• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
    • YouTube
  • About
  • Cookbooks
  • Shop

Chili Pepper Madness logo

  • Recipe Index
  • RECIPES BY TYPE
    • BBQ/Grilled
    • Burgers
    • Chicken Wings
    • Chili
    • Curry
    • Dehydrator
    • Game Day
    • Hot Sauces
    • Jalapeno Poppers
    • Marinades
    • Pickling
    • Preserving
    • Quick and Easy
    • Salsas
    • Sauces
    • Seasonings
    • Stuffed Peppers
    • Tacos
  • COOKING TIPS
  • Pepper Info
    • Chili Pepper Types
    • The Scoville Scale
    • Hottest Peppers in the World
    • Growing Chili Peppers
    • Preserving
    • Health Benefits
    • Frequently Asked Questions
    • Buy Plants & Seeds
menu icon
go to homepage
search icon
Homepage link
  • Recipe Index
  • All Recipes
  • Pepper Info
  • Chili Pepper Types
  • The Scoville Scale
  • Growing Chili Peppers
  • Preserving
  • Chili Pepper Health Benefits
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Cooking Tips
  • Cookbooks
  • Shop
  • About Us
×

Home » Spicy Basil-Cream Sauce

Spicy Basil-Cream Sauce

by Mike Hultquist · Aug 9, 2017 · 3 Comments

Jump to Recipe

You can make this no-cook basil cream sauce recipe in 5 minutes or less with fresh basil, thyme, serrano peppers, yogurt, honey and vinegar. It's an ideal summer sauce, but use it as a salad dressing, veggie dipper, or an all-around condiment.

Every spring we plant basil leaves in a couple clay pots that Patty painted and decorated at a local art studio. Cute, isn't it?

No-Cook Spicy Basil-Cream Sauce – Recipe

That's a lot of basil! We LOVE basil, and the plants grow like crazy in our sun room that overlooks a gorgeous pond.

It is super nice to have fresh basil throughout the year, as well as thyme, rosemary, and whatever other herbs we decide to grow. Fresh herbs can transform an average meal into something legendary.

So can this sauce. Truly.

No-Cook Spicy Basil-Cream Sauce – Recipe

This is a practically ANYTHING sauce, meaning you can use it on just about anything. I am so lucky that I was able to snatch up herbs fresh from our herb pots and fresh peppers straight from the garden to make this one.

The Sauce Base

The sauce base is yogurt. Yogurt is perfect for making quick and easy sauces because it is creamy, thick, and highlights the flavors you add to it.

We like to have yogurt on hand for super quick breakfasts. You can toss in fresh fruit and maybe a bit of stevia if you're looking for a touch of sweet and off you go. It's a big time saver for when you're having weeks like we've been having, just crazy busy with so much going on.

And yep, same thing with this sauce.

It's super fast to make. All it takes is a bit of processing. Just toss your ingredients in the food processor and BOOM! Done. Off you go to highlight your meal. Let's break it down.

No-Cook Spicy Basil-Cream Sauce – Recipe

What You'll Need

Your ingredients are as follows: Greek yogurt, basil leaves, fresh thyme, 1 serrano pepper (or more, hey!), honey, rice wine vinegar and a pinch of salt.

A few notes about the ingredients

First, don't overdo the thyme. Fresh thyme is pretty darned potent. You can easily add too much and it might overtake the sauce, so only use a little at the start. You can always add more.

Second, if serrano peppers are too spicy for you, feel free to sub in a milder pepper, like a jalapeno.

Third, if you don't have rice wine vinegar on hand, you can use white wine vinegar, champagne vinegar, or even plain white vinegar, though a higher quality vinegar is ideal.

How to Make Spicy Basil Cream Sauce - the Recipe Method

Add the following ingredients to a food processor: 

  • 1 handful basil leaves
  • 2 sprigs fresh thyme
  • 1 serrano pepper chopped
  • ½ cup Greek yogurt
  • 2 teaspoons honey
  • 2 teaspoons rice wine vinegar
  • Pinch of salt
Next, process until the sauce is nice and smooth. Adjust with a bit of salt to your personal tastes.

