Vegan Sour Cream

on Aug 19, 2020, Updated Sep 06, 2020

This post may contain affiliate links.

There are some great sour creams on the market these days, but my favorite is a simple homemade version made from nourishing ingredients like creamy cashews and tangy lemons.

This is one of those throw everything in the blender and you’re done kind of recipes, so it’s very easy to do and making a big batch of this on the weekends means I can easily add a cool and creamy dollop to whatever I’m making for dinner that week.

It’s great on chili, tacos, and dal, and I also like to use it as the base for quick salad dressings or creamy pasta sauces.

You can also turn this into a flavorful dip with some garlic powder, fresh chives, and black pepper or serve on baked potatoes with a pat of vegan butter for a classic homestyle side dish.

I also really like using this as a mayo replacement on sandwiches or as a sauce in wraps.

However you choose to serve it, I hope you this dairy-free vegan sour cream!

– Nicole

Like most nut-based dips and sauces, this sour cream thickens up considerably after chilling in the fridge.

Vegan Sour Cream

By: Nicole Vranjican

Easy dairy-free sour cream recipe that tastes great on everything from baked potatoes to tacos to veggie chili.

Servings: 2 cups

Pin Recipe Rate Recipe Print Recipe

Ingredients

2 cups cashews, raw
1 cup water
3 tbsp lemon juice , about 1 large lemon
2 tbsp white rice vinegar
1 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp onion powder
4 tsp olive oil, extra virgin
¼ tsp yellow mustard

Instructions

Measure out 2 cups of raw cashews and place in a bowl. Cover with room temperature water and soak overnight or what I usually do when I'm short on time: cover with boiling hot water and let sit for 30 minutes-1 hour. The longer the better, but even 15 minutes is better than nothing. This will create a smooth, silky consistency 🙂
Then drain the water from the cashews and and add them to a to a high-powered blender with the remaining ingredients. Blend for 40 seconds to 1 minute or until very smooth and creamy.
Taste and add another pinch of salt or squeeze of lemon until it tastes perfect to you. Remember, it's always best to add a little bit at a time rather than to add too much all at once, so taste and adjust as desired.
At this point, it's ready to serve as is but it will thicken up considerably in the fridge. I like when sour cream is cool, thick, and creamy so I think it's best when after it's been chilling in the fridge for several hours or overnight.
When you're ready to serve, dollop on nachos, tacos, chili, or baked potatoes and enjoy.

Notes

This sounds weird, but using filtered water actually makes a difference here. Always cook with water you would want to drink.

The same is true when it comes to using fresh lemon juice rather than bottled and extra virgin olive oil rather than regular olive oil. It’s a slight difference, but I find that when recipes are this simple, the quality of ingredients is especially important.

It’s all in the details 🙂