Sorry, I guess I should be a little more modest with my statements. Let me try again.
I’ve really outdone myself. Yep, that’s better.
With Cinco de Mayo right around the corner, there’s a few staple recipes that I need to share with you lovely folks in order to build to my grand finale post. So, in the meantime, you get to enjoy more posts than normal over the next week – yay!
Today, we’re going to start with the best damn vegan sour cream. This stuff is gold! I’m actually incredibly proud of all the recipes I have lined up for Cinco de Mayo and I really cannot wait to hear your feedback on them all.
So, back to the best damn vegan sour cream. This was my second time ever attempting to make vegan sour cream and I’m so incredibly happy with how this recipe turned out this time. You’re going to love it!
With just 5 simple ingredients, you too can make the best damn vegan sour cream. It’s creamy, tangy, and perfect for plopping onto all sorts of Mexican inspired dishes. In fact, we topped our left over Mexican Stuffed Sweet Potato Skins with it and it took them to a whole new level. Mind. Blown.
Making the best damn vegan sour cream is really quite simple, actually. All you need are five ingredients:
Soaked Cashews
Fresh Lemon Juice
Water
Sea Salt
Nutritional Yeast
Toss these ingredients into your blender for about 5-7 minutes and you are in vegan sour cream business!
The best damn vegan sour cream is ideal for pairing with all sorts of Mexican goodies: tacos, nachos, dips, loaded potato skins, burritos, enchiladas – you get the idea. It’s also delicious on regular ole baked potatoes or paired with perogies. Basically, you can use the best damn vegan sour cream anywhere you would have used regular dairy sour cream.
So what are you waiting for? Whip up a batch of the best damn vegan sour cream pronto, cause you’re going to need it for a post later this week! Let me know how you like it – leave me a comment and rate the recipe to let us know how you enjoyed it. I hope you love it as much as we do! Also, make sure to post your pictures of the best damn vegan sour cream to Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and Google+ and tag them #glutenfreeveganpantry so we can oogle them!
- 1 cup raw cashews, soaked overnight
- ¼ cup + 2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
- ¼ tsp sea salt
- 1 tsp nutritional yeast
- ½ cup water
- Place all ingredients into your blender (I used my Vitamix)
- Blend on high for 5-7 minutes, scraping down the sides as needed, until very smooth and creamy.
- Transfer to a mason jar or other airtight container.
I’m sorry to leave a negative comment because I really wanted to like this 🙁 Nothing about this reminded of sour cream. It’s not that it was terrible… it was actually a pretty descent cheese-like spread, but was definitely nothing like the thing it was intended to be. I might still use it on nachos as cheese, but as far as a diy sour cream goes, I will have to keep looking.
One tip that I have for what’s the closest I’ve gotten to the flavor I remember is getting the So Delicious coconut yogurt (unflavored), and adding some lemon to it until it starts tasting right. Definitely a far cry from diy, but it’s something.
Thank you for the recipe anyways 🙂
Hi Savanna,
I just found your website and I’m excited to see what other great information you have! I’m new to this way of eating and not familiar with nutritional yeast. Is it for flavor alone? I want to bake a chocolate cake with this sour cream and wonder if I can skip the nutritional yeast. After all, it’s hard to imagine someone saying, “The cake was good but it just needed a little nutritional yeast.” Thanks for your help!
Hi Lisa!
The nutritional yeast is for flavour. It imparts a sort of “cheesy” flavour so if you’re planning to use this for a chocolate cake, I would just omit the nutritional yeast from the recipe. Hope it works well for you!
This tastes like pure lemon..?
Hi Sky! I’m sorry you weren’t a fan of the recipe. Maybe next time try adding the lemon slowly, so that you can suit your personal taste?
My sour cream is super lemony. Is there something I can do to change that. Doesn’t taste like sour cream
Hi Nikki,
Sorry the recipe didn’t turn out well for you. Maybe next time try adding the lemon in slowly, tasting it as you go until you find the flavour to be to your liking.
Hiya, can we use a nutri bullet? And how much water do we soak cashews in? many thanks!
Hi Maya! Of course you can use a nurtibullet! You just need to make sure that the cashews are covered completely in water when they are soaking. Exactly how much water this is will depend on the container that you are soaking them in. I usually like to have the water extend an inch or two above the top of the cashews as the cashews will expand as they soak up the water.
