Vegan Sour Cream
This vegan sour cream recipe is the best! This creamy dairy-free sauce can also replace goat cheese, ricotta and mozzarella. It's easy to make, too.
Updated by Kathryne Taylor on September 5, 2024
It’s about time I shared my vegan sour cream on the blog. I developed this recipe for my cookbook as a dairy-free sour cream substitute. I ended up using it to replace a variety of other dairy-based ingredients: goat cheese, ricotta, even mozzarella and cheddar cheese.
As a dairy eater myself, I was both surprised and pleased to find a non-dairy substitute that I enjoy so much. It’s creamy, rich, and tangy, just like regular sour cream.
In the book, I offered vegan and dairy-free options whenever possible, and this vegan sour cream came in quite useful. I used it to replace the dairy-rich layers in lasagna (page 163), and we mixed it into the enchilada filling for a creamy element (page 148).
It’s a great substitute for the goat cheese in the quinoa-stuffed sweet potatoes recipe (page 144), and it easily replaced the cheese in my beans and greens quesadillas (page 147). I love the regular and dairy-free versions of those recipes!
Watch How to Make Vegan Sour Cream
Vegan Sour Cream Tips
This dairy-free sauce is made with rich and creamy raw cashews, water, tangy lemon juice and apple cider vinegar, salt, and a dab of Dijon mustard for additional complexity and intrigue.
This sour cream is easy to make in a blender. If you have a Vitamix (affiliate link) or Blendtec, or another blender of equal power, you don’t necessarily need to soak the cashews before blending. If you don’t, you will want to soak the cashews for about four hours before using.
Depending on the application, you might want to use this vegan sour cream differently than the ingredient you’re replacing. Since it’s water-based, it will dry out a bit during baking.
For example, if you want to use it in place of mozzarella on a pizza, you might be better off baking the pizza without it, then drizzling it generously on top once it’s out of the oven.
Or, you might want to incorporate some in the dish (like inside enchiladas) and then add an extra dollop once it’s done baking.
This sour cream will thicken up as it chills in the refrigerator. If you’d like a thinner consistency, simply whisk in a small splash of water.
Uses for Vegan Sour Cream
- Regular dairy-based sour cream or crema
- Goat cheese
- Ricotta
- Mozzarella on pizza (drizzle this on top instead)
- Cheddar or Jack cheese in quesadillas
- Cotija or feta on tacos, nachos or tostadas
- Any other instance in which you crave some creamy texture and rich flavor!
I hope this recipe becomes a staple in your repertoire, whether you’re dairy-free yourself, serving dairy-free guests, or simply looking to reduce the amount of dairy in your diet. Please let me know how this recipe turns out for you in the comments!
If you haven’t gotten a copy of my cookbook, Love Real Food, I wholeheartedly recommend it, along with over 475 five-star reviewers on Amazon. Your feedback really means the world to me. ♥
Vegan Sour Cream
This vegan sour cream recipe is the best! This creamy dairy-free sauce can also replace goat cheese, ricotta and even mozzarella. It’s easy to make, too. Recipe yields about 1 cup.
Ingredients
- 1 cup raw cashews, soaked for at least 4 hours if you do not have a high-powered blender*
- ½ cup water
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice, or more if needed
- 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
- Heaping ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
- ¼ teaspoon Dijon mustard
Instructions
- If you soaked your cashews, drain and rinse them until the water runs clear.
- In a blender, combine the cashews, water, lemon juice, vinegar, salt, and mustard. Blend until the mixture is smooth and creamy, stopping to scrape down the sides as necessary. If you’re having trouble blending the mixture, or would prefer a thinner consistency, slowly blend in up to ½ cup additional water, as needed.
- Taste and add an additional teaspoon of lemon juice if you would like more tang, or additional salt if a more intense flavor is desired. Serve immediately or chill the sour cream for later.
- Leftovers keep well, chilled, for about 5 days. The sour cream will thicken up a bit more as it rests; you can thin it by whisking in a small amount of water later, if necessary.
Notes
Change it up: Add 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast to give the cashew cream a more cheese-like flavor.
*Vitamix note: If you are using the newer wide-base blender container, you’ll need to double this recipe to gain enough traction.
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice. See our full nutrition disclosure here.
I’ve used cashew cream in sweet recipes before, but not savory! Brilliant idea; can’t wait to try! :)
Let me know what you think!
Can I use almonds instead of cashews (allergies)?
