Sour Cream vs. Whole Milk
Nutrition comparison of Sour Cream and Whole Milk
Ever wonder how your favorite foods stack up against each other in terms of nutrition?
We compared the nutritional contents of
sour cream
versus
whole milk
(100g each)
below using 2020 USDA and NIH data[1].
For a quick recap of significant nutrients and differences in sour cream and whole milk:
- Both sour cream and whole milk are high in calcium.
- For omega-3 fatty acids, sour cream has more dpa than whole milk.
- Sour cream is a great source of Vitamin A.
- Whole milk has 4.9 times less cholesterol than sour cream.
- Whole milk has more Vitamin B12.
- Whole milk has signficantly more Vitamin D than sour cream.
USDA sources for nutritional information: Sour Cream (Cream, sour, cultured) and Whole Milk (Milk, whole, 3.25% milkfat, with added vitamin D) . Have a correction or suggestions? Shoot us an email.
Calories and Carbs
calories
Sour cream is high in calories and whole milk has 69% less calories than sour cream - sour cream has 198 calories per 100 grams and whole milk has 61 calories.
For macronutrient ratios, sour cream is lighter in protein, lighter in carbs and much heavier in fat compared to whole milk per calorie. Sour cream has a macronutrient ratio of 5:10:85 and for whole milk, 22:30:48 for protein, carbohydrates and fat from calories.
Macro Ratios from Calories:
| Sour Cream | Whole Milk | |
|---|---|---|
| Protein | 5% | 22% |
| Carbohydrates | 10% | 30% |
| Fat | 85% | 48% |
| Alcohol | ~ | ~ |
carbohydrates
Both sour cream and whole milk are low in carbohydrates - sour cream has 4.6g of total carbs per 100 grams and whole milk has 4.8g of carbohydrates.
sugar
Sour cream and whole milk contain similar amounts of sugar - sour cream has 3.4g of sugar per 100 grams and whole milk has 5.1g of sugar.
Protein
protein
Sour cream and whole milk contain similar amounts of protein - sour cream has 2.4g of protein per 100 grams and whole milk has 3.2g of protein.
Fat
saturated fat
Sour cream is high in saturated fat and whole milk has 82% less saturated fat than sour cream - sour cream has 10.1g of saturated fat per 100 grams and whole milk has 1.9g of saturated fat.
trans fat
Both sour cream and whole milk are low in trans fat - sour cream has 0.8g of trans fat per 100 grams and whole milk does not contain significant amounts.
cholesterol
Whole milk has 4.9 times less cholesterol than sour cream - sour cream has 59mg of cholesterol per 100 grams and whole milk has 10mg of cholesterol.
Vitamins
Vitamin C
Sour cream has more Vitamin C than whole milk - sour cream has 0.9mg of Vitamin C per 100 grams and whole milk does not contain significant amounts.
Vitamin A
Sour cream is a great source of Vitamin A and it has 170% more Vitamin A than whole milk - sour cream has 124ug of Vitamin A per 100 grams and whole milk has 46ug of Vitamin A.
Vitamin D
Whole milk has signficantly more Vitamin D than sour cream - whole milk has 51iu of Vitamin D per 100 grams and sour cream does not contain significant amounts.
Vitamin E
Sour cream and whole milk contain similar amounts of Vitamin E - sour cream has 0.38mg of Vitamin E per 100 grams and whole milk has 0.07mg of Vitamin E.
Vitamin K
Sour cream and whole milk contain similar amounts of Vitamin K - sour cream has 1.5ug of Vitamin K per 100 grams and whole milk has 0.3ug of Vitamin K.
The B Vitamins
Whole milk has more Vitamin B12. Both sour cream and whole milk contain significant amounts of thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, pantothenic acid, Vitamin B6 and folate.
| Sour Cream | Whole Milk | |
|---|---|---|
| Thiamin | 0.02 MG | 0.046 MG |
| Riboflavin | 0.168 MG | 0.169 MG |
| Niacin | 0.093 MG | 0.089 MG |
| Pantothenic acid | 0.472 MG | 0.373 MG |
| Vitamin B6 | 0.041 MG | 0.036 MG |
| Folate | 6 UG | 5 UG |
| Vitamin B12 | 0.21 UG | 0.45 UG |
Minerals
calcium
Both sour cream and whole milk are high in calcium. Whole milk has 12% more calcium than sour cream - sour cream has 101mg of calcium per 100 grams and whole milk has 113mg of calcium.
iron
Sour cream and whole milk contain similar amounts of iron - sour cream has 0.07mg of iron per 100 grams and whole milk has 0.03mg of iron.
potassium
Sour cream and whole milk contain similar amounts of potassium - sour cream has 125mg of potassium per 100 grams and whole milk has 132mg of potassium.
