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.
I made this today to go with the chili cornbread casserole. This really tastes good. Pleasantly surprised.
I made a double batch and added Mexican spies to the second half for a spicy Mexican inspired dip/sauce !!can I freeze the leftovers?
Hi Traci. Adding some spices sounds great! Thanks for sharing your idea and great review! I think you could freeze it, yes, though I’ve never tried it. It might be a little grainy when you defrost it, but you could probably just blend it again if that’s the case. Happy cooking!
This recipe makes a delicious sour cream. I’ve prepared it without yogurt several times, and sometimes with lime instead of lemon juice. Everyone who has tried it has been impressed. It is leagues better than any store-bought vegan sour cream!
This is great, thanks Nora! I used about 1.5 tsp of vegan lactic acid instead and everything turned out very nicely!
Hi Cari. Thank you for sharing your recipe experience and wonderful review! I’m so glad that you loved the sour cream recipe and that it turned out wonderful for you!
I like this cream but it doesn’t taste similar to sour Cream because it’s not very tangy. I think maybe more ACV and lemon would do the trick. But it’s good, regardless, I just need to figure out how to use it!
I made this so many times! It’s the best vegan sour cream recipe you can find.
Thank you, Audrey, for your support and for loving my recipes! I appreciate your glowing review! Wishing you lots of happy cooking!
Hi! I haven’t tried this partricular recipe (yet) but I just wanted to stop by and say that I’ve been vegetarian for almost 50 years and vegan for 5 yrs and Nora Cooks is one of my two most favorite recipe sites. Not only are the recipes great but the design of the site, the ease of printing recipes and — everything! — is just great. Well done! And thank you! 😉
Thank you so much for this helpful and terrific feedback! I do work hard to make my site easy to follow, and I appreciate the confirmation that it is working! Thank you for loving my recipes and for your support! Wishing you lots of happy cooking!
I made this a couple of nights ago to go with some lentil tacos I was making. This is the best one I have tried by far! I did add a little extra lemon juice cos I like my sour cream pretty tangy, and oh my gosh!! I have been looking for ways to use it ever since!!! Thank you so much for this!!
You are welcome, Natasha! There are so many delicious ways to use this sour cream recipe! I am thrilled that you loved it! Thank you for your awesome review and feedback!
How much does this recipe make by volume? I’m going to need 2 cups vegan sour cream for a different recipe and I need to know whether I should double this.
With the addition of the yogurt it makes over 2 cups. If you don’t use it, you may want to double the recipe to make sure you have enough. Thanks!
Could I stir in the yogurt after the other has been made & been in the refrigerator for a few hours? I forgot to buy some and need to go get it. Thanks for the easy recipe. Using the sour cream for your 7 layer dip!!!
Yes, you can. I love that dip, enjoy!
love all the recipes, the sour cream is a go to each time I need sour cream, it is perfect, love it with the green chilies, made it about a hundred times, thank you for all your recipes, when looking for a new recipe or info, your site is the first one I check each time,
Hi Michael. Your glowing review and fantastic feedback are so encouraging to me! I appreciate you using my recipes, and I’m so thrilled that you are loving them! Thank you for your support, and I wish you lots of happy cooking!
instead of vegan yogurt to mix in, could i use vegan mayonnaise?
I’m not sure, maybe, but I haven’t tried it.
Oh my goodness! This vegan sour cream is awesome and I did use the optional vegan yogurt in the recipe. I have used other recipes, but yours is truly the best.
Also, I had a packet of vegan spinach dip (that I had ordered from my health food company, so I needed 2 cups of vegan sour cream to add to the mix. I also had the optional to add artichoke hearts, which I did….the entire dip turned out so good, thanks to your delicious sour cream recipe…I love all of your recipes and use them all the time.
I have been eating the Whole Food, Plant-based lifestyle now for almost 3 years. So many wonderful choices to make with wonderful and delicious recipes like yours. Thanks for sharing.
You are welcome, Cathy! I love to hear you are finding delicious and wonderful options for your plant based lifestyle through my recipes! Thanks for sharing your glowing review and feedback on the sour cream recipe! I appreciate you using my recipes, and wish you lots of happy cooking!
Nora, could I use this sour cream for baking?
I think you could, yes.
That was my question also. I saw somewhere that it might be too dry??? Did you try it? Would love to hear what happened if you did as I have a scone recipe that I want to veganize but it calls for sour cream.
I will never buy vegan sour cream again! This is delicious! I used the optional yogurt- Kite Hill brand, but it was so delicious even before I added it! I just like that it increases the yield. Thanks for sharing all of your delicious recipes!
You are welcome, Brigitte! I am glad you are loving the sour cream! Thanks for taking time to share your awesome review and feedback! Wishing you happy cooking!