Dairy Free Sour Cream

Making your own Dairy Free Sour Cream might sound like a great big hassle. But trust me, if you are looking for a dairy free sour cream substitute, then this recipe is it!

It takes no more than 10 minutes to make and it keeps for up to a week in the refrigerator. It might keep longer but it never lasts in our house!

Why Make a Dairy Free Sour Cream Recipe?

If you have our book you know we go into great detail about the health risks associated with dairy consumption (starting on page 176.) But if you don’t have our book you can read the top 10 reasons milk does not do a body good here.

Store-Bought Plant Based Sour Cream

Lots of tree nut cheese companies are popping up including Miyoko’s Kitchen, Kite Hill, and my original favorite, Dr. Cow .

But for some reason nobody is making a clean store-bought, dairy free sour cream. Or not that I know of anyway. So, if you know of a good store bought sour cream brand please tell me about it in the comments below.

dairy free sour cream

New & Improved Dairy Free Sour Cream

Sour cream was a very difficult food for me to give up when I first started eating clean almost twenty years ago. It was only in the last few years that I realized I could make my own. And it is so easy to do so!

My original sour cream recipe was made with tofu and cashews, but this updated version made with macadamia nuts is much tastier. This new and improved recipe has more of the tart and tang of the real deal. And as long as you soak the macadamia nuts, the texture is incredibly smooth.

There are SO Many Things to Do with Sour Cream!

Rich, decadently creamy and incredibly smooth, you can use this homespun dairy free sour cream recipe just like conventional sour cream.

I use it most in my Instant Pot Beef Stroganoff but also to top off my Taco Chili recipe, baked potatoes, mixed in pureed vegetable soups, as a base for salad dressings and so much more!

If you can’t think of what to do with sour cream, just head over to the Huffington Post’s top uses for sour cream for some inspiring ideas.

From sauces, to deviled eggs, ranch dip and more, trust me, you will not run out of ways to use sour cream! Just like my egg free mayonnaise recipe, this sour cream is a staple for us.

And for a special treat –and always on New Year’s – we love to treat ourselves to caviar appetizers, which just isn’t the same without sour cream. (I know caviar can be very pricey, but the pink salmon caviar is about half the price of black caviar)


For those of you with food allergies and food sensitivities, it’s helpful to know this Dairy Free Sour Cream recipe meets the following dietary restrictions:

Egg Free / Grain Free / Bean-Free / Gluten Free / Paleo Friendly / Vegan / Vegetarian / Dairy Free


Dairy Free Sour Cream Recipe

Dairy Free Sour Cream is incredibly rich and smooth, and with just the right amount of tart and tang! Made with cashews or macadamia nuts.

  • Prep Time: 10 minutes
  • Total Time: 10 minutes
  • Yield: 1 3/4 cup 1x

Ingredients

  • 1 cup raw cashews or raw macadamia nuts*
  • 1/2 cup cold water
  • 2 tablespoons lemon juice
  • 2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar with mother
  • 1/2 teaspoon sea salt, to taste

Instructions

  1. In a small saucepan, add 2 cups of water and bring to a boil. Turn off the heat and add the 1 cup of raw cashews to the hot water to soak for 30-90 minutes.
  2. When softened, drain the cashews.
  3. To a high speed blender, add the drained cashews, 1/2 cup cold water, lemon juice, olive oil, apple cider vinegar and sea salt. Process until smooth and creamy.

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Notes

*In order to have creamy dairy free sour cream, soak the raw cashews or macadamia nuts in hot water for 30-90 minutes

This dairy free sour cream recipe will keep for up to a week if stored in the refrigerator in a mason jar. 

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5 Comments

  1. Jessica MacLaren says:

    This recipe looks great but it shows the recipe using only cashews with no mention of macadamia nuts except for in the description.

    “Dairy Free Sour Cream is incredibly rich and smooth, and with just the right amount of tart and tang! Made with Macadamia nuts”

    1. Aimee Harris Niedosik says:

      Sorry about that Jessica — you can actually swap them out equally. I have updated the recipe card to reflect using either cashews OR macadamia nuts!!

  2. Follow your heart dairy free sour cream alternative. Just found it this week in store. It’s also soy free.

    1. Ivy Larson says:

      Hi Jen! I somehow totally missed your comment weeks ago and just seeing now. Thank you so much for sharing! I will have to check it out next time I go to the grocery 😉