This recipe is bittersweet. Bitter because I spend quite a bit of money on cashews a month LOL because I literally use this sour cream every day . I have a hard time not licking the entire blender while I’m storing it in another container. It is sweet because it is the BEST sour cream ever! Thank you so much for dedicating time to show this recipe.
LOL I love this!! 🙂
I made Chipotle-style rice bowls for my Aunt, who’s recently became a vegan. I am NOT vegan, but I made this as a topping and took the risk…I took a little taste and poured this all over my bowl! It works perfectly! It cooled off the spicy chiptole jackfruit and black beans and brought the dish together nicely… The only thing was that I didnt plan ahead, so I boiled some water and soaked the cashews in it for a few hours.. A little grainy, but tasted the same lol
My goodness, this looks delicious! I’m wondering why there are two quantities of lemon juice, though? Is one of them meant to be added at a different point in the process?
Hi Elisha, Add it all at the same time 🙂
This was amazing! Thank you. My wife and i are becoming vegan and are looking for good substitutes. Luckily, we found this site.
Do you know the nutritional value of this? What’s a serving size and how many calories are in it!
hello i want to know for soaking the cashews how much water we use ? or is it the water in the ingredients ?
Hi Cindy, Use enough water to cover the cashews completely, plus about an inch above them.
This is delicious, but it has the texture and tastes like Tahini – not sour cream. I added a garlic clove and went with that flavor instead.
Hi! Silly question. I only have 3/4 cup raw cashews in my pantry. Can you advise regarding scaling down proportions of everything else? I’m horrid at math. Thanks!
Hi Tanya, If you multiply everything by .75, that should give you the correct proportions. Google should be able to help too 🙂
Is it necessary to soak the cashews?
Hi Carolina, Yes, you will need to soak them in order for them to get the proper texture while blending them.
HI
After buying a sour nut cream for $14 the other day I went googling.
Most of the recipes were similar to your but without the yeast. As the ingredients on the jar had live probiotics I kept looking until I came across yous.
So I my question is does the yeast (probiotic) make it more sour?
The nutritional yeast adds to the flavour of this recipe and really makes the taste of it. Make sure that it is nutritional yeast that you are using and not regular brewer’s yeast 🙂
OK. You made me a believer. This really is the BEST DAMN VEGAN SOUR CREAM I’ve had. I’m throwing out every recipe that I have using tofu. This is now my go to. This is even better than any of the store bought stuff I’ve tried. A-maz-ing!
Thanks to you, I outdid myself for dinner tonight. I combined this sour cream with half an avocado, lime zest, and juice to make the avocado cream topping for my black bean and sweet potato tacos. Every bit at good as the dairy version without the guilt.
Your culinary talents are appreciated!
Thank you very much for this recipe! It looks delicious and, most importantly, very simple. The proportions of ingredients are easy to remember. I will give it a try tonight with some fajitas!
My 6 year old recently became a vegan due to multiple food allergies. It’s funny the things she misses most are ranch dressing and blue cheese. I have yet to make a ranch she loves, tonight when she asked me if there was sour cream she could eat with her chilli, (soy allergy) I found your recipe, and you made a six year old very happy. She used to love sour cream and after 6 months without it, she was in heaven.
Thank you so much for this recipe! As a recent convert from a vegetarian to vegan lifestyle I found myself really missing dairy flavors, but this ‘sour cream’ is AMAZING! Easy to make and DELISH!
Ok so the following is coming from a sour cream fanatic. So much so that that was pretty much the only thing keeping me from becoming full on vegan. Like i can eat it like people eat yogurt. Just give me a little tub of sour cream and a spoon and im a happy camper. Ok im done grossing y’all out. I have tried several substitutes/imitations in stores and recipes and NOTHING has come close. I jate yogurt even if made with coconut milk and such and although i also love hummus it doesnt go with many foods ie Nachos being my favorite lol buuuuut tjank you thank you thank you!!! This is perfect cuz not only does it taste very similar, it doesnt freak me out with several added ingredients to make it taste like sour cream and it uses my favorite nuy CASHEWS!!! This is truly tje best damn vegan sour cream!!! I altered it very little by putting a little less lemon juice and yes its pricier than regular sour cream but oh so worth it!!!! Fyi those who have a yeast sensitivity can use baking soda instead. Actually a mix of baking soda and lemon juice is a replacement but since it already has lemon juice just add baking soda. Doubt it will taste the same but shouldnt alter it much.
