Vegan Sour Cream

Creamy, tangy, and rich, this vegan sour cream is delicious on baked potatoes, nachos, chili, and more. You won't miss the real thing one bit!

Vegan Sour Cream

This vegan sour cream recipe is a staple in my kitchen. Just like the real thing, it’s creamy, tangy, and rich, a perfect topping for baked potatoes, nachos, chili, enchiladas…I could go on and on. It’s super easy to whizz together, and it’s made with simple, plant-based ingredients. If you’re dairy-free or vegan (or even if you’re not!), you’ll make this recipe time and time again.

Vegan sour cream recipe

Vegan Sour Cream Recipe Ingredients

Here’s what you’ll need to make this vegan sour cream recipe:

  • Raw cashews – They make this vegan sour cream thick and creamy. Tip: make sure your cashews are raw, not roasted. Otherwise, they’ll give the sour cream a nutty flavor.
  • Water – To get the blender moving.
  • Extra-virgin olive oil – For richness.
  • Lemon juice and white wine vinegar – They make the vegan sour cream tangy and bright.
  • Onion powder and garlic – For sharp, savory depth of flavor.
  • Dijon mustard – For extra tang.
  • And sea salt – To make all the flavors pop!

Find the complete recipe with measurements below.

Cashews, garlic, and Dijon mustard in a blender

Add the ingredients to a high-speed blender, and blend until completely smooth and creamy. If you don’t have a high-speed blender, I recommend soaking your cashews for 6 hours, or overnight, before making this recipe. That way, they’ll be easier to blend.

Season to taste, and chill the mixture for at least 4 hours before serving. It’ll be slightly runny just after blending, but it’ll thicken in the fridge. Enjoy!

Cashew sour cream in a blender

How to Use Vegan Sour Cream

Creamy, tangy, and rich, this dairy-free sour cream is a versatile, delicious condiment to keep on hand in the fridge. Here are a few of my favorite ways to use it:

How do you like to use vegan sour cream? Let me know in the comments!

Vegan sour cream recipe

More Plant-Based Basics

If you love this recipe, try one of these basic vegan recipes next:

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Vegan Sour Cream

rate this recipe:
5 from 4 votes
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Chilling Time: 4 hours
Serves 8
Creamy, rich, thick, and tangy, this vegan sour cream is a perfect dairy-free sour cream substitute. This recipe comes out best in a high-speed blender, such as a Vitamix. If you don't have one, soak your cashews for at least 6 hours, or overnight, before making it. Gluten-free.

Ingredients

Instructions

  • In a high-speed blender, place the cashews, water, olive oil, lemon juice, vinegar, garlic, mustard, salt, and onion powder and blend until completely smooth and creamy.
  • Chill for at least 4 hours. The consistency will thicken up in the fridge.

12 comments

5 from 4 votes (2 ratings without comment)

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Rate this recipe (after making it)




  1. KB
    09.17.2024

    5 stars
    This is the second time I have made this it is delicious… I have a friend who’s watching her saturated fat so I made this sour cream alternative for her, neither one of us are vegan, but sometimes it’s nice to have a different flavor profile, but it is very close to sour cream And yummy to boot!… I put way too much homemade hot, hot Sriracha on my egg whites and this cooled it down very easily, even better than sour cream would have. I for one do not soak the cashews because I haven’t needed to and I just have a ninja that takes care of the consistency beautifully, I do probably blend it for three minutes. The texture is awesome… Thanks for sharing.

    • Jeanine Donofrio
      09.19.2024

      I’m so glad this has worked so well for you!

  2. Nicole Adewale
    04.17.2024

    I made this last night and the taste and CONSISTENCY is amazing!!!! I am not vegan but sometimes I get in these moods to reduce dairy…

    • Jeanine Donofrio
      04.20.2024

      Hi Nicole, I’m so glad you enjoyed it!

  3. Sandra
    09.22.2022

    Can you use other nuts to make this?

    • Jeanine Donofrio
      09.23.2022

      Hi Sandra, I would stick with the raw cashews because they have a neutral taste and they get really creamy.

  4. Michelle
    07.02.2022

    5 stars
    Wow!!! This is excellent. I just made it and was inclined to use my fingers to get every last bit out of my blender. It came out perfect, nice and creamy. My family and I enjoy your recipes. Your site is always my first go too. Thank you!!

    • Jeanine Donofrio
      07.04.2022

      I’m so glad everyone loved it!

  5. Melinda
    06.30.2021

    How long will this last in the refrigerator?

    • Jeanine Donofrio
      06.30.2021

      Hi Melinda, about 1 week.

  6. Kim
    06.29.2021

    On soaking the cashews overnight – do you use the volume of water from the recipe, or do you soak them in a few cups of water and then drain before blending (and reduce the amount of water added to the blender)? Would the extra water absorbed by the cashews make the sour cream runnier?

    • Jeanine Donofrio
      06.29.2021

      Hi Kim, if you soak the cashews, drain them well and then continue with the recipe. You can start with a touch less water if your blender will still blend. It shouldn’t seem runny, but keep in mind that it’ll also thicken in the fridge.

      With a powerful blender, I skip soaking altogether.

A food blog with fresh, zesty recipes.
Photograph of Jeanine Donofrio and Jack Mathews in their kitchen

Hello, we're Jeanine and Jack.

We love to eat, travel, cook, and eat some more! We create & photograph vegetarian recipes from our home in Chicago, while our shiba pups eat the kale stems that fall on the kitchen floor.