Vegan Silken Tofu Sour Cream

Creamy and smooth silken tofu blends up into a thick and tangy sour cream. Dollop this vegan tofu sour cream (without cashews) on nachos, tacos, chili or potatoes.

This quick homemade sour cream made with silken tofu (no cashews!) is plant-based, vegan, nut-free, gluten-free, dairy-free and wfpb.

What can you use it for? Anything you would use sour cream for! Drizzle over tacos, nachos, enchiladas, 7-layer dip, baked potatoes and chili.

🎙 What people say about this recipe

"This is a great sauce! I use it like sour cream but I have also added things to it like Ranch Dressing seasoning (I make my own) or Everything Bagel seasoning to make more great tasting sauces. It is nice to have an alternative to nut-based sauces (though, I like those, too!). Thanks for your consistently great content; you are one of my go-to bloggers when I need a plant based recipe!"

- Angie

🧄 Very useful ingredient notes

• Silken tofu - use firm or extra firm silken tofu by brand Morinu (pictured above) for the best results. You may find it at your Asian grocery store, in the Asian foods aisle of your supermarket or at international food stores. Often, silken tofu is packed in aseptic, shelf-stable containers and does not need to be refrigerated. So, you will find it on the shelf with other packaged dry goods. Other brands of silken tofu come packed in water and can be found in a refrigerated section, usually with the other tofu and vegan products. Silken tofu is smooth and delicate, with a silky texture. Silken tofu does not need to be pressed. In fact, if you try to press it, it will fall apart. Just drain any excess water in the container, then it's ready to use. Silken tofu is edible raw or cooked.
• Fresh lemon juice - fresh lemon juice is preferred for a fresh acidity and brightness to cut through the richness of creamy tofu.
• Apple cider vinegar - a touch of vinegar amps up the acid and sour flavor that is necessary in a sour cream

📋 Substitutions and variations

Here are some suitable substitutions for the ingredients called for in this recipe:

• Silken tofu - I would not recommend using a different kind of tofu for this recipe, as I have not tested using a standard tofu (even soft varieties) that are not silken, so I cannot comment on their effectiveness. If you are looking for a different sour cream main ingredient, try one of these soy-free options:
  • Cashew Sour Cream
  • Sunflower Seed Sour Cream
• Fresh lemon juice - use bottled lemon juice instead. Or, use lime juice.
• Apple cider vinegar - use white wine vinegar, distilled vinegar or extra lemon juice instead of ACV.
• SOS-free - make this SOS-free by omitting the salt

Want to switch up the flavors? Here are some variations to try with this tofu sour cream recipe:

• Vegan Miracle Whip Substitute: use silken tofu to make vegan mayonnaise.
• Spicy - add sriracha, chipotle pepper powder, cayenne powder, taco seasoning or cajun salt to infuse a little heat to this sour cream.
• Garlic Aioli: add 1 tablespoon of olive oil and 2 extra garlic cloves when blending. Great with paella!
• Chipotle Sour Cream: add 2 chipotles in adobo sauce when blending. Delicious on tacos, nachos, tostadas, burritos or anything TexMex.
• Taco Dip: mix in 1 package of taco seasoning to prepared vegan sour cream.

If you're looking for a richer sour cream, try making this vegan cashew sour cream. Or, for a nut-free, soy-free option, try this sunflower seed sour cream.

🔪 Instructions

Add everything to a high speed blender, food processor or mini food processor and process until completely smooth. You'll have to stop a few times to scrape down the sides. It will look separated at first, but keep processing and it will all combine together to form a smooth sour cream.

At this point, it's ready to be eaten atop chili, nachos, tacos, baked potatoes or whatever else you'd like a dollop of sour cream on!

It will thicken up more once cooled in the refrigerator.

Keep it stored in the refrigerator for up to a week. It does not freeze well.

📖 Recipe