Antioxidants and Phytonutrients
Omega-3 and Omega-6
omega 3s
For omega-3 fatty acids, sour cream has more DPA than whole milk per 100 grams. Both sour cream and whole milk contain significant amounts of alpha linoleic acid (ALA).
| Sour Cream | Whole Milk | |
|---|---|---|
| alpha linoleic acid | 0.074 G | 0.075 G |
| DHA | 0.001 G | ~ |
| EPA | 0.006 G | ~ |
| DPA | 0.011 G | ~ |
| Total | 0.092 G | 0.075 G |
omega 6s
Comparing omega-6 fatty acids, sour cream has more linoleic acid than whole milk per 100 grams.
| Sour Cream | Whole Milk | |
|---|---|---|
| other omega 6 | 0.018 G | ~ |
| linoleic acid | 0.648 G | 0.12 G |
| Total | 0.666 G | 0.12 G |
Customize your serving size
The comparison below is by common portions, e.g. cups, packages. You can also see a more concrete comparison by weight at equal weight (by grams) comparison.
Note: The specific food items compared are: Sour Cream (Cream, sour, cultured) and Whole Milk (Milk, whole, 3.25% milkfat, with added vitamin D) .
Sour Cream g
()
|
Daily Values (%) |
Whole Milk g
()
|
|||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| KCAL % |
|
5% | calories | 5% |
|
KCAL % | |
| G % |
|
5% | carbohydrates | 5% |
|
G % | |
| G % |
|
5% | dietary fiber | 5% |
|
G % | |
| G | 5% | sugar | 5% | G | |||
| G % |
|
5% | total fat | 5% |
|
G % | |
| G % |
|
5% | saturated fat | 5% |
|
G % | |
| G | 5% | monounsaturated fat | 5% | G | |||
| G | 5% | polyunsaturated fat | 5% | G | |||
| G | 5% | trans fat | 5% | G | |||
| MG | 5% | cholesterol | 5% | MG | |||
| MG % |
|
5% | sodium | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| 5% | Vitamins and Minerals | 5% | |||||
| UG % |
|
5% | Vitamin A | 5% |
|
UG % | |
| MG % |
|
5% | Vitamin C | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| IU % |
|
5% | Vitamin D | 5% |
|
IU % | |
| MG % |
|
5% | calcium | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| MG % |
|
5% | iron | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| MG % |
|
5% | magnesium | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| MG % |
|
5% | potassium | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| MG % |
|
5% | thiamin (Vit B1) | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| MG % |
|
5% | riboflavin (Vit B2) | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| MG % |
|
5% | niacin (Vit B3) | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| MG % |
|
5% | Vitamin B6 | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| MG % |
|
5% | pantothenic acid (Vit B5) | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| UG % |
|
5% | folate (Vit B9) | 5% |
|
UG % | |
| UG % |
|
5% | Vitamin B12 | 5% |
|
UG % | |
| MG % |
|
5% | Vitamin E | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| UG % |
|
5% | Vitamin K | 5% |
|
UG % | |
| G % |
|
5% | protein | 5% |
|
G % | |
| UG % |
|
5% | biotin (Vit B7) | 5% |
|
UG % | |
| MG % |
|
5% | choline | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| MG % |
|
5% | chlorine | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| UG % |
|
5% | chromium | 5% |
|
UG % | |
| MG % |
|
5% | copper | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| UG % |
|
5% | fluoride | 5% |
|
UG % | |
| UG % |
|
5% | iodine | 5% |
|
UG % | |
| MG % |
|
5% | manganese | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| UG % |
|
5% | molybdenum | 5% |
|
UG % | |
| MG % |
|
5% | phosphorus | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| UG % |
|
5% | selenium | 5% |
|
UG % | |
| MG % |
|
5% | zinc | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| G | 5% | Water | 5% | G | |||
| G | 5% | Starch | 5% | G | |||
| G | 5% | Alcohol | 5% | G | |||
FAQ
Does sour cream or whole milk contain more calories in 100 grams?Sour cream is high in calories and whole milk has 70% less calories than sour cream - sour cream has 198 calories in 100g and whole milk has 61 calories.
Does sour cream or whole milk contain more calcium?
Both sour cream and whole milk are high in calcium. Whole milk has 10% more calcium than sour cream - sour cream has 101mg of calcium in 100 grams and whole milk has 113mg of calcium.