Vegan Sour Cream
More than just a substitute: this vegan sour cream made from cashews is dairy-free, creamy, delicious, and versatile. The plant-based alternative to sour cream is easy to make yourself – with just four to five ingredients, including water and salt. Everything is mixed, cooled briefly and the vegan sour cream is ready. Whether on its own, as a dip base, or for creamy thickening of dishes: This cashew sour cream is convincing in every role.
Former Sour Cream Addict
I’ll admit up front: I used to be addicted to sour cream. In any case, I used to eat it with practically everything, ever since I was a child.
My favorite dishes included: tomato sauce with rice and sour cream, lecsó with rice and sour cream, lecsó with potatoes and sour cream, spinach with potatoes and sour cream, cooked romaine lettuce with peas, potatoes and sour cream, …
But even after I moved out of my parents’ house, sour cream was always on the menu. I can’t deny my preference for it. It became even more difficult for me when I started eliminating dairy products from my diet.
Some of the products available back then (2013) tasted terrible and were only available at the other end of town in specialty stores. Today, there are now good-tasting alternatives to buy. Unfortunately, there is not much nutritional value in ready-made vegan sour cream.
The solution: make vegan sour cream yourself, which is fortunately easier than it sounds.
Ingredients
Admittedly, we are not making “sour cream-sour cream” as we do not use milk, not even a vegan version. Nor do we use vegan yogurt, cream or soy in this vegan sour cream.
Instead, cashews provide the rich consistency. The almond cheese, a kind of vegan feta, also shows how wonderfully this works with “nuts” (while almonds and cashews are commonly called nuts, they’re botanically classified as seeds of fruits, not true nuts like hazelnuts or walnuts).
In total, only four to five ingredients are needed with the “nuts”, namely
- Cashews (this recipe is therefore also known as “cashew sour cream”)
- Water
- Salt
- Lemon juice and, if you like, a little vinegar (e.g. apple cider vinegar or rice vinegar)
That’s it! Just a few pure, simple ingredients for a dairy-free sour cream, no hocus-pocus.
Preparation
The preparation is as simple as the ingredients:
- Soak the cashews in water
- Drain the water
- Blend *) the soaked cashews with fresh water, salt, lemon juice or vinegar
- Chill in the fridge: this will make everything a little firmer – and cool.
There’s not much more I can say, because the recipe for the best vegan sour cream is really super simple. Incidentally, it will keep in the fridge for five days if stored in an airtight container.
Possible uses
You can use vegan sour cream just like “real” sour cream. In any case, you can eat it raw or cold and cook with it. I have never baked with it so far.
Pure
The vegan sour cream tastes good just as it is. As I mentioned at the beginning, I grew up with sour cream as a kind of side dish to a vegetable dish. And that’s how I still use it today.
Put a dollop on potato pancakes or pizza rolls, add a little to spanakopita (a Greek spinach strudel), eat with fasolakia, spanakorizo or Austrian “Krautfleckerl” (pasta with caramelized cabbage).
The topping for this dairy-free carrot cake is made in a similar way, so vegan sour cream also works sweet.
Creamy tartar sauce dip
If you want to make a creamy dip, a kind of tartar sauce, you now have the perfect base. Mix your vegan sour cream with
- a small piece of finely chopped onion
- a pressed clove of garlic
- a finely chopped gherkin
- a few finely chopped capers
- finely chopped herbs such as parsley, chives and/or dill
- a teaspoon of mustard
- a little salt and pepper
The vegan sour cream also works just as well as a base for creamy vegan tzatziki sauce or savory Liptauer “cheese” spread.
What will you use it for?
You might also like to eat …
The Best Vegan Sour Cream – is Homemade
Equipment
- mini blender *)
Ingredients
- 200 g cashews
- 125 ml cold water (and more water for soaking)
- 6 tablespoons lemon juice see note
- 2/3 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Soak the cashews in water: A few hours (overnight or during the day) in cold water or briefly (approx. 30 minutes) in hot water.
- Drain the water and pour in 125 ml (4.2 oz or 1/2 cup) of fresh, cold water.
- Add lemon juice and salt.
- Blend until the texture is creamy.
- Chill in the fridge, the sour cream will then become firmer.
Video
@plantbased.redhead 🤍 Homemade Sour Cream (Dairy-Free & Vegan) 💚 (EN & DE) More than just a substitute: This homemade vegan sour cream is dairy-free, easy to make, and delicious. You need a strong blender and only a few ingredients: – 200 g (7 oz or 1 1/3 cups) cashew nuts – 125 ml (4.2 oz or 1/2 cup) cold water (and more water for soaking) – 6 tablespoons lemon juice – 2/3 teaspoon salt The preparation is as simple as the ingredients are: soak the cashews, drain them, blend, chill, serve, and enjoy. 🥰 Visit my blog plantbasedredhead.com for a more detailed description in German and English. 🤗 💚 Heidi 🌱👩🦰 #vegan #plantbased #plantbasedredhead #vegansoftiktok #fyp
♬ Mia & Sebastian’s Theme – Justin Hurwitz
Notes
- Makes about 400 to 450 grams sour cream (approx. 14.1 to 15.8 oz)
- 6 tablespoons of lemon juice are approx. 1.5 to 2 lemons.
- If lemon juice alone is too mild for you or you don’t have enough lemons, mix it with vinegar (e.g. apple cider vinegar or rice vinegar). Combining the fresh acidity of the lemon juice and the strong acidity of the vinegar creates a more complex flavor profile that comes closer to that of classic sour cream. Try using approx. 4-5 tbsp lemon juice and 1-2 tbsp vinegar.
- The sour cream can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for five days.
- I describe some possible uses in the post itself.