Ok so the following is coming from a sour cream fanatic. So much so that that was pretty much the only thing keeping me from becoming full on vegan. Like i can eat it like people eat yogurt. Just give me a little tub of sour cream and a spoon and im a happy camper. Ok im done grossing y’all out. I have tried several substitutes/imitations in stores and recipes and NOTHING has come close. I jate yogurt even if made with coconut milk and such and although i also love hummus it doesnt go with many foods ie Nachos being my favorite lol buuuuut tjank you thank you thank you!!! This is perfect cuz not only does it taste very similar, it doesnt freak me out with several added ingredients to make it taste like sour cream and it uses my favorite nuy CASHEWS!!! This is truly tje best damn vegan sour cream!!! I altered it very little by putting a little less lemon juice and yes its pricier than regular sour cream but oh so worth it!!!!
Awesome recipe. I needed this asap so only soaked the cashews in hot water for approx 15mins. Still worked brilliantly!!! I also added a chipotle pepper. My carnivore husband has devoured my leftovers so looks like it’s a staple in our household. Thanks heaps for the recipe.
I just made it tonight, and it’s delicious. Thank you for your recipe. We almost finished it all. My husband loved it too.
Made this last night to have with some mushroom & sauerkraut dumplings – it was amazing! My OH was like… “See! WHY do people need dairy when you can have this! This is even better!”
So, thumbs up all round!
This just tasted like lemon cashew sauce, not at all like sour cream. I agree with other commenters about reducing the lemon and also adding a little apple cider vinegar (and a little canola oil) to help a bit, plus much more nutritional yeast.
Hey Savanna,
Just wanted to thank you for this fabulous sour cream recipe. I made it last night and my family loved it. It will be so great to have as a staple!
Keep on writing those recipes!
Sunny regards,
Josie
Hi! Thank you for the recipe, I just had one question: how much does this make? Thank you so much!!!!!
If memory serves me well, I believe this makes just over 2 cups.
Question-I’ve never soaked cashews before? Will they absorb all the liquid? Do I drain the cashews before blending or add the soaking water in the blender with them? Thanks! I’m very excited!
They will absorb some of the liquid, causing them to look bloated, but definitely not all of it so make sure to drain them before adding them to the blender.
Thanks! I was wondering the same thing
After draining, do we then add 1/2 C water? Or is this the amount to soak cashews in?
Since you say they “definitely (won’t absorb) all of it” you’re implying a minimum amount to soak in . However, water is the last ingredient listed, this implies that 1/2 C water , is added to the blender with previously listed ingredients.
Hi Rick, Soak the cashews in enough water for them to be covered completely, plus about an extra inch above that. Once they have soaked overnight, drain the water off of them completely. When you are making the recipe, add all the ingredients as per the recipe, including a 1/2 cup of fresh water, not the water that the cashews were soaked in. Hope this helps!
I used this in a chocolate bundt cake recipe, it turned out great!
Thanks so much for this recipe, it really is amazing, i only used a 1/4 cup of lemon juice as my son hates anything too lemony but it was a universal hit 🙂
This is seriouslyTHE BEST!! I just quit dairy about a month ago and I love dairy products, including sour cream. I’ve bought vegan cheeses and whatnot at the store that are so gross, I was starting to feel hopeless….that is until I stumbled upon this little gem. I just got done making it about 5 minutes ago and I can’t quit scraping the remainder out of the blender and eating it! I feel like there is a little glimmer of hope with this whole dairy free/meat free thing! Thank you for sharing this!!! Also, I keep trying to hit the 5 star button on here but it’s not letting me, I don’t think…so in case it doesn’t post my rating, I rate 6 out of 5 stars! Lol
I love getting comments like this!! I’m so glad that you enjoy it so much. Giving up dairy is easy when you have great, easy to make alternatives 🙂
Becca if you havent yet, try Chao cheese. I dont like some of the vegan cheeses out there, but Chao is pretty good.
I am just starting to experiment with vegan and vegetarian recipes and this looks great! My question is – I don’t have a Vitamix (boo, 🙁 hopefully soon though), so should I make it with my less-awesome-than-a-Vitamix blender, or would a food processor be better?
Try it in your blender first. You may need to add some water to thin it out a bit but it shouldn’t change the flavour at all. Let me know how it turns out!
