A drizzle of crema vegana is the special extra touch all your favorite Mexican dishes need. This dairy free, nut free and soy free Mexican vegan sour cream recipe needs just 5 ingredients and it’s incredibly easy to make.
Soak the almonds overnight or for 8 hours until they plump up and become softer, drain before using.
One by one being removing the skin off of all the almonds. Place the almonds in the blender, half the salt, and 1/2 cup of water and blend for a couple of minutes. Add all the cornstarch, the remaining water and blend until completely smooth. Place a colander over a small bowl and pour the mixture into and strain into the bowl. Squeeze out as much water from the remaining pulp and set the pulp aside to make my almond cheese.
Pour the strained liquid into a large deep pan and over medium heat cook the mixture until it thickens. This will take about 10 minutes.It's very important that you keep stirring the whole time to prevent it burning or bubbling over. As it cooks you'll notice that little by little the cream begins to form as the mixture thickens.You'll know that the crema is ready when it has a thick creamy consistency. When ready, remove from heat and allow to cool for a few minutes while you keep stirring it.
Once allowed to cool slightly, little by little add freshly squeezed lime juice and salt to the crema. Stir until well combined, allow to sit a couple of minutes, then taste and if needed add a bit more lime juice and/or salt until you get the tartness you're happy with.
Pour into a container and if serving it right away allow to cool a bit more, otherwise store in the fridge covered for up to 7 days. Enjoy it over all of your favorite Mexican dishes, or as desired.
To Make a Neutral Crema:
If you want a more neutral tasting crema you can simply omit the lime juice and additional salt. Let cool completely before storing.
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Notes
This recipe makes 1.5 cups of crema.*Watch the almond blanching tutorial here, How to Blanch Almonds **Longer soaking time will only be required if your blender isn't too powerful, otherwise the almonds may not breakdown enough and you'll have a lot more pulp when you strain the liquid through a fine sieve.How To Store Crema Vegana: Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator. It’ll keep fresh for up to 6 or 7 days.