Vegan Sour Cream, made with 4 ingredients and 5 minutes. It’s thick, creamy, tangy and the perfect substitute for dairy sour cream!
Do you miss sour cream? I used to love the stuff before I went vegan; a dollop here and there made food more delicious and satisfying.
Well now you can make your own dairy free sour cream with just 4 ingredients in minutes with simple ingredients!
Just like my Heavy Whipping Cream Substitute, Vegan Butter, Vegan Condensed Milk and Shreddable Vegan Mozzarella Cheese, this is a staple recipe you will want to have in the refrigerator at all times.
Vegan sour cream brands you can buy
If you don’t want to make your own at home, there are several options nowadays for dairy free sour cream at the grocery store.
None of them taste as good to me as this homemade version, but I have used Tofutti brand in the past, as well as Kite Hill, Simple Truth, Forager, Follow Your Heart and Good Karma.
Make my homemade version if you can; it’s so much better tasting!
Ingredients needed for sour cream alternative
- Raw cashews – Cashews are what gives this whole foods sour cream it’s creamy texture. If you can’t have cashews, you can try using slivered almonds instead. If you absolutely can’t have nuts at all, try making a tofu sour cream instead! Or make sour cream from coconut milk.
- Apple cider vinegar – or white vinegar or even more fresh lemon juice.
- Fresh lemon juice – You can also use 1 teaspoon of lactic acid for the signature “tang” if you have it.
- Optional: Unsweetened dairy free yogurt – This adds an extra creaminess and tang, but you can leave it out if needed. I like Kite Hill brand, but others work as well.
How to make vegan sour cream
Find the complete recipe with measurements below.
- First, soak your cashews. I do this by pouring boiling hot water from my tea kettle over the cashews, then let them sit for about 5 minutes. They can sit for longer if you want, and if you don’t have a high powered blender I suggest you let them soak for an hour, to get them really soft for blending.
- Add ingredients to a high-speed blender. Drain the cashews, then add to a blender along with 3/4 cup fresh water, apple cider vinegar, lemon juice and salt. A food processor might work, but it won’t get nearly as creamy.
- Blend until very smooth. Scrape down the sides of the blender as needed, and make sure there are no pieces of nuts left. It should be super smooth and not grainy at all.
- Add yogurt if desired. This last step is optional but will bring your sour cream to the next level! Pour the cashew mixture into a bowl, and stir in 1 cup of unsweetened non-dairy yogurt. It helps the sour cream be lighter in texture (more like real sour cream), and helps it to taste tangier.
Can you make it without a high-speed blender?
It is possible, though it will probably be grainier and not as smooth as mine. If there’s one thing you should invest in as a vegan home cook, it’s a high powered blender. I love, love, love my Vitamix and can’t live without it!
If using a regular blender or food processor, soak the cashews for a long time, an hour in hot water. That will soften them up even more so they will blend better.
Variations
- Green chile sour cream – Add a can of green chiles when you blend everything together for a delicious variation.
- Sriracha sour cream – Sometimes I add a teaspoon or two of Sriracha for spicy sour cream. This also goes great on nourish bowls.
- Cheesy – Add about 1/4 cup of nutritional yeast for a slightly cheesy flavored sour cream. A little onion or garlic powder will also add a bit of flavor.
Frequently asked questions
- What brand of non-dairy yogurt should you use? I used Kite Hill brand unsweetened almond yogurt. It’s my favorite for this sour cream, and other recipes where I use yogurt to cook, like these Vegan Sour Cream Enchiladas. It’s also very white, so it helps make your sour cream super white, just like real sour cream.
- How long will cashew sour cream keep? I have found that it will keep about 1 week in the refrigerator, in a covered container. This recipe does make quite a lot, so freeze some if you want.
- Can you freeze it? Yes, it freezes quite well. I often freeze my cashew based sauces and dressings with no issues. You can freeze a portion in a freezer friendly container, or even pour into an ice cube tray, then pop them into a freezer bag once frozen for single serving portions.
What goes well with vegan sour cream?
You can use this dairy free sour cream anywhere you would use regular sour cream! From burritos, enchiladas and tacos to buddha bowls, chilis and soups, the possibilities are endless. It’s the perfect topping for any of the following recipes and more.
