Vegan Cashew Sour Cream

Name: Vegan Cashew Sour Cream
Prep time: 20 min
Total time: 30 min
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 1 cup raw cashews; 1/3 cup water; 2 tbsp lemon juice; 2 tbsp nutritional yeast; 1 tsp apple cider vinegar; 1/2 tsp garlic powder; 1/2 tsp salt

by Kaylie Grace on Oct 16, 2019 (updated Apr 25, 2021)

This post may contain affiliate links. Read the affiliate disclosure here.

Jump to Recipe· 5 from 5 reviews

This vegan cashew sour cream is a smooth, creamy, tangy spread. It requires just 5 ingredients and is ready in under 30 minutes. You won’t even be able to tell it’s dairy-free. Enjoy it on vegan chili, sandwiches, burrito bowls, salads, and more!

a wooden spoon scooping vegan cashew sour cream out of a white ramekin surrounded by lemons, dill, and cashews

What is vegan sour cream made of?

This particular recipe is centered around soaked cashews. This is my favorite way to make vegan sour cream because it creates a deliciously creamy texture! The ingredients include:

Cashews
Water
Lemon juice
Nutritional yeast
Apple cider vinegar
Garlic powder
Salt

How to Make Vegan Cashew Sour Cream

For the full recipe, scroll down to view the recipe card below.

Let’s take a look at the 3 simple steps involved in creating this dairy-free sour cream.

First, bring 3 cups of water to a boil.
Second, place cashews in a bowl. Pour the boiling water over the cashews. Soak for 20 minutes. After, drain the water.
Next, add the soaked cashews, water, lemon juice, nutritional yeast, apple cider vinegar, garlic powder and salt to a high-speed blender. Blend the ingredients together until completely smooth, scraping down the sides of the blender as needed.

water, nutritional yeast, nondairy yogurt, and cashews inside a vitamix blender

How long does vegan sour cream last?

This vegan sour cream will last for up to 1 week in the refrigerator. Be sure to keep it stored in a mason jar or another airtight container. To make the sour cream last even longer, store it in the freezer for up to one month.

vegan cashew sour cream inside a glass jar surrounded by dill, lemon, and cashews

sour cream inside a white bowl surrounded by lemons, cashews, and dill

Kaylie’s tips

Do not skip the soaking process! You may be tempted to skip ahead and just add all of the ingredients to a blender. However, soaking the cashews is an essential step for achieving a smooth, creamy texture. The cashews will retain the hot water and become plump in size. This is greatly beneficial during the blending process.
Do not omit the lemon juice, apple cider vinegar, or nutritional yeast. These are key ingredients that contribute to the sour, tangy, slightly-cheesy flavor.
What goes well with vegan sour cream? Pretty much any savory recipe! I love adding it on top of my vegan sweet potato black bean chili or vegan tempeh chili. It’s also great in sandwiches, burritos, burrito bowls, salads, and soups. Also, try adding fresh dill to the vegan sour cream for extra flavor.

a hand holding a wooden spoon scooping vegan cashew sour cream out of a white bowl

More healthy vegan dips and spreads:

If you try this Vegan Cashew Sour Cream, please let me know your thoughts by leaving a rating and comment below! Ready for more? Subscribe to my newsletter or follow along on Instagram and YouTube!