The best vegan sour cream recipe made with 4 ingredients plus water in only 5 minutes. Perfectly creamy, tangy and the best dairy free substitute!
It's hard to nail that tangy, yet creamy flavor when trying to make a non dairy sour cream. The flavor of this vegan sour cream was perfected next to real sour cream and is the perfect dairy free substitute.
This recipe was originally published on 4/5/14
This vegan substitute for sour cream will be your new go to. It's amazing how much it reminds me of the real thing! Other than my vegan ranch dressing, I think this is my favorite plant-based creation yet!
Is Sour Cream Vegan?
Unfortunately sour cream is made with, you guessed it, cream. Cream is dairy and is most definitely not vegan.
Thankfully there are a number of options nowadays for dairy free sour cream. There are a few good store bought brands, but the best vegan sour cream is made at home!
The texture is smooth, thick, and creamy, while the flavor is perfect with just the right amount of tang. With just 4 ingredients and 5 minutes you can make your own homemade vegan sour cream!
Ingredients
I have made SO many trials of sour cream. While creating a recipe for my plain yogurt (because none I can find out there replicate the stuff I used to eat as a kid!), one of my failed trials resulted in a pretty darn good sour cream! So here we are, sharing it with the world.
Luckily you don't need too many ingredients to make your own non dairy sour cream, it's a pretty simple recipe. Here's what you'll need:
- Cashews
- Slivered almonds
- Lime juice, you can also use lemon juice but lime has a sharper flavor
- Distilled white vinegar
I do not use salt in my recipe, salt often brings out a rich deep savory flavor in food and because sour cream has a more tangy clean taste I did not think salt added to the recipe well when creating this dairy-free version.
How to Make Vegan Sour Cream
It is so easy to whip this sour cream alternative recipe up, you'll never go back to store bought! Here's what to do:
- Blend all ingredients until smooth.
- Let it set in the fridge over night.
- Serve!
Serving suggestions
Sour cream is one of those things that just seems to go good on pretty much anything! Here's some ideas of how to use this sour cream substitute:
As a garnish:
- Vegan nachos
- Vegan taquitos
- Mexican taco bowls
- Healthy breakfast tacos
- Black bean sweet potato tacos
- Bean and cheese burrito
- Ultimate vegan burrito
- Easy vegan enchilada casserole
- Vegan bean chili
- Tequila lime soup
- Creamy potato soup
- Loaded baked potato
- Vegan latkes
- Vegan Tacos
More sour cream uses:
- Use as a spread for sandwiches
- Mix it into salads to make a creamy salad dressing
- A base for other dips, try mixing with my healthy vegan bean dip
- Serve with oven fries, veggie sticks, or crackers as a dip
- Mix it with my Mexican Cole Slaw for a creamy version
Preparation Tips
- Don't forget to soak the nuts even if you are using a high speed blender. It is part of the overall end flavor.
- You can soak the cashews overnight or boil them for 30 minutes if you forget.
- Do not use lemon in place of lime. Lime is the key to get the perfect flavor.
- Do not substitute the vinegar with another kind such as apple cider vinegar, it's too sweet. The distilled white vinegar is essential for the final result. If you sub it, the flavor will change.
- Add more vinegar if you want it more tangy but dairy sour cream is more of a neutral than sour flavor.
- The more it sets the more cultured like it will get, I recommend overnight.
- To make a nut free version, you can try subbing silken tofu for the nuts! Do the same amount, so 1 ½ cups plus 2 tablespoons.
Storage Tips
- Seal the plant based sour cream in an airtight container for up to 7 days in the fridge.
- You can also freeze vegan sour cream for up to 3 months.
- The best way to freeze it is to cover the top of the sour cream itself with plastic so it touches it and forms a barrier from freezer burn.
- Seal in a freezer safe airtight container or bag and keep for 3 months.
- You can also freeze it in ice cube trays before transferring to the airtight container for individual servings.
- The texture may change a bit if frozen, just whisk or blend the defrosted sour cream to get it back to the right consistency.
Common Questions
There are loads of vegan sour cream recipes out there, with a few different base ingredients. Often used are cashews, tofu, non dairy yogurt, coconut cream, and tahini. In this recipe I used cashews, almonds, lime juice, and white distilled vinegar.
If you aren't going to make your own sour cream, and need a quick and easy sub, the best thing I can think of is plain yogurt. Much like I said above when I shared this vegan sour cream recipe was actually a result from a failed vegan plain yogurt recipe trial, they are pretty close!
Homemade sour cream will last in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 7 days, and in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Everyone's picture of 'healthy' is different, so it depends on your dietary needs. Standard sour cream is made with dairy and in turn contains some fat, cholesterol, and lactose. This homemade sour cream recipe uses plant based ingredients to create a healthier version.
More Dairy Free Recipes
Finding solid vegan versions of traditional sauces and dressings can be tough. I've had a bit of success recreating the classic favorites into plant based whole food versions, here's some of our favorites:
- Homemade Ranch Dressing
- Vegan Whipped Cream
- Homemade Vegan Cream Cheese
- Vegan Cheese Sauce
- The Best Vegan Bechamel Sauce
- Vegan Alfredo Sauce
- No Butter Vegan Buffalo Sauce
The Best Vegan Sour Cream Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups raw cashews , soaked overnight (see note, includes nut free idea)
- 2 tablespoons blanched slivered almonds , soaked overnight (see note, includes nut free idea)
- 1 cup , plus 1 tablespoon water
- 2 tablespoons lime juice (see note)
- 5-5 ½ teaspoons distilled white vinegar (see note)
Instructions
- Place all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth
- Put in an airtight container and let set in the fridge overnight.
- Serve!