Vegan Sour Cream
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups raw cashews
- 3/4 cup water
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- OPTIONAL: 1 cup unsweetened non-dairy yogurt
Instructions
- Quick soak the cashews: Bring a few cups of water to a boil (I use my tea kettle for this). Add 1 1/2 cups cashews to a measuring cup and pour the boiling hot water on top to cover. Let them soak for 5 minutes, or 1 hour if you don't have a high powered blender.
- Drain the cashews and add to high powered blender. Now add 3/4 cup fresh water, apple cider vinegar, lemon juice and salt. Blend until very smooth.
- Pour the cashew mixture into a bowl and stir in in the unsweetened yogurt. This is optional, but it brings the sour cream to another level in terms of texture and flavor.
- Use immediately, or transfer to a small covered container and refrigerate. It will thicken up as it chills. The sour cream will keep for about a week. You may also freeze this if desired. Enjoy!
Notes
- May also soak the cashews overnight in water. I can never usually remember to do this so I use the quick soak method!
- If you do not have a high powered blender like a Vitamix, you may need to soak the cashews even longer to get a smooth cream, an hour or so.
- Add a can of green chiles to make a green chile sour cream, or a teaspoon or Sriracha hot sauce for spicy sour cream.
This is for keeps. Perfect taste and texture! Thank you.
Glad you love it! Thank you for sharing your review!
The local store I went to did not have cashews. I made it with raw sunflower seeds. Although it is good. What could I do to up the tangyness?
Interesting, I’m glad it worked okay with sunflower seeds! Add more lemon juice and/or vinegar for tang, to taste.
I have a strange question if I dont have a high powered blender. Could I just blend the water and cashews then use cheese cloth to get the grainny bits out then add the liquid back and finish the recipe? Or could I just use cashew milk I bought?
Sorry, I don’t think that will work. You need the bulk of the cashews for this recipe, or it will just be watery, like cashew milk.
Hello Nora! Thanks so much for recipe. Do you think this sour cream recipe will work as a sour cream topping for cheesecake (of course with added powdered sugar and vanilla extract)?
Thank you.
Jhezrel
It probably would, yes, but I’ve never tried it. Enjoy!
Hi Nora ?
Thanks for the recipe, I used your recipe all the time for my air fryer fries, my nachos and my chips.
Also, I want to let you know that you are one of the bloguers that motivated me to become a food bloguer and create my own vegan food blog called frugal veganista ?.
Jesus bless you greatly and that you may keep inspiring and motivating people to eat healthy, and become a food bloguer to help you with the task of motivating others to eat healthy?
Thanks so much! I’m so glad to hear that!
Worked perfectly. Thank-you!
You’re welcome!
hello, what is considered a serving in this recipe? 🙂
Probably about 1/2 cup.
Made this tonight to serve with vegan taco soup and it was perfect! So yummy and made the soup so much tastier. Love all your recipes I try! Thanks!!
This is a wonderful recipe! I no longer have to spend $$$ for Kite Hill sour cream and can whip this up at home in no time!
That’s so great to hear!
I’m in search of vegan sour cream that can be used in a GF coffee cake recipe. Have you baked anything with this substitute?
Thanks!
I haven’t tried baking with this sour cream, but I’m pretty sure it will work!
Super easy to make and simply delicious. Loved the added tip of freezing the leftovers. I’m a new fan.
Thanks so much!
Hands down the BEST sour cream. This recipe was ridiculously easy and yielded amazing taste! Thank you so much.
Thank you so much! Glad you enjoyed it.
This recipe is fantastic. I always look forward to making it when I’m going to make the enchiladas! Thank you so much. I’ve had so much fun with many of your recipes in this lock down and introduced my family to so many things which I’ve been excited about having achieved.
That’s so great to hear! Thanks for the comment!
I made this to serve with your Enchilada Casserole. It’s delicious (as is the casserole) and very creamy. I used Forager Organic Unsweetened Cashew Yogurt. My sour cream made with cashews is a creamy beige color so maybe if I used white vinegar it would look more like real sour cream. Doesn’t matter though because it’s so tasty. 🙂
I’m really happy you enjoyed this with the enchilada casserole. The color probably also depends on the yogurt you use, some are more purely white than others. I’m glad you liked it!
What is the amount of one serving?
Love your recipe!!! I’m worried I’m having way too much in one serving!!
There are 8 servings total, if you really want to know you could divide it all into 8 servings. I believe it’s a couple of tablespoons for 1 serving though. Thanks! I’m so glad you love it.
