Vegan Sour Cream: the simple recipe for dairy-free sour cream

Vegan sour cream is the delicious dairy-free condiment you'll fall in love with the first time you taste it. Made from cashews, lemon juice, and vinegar, this sauce is creamy, tangy, a vegan alternative to regular sour cream. It's perfect for dolloping on everything from baked potatoes to tacos, or used as a spread on sandwiches or made into creamy dips.

However you use it, this easy cashew sour cream tastes so much better than anything you'll pick up in a store. Vegan sour cream is so flavorful that both vegans and non-vegans will be happy to add it to their arsenal of go-to condiments.

Vegan Sour Cream Ingredients

The beauty of this delicious, creamy vegan cashew sour cream is that the recipe only calls for a few ingredients and doesn't take long to make.

To make vegan sour cream, you'll need cashews, water, lemon juice, apple cider vinegar, and a dash of salt. The lemon juice and apple cider vinegar give the sour cream its irresistible tanginess.

How to Make Vegan Sour Cream

Once you make this easy vegan sour cream, you'll never reach for store-bought versions again. All you need to do is soak your cashews in a couple of inches of water for a few hours. Two to three hours is enough, but you can soak them overnight.

Once they're done soaking, pour the cashews, water, lemon juice, apple cider vinegar, and salt into a blender. Blend everything until smooth. Make sure to scrape down the sides every so often. Once the sour cream reaches your preferred consistency, it's ready to use!

Tips for Making the Best Vegan Sour Cream

While this easy cashew sour cream tastes best after chilling for an hour or so, you can use it immediately.

If you're short on time, you can soak your cashews in hot water for 5 to 10 minutes, then pop them in the blender with the rest of the ingredients for ultra-speedy vegan sour cream.

The longer your vegan sour cream stays refrigerated, the thicker it'll become. If it's too thick, add a little more water, lemon juice, or vinegar (depending on how tangy you like your sour cream) to thin it out.

If you plan on using your cashew sour cream for baking be aware. Because it's based on water, it will dry out slightly. You can counteract this by adding some plant-based yogurt or plant-based milk to your baking.

Vegan Sour Cream Variations

Mix additional ingredients into your cashew sour cream to make it even more flavorful. Add in nutritional yeast for an extra vitamin boost and savory flavor.

Mustard will give your vegan sour cream a spicier taste.

If you'd like an extra creamy sour cream, mix in some non-dairy yogurt. Oat yogurt, coconut milk yogurt, and almond milk yogurt are the best options. Look for Greek-style plant-based yogurts if you want to make your vegan sour cream with yogurt.

Coconut cream is another great addition to make rich, creamy vegan sour cream. Although it isn't sweet like other coconut products, it does have a noticeable coconut flavor.

If you're allergic to nuts, you can use sunflower seeds to make vegan sour cream without cashews. Tofu also works as a cashew replacement.

How to Use Vegan Sour Cream

Use your cashew sour cream the exact same way you would normal sour cream. It's a fantastic topping for baked potatoes, stuffed sweet potatoes, tacos, burritos, homemade soups, as a spread on sandwiches, make sauces and dips, or to make creamy vegan pasta sauces. You can even use it in your baking recipes to make ultra-soft, moist quick bread and biscuits.

How to Store Cashew Sour Cream

Keep vegan sour cream in an airtight container in the fridge. Enjoy within 5 days. Don't forget to stir it before using it!

Can You Freeze Vegan Sour Cream?

Absolutely! Unlike regular sour cream, cashew sour cream freezes well. Frozen vegan sour cream lasts up to 5 months.

Instructions

Soak the cashews in a few inches of water for 2 to 3 hours, or up to overnight.

Pour the cashews, water, lemon juice, apple cider vinegar, and salt into a blender.

Blend until smooth, scraping down the sides periodically. If your vegan sour cream is too thick, add a little bit more water to reach your preferred consistency.

Serve and enjoy!