Hi Kate,
I recently joined your mailing list because all your recipes look so tasty! I am a vegetarian who tries to eat vegan when I can, so this recipe is perfect. I find that cashew tends to be the base for vegan sauces and dips. Are there other alternatives to use that you know of?
Thanks for sharing,
Sylvia
Thanks for joining, Sylvia! Cashews typically work the best as they have a strong protein content and get really creamy. I know there are other options out there with sunflower or hemp seeds for vegan sauces.
Thanks for the reply, Kate! I will look into those options
I doubled the recipe except for the nooch in order to get enough volume in my Blendtec Wildside jar for it to actually CREAM the ingredients…AWESOME!
How do you get it so smooth, I have a vita mix, I have tried soaked and non soaked cashews and it all comes out grainy. Do I just need to keep going with the mixing but worry that it will “cook” it
Hmm.. interesting Lee! You could add a splash more water? I have made it in both my blender containers without issue. Let me know if that helps!
Thanks will try…do you know about how long you blend, I am still thinking that I am wimping out and cutting it short because I worry about it “cooking”….thank you so much for getting back to me!
Are you starting with just a small amount of water to blend? I find that to be the key. I soak my cashews overnight normally when making cashew milk, and just have a cheap blender and no lumps whatsoever! about 1:1 ratio of nuts to water to start blending and then keep adding water from there to your chosen consistency. Hope that helps!
Thank you will try it that way
Thank you will try it that way
Mine often comes out grainy even using a professional blender. Not such a fan of cashews as a result! I’m going to experiment with oat.
Use to have the same problem. Now I soak cashew for hours. Boil water then let it sit overnight or most of the day. I have even boiled them on the stove when in a pinch on timing. I then put in my Nutri Ninja and PROBLEM SOLVED!!
A great way to keep summer BBQs vegan-friendly!
Absolutely!
it looks exceptionally creamy!!!!
It is!
Any chance this would work with toasted cashews?
it was yummy! i added a bit more lemon juice because i like extra tang but i will be making this often! thanks so much for this recipe!
Ok so I just love all things Cookie & Kate – and I am vegan so this is definitely my go to site when I want something new and exciting to eat – I have just made this dip but I “umped” it up a bit I used wholegrain mustard and added a grind of chilli flakes and a squeeze of extra fresh lemon juice – OMG – on to the black bean and sweet potato burgers now and I am ready for the BBQ this evening.. thanks Kate love all our recipes and have made (successfully) most of them now – Brenda (Ireland)
Thanks for sharing, Brenda! I appreciate the review, and love hearing from you.
update on my last post – forgot to say I also used the Engevita yeast flakes to make it a bit creamy and cheesy!!
Thanks, Brenda!!
We have to cook gluten and dairy free and while excited to try this recipe I wasn’t sure how nice it would really taste but I have to say I’m pleasantly surprised at how good it tastes. About to make some sweet potato nachos and looking forward to putting this over the top :-) thank you for the great recipe.
I’m glad you were pleasantly surprised! Thanks for trying it and for your review.
How do you make sweet potato nachos? I’m going to make this sour cream just for that!!
how do you make sweet potato nachos I’m intrigued
I made this last night for dinner with your recipe for spinach and mushroom quesadillas. (oh yes and margaritas with fresh lemon and lime )So delish! I added the nutritional yeast (daughter calls it Nutch…pronounced newch) which is a very appropriate acronym I feel and easier and quicker to say than NY.
I digress! It was delicious and will definitely make again. Very creamy and easy with my Optimum blender from Froothie; no affiliation just a little plug for any Aussies out there. :)
Sounds like a delicious combination! Thanks so much for sharing and for your review.
I actually think this is great, however, it was on the sweeter side for me. I will try again with more lemon juice to sour it up, but pairing this with vegan lentil barbocoa was fantastic.
Yes, add more lemon if you like. Thanks, Bailey!
Hi Kate! I am excited to try this recipe. Do you happen to know how long this will last once prepared (assuming I don’t gobble it all up in one sitting)? Have you ever tried freezing half and thawing at a later date? I’m just curious what my options are. Thank you for posting delicious and simple recipes!
Hi Elicia! It’ll keep for up to 4 days in the fridge. I haven’t tried freezing and defrosting it. Please let me know if you do!
This is delicious! I was reluctant to add the Dijon, but I’m happy that I did–vegan magic!
Thank you, Lisa!
