Name: Vegan Sour Cream
Prep time: 5 min
Total time: 65 min
Ingredients: 2 cups raw cashews; ¼ cup lemon juice; 2 Tablespoons apple cider vinegar; 1 large clove garlic; pinch sea salt; 1 ¼ cups water

Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

Whip up creamy, dairy-free sour cream in just 5 minutes with this simple and delicious recipe! Made with only 5 ingredients, you’ll love the tangy flavor and smooth texture of this vegan alternative to sour cream. Perfect for those with lactose intolerance or following a plant-based lifestyle. Get ready to elevate your dishes with this quick and easy dairy-free sour cream recipe!

Vegan sour cream overflowing in a glass container. Highly stylized wooden spoon, lemon half and cahews.

Jump to:

Ingredients and Substitutions
Why you’ll love this recipe
How to make it
MEAL PREP AND STORAGE
Debra’s Pro Tips
Add vegan sour cream to these soups
📖 Recipe

This delicious recipe for homemade sour cream is the best vegan version around. If you’re looking for dairy free sour cream to go on all those mexican dishes you adore, look no further.

A tangy vegan sour cream is easy to make with just 5-ingredients and will take you just 5-minutes…I kid you not!

Don’t be stingy…add it to ALL THE THINGS…use it to make salad dressing, and all the dips (it’s especially good mixed with my dry ranch mix), and include it in your vegan baked goods…this sour cream alternative is an over achiever and can handle the heavy load.

Ingredients and Substitutions

Labeled ingredients: cashews, salt, garlic, lemon juice and apple cider vinegar.

Raw Cashews: I’ve tried many vegan versions of sour cream and this cashew based recipe is definitely the best. The cashews provide a rich base, a smooth consistency and I think it’s the perfect substitute for real sour cream.
Lemon Juice: The citric acid in lemon juice helps the dairy-free sour cream behave chemically in baking recipes, similar to the dairy version.
Apple Cider Vinegar: Coupled with the lemon juice, the apple cider vinegar provides the sour flavor needed for this dairy version of sour cream to taste authentic.
Garlic: Just one clove is the perfect compliment to the sour flavor.
Sea Salt: The recipe calls for just a pinch, that’s all you need!

Why you’ll love this recipe

Sour cream in a glass canister. Wooden spoon dangles above canister to show creaminess of sour cream with scallions. A spoon of salt, half a lemon and raw cashews complete the picture with a dish towel in the background.

Legit dairy-free alternative to sour cream that goes well in all your favorite recipes like enchiladas, black bean burritos, baked potato, vegan chili, and black bean soup.
Smooth and creamy texture, perfectly tangy taste…just what you’d expect from regular sour cream.
5-ingredients for the best quality and it tastes just like the real thing.
Mix it with dry ranch mix for an amazingly tasty and easy dip.
Pairs well with spicy meals.
The perfect topping for baked sweet potatoes…spoon on the salsa and some roasted broccoli for a delish vegan meal. Throw on an extra dollop of sour cream…because you can!

How to make it

Start with raw, unsalted cashews. If you have time to soak them overnight, great. Cover with cold water and let them sit on the counter. No big deal if you didn’t soak in advance. Cover the cashews with boiling water and let them sit for 30 minutes, or however long you have.

The soaked cashews will swell and become soft. Softer cashews deliver the best results when it comes to creamy vegan dairy products.

Glass bowl filled with cashews, covered in water. Doubled in size from soaking.

Drain the cashews, rinse with fresh water and then add to the pitcher of a high powered blender. If you don’t have a high powered blender, use the overnight soak method and then use a regular blender or food processor to blend.

Blender pitcher filled with soaked cashews, salt, lemon juice, vinegar, garlic and water.

Blender pitcher filled with creamy white vegan sour cream.

To the cashews, add the remaining ingredients (lemon juice, apple cider vinegar, garlic and salt) and fresh room temperature water. Blend on high for 30 seconds. Scrape down sides and then blend again until thick and creamy.

Creamy vegan sour cream in a glass container, on a wooden board. Also shows is a lemon half and one half already squeezed, a spoonful of salt and some cashews.

MEAL PREP AND STORAGE

Serve: Use this in all the same ways you’d use regular dairy sour cream.
Prep ahead: Yes! This will stay good in the fridge for a week.
Store: Store in a clean, airtight container in the fridge for up to a week, freezer for 3 months.
Freeze: Vegan sour cream can be frozen for up to 3 months. Use 2 Tablespoon silicone ice cube trays or ½ cup trays or 1 cup molds to freeze and then pop into freezer safe zip top bags….so you can easily defrost just the amount you need. For best results, thaw in the fridge overnight.

Debra’s Pro Tips

Vegan sour cream loaded into a glass canister and topped with scallions. All is on a wooden board with fresh lemon half and raw cashews.

Blend, blend, blend. If you need to add a little more water, go for it. The sour cream will thicken a bit in the fridge, so take that into account….and whisk in a bit more water if needed before using.
Add this to your weekly meal prep routine…it will come in handy all week long. You’ll add it to soups and stews, mix it with some taco seasoning and spread it on sammies and wraps…
Go ahead, add some to your mashed potatoes for extra creaminess.
Mix equal parts sour cream and enchilada sauce for a super creamy taco sauce.

Add vegan sour cream to these soups

Did you know commenting and rating recipes is one of the best ways to support your favorite food bloggers? If you made this recipe, please consider a five star rating below and leave a comment. Also, please share your photos on instagram by tagging me @dkhealthcoach and using the hashtag #debraklein

📖 Recipe

Vegan Sour Cream

Author: Debra Klein

A vegan sour cream recipe that's smooth and creamy, rich and tangy. Just 5 ingredients and 5 minutes and exactly what you're looking for in a dairy free sour cream substitute.

5 from 57 votes

Rate this Recipe

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 5

Additional Time 1

Total Time 1 5

Course Condiment

Cuisine American

Servings cups

Calories 46 kcal

Equipment

Ingredients

Instructions

SOAK CASHEWS: Place 2 cups cashews in a bowl and cover with boiling water. Soak for a minimum of 1 hour, or up to overnight*.
Drain, rinse and drain cashews again.
Place soaked cashews, garlic clove, lemon juice, apple cider vinegar and fresh water in high powered blender*.
Blend until creamy. Scrape down sides. Blend again until smooth.
Sour cream will thicken as it sets and thicken a bit more once refrigerated, so add more water if needed for desired consistency.

Notes

BLENDER: If you don't have a high powered blender, opt to soak the cashews overnight in hot water for the best creamy texture.

STORAGE: Store sour cream in airtight container in the fridge for up to a week, or the freezer for 3 months.

Nutrition

Serving: 2TablespoonsCalories: 46kcalCarbohydrates: 3gProtein: 2gFat: 4gSaturated Fat: 1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 3gSodium: 6mgSugar: 1g

Note

The nutrition calculations were done using online tools. To obtain the most accurate representation of the nutritional information in any given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients you used. You are ultimately responsible for ensuring that any nutritional information is accurate, complete and useful.

Did you make this recipe? Please leave a review below, then snap a picture and tag me @dkhealthcoach or use hashtag #dkhealtcoach on Instagram so I can see it!!

Comments

5 from 57 votes (40 ratings without comment)