This easy vegan cashew sour cream recipe is the best and simplest way to make this delicious topping. It's light, tangy, so creamy, completely plant based, and made using only 5 simple ingredients! Use it as a topper to all of your favorites like baked potatoes, tacos, tofu scrambles, or as a base for a dip! You won't buy any store bought or dairy-based sour creams after trying this!

The best vegan sour cream recipes are the ones that use plant-based ingredients to make them taste just as creamy and delicious as dairy-based sour creams. Regular sour cream can be loaded with saturated fat and cholesterol but this cashew based recipe only has about 1g saturated fat and 0mg cholesterol per serving so you can feel free to indulge without the guilt.
This homemade vegane sour cream is the one that I always go back to - it's quick, easy, healthy, and perfect for topping anything from tacos to fries! It also makes a great dip for chips or vegetables! Sour cream is such a great staple ingredient that you can use on vegan tacos, nachos, chili, burritos… the list goes on! And you don't even have to be vegan to enjoy it!
The best part about this easy non-dairy cashew sour cream is the versatility. You can add other flavors like garlic powder, cumin, or even nutritional yeast for more flavor or use it as a base for creating all kinds of other vegan dips. This completely plant based and dairy-free sour cream is sure to satisfy your taste buds without all the animal products.
Total Time
- Soaking Time: 2-3 hours of soaking cashews
- Preparation Time: 10 minutes
- Total: 2 hours 10 minutes
Ingredients
- Raw cashews
- Water
- Lemon juice
- Apple cider vinegar
- Sea salt
How to make vegan sour cream
- Soak the cashews in warm water for 2 hours, it will soften them and make the sour cream more smooth.
- Drain the water. Take a medium bowl or a blender cup, place the cashews and the remaining ingredients there and blend until creamy and smooth. If the mixture is too thick, add more water.
- Place into the fridge. Best served cold.
- Once cold, top on your favorite dishes that call for sour cream! Enjoy!
Tips For Success
- Soaking the cashews helps to soften them before blending resulting in a much creamier sour cream. I find two hours is great, but you can also soak them overnight if you want to!
- This recipe is great as is but is so easy to customize to your liking. Make sure to only add in a little extra seasoning at a time and taste test!
- If it turns out too thick, add in about 1-2 tablespoons of extra water at a time and blend again.
- Keep in mind that once chilled, your sour cream will begin to thicken. If it is too thick when ready to use, add 1 tablespoon of water or a little squeeze of lemon and give it a quick mix with your fork.
Storage
- Store this plant based cashew sour cream in an airtight container or mason jar in the fridge for up to 5 days. This recipe is best used fresh and does not freeze well.
- You can tell your homemade dairy-free sour cream has gone bad if it begins to get too watery or separate.
Equipment
- Blender
- Large bowl (for soaking cashews)
Best Easy Vegan Sour Cream
Ingredients
- 1 cup raw cashews
- ½ cup water
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
Instructions
- Soak the cashews in warm water for 2 hours, it will soften them and make the sour cream more smooth.
- Drain the water. Take a medium bowl or a blender cup, place the cashews and the remaining ingredients there and blend until creamy and smooth. If the mixture is too thick, add more water.
- Place into the fridge. Best served cold.
- Once cold, top on your favorite dishes that call for sour cream! Enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
* This nutrition card is calculated by a third party app and is only an estimate. The numbers will vary based on the specific ingredient amounts and brands you use in making this recipe.
Did you try this recipe?
Please let me know how this Easy Vegan Sour Cream turned out for you! Leave a comment and rating below and don't forget to sign up for the newsletter if you want to receive recipes, meal plans, and special offers in your inbox.
Hi! I'm the founder of Speak Veggie To Me, a fun health and food blog where I share my favorite mouthwatering vegan and vegetarian recipes.
Julia Y
This recipe was so easy to make. I love that it is so much more healthy than ordinary mayonnaise - means I can use it freely and not worry about the fat content. We ate this over a salad and it gave just the right amount of flavour and sauce. Thank you
Brianna
This vegan sour cream turned out so creamy!
Elizabeth
I have been looking for a reliable recipe like this! Thank you! Looks delicious and easy recipe to follow. 😃
Gabriela Herrera
I swear cashews are so magical and this sour cream goes so well in soups, dips, tacos or burritos. I absolutely love this recipe.
Chrissasynature
The best recipe!
Andrea White
I love how easy this recipe is!
Cindy Mom the Lunch Lady
I would love to try this vegan sour cream. I'm always so impressed as what can be done with cashews.
Luca
This is perfect for tacos; can't wait to try it out next time we make them.
Kayla DiMaggio
I love sour cream! It was hard for me to give it up when I went plant based because we eat a lot of Mexican food. I love this version because it is not to tangy and artificial. Perfect and delicious!
Addie
Love the use of cashews! So creamy!
Shelby
I LOVE the simplicity of this recipe! Vegan sour cream on chili is probably my favorite thing ever hahs so many uses!
Gus
I am in love with this recipe! Saw it yesterday, made it loved it, and making it again today! Thank you!
Ksenia prints
I am always looking for the ultimate non-dairy sour cream, and I finally found it!!! Thank you!!!
Shashi Charles
We have been trying to eat more plant based and cannot wait to try this! Looks so creamy!
Katia
I'm dairy intolerant and I used to love sour cream. Having this is so refreshing to be able to have sour cream on my potatoes again!
Gina
This is perfect on top of tacos! And so easy too! Cashews are the best thing to happen to the vegan diet 🙂