Yes you can bake and cook with this vegan sour cream. I make a similar cashew cream and have used it for pot pie base, creamy soups and pasta sauces, stroganoff. It thickens when it cooks so you have to play around with it.
So I LOVE this sour cream sooooo much. Instead of the extra 2 tbsp lemon juice, I do a 1/2 tsp apple cider vinegar. I haven’t baked with it yet, but I did put it in a mushroom stroganoff, and it was divine. Thank you so much for sharing this recipe!
Delicious! Vegan eating is fabulous with the addition of good healthy fats. Avocadoes, nuts and seeds. So, so good! I bought a bag of potatoes and absolutely needed sour cream for them. This is good stuff. Thanks!
Thank you for the amazing recipe. I tried it today for the first time, and oh my goodness! it is SO good! Thank you!
I made this today and it turned out a sort of unfortunate brown color instead of nice and white, like dairy sour cream. I used planters cashews in a can, though I did soak them, I’m wondering it that’s where the problem is? Like some others, mine came out tasting like hot cashews and lemons.
I’m not certain, but the planters cashews in the can may have been roasted? That could account for the colour difference. Mine was also not perfectly white – the pictures can be a bit deceiving. It will definitely not be the exact same colour that you’re used to seeing with dairy base sour cream – it does tend to be a bit more off-white in colour. Play around with the lemon content – some people have subbed apple cider vinegar for the lemon juice and preferred it that way. I’m sure with a few tweaks, you will find a combination that you love!
I have tried mainly with unsalted cashews, which are harder to find in my area. When I tried soaking planters salted cashews, it turned out … Well, not well. 🙂
I would imagine you’d need to steer clear from any roasted salted varieties and stick to raw, no? Making this recipe tonight, can’t wait!
Yes, the cashews need to be raw 🙂
I would suggest using raw cashews, that’s what I intend to use.
Hey! I’m looking for a vegan sour cream for baking. Have you ever tried using it in baked goods? It sounds amazing just as it is!
Thanks
I haven’t yet tried this for baking but if you do try it out, please let me know of the results so that I can share with my readers. Thanks!!
I;ve been making this sour cream for 2 decades now (I’m a raw chef Pioneer) and I have used it when making my bf’s tofu scrambler. I add a couple spoons of it to make it even more rich and creamy then warm on stove. I also use this recipe minus the lemon, plus garlic, salt and little olive oil for my raw pasta alfredo sauce. I gently warm it in a pan.
Hello! I want to try to make this, I have a couple questions. Do you soak the cashews in water? Or is that where the 1/4 cup lemon juice comes in? Thank you!
Hi Jessica,
Yes, soak the cashews in water, preferably overnight and then begin the recipe. Enjoy!
Should I drain the cashews before blending? Or do I put the water in with it?
Drain the cashews first 🙂
Great recipe! I love the texture. I don’t like how vegan sour creams you can buy are filled with all sorts of strange ingredients. This will become a staple for me! Next time, I would use a little less lemon juice. Mine turned out very lemony, but still incredibly tasty!
Are there any good alternatives to cashews for this? Can’t eat cashews for allergy reasons.
I know some people sub macadamia nuts for recipes where soaked cashews are called for. I haven’t tried this personally though so I’m not sure how it may affect the flavour. If you try it, let me know what you think!
Can’t eat macadamias either. I’ll try a couple of different things when and see if I can find something that works 🙂 Thanks anyways!
Try pine nuts.
I made this and put it on my enchiladas and it tasted amazing. I addee a little extra yeast so it would taste a little less like limon but other than that this recipe was a sucess to me thank you!:)
oh my god – oooh my god…
I just made this and subbed the nutritional yeast (because I was out) with some roasted garlic sauce I had in the fridge (contanes roasted garlic, oil, mustard, salt and pepper) to make a garlicy sour cream to put on my tacos. And I used to be a sour cream fanatatic – it was litterally my biggest concern about going vegan xD
Tasted this after it was nice and smooth – literally had to step away from the bowl and go “noooooo way… how does this taste so much like sour cream 0_o” contemplated if I had just done some sort of witch craft and then came to the conclusion that cashews are magic beans.
Im still freaked out five hours later…
I know, right?! I’m so happy to hear that you loved this as much as I did!
