This Jalapeño Lime Crema will become your new favorite dip, dressing, and sauce. It is so creamy, tangy, and only takes 5 minutes to make. Put it on tacos, salads, bowls, or dip chips/veggies in it. Regardless, it is absolutely addicting.
One of my favorite ways to spice up a dish is with a good sauce. All you need is a base, some herbs/spices, a food processor, and you're good to go. Sauces are so easy to make, yet they add so much flavor.
I recently just started liking sour cream on my tacos (I know, I'm weird). But I wanted to spice up my sour cream with some cilantro and jalapeños. And that's how this crema was born. It all started with a taco but now I put it on everything.
Highlights
- ready in 5 minutes
- only 8 simple ingredients
- you can make it spicy or mild
- use it as a dressing, dip, or sauce
- small batch recipe so you don't end up with more sauce than you can eat
- recipe can easily be doubled for a large crowd
Ingredients
- White onion - swap for green onion or yellow onion
- Honey - swap for white sugar
- Sour cream - swap for greek yogurt (any fat content will work)
- Jalapeños - If you are extremely sensitive to heat, start with ½ of a jalapeño. If not, start with one whole jalapeño. Add another if you want it to be spicier. I always start with a little and taste as I go. You can always add more!
Complete list of ingredients and amounts is located on the recipe card below.
Instructions
before you start
- Set up your food processor.
- Wash and pat dry the cilantro. If you do not dry the cilantro well, the excess water will water down the sauce.
- Wash and prep the onion, garlic, and jalapeño.
Step 1: In a food processor, add the cilantro, sour cream, onion, 1 jalapeño, garlic, lime, honey, and salt.
Step 2: Pulse until smooth. Scrape down the sides in between pulses if needed.
TIP - Keep a spatula near by to scrape the bowl to make sure all of the ingredients are blended.
Expert Tips
- Keep a spatula near by to scrape the bowl to make sure all of the ingredients are blended.
- Taste as you go. You can always add more jalapeños but you can't take them away.
FAQs
It is like sour cream, but has a much thinner consistency. This sauce is my version of a flavored crema. However, I use sour crema instead of a traditional Mexican crema. The other ingredients help thin out the sauce making the consistency similar to crema.
My favorite way to use this sauce is on tacos, like these Instant Pot Beef Short Rib Barbacoa tacos or Steak Street Tacos. It adds so much flavor. You can also use it as a salad dressing or as a dip with tortilla chips. It is also a great topping for buddha/nourish bowls. I have yet to find something I do not enjoy it on.
Store the leftovers in a an airtight container for 4 days in the fridge.
Related Recipes
Jalapeño Lime Crema
Ingredients:
- 1 cup cilantro leaves and stems packed
- ⅔ cup (6 ounces) cup sour cream*
- 1 Tablespoon onion, chopped
- 1-2 jalapeños*, with seeds and membranes
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 Tablespoon lime juice
- 1 teaspoon honey*
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Instructions:
- In a food processor, add the cilantro, sour cream, onion, 1 jalapeño, garlic, lime, honey, and salt.
- Pulse until smooth. Scrape down the sides in between pulses if needed.
This sauce is amazing. We make it whenever we make tacos, burrito bowls, etc and it is a must now for us! Thanks so much for sharing this recipe!!
Love to hear it!
Made these exactly as the recipe called for and they are fabulous! Reminds me of shrimp tacos we get in Puerto Vallarta! I didn’t include the jalapeño seeds to bring the spice down for my kid who doesn’t do too spicy, but could probably add a few seeds in next time. Authentic, super easy and great flavors and crunch. The whole family loved them and are such a quick week-night recipe!
Thank you so much Angela for the review! I am so glad it was a hit.
Nice compliment on my Mexican Pork tacos. Easy to make with my submersible hand blender. YUM!
Awesome! Thank you.
Perfect!!!! I doubled the recipe and made a sauce for steamed mussels. I removed the mussels after steaming and then introduced the cream sauce and whisked. I put the mussels back in and turned on low until serving with crusty artisan bread. Perfect!!!!
I am so happy to hear this! Sounds super yummy.
I was really excited to try this recipe but I don't have a food processor. So instead I roasted all of the veggies low and slow, took the skins off, and everything turns out soft enough to mix into a smooth sauce. Roasting always adds a little more flavor too!
Yum!! I need to try this.
Great recipe! I substituted the jalapeño with 3 serrano and it was perfect. The honey softens the spice just a touch.
Perfect addition to my tacos!
This is so good I plan on making a gallon for my July 4th cook out
Add one avacado to the above! Yummy
I love that idea!
This recipe was great and easy. I added half an avocado to make it a little more creamier.
Great so happy to hear!
This looks great...I will try this with roasted onions as my husband can't stand the raw!
This is so yummy and adds the perfect amount of spice and zest to my tacos!
Easy to make and great flavor!