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This Vegan Sour Cream Recipe requires just 5 ingredients and it turns out rich, tangy and creamy!
I'm so excited to share this Vegan Sour Cream Recipe with you guys! It's heavenly! Plus, it's so darn easy to make and it should be in everyone's fridge.
Along with Vegan Cheddar Cheese and Almond Cream Cheese. All non-dairy, all delicious!
I started making my own sour cream because the store-bought varieties are lacking tang that the dairy variety has. The consistency is great for most of them, but they need to work on the flavor part.
I have a feeling that we'll see better versions in the near future though. The vegan community is growing fast and many companies are paying attention. It's a great time to be vegan!!
WHAT IS VEGAN SOUR CREAM MADE OF?
Believe it or not, it takes just 5 ingredients to make the creamiest and tangiest sour cream. Here's what you'll need: (*full amounts in recipe card below)
Raw Cashews
Unsweetened Non-Dairy Yogurt
Lemon Juice
Apple Cider Vinegar
Salt
ADD-INS AND SUBSTITUTES:
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.
If you'd like to add an extra hint of flavor to your vegan sour cream, adding granulated onion will do the trick. You only need a pinch.
WHICH BRAND OF NON-DAIRY YOGURT SHOULD YOU USE?
I prefer unsweetened So Delicious yogurt for its color, flavor, and thickness, but there are many brands that will work well too. Kite Hill is another nice option.
If you can't find unsweetened non-dairy yogurt, you can use plain. Look for one that has the least amount of sugar to avoid a slightly sweet taste. 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.
HOW DO YOU MAKE VEGAN SOUR CREAM?
The method is SO 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 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. Give it a good stir after chilling.
Tips:
1 - 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.
2 - 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.
3 - The cashews must soak for a minimum of 6 hours or they will produce gritty results
4 - If you don't have a high-speed blender, the consistency may not get smooth enough. You can try soaking longer to make the cashews really soft.
5 - I like to use Whole Cashews rather than pieces. The whole pieces are usually the best quality and fresh tasting. If the cashews are lower quality, they tend to leave an aftertaste in the sour cream. It shouldn't taste heavily like cashews.
HOW LONG WILL IT LAST?
It stays fresh for about 4-5 days in the fridge, but I never make it that long. It disappears fast!
CAN I FREEZE IT?
Yes, it freezes well for 4-5 months. Just thaw in the fridge overnight. You may need to stir in a little water, non-dairy yogurt or milk to thin it out.
WHAT CAN I USE VEGAN SOUR CREAM FOR?
You can use it to amp up:
- Dressings
- Sauces
- Dips
- Soups
- Baked goods
- Ice cream
- Pancakes
Dollop it on Vegan Quesadillas, Baked Potatoes, Jackfruit Carnitas Tacos, Rice, Tomato Spinach Pasta, casseroles, Sweet Potato Black Bean Chili, and so much more!
Enjoy!
I’d love to hear from you
If you make this Vegan Sour Cream Recipe, let me know what you think by ★ star rating it and leaving a comment below. It would really make my day. You can also follow me on Instagram and share your creation with me. Just tag me @veganhuggs and hashtag #veganhuggs so I don’t miss it.
📖 Recipe
5-Ingredient Vegan Sour Cream
Ingredients
- ¾ cup raw cashews , soaked in water for 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 (I usually add ¾ tsp)
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.
- I prefer to use my high-powered blender over a food processor for this recipe because It yields smoother results.
- 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.* If you can't find unsweetened non-dairy yogurt, you can use plain. Look for one that has the least amount of sugar to avoid a slight sweet taste.
- 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 6 hours or they will produce gritty results.
- For an extra hint of flavor, add ⅛ teaspoon granulated onion.
Jessie
Melissa, I've been making this recipe for about a year now, and I absolutely love it! Better than the cow juice sour cream any day. Just curious though, could you make this with all yogurt and no cashews? What would you recommend?
Melissa Huggins
Hi Jessie, I'm so happy you love the recipe. 🙂 The cashews help create a rich and creamy consistency, so I'm not sure how it will turn out without them. However, if you find a really thick non-dairy Greek-style yogurt, it might be worth trying it out. I don't have a big selection where I am so I'm not sure how they taste. I would go for coconut-based first (unsweetened). I hope this helps. If I find a thick yogurt, I'll give it a try and report back 🙂
Gretchen
Since discovering this recipe two years ago, I have made it dozens and dozens of times. It is a staple in the refrigerator that my husband is always requesting. We use it in recipes and alone. On Thanksgiving my husband mixed it into mashed potatoes, and they were heavenly! Thank you so much for this beautiful simple sour cream, it’s amazing!!