I was skeptical that any vegan sour cream recipe could really be good. I’ve tried several. I was wrong, We both love this one! Had it with the nacho cheese on nachos which was also fantastic. This is definitely a keeper. Thank you so much! I’ve literally made one of your recipes every day since I found your website.
Thanks for the wonderful comment! A good sour cream is great to have on hand. 🙂
Love this! Made it today and it was delicious! I already enjoyed the basic cashew sour cream I’d been making but the yogurt definitely lightens up the texture and takes it to the next level. I used white vinegar and lemon juice and so delicious coconut unsweetened yogurt. I swirled it in some puréed curry butternut squash soup. Amazing! Thanks Nora!
Thanks Asha! I felt the same way, if you have unsweetened vegan yogurt it really does lighten it up a bit. Sounds wonderful in curry butternut squash soup, wow!
I recently cut way back on dairy, 5 weeks ago today, tried this recipe without the unsweetened yogurt and it was way too apple cider vinegary. My thought was next time I’d try mixing in exactly what you did, an unsweetened dairy-free yogurt alternative…can’t wait to try it!
Thanks! I prefer it with the yogurt now, if I have it. But if it’s too vinegary for you just add less next time, too.
Unfortunately, mine was not sour enough. Could the added yogurt have diminished the sourness?Any suggestions?
I find the yogurt improves the sourness actually, but if you want it more sour add a little more vinegar or lemon juice until you are happy. Thanks!
Hi Nora,
I noticed this recipe, as well as many of your other recipes, calls for cashews. I am allergic to them sadly! What would be a good alternative for when a recipe calls for cashews? Thanks!
Hi Kara! Yes, I do use cashews a lot to mimic dairy as they work so well. I think you could probably substitute silken tofu for the cashews here, I used to make a tofu based sour cream and it was pretty darn good! Just use way less water as well, you probably won’t need hardly any at all. Hope that helps! As far as other recipes go that call for cashews, it kind of depends. I try to give a nut free option when I can!
While I haven’t tried this yet myself, I keep thinking that sunflower seeds might come in handy in a situation like this. [My son’s been allergic to milk and tree nuts since he was a baby, but he’s grown up to be quite the carnivore and prob’ly would have no interest in this. 🙁 ]
I use sunflower seeds for mine and it works perfectly! Boil them for 15 minutes instead to soak them.
I have tried 3 sour cream recipes before I found this one! Oh, dear lord, this is amazing! My husband and I had baked potatoes and we could not keep going back for more of this amazing concoction. I cannot wait to share this with anyone who will listen! Huzzah for chemistry!
Thank you! I know I can’t get enough of this sour cream either, especially on potatoes! Glad you found it, and thanks for sharing!
I’m anxious to try this recipe, Nora. I got a Ninja Ultra Prep as a gift. Will it be powerful enough? I’m soaking the cashews overnight hoping they will blend into a smooth cream.
I’m pretty sure it will work, I think the Ninja is pretty powerful. Especially if you soak the cashews overnight. I’d love to know how it turns out! Thanks!
I have a regular Oster blender for now, and all the cashew cream recipes have work out great with it. I do the 5-minute soak method.
Absolutely delicious! I added unsweetened So Delicious coconut yogurt. This took our tacos to a new level. Big hit with our family of five. Thanks for another great recipe!
I’m curious…just starting on vegan food, and don’t have a great blender…just a regular Osterizer brand. Would that be powerful enough?? Many recipes require blending, and I’m curious if I should shop for a better blender!!
Thx Nora, your recipes are wonderful!!
Hi Marty! Yeah, this won’t work so well without a better blender such as a Vitamix…. Sorry! It will be a bit grainy if you blend it in a regular blender, unfortunately. Maybe time for an upgrade! It’s a game changer with making delicious vegan food.
I have a blendtec blender, But I can’t get my recipe to turn out anything like yours! Mine is grainy, almost like hummus. And it is certainly not white. Any advice? I did soak my cashews for about nine hours
I’ve never used a blendtec but from what I’ve heard and read it doesn’t work as well for more difficult blending jobs. I’m surprised that even with soaking the cashews for hours you weren’t able to get a super smooth cashew sour cream, but I’m sure it’s the blender. It definitely shouldn’t be grainy at all, it should be smooth and white.
Where is that wooden spoon from?!? It’s beautiful
hah! It’s actually my mom’s spoon. She has two of them, and I have no idea where they came from, but they are so beautiful!