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. 

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closeup of the crema on a spoon

One of my favorite ways to spice up a dish is with a good sauce, like my Easy Poblano Cream 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

all of the 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 1/2 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.

before and after of the ingredients in the food processor being blended

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.
crema up close on a chip

FAQs

What is Mexican crema?

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.

What can I use jalapeño lime crema on?

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.

How do I store leftover sauce?

Store the leftovers in a an airtight container for 4 days in the fridge.

Jalapeño Lime Crema

5 from 70 votes
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. 
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Total Time: 5 minutes
Servings: 1 cup

Ingredients

  • 1 cup cilantro leaves and stems packed
  • 2/3 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*
  • 1/4 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.
Did you make this recipe? Leave a comment below!

Notes

White onion – swap for green onion or yellow onion
Sour cream – swap for greek yogurt (any fat content will work)
Jalapeños – If you are extremely sensitive to heat, start with 1/2 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!
Honey – swap for white sugar
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.
Save this recipe!
Get this sent to your inbox, plus get new recipes from us every week!

Nutrition

Calories: 339kcal | Carbohydrates: 15g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 30g | Saturated Fat: 18g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 8g | Cholesterol: 80mg | Sodium: 714mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 12g

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

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5 from 70 votes (55 ratings without comment)

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Recipe Rating




28 Comments

  1. Renee says:

    5 stars
    We have a local restaurant that serves a home-made lime crème with their tacos, and I was looking for a recipe to replicate. This tasted even better than the restaurant one!

  2. Dee says:

    5 stars
    Great recipe. I’m one of those “cilantro tastes like soap” people so I substituted it with parsley. So delicious! Thanks for sharing.

    1. Chef Ben says:

      Being a supertaster can be a bummer when it comes to certain cuisines. Instead of substituting parsley for the cilantro, consider adding a little bit of chopped garden mint and a littler bit of fresh basil to give you a little of that ciltro-ish “brightness” along with the color.

      1. Brianna May says:

        Great idea!

  3. Tina says:

    5 stars
    Saving this one for my next taco night! Love how quickly it comes together.

  4. Jessica Formicola says:

    5 stars
    I made this sauce for taco night last night and it was delicious!

  5. Elizabeth says:

    5 stars
    This is such a simple recipe and I love it. I plan to try it tonight subbing our the sour cream and honey for vegan options!

  6. Gloria says:

    5 stars
    This is perfect for our Mexican-themed dinner nights. A great topping for tacos, nachos and more.

  7. Maham says:

    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!!

    1. Brianna May says:

      Love to hear it!

  8. Angela says:

    5 stars
    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!

    1. Brianna May says:

      Thank you so much Angela for the review! I am so glad it was a hit.