When you substituted for the nutritional yeast, did you use a roasted garlic sauce from a store bought brand or a homemade sauce? If from the store, what brand did you use?
Really enjoyed this. Mine was a little grainy so don’t know if I needed to soak longer or just blend longer. I am a new Vegan and this as gorgeous with my tacos this evening. I love that it has so few ingredients too. Will definitely make again.
Just try blending a bit longer 🙂
You should specify raw cashews in the list of ingredients. I just went to the store and bought cashews which were roasted. End product not bad, but still a bit too sweet and nutty for sour cream. I’m sure raw cashews would be big improvement.
Hi Chris,
Thanks for the suggestion – I have made the change to the recipe to specify raw cashews. Usually, whenever you see nuts being soaked, it’s the raw version, not the roasted version. Just something to keep in mind when you find any other recipes that call for something like this 🙂
I have a question. Have you tried baking with this sour cream substitute yet? I’m missing some old recipes because they call for sour cream. I’d love to try it and see if I get good results.
I haven’t, unfortunately. A few people have asked the same thing so if you go ahead and try baking with this, please do let me know what you think so that I can update my readers. Thanks!!
Fantastic! Not a teaspoonful left on the night I served it. Even the non-veg*ns thought it was perfect. Thank you.
Can I use this for pie? I’m subbing out some things for an apple pie and I wanted to know if it was possible here. Thanks!
Hi Sholoma,
I haven’t tried this out in baking or cooked recipes. If you bake with it, please let me know how it turns out so that I can share with my readers. Thanks!!
I just made your vegan sour cream tonight and it was FABULOUS! Let me tell you, when I was a vegetarian I LOVED sour cream. It must be my Irish / Lithuanian / German heritage. I put it on EVERYTHING! When I became a vegan (Eat to Live “nutritarian”) it was the one thing I truly missed. I put your vegan sour cream on chickpea blinis with a seaweed “caviar” tonight and it tasted like the REAL DEAL. Thank you for this beautiful recipe and thank you for giving me my precious sour cream back! Simply divine! I look forward to making this for many years to come. Cheers!
Yay!! *happy dance* I love hearing comments like this so thanks for making my day!!
Hello! I can’t tell from the pictures, but is this supposed to be a thin sour cream? I made the recipe exactly as it says to and mine is just thinner than I expected it to be… definitely not like real sour cream. Worried I did something wrong…
One other reader had the same issue as you. It should definitely be the same consistency as real sour cream so maybe next time, add the liquid in stages to help achieve that. Sorry it didn’t turn out as expected the first time!
You added too much water.
How exactly is this a 10-minute recipe if you need to soak the cashews overnight? Shouldn’t it be an 8 hour, 10 minute recipe?
Some people keep soaked cashews on hand, eliminating the need for pre-planning. If you’re short on time, you can soak the cashews in boiling water for about 30 minutes, giving you the same result.
would soaking them for 6 hours be enough or is it best to boil them ? thanks
Soaking them for 6 hours would be just fine!
If I may add one more comment that may help… I used to keep soaked cashews in a freezer bag in freezer. They last indefinateley in freezer and are ready to use when you are. No need to defrost. But I find that soaking cashews isn’t really necessary as it still comes out the same creamy texture as soaked. Also, it only takes cashews about a half hour to absorb all the water their going to absorb.
You are absolutely correct! Best damn sour cream ever! I think a little too lemony, but that’s easily adjustable. You should note that if you add drained, chopped cucumbers and garlic you can make an equally awesome taziki sauce! Thank you thank you thank you!
Mmmmm defintiely going to try as a tzatziki. Thanks for the idea!
We have serious allergies to cashews – what would be a worthy substitute?
The only thing I can suggest would be macadamia nuts but I haven’t tried this myself so I’;m not sure how it would affect the flavour.
You might try blanched almonds.
I have a friend with a nut allergy, so I made this for her with soft tofu and made up for the flavor with a little extra nutritional yeast and salt and I think it turned out pretty damn good!
hello! how long do you think this would keep?
In the fridge, about a week or two. I promise that you’ll most likely polish this off well in advance of that though 🙂
This is incredible !! There are a few things I really missed once I became vegan and one was sour cream. Have tried a number of other recipes which didn’t do the trick. This sure did! Thank you so much for sharing it. I am in love!!
