Non-dairy substitute for sour cream?

[oopslateagain]

I have just dished up a lovely bowl of chili for lunch, and it reminded me yet again that it's just not the same without sour cream dolloped on top!

Has anyone ever found a decent non-dairy substitute for proper sour cream? Alpro plain yogurt just doesn't quite work.

I was going to suggest the yoghurt.

Will think on...

Toffutti dairy-free, soya "soft-cheese", a bit like cream-cheese. They do a plain one, and their garlic and herb one is quite good. Worth a try?

You find it in holland and barret.

nelly I tried that, the one with the garlic and herbs... sorry but I couldn't stomach it, it was utterly vile! Just shows that everyone has different tastes!

Toffuti do a sour cream substitute. I can't vouch for the taste of it though as I have never tried it.

Have just fired off an email to Alpro asking them to do a sour cream substitute. I won't hold my breath for a reply though.

Ooh good idea Paschaelina, I'll do the same.

And here's the reply:

Dear Ethelina,

Thank you for your enquiry regarding sour cream alternatives.

Currently there are no immediate plans to introduce a sour cream alternative although this may be something for the future. We do keep on file a record of all such suggestions and continually refer to this as part of our ongoing new product development strategy.

As an alternative many customers use out Provamel Organic plain yogurt exclusively available from health food stores for savoury dishes.

I hope this information has been useful however if you have any further questions please do not hesitate to contact us again.

Kindest regards

Kimberley Scholes
Alpro Customer Care

Well at least you got a reply! You can make up your own sour cream with normal cream using equal quantities of vinegar and lemon juice - then whisking. Could you try this with a dairy free cream substitute?

I got a very similar reply, but not identical - they do at least make an effort to read and respond to e-mails individually!

Milli I don't think it would work as the acid curdles the milk and cream substitutes don't curdle, but it is worth a shot. Maybe adding a tiny bit of lemon juice and vinegar to soya yogurt would make it taste more sour-cream-ish! I'll give it a try.

Awww - didn't think of that. Hope you manage to make something that tastes nice.

I used to buy the Tofutti Sour Cream substitute regularly, till our local health food shop stopped stocking. It was great. Especially good for dairy free strogonoff amongst others, as the Alpro soya cream tastes a bit sweet-ish and is often not so good for sour dishes.

Alternatively, have you tried Oatly oat cream with lemon juice? Oat cream is a staple for us and much better than soya cream imho.