Cashew Sour Cream
Vegan, gluten-free, grain-free, no bake/raw, oil-free, refined sugar-free, soy-free
Yield
2 cups (500 mL)
Soak time
1-8 hours
Prep time
Cook time
0 minutes
Total time
Rich and tangy, this vegan sour cream is the perfect complement to My Favourite Vegan Chili or any Mexican entrée. Be sure to soak the cashews (either overnight or using my quick-soak method) before you begin.
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups (225 g) raw cashews, soaked
- 3/4 cup (180 mL) water
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
- Scant 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
Directions
- Place cashews in a bowl and cover with water. Soak overnight or for 8 hours if you have the time. For a quick-soak method, pour boiling water over the cashews and soak for 1 hour. Rinse and drain.
- Place the drained cashews in a high-speed blender.
- Add the water, lemon, vinegar, and salt. Blend on high until super smooth. You might have to stop to scrape down the blender now and then or add a touch more water to get it going.
- Transfer into a small, air-tight container and chill in the fridge. It makes 2 cups. The cream will thicken up as it chills. The cream will keep in the fridge for about 1 week. You can also freeze it for up to 1 month. I like to freeze it in silicone mini muffin cups. Once solid, transfer the cups into a freezer-safe zip bag for easy grab and go portions.
I followed directions as is, and it turned out wonderfully. I’ve purchased dairy free sour creams in the past and this recipe is way better. I can’t believe how good it is. Thanks for the recipe!
No high speed blender ?
Would this work in a food processor or using an immersion blender??
Hi Robin, You can certainly try, but my guess is that it wouldn’t turn out as smooth as a blender gets it and it would probably take a fair amount of time in the processor. Please let us know if you try anything out!
I made this with a food processor, While not quite as smooth of texture as real sour cream, it worked for me. And it was AMAZING! I put this, along with avocado on top of a sweet potato veggie burger and it really added to the dish. Can’t wait to try it with veggie tacos.
Just made this, it’s sooooo good! I’m so glad you noted that it can be frozen because two cups is too much, but half a recipe wouldn’t work in the blades of the Vitamix as well. I’m going to have it tonight on refried bean burritos, then tomorrow on potato pancakes. I might even flavor it with something like veggie bouillon mix and dip some celery in it.
Enjoy those leftovers, Lee Ann! :)
Can you use roasted cashews without salt?
I haven’t tried it myself, but I think you probably could. The flavour will be more intense than what you’d get with raw cashews. If you give it a try, please report back!
Hi, how long does this need to chill? I’ve had it in the fridge for about 4.5hrs and it’s still really watery. Is it suppose to take this long? If it doesn’t thicken can I just add more cashews to thicken it up? It smells exactly like sour cream so I’m really excited to be able to finish it.
Hi Patrick, I’m sorry to hear you’ve run into trouble! Usually a few hours should be more than enough time for the sour cream to thicken up, so I’m not quite sure what the issue could be. Maybe a little too much water got added somewhere along the way? (I know sometimes it’s easy to forget to drain the cashews before adding them into the food processor…?) Yes, you can probably blend in some more soaked cashews to thicken it up (assuming you’re using a high speed blender that can get them nice and smooth). I hope this helps!
Love this stuff! Its so good!
Hey, has anyone used the drained cashew water to blend with? Or should i use new water?
Yes, I used the water ( filtered water) they were soaking in and I thought it was wonderful.
After going through your post I found it really interesting and yummy to eat.
But I have one suggestion for you.Please add images in such tutorials from next time. As I am a beginner in cooking and for a person like me it is easy to understand with images.
I made this yesterday and it went so well with the Chili!! It was runny at first but when I checked it this morning it was more like cream. How would I defrost it after freezing?
Hey Eleanor, I’m so happy you loved it with the chili! My advice for thawing would be to let it sit on the counter or you can thaw it in the fridge overnight. I hope this helps!
My staple with veggie con carne. I make a weekly batch and eat it all. And yes my partner loves it to!
Hello, I’m just wondering if you think this could be made with cashew butter? I don’t have a high speed blender or a food processor, but I’m missing sour cream so much after going vegan! Do you think there would be a similar taste if I tried it with cashew butter?
Hey Anna, That’s a great question…to be honest, I tried it in the past and I can’t remember for the life of me if it worked or not! My guess is that it would work you’d just have to find the proper ratio. I think 1 cup of cashews would make 1/3 cup of nut butter (just a guess!) so maybe you could start with that amount and see if it works, adding more if necessary. :)
I made this today, but ended up having to put twice the amount of lime juice as the acidity was just not enough. The end product was really good. Thanks for a lovel recipe.
What exactly does soaking the cashews do? Both times I’ve done it I’ve only soaked them for like 30 mins and I’ve been satisfied with the outcome.
Hi Thomas, Thanks for the great question! When you soak raw cashews, it makes them softer for ease of blending, and also makes the nuts easier to digest. For a quick-soak method, you can cover the cashews with boiling water and soak for 30 to 60 minutes.
Made this for the lentil/walnut tacos and both were great recipes that everyone enjoyed.
Just wondering what else the cashew sour cream can be used for.
Hey Fidelia, So glad the recipes were a hit! The cashew sour cream is really versatile and multipurpose, so it could be used with many different dishes. Try it on top of chili or soup, with vegan nachos or enchiladas, on a baked potato, on a sandwich or wrap, or stirred into salad dressings. Anything goes! :)
Could you please tell me if this sour cream recipe would be ok to use in place of regular sour cream in a cake recipe? I bought a gluten free chocolate cake mix and got it home never realizing it called for sour cream. Thanks.
Hey Kathy, I’m sorry but I’m not sure as I’ve never thought to use this in a cake recipe! My guess is that this vegan sour cream is thinner than store-bought sour cream. If you try anything please let us know how it goes. :)
This was yummy I made it with enchiladas and yummy AF. Super easy super quick. I boiled them for like 20mins and it came out super creamy. Chilled it in the freezer and it was good to go in 30 mins.
Hi Angela,
Just looking & came across this recipe for vegan sour cream. Should you use salted or unsalted raw cashews?
Thanks!
Hey Michelle, I use unsalted raw cashews for this recipe. That doesn’t meant that salted won’t work, I just haven’t tried it before. :) Hope this helps!
This is delicious. Thank you! One question: is there any reason NOT to use the cashew soaking water as the water added at blending? I use purified water for the soak. Thanks again.
Hey Jeff, I usually discard it because the water looks quite murky after soaking and I prefer to use fresh. But totally your call. :)
Thanks, Angela
Hi! Just curious if anyone has tried any substitutes for the cashews? My daughter is allergic and can’t have nuts. I was thinking about using sunflower seeds or chickpeas…
Hey Andrea, I have tried using raw soaked sunflower seeds before and it does work in a pinch (although the flavour changes as they aren’t as creamy and sweet). I would suggest using a bit less called for, so 3/4 cup instead of 1 cup of cashews. If you try anything please let me know how it goes!
Ok, thank you Angela! Will let you know how it turns out! :)
Could this be done with cashew milk?
Hey Andre, Sadly I don’t think regular almond would work as it’s too thin, but I do think you could use raw cashew butter instead of cashews. I would probably start with around 3/4 cup raw cashew butter (usually 1.5 cups cashews make about 3/4 cup cashew butter). Please let me know if you try anything out!