I hear ya! Sour cream has my heart so this recipe was solid gold when I discovered it. Glad you love it as much as I do!!
I cussed you out after I tried it… But in a good way. Lol lol. Thank you!!!!!
LOL Awesome!
Have you cooked with this. Heated it? I need a substitute for cream for stroganoff recipe and you mix sour cream in at the end of the recipe, heating it just prior to serving.
Hi John,
I haven’t cooked or baked with this yet however, I think it would work out fine for the stroganoff recipe. Let me know if you try it out, I would love to share the results with my readers!!
Hi Savannna
Quick question – making this for the first time!
What does the second line of ingredients mean – “¼ cup + 2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice”?
A quarter cup of ….what?
Hi Trent,
It’s 1/4 cup lemon juice plus and extra 2 Tbsp lemon juice.
Hi Savanna,
I don’t have a Vitamix so I used my Ninja blender. It tasted great but it was ran like water. I put it in the fridge so it’ll hopefully firm up but I was thinking that it would be creamy and fluffy from the get go. Did I do something wrong?
Strange – it sounds like there was too much liquid? Maybe try adding the liquid a bit at a time next time. It should definitely be the consistency of regular sour cream though.
If you don’t soak the cashews it will firm up nicely in fridge. I rarely soak my cashews. Not necessary.
I will definitely try this recipe and will try without soaking as cara b suggests, I’m really considering quiting dairy (like it’s a drug?!?), when I hear “dairy”, can’t help but hear “cow juice”…
These kind of recipes are really encouraging!
Would almond be ok though?
Hi!
I really want to try out this recipe since me and my family are thinking about going vegan. But the problem is that I’m allergic to cashews (walnuts and pekan as well) and I’m wondering if there is some other nuts or ingredient I could use instead?
The only other nuts I can suggest would be macadamia. Hopefully this one isn’t on the allergy list for you!
You are right, this was damn good! I live in Costa Rica and cannot get any vegan substitutes, but I can get cashews. I had been waiting to make potato latkes until I had figured out the sour cream thing. Thanks so much.
Hooray! So glad you enjoyed it. Those potato latkes sound super yummy!
Hi Savanna! Thanks so much for this recipe. I plan on making vegan tacos tomorrow night and this sounds perfect. My question is, I’ve never soaked nuts before. I tried googling and sites seem to recommended covering the bowl in different types of cloth (none of which I have). I’m wondering what your process is for soaking the cashews overnight? Nuts are pretty expensive so I don’t want to mess that part up! Thanks!
Soaking nuts it super easy – just toss them in a dish of any sort and make sure they are covered fully with water, plus a few other inches for expansion (the nuts get larger as they soak). For example, if I;m soaking 1 cup of cashews, I will add the 1 cup of nuts to my 2 cup glass pyrew measuring cup and then fill the cup with water to about the 1 and 3/4 cups level. Hope this helps!
So do I measure the cashews before or adter they are soaked? They plumped up prett good, made me wonder if i should re-measure
Hi Michell! Measure the cashews before they are soaked 🙂
Amazing! The texture and flavor is great! I only have one concern, I’m not sure if I misunderstood the directions or my blender is not good for mixing for longer periods of time. I mixed it for about 4 minutes on low on my blender. It heated up so much that my sour cream was steamy hot. Im not sure if this is normal.
Wow, your blender must be pretty amazing if it was steaming hot after 4 minutes! I make mine in a vitamix and while it does get a little warm, it’s never piping hot. Just pop it into the fridge to cool down (as I’m sure you did) and it should be just fine 🙂
Due to food allergies, is there another nut or seeds that I can use like almonds or sunflower seeds instead of cashews?
Hi Doreen, I haven’t tried this recipe with anything other than cashews. I’ve been told by others that macadamia nuts are the closest substitution for cashews though.
I added a bit of apple cider vinegar to mine to give it a bit more of a tangy flavor, and it was perfect! Thank you for the wonderful recipe! 🙂
I’m new to vegan recipes as well, so I’m wondering — can I use this in a baked vegetarian noodle recipe, in place of sour cream? In other words, can it be baked? Like 350 degrees for 20 minutes? I ~will~ make it for tacos, baked potatoes and other such things – it sounds delicious!
Hi Julie,
I haven’t personally tried using this sour cream in any baked or cooked dishes so I’m not sure how it would hold up. I suspect that it would be a good substitute for real sour cream in these instances though. If you try it, please let me know how it turns out so that I can share with my readers!
