Homemade Non-Dairy Sour Cream

For the yogurt base:

If using the cashews, drain them. Then blend cashews with 2-3 cups of the soymilk in a blender until creamy and smooth. If you are not using a high speed blender, pour the blended mixture into a bowl through a fine-mesh sieve to remove any cashew pieces that did not get pureed.

Add the remaining soymilk into the cashew/soymilk mixture in a large saucepan, crockpot, or rice cooker. Heat the mixture to 115-120 F.

Once the mixture reaches 115-120 F, turn off the heat and stir in the yogurt.

Cover the cooking vessel with a tight lid and place in a warm spot until the yogurt is set, 4-8 hours.
Makes 3 1/2 quarts of yogurt.

When the yogurt is set, transfer 2 quarts of yogurt to clean containers with tight-fitting lids and refrigerate. Use the 1 1/2 quarts of remaining yogurt to make the sour cream.

For the sour cream:

Line a large strainer or colander with 2-3 layers of cheesecloth and set it over a bowl. Fill the strainer with the yogurt, and cover with remaining cheesecloth or a tea towel. Set aside in a warm place to culture for 24 hours.

Transfer the drained sour cream to a well-cleaned container with a tight-fitting lid and refrigerate before serving.

Note: To quick-soak the raw cashews, cover them with 1-2 inches of water in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to maintain a low boil for 15 minutes. Drain and rinse with cool water before proceeding with the recipe.