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This Vegan Sour Cream Recipe requires just 5 ingredients and comes together easily. It's so rich, tangy, and creamy that you'll want to dollop it on everything!
I'm so excited to share this Vegan Sour Cream Recipe with you guys! It's so darn easy to make, and it should be in everyone's fridge.
You can add it to so many dishes. Dollop it on vegan quesadillas, baked potatoes, jackfruit carnitas tacos, rice, casseroles, sweet potato black bean chili, and so much more!
I started making my own sour cream because the store-bought varieties lack the tang that the dairy variety has. The consistency is great for most of them, but they need to work on the tangy part.
Ingredients + Notes
It takes just 5 ingredients to make the creamiest and tangiest sour cream. Here's what you'll need:
- Raw Cashews - Use whole cashews rather than pieces if possible. They are usually of the best quality and freshest tasting. If the cashews are of lower quality, they tend to leave an aftertaste in the sour cream.
- Unsweetened Non-Dairy Yogurt - This helps break up the richness of the cashews. I prefer unsweetened So Delicious yogurt for its color, flavor, and thickness, but other brands will work well too. Kite Hill is another nice option.
- Lemon Juice - I recommend using fresh for the best flavor. If you have lactic acid, you can use that in place of the lemon juice. It adds a similar tangy flavor to cultured cheese. I usually add 1 teaspoon. You may need to add a few teaspoons of water or non-dairy milk to make up the liquid portion of the lemon juice.
- Apple Cider Vinegar
- Salt
How to make Vegan Sour Cream
- The method is easy; just add all the ingredients to your high-powered blender. Then blend on high until creamy and smooth.
- Now taste to see if it needs more lemon, salt, or vinegar, and add more if needed. The consistency will be soft, but it will significantly firm up in the fridge.
- Pour into an airtight container in the fridge for 1-2 hours to firm it up and give it a good stir after chilling.
FAQs
It stays fresh for about 4-5 days in the fridge, stored in an airtight container.
Besides dolloping it on a finished dish, you can also use it to amp up dressings, sauces, dips, soups, baked goods, and more.
Did you make this recipe? Let me know what you think by leaving a star ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating and sharing your feedback in the comment section below. It would make my day!
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Recipe
5-Ingredient Vegan Sour Cream
Ingredients
- ¾ cup raw cashews , soaked in water for 4-6 hours
- ½ cup non-dairy yogurt , unsweetened (sub plain)
- 1-2 tablespoons lemon juice (I usually add 2)
- ¾ teaspoon apple cider vinegar , more to taste
- ½- ¾ teaspoon sea salt , more to taste
Recommended Equipment
Instructions
- Drain and rinse the cashews. Discard soaking water.
- Add all the ingredients to a high-powered blender (starting with the yogurt and lemon juice). Blend on high until creamy and smooth. This could take a few minutes. Scrape down sides as needed. Taste to see if it needs more lemon, salt or vinegar.
- Pour into an airtight container in the fridge for 1-2 hours to firm it up. It will keep about 4-5 days.
Notes
- If you're unsure how salty or tangy you want the sour cream to be, it's best to use less lemon, vinegar and salt to start. You can always taste and add more after blending.
- I get a perfect consistency every time with the listed ingredient amounts. However, If you feel your sour cream is too thick, you can add a few teaspoons of unsweetened non-dairy milk, yogurt or water to thin it out. Add more as needed but only a small amount at a time to avoid a runny consistency.
- If you don't have a high-speed blender, the sour cream may not get smooth enough.
- Some non-dairy yogurt brands have an off-white color, which will make your sour cream slightly off-white. It won't affect the tastiness though. I prefer So Delicious for its color and thickness.
- I leave the cashews in the fridge while they are soaking.
- Prep time doesn't include soaking time.
- Yields about 1 cup.
- If you have lactic acid, you can use that in replace of the lemon juice. It adds a similar tangy flavor that cultured cheese has. I usually add 1 ¼ teaspoons. You may need to add a few teaspoons of water or non-dairy milk to make up the liquid portion of the lemon juice. Blend first and then decide.
- The cashews must soak for a minimum of 4-6 hours, or they will produce gritty results.
Jessie
Idk if I've ever left a comment before, so doing it now. I LOVE this recipe, and I've made it on the regular since I went vegan nearly four years ago. I tried a lot of recipes for sour cream, but none were as good as this. And recently, we went through about a four-month stretch without it. Omg, the agony!! Kroger stopped selling our yogurt, and I refused to pay $10 a tub at Whole Foods. (I'm not a cheapskate, just a vegan on a budget. In a family of six, those dollars add up.) So I started trying to find recipes that didn't call for yogurt. They were okay, but nothing to write home about. I tried this recipe using tofu or water, and it wasn't the same. The recipe as you've written it is just perfect, and there's no substitutes. Recently I found a suitable yogurt at Walmart, so we have sour cream again! YAY!! So if I never left a comment thanking you for sharing, thank you for sharing. Anyone else curious, stop looking for a sour cream recipe. Believe me, I've tried them all, and this one wins.
(Btw, I saw another comment asking about freezing? I freeze it all the time, no issues at all! Just give it a good stir before using.)
Melissa Huggins
Hi Jessie, I'm sorry, I missed you comment somehow. This is such a great compliment and I'm so glad you found an affordable yogurt to make it again. I will only buy if it's a good price too. Thanks for sharing the freezing experience too. 🙂