This 5-minute Tofu Sour Cream recipe is delicious, heart-healthy, and protein-packed! Add it to vegan soups, grain bowls, and vegan tacos for a creamy boost. Its versatility makes it perfect for elevating a meal, and even as a dip for fresh veggies—keeping your meals both nutritious and satisfying.
You'll want to add this tangy vegan sour cream to everything—and for good reason! It’s a tasty way to boost your meals with plant-based protein, heart-healthy fats, gut-friendly probiotics, B vitamins, and vitamin C for improved iron absorption. Plus, the soy content might help reduce hot flashes.
This Tofu Sour Cream recipe was inspired by my cashew Vegan Sour Cream, Egg-Free Mayonnaise, and Avocado Dressing on my site. For more healthy condiments, visit my Healthy Vegan Dips & Condiments.
Jump to:
👩🏼🌾 Ingredients & Health Benefits
- Tofu: Extra-firm tofu is a rich source of plant-based protein and heart-healthy fats. It also contains soy isoflavones, which have been shown to help reduce the frequency and severity of hot flashes in some women.
- Garlic: Raw garlic increases the absorption of iron and zinc even in the face of phytates.
- Nutritional yeast: Adds a rich, savory, cheese-like flavor and helps thicken dressings. To boost B vitamin intake, opt for fortified nutritional yeast, which often includes B12—especially important in plant-based diets. (See below for my brand recommendations.)
- Lemon zest: Adding raw citrus zest to dishes can boost DNA repair and protection, thanks to the phytonutrient beta-cryptoxanthin, which also offers protective benefits against certain cancers.
- Lemon juice: Adds vitamin-C-rich benefits, boosting iron absorption from your meal.
- Miso: This fermented food might be a healthier way to season your meals. While miso is salty, it doesn’t seem to raise blood pressure like table salt.
- Unsweetened soy milk or nondairy milk: Used to achieve a creamy consistency.
- Mustard powder (optional)
See the recipe card for quantities.
🥛 Substitutions
- Garlic - substitute with one teaspoon of garlic powder
- Tofu – choose extra firm tofu for the ideal balance between texture and protein content
- Nondairy milk – use unsweetened soy for the creamiest consistency and highest protein content, or substitute with your preferred nondairy milk
- Mustard powder - add a pinch to boost sulforaphane formation when eating cooked cruciferous veggies
For more healthy dips and spreads, visit my Vegan Condiment Recipes page.
📖 How to Make Tofu Sour Cream
For the full recipe with quantities, scroll down to the bottom of the post. This is an overview.
- Drain the tofu and transfer the block to the canister of a blender. Add the nutritional yeast, garlic, onion powder, miso, lemon zest, lemon juice, and nondairy milk.
- Blend on high until smooth.
- Meal prep tip: Make a double batch of Tofu Sour Cream and use it to boost the nutrition of your soups, stews, chilis, tacos, burritos, and bowls. It’s a versatile addition that adds creaminess and extra protein to your meals!
- Pair your Tofu Sour Cream with a healthy vegan Borscht for a blood-pressure-lowering combo! Borscht is made with beet, rich in nitrates, and shown to improve blood flow and reduce blood pressure, while tofu adds protein and heart-healthy fats to round out the meal. This combination offers a delicious, nutrient-dense option for supporting cardiovascular health.
✔️ Expert Tips
- Lemon zest: The white pith beneath the zest can be quite bitter. For the best flavor, use a microplane or fine grater to remove only the thin, yellow outer layer, where the essential oils and bright citrus notes are concentrated.
- Add vegan sour cream for serving and keep it unheated to maximize its health benefits, such as preserving probiotics and heat-sensitive nutrients like vitamin C.
- Storage: Refrigerate Tofu Sour Cream in an airtight container for up to 4 days.
🙋🏽♀️ Recipe FAQs
Soy foods like tofu, soymilk, tempeh, natto, and edamame are rich in polyunsaturated fats, fiber, vitamins, and minerals while being low in saturated fat. They contain isoflavones, which act as natural selective estrogen receptor modulators. Its effects are pro-estrogenic in some tissues (like bones) and anti-estrogenic in others (like the breast). This means soy can support bone health, lower breast cancer risk, and ease menopause symptoms. Unless you have a soy allergy, including whole soy foods in your diet offers key health benefits. Choose organic when possible.
Overall, nutritional yeast is a nutrient-dense, versatile food that can provide protein, key vitamins, and minerals, particularly for those on a vegan diet. However, if consuming fortified nutritional yeast, do so in moderation, as excess intake could lead to overconsumption of certain fortified nutrients like folic acid. In addition, choose a reputable brand without detectable lead, such as Bob’s Red Mill, Bragg, Dr. Fuhrman, Red Star, or NOW Foods' nutritional yeast.
Soy contains natural compounds called goitrogens, which can interfere with thyroid function, especially if your iodine levels are low. This effect isn’t unique to soy—other healthy foods like flaxseeds and cruciferous vegetables (such as broccoli) have similar compounds. Instead of avoiding these nutrient-rich foods, ensuring you’re getting enough iodine to support thyroid health is better. Try incorporating iodine-rich options like my seaweed salad to boost your intake.
Soy and Thyroid Medication
Soy can slightly reduce the absorption of thyroid medications like Synthroid, but this interaction occurs with all foods. Doctors generally recommend taking thyroid medication on an empty stomach for maximum effectiveness. If you’re on thyroid medication, talk to your doctor about safely including soy in your diet.
🛒 Shop Nisha's Cookware and Products
Note: As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Nisha's Cooking Favorites
Get my tried and true cooking products here.
🫙Related Recipes
🥣 Pairing
👩🏽🍳 Made this recipe?
Let me know your thoughts on Best Tofu Sour Cream by leaving a ⭐️ rating below or sharing it on Instagram.
📖 Recipe
Best Tofu Sour Cream
Want to Save This Recipe?
Enter your email & I'll send it to your inbox. Plus, get great new recipes from me every week!
By submitting this form, you consent to receive emails from Cooking for Peanuts.
Ingredients
- 14 ounces extra firm tofu
- 2 teaspoons nutritional yeast
- 1 large clove garlic
- ¾ teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon mustard powder optional
- 1 tablespoon mellow miso (white miso)
- 1 lemon juice, plus a pinch of lemon zest
- ¼ cup unsweetened soymilk or plant-based milk, plus more as needed
Instructions
- Drain the tofu and transfer the block to the canister of a blender.
- Combine: Add the nutritional yeast, garlic, onion powder, miso, lemon zest (optional), lemon juice, and nondairy milk.
- Blend on high until smooth.
Notes
Nutrition
This information is provided as a courtesy and is an ESTIMATE only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased can change the nutritional information in any given recipe.
Yvonne Grady says
It is so creamy and delicious! you will love this on so many dishes I highly recommend this sour cream (vegan)
Nisha Melvani, RDN says
Thank you so much for taking the time to comment. I'm so glad you enjoyed the sour cream!