Vegan Sour Cream

This easy vegan sour cream is tangy, creamy, and takes just minutes to make. Your baked potatoes will thank you!

It’s easy to find vegan cheese at most grocery stores these days, and of course plant-based milk is everywhere, but vegan sour cream is kind of hit-or-miss. Not every supermarket stocks it and, let’s face it, not every brand is one you actually want to eat. (Do you really need eleventy-billion unpronounceable ingredients to make a sour cream substitute? Should sour cream be chunky and sweet?!)

I often use cashew cream as a stand-in for sour cream, but I wanted something that would match the original a little bit better. And I wanted it simple, made with a handful of everyday ingredients that are easy to find at any grocery store. That’s why I turned to silken tofu.

What Is Silken Tofu?

You’ve probably noticed that tofu is sold in shelf-stable blocks alongside other Asian foods, and it’s also sold packed in water in the refrigerated section. The shelf-stable tofu is silken tofu, which is a Japanese-style tofu with a smooth, silky texture.

While you often press refrigerated tofu prior to cooking it, if you tried that with silken tofu, it would crumble into pieces! Silken tofu is soft, even when you buy the firm variety, so it’s not the kind of tofu you can cube up and throw into a stir fry. You can add cubes of silken tofu to miso soup, but in vegan cuisine, it’s most commonly used to mimic the creamy texture of dairy in dressings, puddings, and sauces.

And, yes, in vegan sour cream too!

What You’ll Need

Scroll down to the recipe card below this post for ingredient quantities and full instructions.

• Silken tofu
• Kosher salt
• Apple cider vinegar – This adds that signature sour cream tang.

How to Make Vegan Sour Cream

This recipe for vegan sour cream comes together lickety-split. You’ll never use store-bought again!

Combine the ingredients. Place the tofu, salt, and vinegar in your blender or a food processor.

Puree. Turn on your blender (or food processor) and process until the mixture is completely smooth. 

Tips for Success

It's super easy to make this tofu sour cream, but here are a few additional tips and pointers:

• Taste as you go. Add more salt or vinegar to taste; you can make it tangier by adding more vinegar.
• Stop to stir. Depending on your blender, it could struggle a bit, so you might need to turn it off to scrape down the sides or pop any air bubbles that have formed.
• Chill if needed. If the sour cream is warm after blending, you can place it in the fridge so it cools down before serving.

Variations

I love the above sour cream for spooning onto fluffy baked potatoes, but you can customize your vegan sour cream substitute depending on how you plan to use it:

• Swap the apple cider vinegar for lime juice and add a pinch of chili powder if you’re pairing this with Tex-Mex dishes.
• Add garlic powder and smoked paprika for the best dipping sauce for crispy potatoes or fries.
• Thin it out with water for a sour cream that can be drizzled or squeezed onto vegan nachos and tacos.
• Stir in dill, minced chives, or other fresh herbs.

Ideas for Using Vegan Sour Cream

Here are some of the many ways I use this plant-based sour cream:

• Add a dollop to Crockpot Sweet Potato & Black Bean Quinoa Chili and Creamy Vegan Broccoli Soup
• Use it in place of dairy sour cream in dressings and dips
• Spoon it onto Sweet Potato Salmon Cakes
• Top Simply Quinoa Loaded Sweet Potatoes with it
• Pair it with Baked Sweet Potato & Black Bean Taquitos for dipping

How to Store

Your vegan sour cream will last for about a week in the fridge; store it in a jar or another airtight container.

Can This Recipe Be Frozen?

Tofu sour cream doesn’t freeze well, so I recommend making only what you can use in a week, vs. doubling or tripling the recipe for long-term storage.