This Easy 4-ingredient vegan sour cream recipe is the dairy-free, cashew sour cream alternative, so quick you'll never be without the creamy, dreamy, tangy flavor of this beloved, versatile condiment.
Homemade sour cream is our favorite way of dressing up quick lentils and rice taco meat or making a cream sauce for mushrooms with chickpeas. It's the secret to easy twice-baked potatoes and adding to refried black beans burritos. And there's so much more!
This post contains helpful tips and tricks to ensure success on your first attempt. Below, you'll find a handy table of contents with links. But if you're in a rush, please use the link at the top to jump to the recipe card at the end!
Table of Contents
Why You'll Love This Recipe
✔ Taste and texture of regular sour cream.
✔ Delicious dairy-free sour cream substitute with creamy cashew satisfaction.
✔ Simple ingredients that are shelf stable or common to every kitchen.
✔ A versatile condiment to dress up your favorite dairy-free or vegan recipes.
Ingredients, Notes, and Substitutions
Cashews. For best results, use raw, unsalted cashews. Cashew pieces work for this recipe and are often less expensive than whole cashews. Roasted cashews are great for snacking but not for vegan sour cream.
Apple cider vinegar. Tangy vegan sour cream relies on the acid of vinegar. Substitute with rice vinegar or white wine vinegar.
Lemon juice. With less sharpness than vinegar, the sour flavor of lemon juice brings more zest and slight sweetness to balance the acid.
Salt. Add a depth of flavor with just a little salt. Use it sparingly, so start with ¼ a teaspoon (less if you are salt-sensitive) and add after tasting if desired.
Please see the recipe card at the bottom of this post for the complete list of ingredients with measurements plus recipe instructions.
Recipe Variations
For a nut-free vegan sour cream, I recommend sunflower seed sour cream. Grind, don't soak sunflower seeds. Blanched almonds will retain the white color and make a creamy sour cream with a slightly sweeter flavor.
You can add a variety of spices, like cayenne pepper or a scatter of red chili flakes, to make a spicy sour cream.
Switching lime juice for lemon juice takes the flavor in a different direction than real sour cream, but it's a nice switch for tacos or cooling down Mexican dishes.
How to Prep Cashews
If you want the creamiest cashew sour cream, even with a high-speed blender or food processor, soak them first. I’ve got a Vitamix, but I still faithfully prep cashews and will continue advocating this until my last bite.
That said, there are several options for prepping cashews:
- Overnight soak: Add the cashews to a bowl and cover them with water. Soak them overnight or for at least 4 hours.
- Quick soak: Add hot water (preferably boiling) and the cashews to a bowl. Soak for at least 15 minutes. Soak longer if your blender is less powerful.
- Grind: Place the cashews in a spice grinder or small, powerful blender. Grind the cashews into a fine powder.
- Steaming: Place the cashews in a steamer basket and steam them over boiling water. Add a lid to the pot to preserve the steam. Steam for 5 minutes, longer if you need them softer.
- Boiling: Bring a pot of water to boiling and add the cashews. Boil the nuts for 5 minutes, then drain.
How to Make Vegan Sour Cream
Tip: A high-speed blender is better by design than a food processor for smooth consistency. You want a small enough space to create friction so the cashews can break down.
Add the cashews, apple cider vinegar, lemon juice, salt, and ¼ a cup of water to the blender. Begin at a slower speed, gradually increasing as the cashews break down.
Check the consistency, add a few tablespoons of water, and continue blending until you have a creamy texture.
Taste the sour cream and adjust the vinegar or lemon juice as needed.
Want to save this recipe? 🥣
Enter your email below and get it sent straight to your inbox. Plus, get more amazing vegan recipes and satisfy your cravings.
Serving Suggestions
Cashew sour cream is the base for a delicious dip or salad dressing. A dollop of sour cream is an easy topper for baked potatoes, spicy vegan chili, or any dish that needs a little cooldown.
You can also use cashew sour cream as a mock coconut cream by adding a few drops of coconut extract or a few tablespoons of coconut milk. A great compliment for many Indian vegan curry recipes.
Frequently Asked Questions
Store sour cream in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. It will thicken after it sits, so mix it with a little water or a few drops of lemon juice to loosen it up.
Freeze sour cream in a sealed container or put smaller portions in an ice cube tray for several months. Thawed vegan sour cream may be too thin to use as a topping, but it is great for adding to soups, curry, and chili.
If, after blending, your cashew sour cream has a grainy or gritty texture, it might be due to under-soaking the cashews. Let the cashews sit for 10 minutes, then continue blending, adding more liquid if it is too thick. If this doesn’t work, add it to a spice grinder, splitting the amount if needed. A smaller space will create more friction and can help make the texture creamier.
Cashew sour cream or dressings with a cashew cream base can seize and thicken as the starch in the nuts expands. Start with a thinner consistency before adding it to other ingredients. If you are making pasta salad, rinse the pasta before adding a sour cream-based dressing. If making warm pasta, use a little bit of the pasta water to thin sauces with sour cream.
🧾 Related Recipes
Do you have a question or recipe request or need a cooking tip? Leave a comment below or contact Denise. I’m here to help! If you want more healthy vegan recipes, please subscribe to my newsletter or follow me on Facebook or Pinterest for the latest updates.
If you make this recipe, please leave a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ rating. It’s much appreciated!
👩🏻🍳 Recipe
Easy 4- Ingredient Vegan Sour Cream (Dairy Free)
Rate this Recipe:
Ingredients
- 1 cup raw cashews - soaked
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ - 1 cup water
Instructions
- Quick soak the cashews by adding them to a bowl and covering them with boiling water. Allow them to soak for 15 minutes. See notes for alternative cashew prep methods.
- Drain and rinse the cashews, then add them to a blender with apple cider vinegar, lemon juice, salt, and ¼ cup of water. Start blending at a slow speed, gradually increasing as the cashews break down.
- Continue adding a little water and blending until you have a smooth texture and consistency you like.
- Taste the sour cream and add more vinegar, lemon juice, or salt if desired.
Notes
- Nutritional information is based on 2 tablespoons of sour cream per person.
- A blender is best for making sour cream; however, you may consider using a smaller blending device, such as a spice grinder, if you make only a small amount.
- In addition to the quick soak method for cashews, you can soak them overnight in water, grind dry cashews into a fine powder, steam them, or boil them. Refer to the body of the post for more info.
- Store cashew sour cream in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. You can also freeze it.
- Cashew cream will thicken after standing. Stir in a few drops of water or lemon juice.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is an estimation only.
Want to save this recipe? 🥣
Enter your email below and get it sent straight to your inbox. Plus, get more amazing vegan recipes and satisfy your cravings.
Leave a Reply