Vegan Sour Cream

Blended cashews are magical. They turn into a silky, almost dairy-like texture that is irresistible! They make the perfect sour cream alternative.

This is our favorite vegan sour cream recipe because it's silky smooth and easy to make in 5 minutes with simple ingredients.

You can pour this velvety dairy-free condiment on top of anything, from Tex-Mex (tacos, nachos, black bean soup, burrito bowls), to baked veggies (potatoes, sweet potatoes, cauliflower) and vegetable soups. You can even use it as a salad dressing or as a dip.

This homemade vegan sour cream recipe is gluten-free, vegan, dairy-free, and soy-free.

The taste is slightly nutty, almost cheesy, but neutral overall, making it an excellent condiment for most dishes.

The tanginess comes from lemon and vinegar since we don't use lactic acid.

To achieve the creamiest, silkiest texture, you have two options. Either use a high-speed blender like a Vitamix or soak the cashew nuts in hot water for about 1 to 2 hours before blending them.

Ingredients

Cashew nuts

Cashew nuts are our ingredient of choice in making dairy-free sour cream. We've tried silken tofu, coconut cream, and coconut milk but were not impressed by their flavor, so we recommend sticking with cashew nuts.

With cashew nuts, you can make sour cream with a creamy texture comparable, if not better, to Kite Hill and Tofutti sour creams.

Water

Water is used twice in this recipe. First, we use hot water to soak the cashews (this step is not required if you have a high-speed blender like Vitamix). Then we rinse the soaked nuts and blend them with cold tap water.

You can add more or less water based on how thin or thick you want your sour cream to be.

Lemon juice

Lemon juice adds that sour, tangy feeling, but make sure you don't blend any lemon seeds. It happened once to us, and they made our recipe super bitter.

Apple cider vinegar

Like the lemon, apple cider vinegar adds acidity and a slightly sour taste.

Salt

To make this condiment taste good. We recommend sea salt or kosher salt.

Dill or chives

We love to sprinkle some finely chopped fresh dill or chives on this recipe.

Instructions

Soaking is required if you are using a regular blender or food processor. It's not required but recommended if you have a high-speed blender like Vitamix.

Soak the cashews with hot water for about 1 hour.

Drain and rinse the soaked nuts and add them to the blender with water, lemon juice, apple cider vinegar, and salt.

Blend at high speed until silky smooth. It might take from 3 to 7 minutes. Add more water if you want thinner sour cream.

Serving suggestions

This vegan sour cream is versatile, and thanks to its neutral flavor and creamy texture, you can use it for lunch and dinner in a variety of ways:

• As a sour cream substitute: add it on top of Mexican food, together with a spoonful of guacamole, or use it as an ingredient in other recipes, such as our smokey chipotle sauce.
  
• To replace cheese and butter: you can use it to replace cheese on pizza and pasta bakes. It won't be stringy, but it'll surely be creamy! Add a few tablespoons on top of the pizza after baking.
  
  You can make pasta and risotto creamy instead of melty cheese or butter. Add a dollop to the pasta or rice towards the end before serving.
  
• To drizzle on veggies: it's perfectly paired with baked potato, baked sweet potatoes, grilled eggplant, roasted zucchini, and stuffed bell peppers.
  
• As a cream replacement for soups: in mushroom soup, potato soup, or add a dollop of cream on top of zucchini soup.

Similar recipes

If you love adding creamy sauces to your vegan salads and vegetable sides, take a peek at these top condiments:

• Easy green goddess dressing
• 5-minute vegan mayo
• Vegan basil pesto (with nine incredible variations)
• Tahini sauce
• Romesco sauce
• Vegan tzatziki
• Chipotle sauce