So I am a sour cream FIEND. I LOVE it. I love the tartiness of it, the creaminess of it, the pristine white of it, the coolness of it paired with something hot and spicy. I love sour cream like a Greek loves tzatziki. It's pretty much the thing that's always kept me from going vegan, even more than cheese.
So I didn't have very high expectations from a vegan version. Even fat free versions of sour cream are kinda gross, so a full-on imitation was gonna have some caveats to cross.
So I got the Tofutti Better Than Sour Cream at Ralph's for $3.99. This is a tofu-based sour cream imitation. Cashew-based is the other fake sour cream variety that I have yet to try.
I opened the tub. It's nice and white and sure LOOKS like a thick sour cream. It stirs up like a thick sour cream. It doesn't really have the tart sour smell of it, though. So then I tasted it. Just a little bit on my finger. Ehhhhhh, NOT sour cream. But maybe I can make it work anyway.
So I put a dollop on my plate during my Daiya quesadilla experiment. NOT BAD!! I mean, I couldn't eat it the way I eat regular sour cream, where it's right on top and first you get a flash of that flavor before it melds in with the others underneath it. I had to kind of hide it under the salsa, where I still got the visual cue I like from sour cream, the creamy coolness of it, but not quite the right tart and flavor. But hey, if I'm really serious about going vegan, it could do!
I'll have to try a cashew version (gotta go to Whole Foods for that) and see if the flavor is improved.
I have some in the fridge right now. I've been putting it on my breakfast wraps with chick peas, onion, mushrooms sautéed in garlic, chillies, salt, pepper, with fresh shredded lettuce and diced tomato. Add this product, some hot sauce and salsa! yum!
ReplyDeleteIt's not exactly like sour cream, obviously, but it comes pretty darn close. I'm new to the vegan diet, and I think this will satisfy my sour cream cravings.
I JUST used this to cook a Portobello Stroganoff... and I'm very happy at the results! Same texture, not too sour.
ReplyDeleteI'm on a Gluten/Dairy free diet now and although the only reason I ever used Sour Cream before this diet was to make Stroganoff, I'm happy that's a meal I won't have to give up.
This product was a disappoitment for me. The consistency was okay but the taste was bland and more soy like than sour creamy. It tasted like those bad soy milks that were on the market ten years ago. Most soy products haveimproved in taste over the years and this product badly needs an overhaul.
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