Cream
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Every diet
It comes from milk.
From halal-slaughtered animals.
Dairy is kosher, though the equipment has to be as well.
Almost no carbohydrate per serving.
Small amounts are low FODMAP; a large bowl is not.
Safe in small amounts; may bother some people or raise blood sugar.
Rules by country
Cream is a food with no E-number, so it is outside the additive system entirely. Because it is a milk product, it falls under the allergen labelling rules in the US, the EU, Canada and Australia, and under the compositional standards that fix its fat content.
What is it?
Double cream holds about 48% fat, single cream around 18% and whipping cream in between, and the numbers are fixed by law in most countries. Beyond the fat, cream contains the rest of the milk in smaller proportion, so it still carries the same lactose, in a form that is usually easier to digest than in milk itself because the fat slows gastric emptying.
Where it comes from: The fat layer that rises to the top of milk and is separated, either by skimming the surface or by centrifuging the whole milk. In much of Europe, cream is also the name for what is called sour cream.
Why it’s in food
- Whipping
- Sauces
- Coffee
- Baking
- Soup and stew
Often found in
Also listed as: Cream, Heavy cream, Double cream, Whipping cream, Single cream, Pouring cream
Health & gut impact
Double cream is about 35 grams of fat per 100 ml, a little under half of which is saturated. That makes it one of the densest everyday fat sources, and the part of the label worth reading is the total fat line rather than the ingredient list.
Sacks and colleagues, American Heart Association presidential advisory on dietary fats (2017)
Cream carries the same calcium and protein as the milk it came from, just concentrated. It is not a meaningful part of a calcium intake, but it is not an empty ingredient either.
USDA FoodData Central, cream
Cream has far less lactose than milk, because most of the milk solids are left behind in the skimmed milk. People with a mild lactose intolerance often tolerate cream when milk is a problem.
EFSA, dietary reference values for carbohydrate (2011)
What can I use instead?
Ratio: Use the same volume in cooking; it is thinner and less rich
Best for: Sauces and curries
Related
More dairy:
Common questions
Is cream unhealthy?
Nothing in it is harmful in the sense a regulator would warn about. It is a very concentrated source of saturated fat and calories, so the honest answer is that it is fine in small amounts and worth counting in larger ones.
Is cream keto-friendly?
Yes. It has almost no carbohydrate and is a standard fat in ketogenic baking, where it replaces milk because milk's lactose would count against the daily limit.
Is double cream the same as sour cream?
No. Double cream is the naturally soured cream sold in Europe and called heavy or whipping cream in the US. Sour cream is cream that has been deliberately fermented with a bacteria, which gives it its thicker texture and its acidity.
Is Cream safe?
Use in moderation (72/100). Cream is a food with no E-number, so it is outside the additive system entirely. Because it is a milk product, it falls under the allergen labelling rules in the US, the EU, Canada and Australia, and under the compositional standards that fix its fat content.
Is Cream vegan?
No. It comes from milk.
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Scientific sources & regulatory citations
- Sacks and colleagues, American Heart Association presidential advisory on dietary fats (2017)
- USDA FoodData Central, cream
- EFSA, dietary reference values for carbohydrate (2011)