A Mexican favorite, this Easy Roasted Poblano Cream Sauce is loaded with flavor and goes well on tacos, burritos, enchiladas and more! (gluten free)
If I had to pick my favorite thing about Mexican food, it would be all the sauces and salsas made with chile peppers.
Hands. Freaking. Down. I’m all about the sauces.
They add so much flavor and depth to Mexican dishes that if something I’m eating is ever a little too bland or just plain boring, I simply add some sauce or salsa and I’m good to go. Easy fix! (A legitimate trained chef would probably call that cheating, but oh well. This is real life. I’m just using the salsa to it’s fullest potential. 😉 )
Oh, and let’s not forget that chile pepper sauces are part of the best appetizer combo ever created – chips and salsa. Happy hour would be so sad without it!
But let’s not go down the salsa-less happy hour rabbit hole. It’s never going to happen and I refuse to think that’s what the future holds. Let’s instead bask in the deliciousness of one of my favorite chile pepper sauces, this Easy Roasted Poblano Cream Sauce.
To make this sauce, I used poblanos because they have a really good combination of heat and flavor. Compared to jalapenos, poblanos aren’t very spicy but they’re extremely flavorful, especially when roasted.
Mixed in with some sauteed onions, garlic and a pinch of salt, they’re on a whole different level. A rich and complex level that is definitely where you want this sauce to be.
For the creaminess factor, I used some full-fat sour cream as the base and just blended all of the ingredients together until smooth. Or if you’re looking to add a little extra protein in your diet, you can substitute some full-fat plain Greek yogurt for the sour cream instead.
Once the poblano cream sauce is made, there are a million different ways to eat it! Here are just a few of my favorite ways.
- in chicken burritos
- on top of baked chicken
- on some fish tacos
- as an enchilada sauce
- as a condiment on grilled cheese
- as a dip for lime tortilla chips
- on scrambled eggs
Pretty much anything you can think of! The possibilities are endless.
I’ve currently got a jar of this magical sauce in the fridge and I’ve been putting it on EVERYTHING. Seriously everything. Except dessert. That’s probably gross, though I’ve never tried it soo…maybe it’s not so bad? 😉
Ingredients
- 4 poblano peppers
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 cup diced onions
- 2 teaspoons garlic, minced (about 2 cloves)
- 8 ounces sour cream
- 1/2 cup chopped cilantro
- salt, to taste
Instructions
- Roast the poblano peppers - turn the oven on broil, place the peppers on a baking sheet and into the upper-third of oven close to the broiler, but not too close to where they're almost touching. Turn them every 3 minutes until the skin of the peppers is wrinkled and charred on all sides.
- Place the roasted peppers in a bowl and cover with plastic wrap for 10 minutes to sweat. Remove the plastic wrap and peel away the skin of the peppers. Cut stem, scrape the seeds, and roughly chop the peeled peppers.
- While the peppers are sweating, heat a small skillet over medium heat and add the olive oil, onions and garlic. Sauté for 8 minutes, stirring frequently, until onions have softened, become translucent and started to caramelize.
- Transfer the onions, garlic and peeled peppers into a large blender. Add in the sour cream, cilantro and salt. Blend until sauce is smooth, about 1 minute.
- Enjoy immediately or transfer into a glass jar and store in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.
Isabel’s Tips:
Nutrition Information
It was my first time I made this salsa
And me,my husband and Grandkids just loved it so much that I’m going to make it again next week and this time I’m going to use 1-2 jalapeños in it just for a little kick and see what they think.. love this salsa would love to see more
To die for! I substituted an avocado for the cilantro and added 2 tbsp of lime juice as some others have done. It made about 2.5 cups. This is lick the spoon and bowl good! We’ll be having it with chicken burritos this week. I’ll likely be adding it to many meals this week and want to make again as soon as I can!
Great tip! Thanks for sharing!
Could you add shredded chicken to this sauce and use it for tacos?
Hi Gloria! Yes that would be delicious! Thanks for the tip.
I love recipes and ideas how to use sauces and salsa. Thanks my menu will be changing ASAP. Thanks!!!
Thank you so much Candy!