Notes
- you must soak the nuts even if you are using a high speed blender. It is part of the overall end flavor. You can soak the cashews overnight or boil them for 30 minutes if you forget. Caution, some blenders won't be able to get a smooth result due to their lack of power.
- Do not use lemon in place of lime. Lime is the key to get the perfect flavor.
- Do not sub the vinegar with another kind. Apple cider vinegar is sweeter and not as tangy. The distilled white is key for the final result. If you sub it, the flavor will change. Add more vinegar if you want it more tangy but dairy sour cream is more of a neutral than sour flavor.
- This recipe makes 2 ½ cups. Serving size is ¼ cup.
Recipe by Veggies Don’t Bite, visit our site for more great plant-based recipes.
Nutrition
Nutrition and metric information should be considered an estimate.
Rhona
Hi, sorry to sound thick but what does 5.5 half teaspoons mean?Keen to try this but don’t understand the measurement.Is it five and a half teaspoons.?
veggiesdontbite
Don't be sorry!! There are never any bad questions. Yep, it's 5 1/2 teaspoons. My recipe plugin changes it to .5 instead of 1/2. Hope that helps!
Sue
Thanks for another winning recipe Sophia! Flavor rreally benefits from an overnight in the refrigerator.
veggiesdontbite
So happy you like it Sue! It definitely tastes better the next day!
Kristina
This looks great! I love how you work and tweak to make your subs as good as their dairy companions! Please, please, please work on cream cheese next. I SO very much miss a good cream cheese on my bagel. 🙁
veggiesdontbite
Thank you!! I put that on my list, I will definitely try and fit that in sometime in the new year!
Kristina
You have no idea how excited that makes me! Thank you!
veggiesdontbite
Haha!!!
Elaine
I'm dairy intolerant and doing Weight Watchers. I am going to try the tofu version of this because the protein count is high and the sugar is low - perfect! I would avoid the So Delicious Coconut plain Greek yogurt alternative because it is very high in sugar and only 2 gm of protein, sadly. Can't wait to try this, thank you for the suggestion it's hard to find good dairy substitute recipes while trying to keep the protein count high and the sugars low!
veggiesdontbite
Hi Elaine! Glad you found something that may work for you! I personally prefer the nut based version, but if you're watching the calories the tofu one should work. Hope you like it!
Beth
I prefer tofu based recipes to nut based ones (tofu is so healthy and has much less fat), so I am definitely trying this! I have a vintage pasta dish I'd like to use it in, replacing dairy sour cream, do you think it'll work?
veggiesdontbite
Hi Beth! I think it depends on the recipe but it should work ok! Let me know if you try it!
Marla
Great vegan sour cream recipe. Thank you!
veggiesdontbite
Hi Marla! Thanks so much! Glad you enjoyed it!
Emily Kemp
I'm a bit of a sour cream addict, so happy I stumbled across this healthy version!
Marianne
Just tried this and it is DELICIOUS! I added some chipotle chile and put it in a Mexican bowl (like a rice taco salad type of thing) and cannot believe how delicious it tastes!
veggiesdontbite
Thank you Marianne!! I'm so happy you loved it!!! The chipotle sounds divine!!
Izzy | Ninety-nine Jam Jars
I've just used a slightly tweaked version of your recipe in a sour cream cake and icing: http://www.ninetyninejamjars.com/2016/03/russian-sour-cream-cake.html
It worked perfectly 🙂 Thank you for sharing!
veggiesdontbite
Thanks for linking back to me and the credit! Looks like a delicious cake!
Izzy | Ninety-nine Jam Jars
This really looks delicious! I was after a vegan version of sour cream to make a sour cream cake - I'll leave out the garlic and salt and give your recipe a try 🙂 Thanks for sharing!
veggiesdontbite
Thank you Izzy! I saw your link up on the cake and it looks delicious!
Chelsie
Thank you for the recipe! Can it be frozen? I can't seem to use it quickly enough.
veggiesdontbite
Hi Chelsie! Tofu changes texture when frozen so I'm not sure how it would be texture wise after defrosted. But perhaps if you blended it again it would work. Give it a try and let us know!
veggiesdontbite
Awesome! Thanks for the mention!
Dina
It looks delicious, I can't wait to try it. Keep some for me please.
Thank you
veggiesdontbite
It's very good but I couldn't even keep any for me! The boys ate it all!
quiltykanuck
That sounds delicious. If we have garlic allergies, what do you think might replace it?
veggiesdontbite
Hmmmm, maybe some onion powder?? Or you can leave it out. The original recipe I used as a guide from Oh She Glows doesn't use it. I just put it in for a little added flavor.
quiltykanuck
Oh! I know that site... I might just leave it out. We cannot have any of the allium family : Onions, green onions, ramps, garlic, shallots, chives, leeks... But we manage fine. I love finding alternatives. 🙂
Thank you!
veggiesdontbite
You're welcome! It's just as good with it out! My recipe has a little more tang, which we like, but you can reduce that too.
Allie
Try asafetida in place of garlic/onions
veggiesdontbite
Thanks! Let me know if you try it!
Laura
This is really good - and looks so creamy! Definitely bookmarking this!
veggiesdontbite
Thanks Laura! It is definitely creamy. The silken tofu version is lighter than the cashew one so it depends on what you are looking for.
Alison
This sounds delicious, going to make it tonight! Can I ask how long it would last in the fridge?
Thanks 🙂
veggiesdontbite
Hi Alison! Thanks so much! I would guess that it probably lasts about 5 to 7 days in the fridge. That's the most I've ever kept it. Feel free to adjust the flavors for more or less tang to suit your needs! Let me know how you like it!
Alison
LOVED it!!! So tasty , been using it all week!! Thanks so much for a lovely recipe 🙂
veggiesdontbite
So happy to hear! Yay! Thanks so much for sharing your review!