Do you think soaking the cashews less will make them taste nuttier? I soaked mine for 5-6 hours and followed the recipe, but to me it tasted like creamy cashews with lemon and not like sour cream. :/
See I’m sorry to hear that you didn’t enjoy it. Soaking the cashews for more or less time won’t affect the flavor. Did you use nutritional yeast? Maybe try playing around with the amount of nutritional yeast to see if that makes it more to your liking.
Hi Savanna, thanks for your help. I did use nutritional yeast – maybe I’ll just double it next time because the flavor wasn’t very strong. It’s been lying around for a while 🙂
I read somewhere that someone rinsed their cashews really well to make sour cream – maybe that’ll make a difference with the nutty flavor.
You should try adding some apple cider vinegar to it. It’ll add more sour flavor and less creamy cashew-ness. 🙂
So let me just start by saying I hate Tofu. One of the hardest things going plant based was finding sauces that I actually liked. Ranch and Sour Cream….oh my! Those are my favorites. I have tried countless recipes using tofu because they proclaimed to be amazing and heavenly! Well, my palate disagreed on every occasion and down the drain it went. Although I have had many failed attempts, I have been confident that one day I would actually find a recipe that tasted similar enough and not like tofu. Well, here it is! This has got to be hands down the best damn vegan sour cream I have ever had!! I get why you are so proud! For those of you that have picky taste buds…..here is a good one for you! Thank you so much for sharing this amazing recipe. It is now a permanent staple in my home 🙂
Awe shucks, you made me a little try eyed!! I’m so, so happy to have been able to help you find a recipe that you can love time and time again!
I love Mexican food. finally a sour cream that makes it perfect. I added a bit more lemon because I like a sharper taste.
Thank you so much for this website. I have made this sour cream twice already and am getting ready to make it again this morning. I have tweeted it for our family’s preferences(no nutrition yeast). It is a revelation how creamy cashews can get.
Yay! I’m so glad you’re family loves this so much!! 🙂 Cashews are seriously the best thing ever!
awwwwww….this stuff is pure heaven
luv luv luv
You mean you tweaked it!! LOL
For the lady who said she “tweeted” it, I meant!
Delish x thx for…. Thinking of delish tasting vegan recipes 🙂
Hi,
Thanks for a great post; love your energy! Can this be frozen too? Sarah, UK ;-D
Thanks, Sarah. Glad to hear that you enjoy the posts! I haven’t personally tried freezing this so I don’t have any past experience to share with you. If you do happen to try freezing this, please let me know how it turns out – I would love to know for my own reference and in case any one else asks.
I made this tonight and LOVED it! I used less lemon juice (out of neccessity) and about half the water (because I wanted to make sure it was thick enough) and it turned out perfectly! I blogged about it here: http://www.createforthem.com/make-your-own-tacos-and-vegan-sour-cream/
Thanks so much for the awesome recipe and I’m excited to now follow you and continue to be inspired!
Yay! I love hearing when readers have great success with recipes they find here. So glad you loved it!! 🙂
Sorry, your recipe is nothing like the original.
Ingenious way to siphon traffic out :))
Question about the cashews…. I assume you mean raw cashews then soak? I’m new to vegan recipes. Lol I haven’t found any raw cashews. I did but a big hug of I believe roasted cashews. Am I able to soaked roasted nuts and get the same results?
Hi Sheila,
I’ve never tried soaking roasted nuts but I don’t think they would yield the same results, unfortunately. Raw nuts are able to absorb a lot of water through the soaking process, helping to provide the creamy texture of a recipe such as this sour cream. Have you tried checking out your local bulk food store or health food store? Alternatively, you could also order raw nuts online from websites such as Amazon or Nuts.com. Good luck on your hunt for raw cashews! You’ll love how versatile they are once you start using them 🙂
This is just beautiful and I bet super delicious!
Thanks so much, Evi!
Hey!
Is there anything I can use instead of nutritional yeast? My stomach can´t cope with it. I get a pretty aweful tummy-ache from it.
Thanks.
Oh, I’m so sorry to hear that nutritional yeast gives you tummy troubles! You could try just adding extra lemon juice and sea salt. It won’t be exactly the same but it should still be pretty close. Let me know if you modify it – I’d love to hear how it turns out!