Best vegan sour cream I’ve ever tasted! The consistency was a little too liquidy, but it was delicious on top of some grilled sweet potatoes and black beans!! My 2 yo also LOVED IT!
Great combination, Jennifer!
I doubled the recipe, adding just 1Tbs nooch, in order to get enough volume for my Blendtec Wildside jar to actually CREAM the ingredients …AWESOME! I also used lightly roasted & salted cashews because that’s what I had…no soaking and no additional salt. BINGO!
Thanks for sharing Sue!
Delicious on tacos!
I’m going to keep tweaking it bit by bit to my own preferences. I’m thinking of adding some plain vegan yogurt into the mix!
I’m glad you love it!
Cookie and Kate to the rescue-again! This is amazing! When transitioning to Plant Based, I missed sour cream but didn’t want to buy the highly processed vegan sour creams that are out there. Now, thanks to you I can still eat PB and enjoy some homemade sour cream!
Thank you!!
Oh my this is good. I’m newly vegetarian, trying to eat vegan as often as possible. I made this as written and then added a little additional lemon juice and mustard and the nutritional yeast. Is it sour cream exactly…nope…is it delicious….oh yes! Cannot wait to have it with my vegan tacos tonight. Thanks for helping me along my new journey. I look forward to trying more of your recipes.
I love it! Thanks for sharing, Diane.
Hi Kate, I look forward to trying this! I don’t have a food processor and I just wondered… because cashews are so “soft” could I grind them with a mortar and pestle to the same effect?
Thanks
Hi Diana! That would be an interesting experiment. I think that would be a lot of work and don’t know if you will be able to achieve the same consistency. If you do try it, let me know. I’m interested!
I used tofu instead of cashews, and it turned out just great! Thank you
Interesting! Thanks for sharing.
Such a good recipe! I added the nutritional yeast and a bit more mustard. I’ve been putting this on everything all week! I’m trying to go more vegan and this recipe has been a huge help!
Thank you for sharing, Rebecca! I appreciate your review.
I adore this vegan sour cream! I did have trouble mixing it in my vita mix even though I soaked the cashews. There wasn’t enough volume in the blender to effectively blend the cashiers to a smooth texture. However, dipping chips in it with a little bit of crunch was not a downside in the grand scheme of things. However I would like a smoother consistency. I’m going to double the recipe next time and blend for longer. I like it thick so I didn’t want to add too much water. I’m going to save the drained cash you water, because that might be the best water to use if you do need to thin it. It did improve to my taste by being in the refrigerator as it did thicken up to where I like sour cream to be, and it did last much longer than than five days. In fact I’m not sure how long it would have lasted because it’s all gone now
Thank you for sharing! I’m sorry to hear it didn’t mix the best for you. Let me know what you think when you increase it!
I had the same experience, I ended up adding a little more water and turning it up to level 7 on the vitamix and started doing dishes, expecting to just trash the batch as a failed experiment. Came back to it after about 3 minutes and it was coating the inside of the blender and smooth.
A nice attempt but tasted way too much like cashew and not enough like real sour cream. Had different expectations going into it.
Hi Eric, thank you for your feedback. I’m sorry you didn’t love this one!
Since I love all your recipes and need to be mostly vegan and gluten free due to my having RA, I bought your beautiful cookbook. Thanks for sharing these easy, tasty recipes!
You’re welcome! Enjoy the cookbook. I have vegan & gluten free variations/substitutions for a lot in the cookbook.
Hi Kate! I am looking forward to making this today. How long will this last in the refrigerator? Thanks
Leftovers keep well, chilled, for about 5 days. The sour cream will thicken up a bit more as it rests; you can thin it by whisking in a small amount of water later, if necessary.
Thank you for replying. I just saw where I missed that, I swear I read the blog 3 times haha. I just finished and it delicious.
Tried this and was really shocked! It was way better than I expected. Definitely needed the extra lemon and salt for the extra tang.
Will keep this recipe forever!
I’m happy it passed your expectations, Anya! Thank you for your review.
This is my GO TO sour cream!!! I do leave out the mustard though. Kinda freaky bc it tastes just like non vegan sour cream! Thanks so much for this!
Go-to, that’s great! Thanks, Tiffany.
I just have a question. Nothing I have made with cashew turns out that white. How do you get your sour cream so white?
Hi Sara, that’s an interesting question. My photos do have some extra contrast so the sour cream might appear just a little bit more pale in photos. Otherwise, I don’t know what’s going on! I usually buy my cashews at Trader Joe’s.
what can we use instead of cashew. Actually i don’t like chashew
Sorry, cashews is really the base for this recipe. If you don’t like cashews, this one may not be for you.