I just discovered poblano peppers. (Expanding my horizons) Have been tasting them in many dishes these days.
I decided to buy some, and figure out how I can make this deliciousness myself. I ran into your directions on how to roast them and your helpful suggestions on what to do with them once they were roasted. I followed all of your directions and they turned out amazing. Then I clicked on your link on what to do with them. I found your EASY ROASTED POBLANO CREAM SAUCE.
I am so proud that I made this – my family loves it. Thank you so much for sharing your tips.
Hi Patsy! I’m glad you enjoyed the recipe!
Just finished making the Roasted Poblano Cream Sauce since I had an abundance that were ready to pick from my garden. I made a double batch and gave one jar to a friend. I also added a bit of cumin and squeeze of fresh lime just before serving and it really brightened up the flavor. It was delicous and so easy once you roasted the poblanos.
Have made this several times and it is a big hit!!!!
Thank you for this recipe. I had over roasted my Carranza poblanos and
didn’t want to waste them, so this saved the day! The recipe was made per instructions and was enjoyed by family and friends. You get two thumbs up!
OMG..so very good. I added a sliced up avocado! I hate cilantro. I am one of those that it tastes like soap. So, needless to say left that out. I added a tsp of fresh ground ginger and 2 cap-fulls of lime juice.
I forgot. I used Cabot’s Greek yogurt and i didn’t cook the onion, i used 1/4c. raw.
Can you freeze the sauce!?
Hi David, yes you can!
How is it best frozen? I would think I would freeze in freezer bags in 2 cup serving sizes. With sour cream in this sauce will this hold up for 4 months in freezer?
I agree I think in small batches in freezer bags is the best way to go! I think with sour cream it should be okay in the freezer!
Have you ever tried freezing this sauce? I suppose with the sour cream it might not be greats but would be good to do when the poblanos are ripe!
Hi Jan! We have not, but I think it should be okay!
This is INSANE
FYI I blended in a TBSP of canned diced jalapeno to give it a lil more kick and it was fantastic! Great on the tacos I made last night.
Had it again today, just threw a lil dollop on an omlette. SO GOOD WITH EGGS!!
Thanks for the recipe! I needed to something to add to my repertoire during staying at home and this was perfect.
This is my favorite sauce ever. I eat it on EVERYTHING. I make it all the time subbing nonfat yogurt for sour cream.
I can’t find poblano peppers right now, so my latest batch was made with roasted shishito peppers and it’s also delish. I didn’t bother to peel or remove seeds from shishito peppers (I follow directions for the poblanos).
Made to go over pork carnitas. My 10 and 12 year olds loved it, not to mention my hubby. Thank you for a great recipe. 🙂 Mic
Thanks so much, Michelle. So happy you and your family enjoyed it!
I see by the directions the actual sauce is made of “olive oil, onions and garlic”.
No instruction for the poblanos to be included, somehow?
Oh no, thank you so much for pointing that out! I apologize for the confusion. I just updated the recipe with the correct instructions.
Hola!!!
My mother makes this sauce with cream cheese instead of sour cream AND uses it as a green sauce to spaghetti. She makes enough to feed 10 people and it is always the first thing devoured. If she wasn’t a great cook with other amazing recipes her green pasta would be the only thing her children, nephews, nieces, grandchildren and siblings would ever ask for. No one even notices it’s a vegetarian dish.
That sounds so good, Esther! I love the idea of using cream cheese. I’m definitely going to try that next time. Thanks!
Hullo! This sounds super tasty. I’m wondering how long it keeps in the fridge and if it’s freezer suitable at all?
Hi Sophie! I haven’t put it in the freezer so I’m not quite sure, but because the base is sour cream, I don’t think it would work. It lasts in the fridge for about 2 weeks.
Your poblano chicken burrito recipe has this sauce in it and says the burritos are freezer friendly. Is that not true?
Hi Alli, I think it would be fine in the burritos because it’s mixed in with other foods and it doesn’t separate as bad as it would if it were just frozen on its own.
Soooooo yummy!!! I love the fact that I’m eating veggies while eating sour cream!!!
Haha, I totally agree! 🙂 So happy you liked it!
Hi, would this recipe work well for green spaghetti??