This Avocado Crema blends avocado, sour cream, lime juice, cilantro, and garlic together to create a versatile and light sauce. Drizzle it on all of your favorite Mexican recipes, enjoy it as a dipping sauce, or use it as a salad dressing!
Perfectly balanced Avocado Crema has a velvety smooth texture and pairs well with almost every recipe. This creamy sauce is a light and refreshing replacement to sour cream or avocado slices. Lightly seasoned with garlic, cilantro, and lime, it adds zest and character to every bite!
All you need is a blender or food processor and 5 minutes to make a batch. Drizzle it on top of enchiladas or tacos, serve it on the side for a quesadilla dip, or use it as a creamy salad dressing. This crema recipe is so versatile, you’ll always want to have a batch ready in the fridge!
What is avocado crema?
This recipe is a play on traditional Mexican Crema, which is a flavorful and zesty replacement for sour cream. Rather than using buttermilk and heavy cream, avocado makes this recipe naturally creamy and tastes much more light and fresh. To finish, the crema is lightly seasoned and balanced using fresh garlic, cilantro, lime juice, and sour cream.
Ingredients You’ll Need
This sauce is so good, you’ll think it took more than a handful of ingredients to make it. Here’s what you need to make this recipe:
- Avocados – This is what will make the crema super buttery, creamy, and smooth. After all, avocados are nature’s butter!
- Cilantro – Optional if it’s not your thing.
- Sour cream – This adds a nice tang that will help cool down the heat in spicy or zesty meals.
- Kosher salt – To help bring out all of the flavors.
- Lime juice – Use bottled or fresh. The citrus flavor will bring balance to the mix of sour cream and avocado.
- Garlic – Because you can never have enough garlic. Fresh is best, but feel free to use garlic powder if that’s all you have.
How to make it
- Blend everything: Place all of the ingredients in a blender or food processor and blend until smooth.
- Ready to serve: Transfer the crema to a jar or a squeeze bottle and serve immediately, or cover and refrigerate until you’re ready to serve.
Tips and Tricks
- If the crema is too thick, mix in 1 tablespoon of water at a time until it reaches your desired consistency.
- If the crema is too thin, blend in another half of an avocado, or a tablespoon of sour cream at a time until you reach the desired consistency.
- You can let it sit for a few hours or overnight in the fridge to let all of the flavors mingle and get to know each other.
- Not in the mood for avocado? You’ll love my creamy cilantro lime dressing as a substitute.
What goes well with avocado crema?
Everything! This sauce goes well on every dish where you would usually use avocados or sour cream.
Avocado and lime crema is great on top of fish tacos, burrito bowls, nachos, and enchiladas, but can also be added to the inside of burritos or used as a burger sauce. Try it as your new go-to dipping sauce for taquitos, jicama fries, or Mexican potatoes. The options are truly endless!
Substitutions and Variations
- To lighten it up and add some protein, use plain Greek yogurt instead of sour cream.
- Want to make it vegan? Substitute the sour cream for a plant-based alternative or plain vegan yogurt.
- Want to add more flavor? Feel free to include a ¼ to ½ a teaspoon of ground cumin or ⅛ to ¼ teaspoon of cayenne for a little heat.
Storage
The leftover crema will last up to 5 days in the fridge. Keep it in a sealed jar, container, or squeeze bottle.
If making the crema way ahead of time, store it in an airtight container with plastic wrap pressed directly to the surface to keep the avocado from browning (like the photo above).
More recipes you’ll love
Need more recipes to enjoy with your crema? Here are a few more ideas:
Ingredients
- 2 avocados, peeled and pitted
- 1/4 cup cilantro, optional
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 1/2 teaspoon coarse kosher salt, plus more to taste
- 1 1/2 limes, juiced (about 3 tbsp)
- 1 clove garlic
Instructions
- Add all ingredients to a blender or food processor and blend until smooth, scraping sides down as needed.
- Transfer to a jar or a squeeze bottle and serve immediately, or refrigerate until ready to serve.
Isabel’s Tips:
- If the crema is too thick, mix in 1 tablespoon of water at a time until it reaches your desired consistency.
- If the crema is too thin, blend in another half of an avocado, or a tablespoon of sour cream at a time until you reach the desired consistency.
- Storage: The leftover crema will last up to 5 days in the fridge. Keep it in a sealed jar, container, or squeeze bottle. If making the crema way ahead of time, store it in an airtight container with plastic wrap pressed directly to the surface to keep the avocado from browning (see photo in blog post).
Nutrition Information
Delicious sauce. This is a keeper!