remember. I loved my play kitchen when I was a kid, and would offer my parents my own (albeit gross) cookie recipes to taste!
Here at ButterandSaltGatherings, I want to offer a wide range of ingredients, flavors, meals and recipes so that you can start living each day to the fullest, and enjoy only the best food.
