If you are looking for healthy alternatives to cream you may be wondering whether creme fraiche is a good alternative.
Creme fraiche is a type of cream commonly used in French cuisine that has typically lower fat content than regular cream. But how healthy is creme fraiche actually? Is it healthier than cream?
In this article, we look at the nutritional values of both types of cream and then come to the conclusion of whether creme fraiche is healthier.
Creme Fraiche vs Regular Cream – Nutritional Values
Just to be clear, when we talk about “regular” cream here we mean double cream (not single cream). In the UK, double cream is basically whipping cream in case you are a US reader.
The nutritional profile of double cream is quite standard and in general, you will find the following in double cream (per 100 g):
- Fat: 50-51 g (around 50%) – out of this, around 30 g of fat is saturated
- Carbs: Around 1.5 g
- Protein: 1.5 g
- Sugars: Around 1.5 g
- Fibre: 0 g
- Calories: around 430 – 467 kcal, depending on the brand
When it comes to creme fraiche, however, the nutritional values can differ greatly from brand to brand. There is even low-fat creme fraiche if you like this option.
To draw appropriate conclusions, we looked at several creme fraiche brands and here is what we discovered:
- Fat content: This ranges from almost zero (fat-free creme fraiche) to 40% (40g per 100g)
- Saturated fat: This goes up to around 28g per 100g
- Carbs: Around 3g per 100g in full-fat options and 7g in fat-free option
- Sugars: 2.6g – 7g
Here are all the creme fraiche brands we looked at and their nutritional profile per 100g:
| CREME FRAICHE | FAT | SATURATED FAT | CARBS | SUGARS | PROTEIN | CALORIES |
| M&S Creme Fraiche | 40g | 25.6g | 3.0g | 2.6g | 2.0g | 380 |
| Sainsbury’s Crème Fraîche, Taste the Difference | 40g | 28.5g | 2.9g | 2.9g | 2.4g | 381 |
| Morrisons Crème Fraîche | 29.3g | 20g | 3.4g | 3.4g | 2.7g | 288 |
| ASDA Creme Fraiche | 30g | 18g | 2.7g | 2.7g | 2.3g | 290 |
| Tesco British Creme Fraiche | 31.1g | 21.6g | 2.8g | 2.7g | 2.7g | 302 |
| Yeo Valley Organic Fat Free Creme Fraiche | <0.5g | 0.1g | 7.0g | 7.0g | 7.6g | 61 |
| Tesco 50% Less Fat Creme Fraiche | 15g | 10.2g | 4.4g | 3.0g | 2.7g | 163 |
Creme Fraiche vs Cream: Which One is Healthier?
Looking at our research, it’s evident that creme fraiche is healthier than cream.
Even full-fat creme fraiche is a better choice than cream since it contains 10g less fat per 100g and fewer calories.
However, creme fraiche is still high in fat and calories so the best is to choose low-fat varieties or even fat-free options if you want to reduce your calorie and fat intake. These options have significantly less fat and fewer calories and will be much better for you if you are trying to lose weight.