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    Home » Dressings & Sauces

    Vegan Sour Cream

    Published: Jun 21, 2022 · by Nico

    Jump to Recipe

    This vegan sour cream is easy to make with cashews, water, lemon juice, apple cider vinegar, and salt.

    Blend everything to make the best, creamiest, and healthiest vegan sour cream ever.

    vegan sour cream
    On this page:
    • Ingredients
    • Instructions
    • Serving suggestions
    • Similar recipes
    • Is vegan sour cream healthy?
    • Storage
    • Recipe

    Check out our best sauce recipes.

    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, burrito bowls), to baked veggies (potatoes, sweet potatoes, cauliflower) and 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.

    dollop of vegan sour cream on baked sweet potatoes
    A dollop of vegan sour cream on baked sweet potatoes.

    Ingredients

    ingredients for vegan sour cream
    Ingredients for vegan sour cream: cashew nuts, water, vinegar, salt, and lemon juice. Dill or chives are optional.

    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.

    chives and vegan sour cream

    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.

    soaking cashew nuts in hot water

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

    ingredients in a blender

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

    spoonful of vegan sour cream

    You can use the vegan sour cream immediately, although still slightly warm from the blending. You can add some finely chopped dill or chives on top.

    Or you can store it in the fridge for up to 5 days in an airtight container. It will thicken up as it cools down, becoming easier to spoon. If you want to make it thinner, add water.

    dairy-free sour cream stored in a jar

    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.
    vegan sour cream with chives on top

    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

    Is vegan sour cream healthy?

    Yes, we would consider substituting vegan sour cream for regular sour cream a healthy choice because this recipe contains mainly unsalted, almost raw cashews.

    Cashew nuts are a healthy whole food, rich in protein, healthy fats, and antioxidants, and can significantly benefit your health. Among those are reduced cholesterol, prevention of heart disease, stroke prevention, diabetes prevention and management, and much more.

    Vegan sour cream is a convenient and delicious way to increase your cashew nut consumption.

    Storage

    Store in the refrigerator in an airtight container like a mason jar for up to 5 days. The sour cream thickens up in the fridge, making it perfect for spooning.

    To bring it back to a thinner consistency, add a little water and whisk it.

    For more condiment ideas, check out our dressing and sauces category page.

    Recipe

    vegan sour cream

    Vegan Sour cream

    Author: Nico
    This vegan sour cream is easy to make with cashews, water, lemon juice, apple cider vinegar, and salt.
    Blend everything to make the best, creamiest, and healthiest vegan sour cream ever.
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe Share Recipe
    5 from 2 votes
    Prep Time 10 mins
    Cook Time 0 mins
    Soaking time (if required) 1 hr
    Total Time 1 hr 10 mins
    Course Condiment, Dressing & Sauces
    Cuisine American
    Servings 1 cup
    Calories 718 kcal

    Equipment

    • High speed blender

    Ingredients
      

    • 1 cups cashew nuts not salted
    • ½ cup water + hot water for soaking the nuts
    • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
    • 1 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
    • ½ teaspoon salt

    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.
      soaking cashew nuts in hot water
    • Drain and rinse the soaked nuts and add them to the blender with water, lemon juice, apple cider vinegar, and salt.
      ingredients in a blender
    • Blend at high speed until silky smooth. It might take from 3 to 7 minutes. Add more water if you want thinner sour cream.
      spoonful of vegan sour cream
    • You can use the vegan sour cream immediately, although still slightly warm from the blending.
      Or store it in the fridge for up to 5 days in an airtight container. It will thicken up as it cools down, becoming easier to spoon. If you want to make it thinner, add water.
      You can add some finely chopped dill or chives on top.
      dairy-free sour cream stored in a jar

    Video Recipe

    Vegan Sour Cream with 5 Ingredients

    Notes

    Nutrition information is for the whole cup of sour cream.

    Nutritional Values

    Nutrition Facts
    Vegan Sour cream
    Amount Per Serving
    Calories 718 Calories from Fat 513
    % Daily Value*
    Fat 57g88%
    Saturated Fat 10g63%
    Polyunsaturated Fat 10g
    Monounsaturated Fat 31g
    Potassium 871mg25%
    Carbohydrates 40g13%
    Dietary Fiber 4g17%
    Sugar 8g9%
    Protein 24g48%
    Vitamin A 1IU0%
    Vitamin B6 1mg50%
    Vitamin C 6mg7%
    Vitamin E 1mg7%
    Vitamin K 44µg42%
    Calcium 53mg5%
    Folate 35µg9%
    Iron 9mg50%
    Manganese 2mg100%
    Magnesium 379mg95%
    Zinc 7mg47%
    * Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
    Did you like this recipe?We are not much on Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest. Leave us a comment below instead, it would mean the world to us 🙂
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