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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’m so looking forward to trying this recipe!
Are there any other types of vinegars that I could use as a substitute?
Thank you!!
Made a batch and just love it! Super tasty!
Thanks
Absolute WINNER!!!
I made nachos for friends and no one noticed that it was vegan. The taste is different to milk based sour cream when eaten straight but as soon as you put it on a dish it somehow transforms into this perfect sour cream taste!
I’m making it for the second time today to have with baked potato and couldn’t be more excited for dinner haha!
For those with consistency issues I use a Mod Blend Pro and it comes out as smooth as the real deal- no clumps here!
Thanks Angela!
Hey Ellie, I love topping nachos with the Cashew Sour Cream! Thanks for the blender tip too. PS: If you haven’t tried them yet, my Cheerful Vegan Nachos are also a big hit around here: https://ohsheglows.com/2018/01/30/cheerful-vegan-nachos/
Thanks, this is great!
I’ve never made any nut butters, spreads, etc. The recipe does not specify, but I’m assuming I use raw cashews?
Hi Leslie, Yes I use raw cashews for the most neutral flavour :) I think I specified this in the ingredient list.
How long does this keep in the fridge?
Hi there, It usually keeps for about a week in an airtight container in the fridge. Hope this helps!
Made this and my wife said it was the best sour cream she has ever had. Then I mentioned it was vegan. Bam!
Hey Aaron, ha I love that! I’m so glad you enjoyed the sour cream…it’s so versatile :)
Mine didn’t thicken in the fridge. Even overnight. I blended gf xantham gum into it the next day. It’s as thick as normal sour cream.
How much xantham gum did you use?
Great recipe. Probably make it once a week.
So glad it’s a hit! I love serving the sour cream on a hearty plate of nachos.
Do you know the life shelf out side of refrigerator and in the refrigerstor
Quick question, my sour cream was a lot thicker and a bit lumpy than in your photo. The consistency was not the same as sour cream. Is this normal? Any tips??
Hi Melinda, Sometimes different blenders can create varying textures…I wonder if it was from that? You could also try adding a bit more liquid to thin it to your desired consistency.
Made this today and, just, wow. So delicious, thank you! I’m new to the vegan lifestyle and was really missing sour cream. I like this even better.
I’m so glad to hear this Courtney! Thank you :)
I’ve made it and it is very good and versatile. Thank you
Just made tonight. I loved it on some baked sweet potatoes. But I’m sure I’ll put it on everything! Now to make some more recipes using it.
I reduced the batch size by using a half cup of cashews, 1/4 c of water, 1 tbsp lemon juice, and 2 pinches of salt. I didn’t have time to pre soak the cashews, so I just boiled them for 20 min to soften them.
I was always hesitant to try cashew sour cream. I made this and compared it to regular sour cream. Almost completely indistinguiahable! Amazing! Now I can officially give up dairy sour cream.
The weight of the cashews in the recipe (225 g) is before or after soaking?
Thank you :)
Great recipe. I substituted the 3/4 cup water with a 1 1/4 cup So Delicious unsweetened Coconut Yogurt. It adds that kind of cool creamyness that you get in regular sour cream (if that makes sense?).
Love this recipe! It’s our go-to vegan sour cream!
I have tried a lot of sour cream substitutes over the years, and didn’t like most of them. I came across this in an online search, and I decided to try it. Wow! It has a terrific consistency and the taste is great. I used it on a taco salad, and it held up beautifully from the first bite to the last. It didn’t break down at all, even layered on the hot part of the salad. I expected it to melt, but it didn’t. I am now trying to figure out what I can’t use it on, and I haven’t come up with anything. This is so good that I will be making it for just about everything. The meat eaters in the family liked it too, which was a nice surprise, because they’re picky. I would even eat this straight out of a bowl with a spoon, because it’s that good. Thank you for a great recipe that saves me time and aggravation, not to mention money. I always have five pound bags of cashews in the freezer, and the ingredients are ones that everyone has on hand. There are no downsides to this recipe. We loved it.
This is so great. My daughter is dairy free and our favorite “fancy” chicken recipe calls for an overnight sour cream marinade mixture. This worked so perfectly and baked really well too. None of our dairy eating family could tell the difference.