Melissa Huggins
This is such a great feedback Gretchen! Thank you for trying the recipe and taking time to post this. 🙂
Lyn Bart
I will never use store bought vegan sour cream again, this recipe is excellent. Easy to make, super thick and creamy and really delicious. Your suggestion to add some ingredients slowly to adjust for taste was very good. I added less salt than the recipe called for and it was still a little too salty for my taste so I was happy I cut it and next time…and there will be many next times, I will cut it just a little more but no other changes. Thank you!
Melissa Huggins
The beauty of making it yourself right? Getting it just right to you liking. I am glad you loved this recipe Lyn. 🙂
Lisa Cunningham
Really great taste and texture...Thank you!!
Melissa Huggins
You are welcome, Lisa. Thanks for dropping by. 🙂
Stephanie
I used broken cashews from Trader Joe’s, soaked them maybe 30 minutes in boiling water, added about enough oat milk to make it easy to blend well in my vitamix, (a few tablespoons) and let me just say, even my no -vegan people LOVED it! Absolutely superb, no grittiness at all. I think the boiling water and oat milk helped it blend better. After sitting in the fridge for about an hour it was very thick and creamy and seriously would put any ‘real’ sour cream to the test.
Thank you for such an amazing recipe! Everyone wanted copies of it!!!!
Melissa Huggins
This feedback made my day, Stephanie! You are very much welcome and I am glad that you loved it as much as I do. 🙂
Stephanie
I just made another batch of this to make some dips for tomorrow (St. Paddy’s Day parade here)! Just as delicious and easy to make this time around. I love when I find a recipe this good, and don’t tell a soul it’s vegan until AFTER they rave about it!
Melissa Huggins
Hi Stephanie, that is hilarious but so true! No one suspects a thing. I am so glad you found this recipe and are happy with it. 🙂
Lauren
Hey Stephanie!! I was reading your comment and was wondering about the oak milk. Did you soak the cashews in the oak milk after the boiling water, or did you add the oak milk with the cashews when blending with the rest of the ingredients!? Sorry for the misunderstanding!! Thank you in advance for your help! 🙂
Joanne
I used oat milk instead of yoghurt and didn’t add the salt, it turned out amazing. Won’t use anything else but this recipe. Thank you.
Melissa Huggins
I am glad that you made this recipe work for you and loved the result, Joanne! Thanks for giving it a try and for the positive feedback. 🙂
David
Thank you for your suggestion. That’s how I made it just now and it tastes great!
Melissa Huggins
You are welcome, David. 🙂
Julie
Can you use roasted cashews?
Melissa Huggins
Hi Julie, it will have the same consistency, but the flavor of the cashews will be more prominent. I don't really recommend it. Thank you for stopping by. 🙂
Jessie
This is amazing! I went vegan a month ago and I'm slowly transitioning my family to it, but before my husband gets on board, he wants to be able to eat his favorites. And man, can he scarf down some sour cream. This one was a winner for him, and me too! I will say day one after making it, I almost tossed it because it didn't taste very good. But after letting it rest in the fridge for a day, it was great! If you make this and don't like the end result, I suggest giving it a good overnight wait to let those flavors weld together. Also, a six-hour soak still gave me a little grit. I found ten hours to be more sufficient. But I'm sure soak time probably has a lot of factors, including water hardness and cashew brand. But even with the little grit, the flavor was all there, so no real complaints. Love this recipe! You did a a great job coming up with this one!
Melissa Huggins
Hello Jessie, I am pleased that you found this recipe to help ease your family into a plant-based diet. I totally agree that giving it time for the flavors to really meld together and soaking the cashews longer results to a better vegan sour cream. Hope you can try more of my recipes for your family to enjoy. 🙂
Melissa Huggins
Hello Jessie, I am pleased that you found this recipe to help ease your family into a plant-based diet. I totally agree that giving it time for the flavors to really meld together and soaking the cashews longer results in a better vegan sour cream. Hope you can try more of my recipes for your family to enjoy. 🙂
Lani
This Sour cream was amazing!!!Thank you, Thank you! I Love the real Sour cream , and at first I was hesitant to taste it, but it was sooo good, I will never go back to the real one...lol
Support @ Vegan Huggs
Hi Lani! We're thrilled to hear that you loved the recipe! So glad that you gave it a try 🙂
Kailee
So yummy!! I didn't have yogurt so I substituted it with 1/2 almond milk with 1 tablespoon of flour. I cooked it until thick and used it as a replacement. I didn't think it would work but it did ! I'll always come back to this recipe! I used it in soup. 5 star!
Support @ Vegan Huggs
Hi Kailee! We are so happy that you loved the recipe and that it worked with the substitutions 🙂 Thank you for stopping by!