Sometimes you just wish you could lick your Vitamix clean! This is one of those recipes!
I agree! Thanks for your review, Ellen.
A good staple with many uses. I top falafel, tofu tacos, baked potatoes, or for topping a spicy curry or chili. Comes out perfectly creamy in my Nutribullet. I soak my cashews overnight. Thanks for sharing.
All sound like great uses! Thanks for sharing, Nancy.
Oh my gosh, this is seriously crazy delicious! I could just eat it by the spoonful. Thank you for posting!
You’re welcome, Chelsea!
What do you think about doubling the recipe using 1 cup cashews and 1 cup silk tofu?
I’m not quite sure without trying it. With adding the silk tofu, that will change the recipe.
I ended up making it as written and it was delicious! I’m glad I didn’t change it.
I had to double the recipe so it would blend in my vita mix. It is awesome I make it all the time. And it keeps for much longer than a few days. Just seal it in a very tight mason jar.
Thanks for sharing, Mary! I’m glad you love it. Sometimes volume can get tricky with a blender. Great solution!
I don’t own a blender. Could I make this in my food processor?
It should work!
Thanks!
Loved it, thank you for sharing this recipe x
You’re welcome, Zoe!
Dijon mustard is NOT vegan
Hello, Im not sure what brand you are using, but I don’t have any dijon that doesn’t meat vegan requirements.
Can you use unsalted, roasted cashews instead of raw? I have a bunch leftover from another recipe that I would love to use up.
You should be able to. You might need to soak them a little longer and adjust seasonings some.
Absolutely delicious!!! Have you used this like traditional butter in a saucepan?
I love this and my husband, who loves “real” sour cream honestly loves this better than “real”! When we run out and have tacos he says “awww, it’s not the same without the GOOD sour cream!”
Yummy, thanks for sharing this recipe.
I made this and it was great! It tastes the most like sour cream after 48 hours, but is still pretty good after 24. I would definitely make this again.
Tried this last night. Fantastic recipe, one to keep for sure. Thank you.
I’m not vegetarian, but trying to move towards a mainly plant based diet. I used this on some vegan plantain tacos and LOVED it. I did add the nutritional yeast for some extra flavor and while it doesn’t necessarily taste like sour cream, it is delicious and goes so well in place of it!!!! I feel like this could be used in so many ways … it reminds me of something I’ve had before, but I can’t put my finger on it… but whatever it is is so good.
Can I use this sauce to make pizza… or like Italian pasta?
Sure, it could work in those applications depending on the other flavors with it.
Thank you… I’ll wait till this resepe
I am lactose intolerant, getting worse by the year, but what really motivated me to try this is my daughter needs to be dairy-free for health reasons. Oh my gosh, I LOVE this stuff, could eat it by the spoonful. And tonight, my reluctant 13 year-old pretended not to like it on baked potatoes, and then grinned and said, “It is delicious.” Have stirred it into soup and with burritos, also delicious. Am going to try it in enchiladas next. Thank you!
I’m happy you loved it, Kathy!
Just made this yesterday to go with your fantastic vegan/vegetarian chili. It gives the chili a nice, creamy texture. Even though no one would be fooled into thinking this is sour cream, it is good enough to stand on its own. Thank you for sharing your wonderful, tasty recipes.
Hooray! Thanks, Bob.
Holy moly THANK YOU!! This tastes amazing!! I first made it with roasted cashews because that is what my partner brought home. That was terrible as sour cream but worked as a toast spread. But, this recipe is AMAZING as sour cream! WOW!
I have to congratulate you. When you create a vegan substitute for a dairy staple, & an avowed carnivore myself tries/likes it SO much they consider actually looking into Veganism, you know you have a great recipe! This was awesome!
Thank you, Chelsea! I’m happy you loved it.
Third time making this recipe in two weeks! Holy moly yummy! Have put it on tacos and baked potatoes. Great recipe! Easy and quick to make as well. YUM!
Great to hear, Marta!
This is so stinkin’ good! I’ve changed to a whole food plant based (non dairy – no oil) way of eating and thought I’d cry without sour cream for my potatoes. On a whim, I found your above recipe and figured I’d give it a shot. Oh my goodness! Thank you!! So delicious!!
I’m glad this met your expectations, Linda! Thanks for sharing.