BOOM! There you go!

Very easy, right?

Serving Suggestions for Basil Cream Sauce

I made this for a super quick salmon dinner. I just drizzled it over the salmon fillets and served it with a side of asparagus.

I almost made this post about the salmon recipe, but I figure you guys are getting tired of me posting about salmon. I really do enjoy other fish! I swear! I just LOVE salmon so much. It's definitely my favorite fish.

I'm posting this as a SAUCE RECIPE, but this can be easily served as a dressing.

Toss it with salad greens and veggies and you have an instant salad. Or, serve it with freshly chopped carrots and zucchini as a veggie dip. It will also work on sandwiches, particularly roast beef.

Give it a try. Let me know what you think! I hope you enjoy it.

No-Cook Spicy Basil-Cream Sauce – Recipe

Try Some of My Other Popular Sauce Recipes

  • Jacked Up Fry Sauce
  • Chipotle Sauce
  • Homemade Buffalo Sauce
  • Spicy Mustard Aioli
  • How to Make Fresh Chili Paste
  • Aji Amarillo Sauce
Got any questions? Ask away! I’m happy to help. If you enjoy this recipe, I hope you’ll leave a comment with some STARS.Also, please share it on social media. Don’t forget to tag us at #ChiliPepperMadness. I’ll be sure to share! Thanks! — Mike H.

 

Print

Spicy Basil Cream Sauce - Recipe

You can make this no-cook basil cream sauce recipe in 5 minutes or less with fresh basil, thyme, serrano peppers, yogurt, honey and vinegar. It's an ideal summer sauce, but use it as a salad dressing, veggie dipper, or an all-around condiment.
Course: sauce
Cuisine: American
Keyword: basil, sauce
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Total Time: 5 minutes
Calories: 107kcal
Author: Mike Hultquist
Servings: 2
Tap or hover to scale
Leave a Review

Ingredients

  • 1 handful basil leaves
  • 2 sprigs fresh thyme
  • 1 serrano pepper chopped
  • ½ cup Greek yogurt
  • 2 teaspoons honey
  • 2 teaspoons rice wine vinegar
  • Pinch of salt

Instructions

  • Add all ingredients to a food processor and process until smooth.
  • Adjust salt to your personal taste.
  • Enjoy!

Notes

Makes about 3/4 cup.

Nutrition Information

Calories: 107kcal   Carbohydrates: 16g   Protein: 10g   Cholesterol: 5mg   Sodium: 37mg   Potassium: 141mg   Sugar: 14g   Vitamin A: 150IU   Vitamin C: 5.9mg   Calcium: 110mg   Iron: 0.3mg
Did You Enjoy This Recipe?I love hearing how you like it and how you made it your own. Leave a comment below and tag @ChiliPepperMadness on social media.

Categories: Condiments

Reader Interactions

Comments

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating




  1. KRISTI L BUNDICK says

    August 11, 2019 at 3:03 pm

    I know this has been up for awhile, but have you tried canning your sauces? They look great and I am thinking about trying several of them, but would like to can them for gifts.

    Reply
    • Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says

      August 11, 2019 at 3:25 pm

      Kristi, yes, I do canning sometimes. I will run certain sauces through a water bath to keep them longer. For home canning, shoot for a pH level of 3.5 or lower. For this particular sauce, you'd be better of using a pressure canner as the acidity isn't that low.

      Reply
  2. Jon says

    August 09, 2017 at 6:42 pm

    Looks good. I know there is a love hate, but going to try it with cilantro too.

    REPLY: I think this would be great with cilantro. Love it. -- Mike from Chili Pepper Madness.

    Reply

Primary Sidebar

ALL. SPICY. RECIPES. Hi, I’m Mike and I LOVE Spicy Food! Say goodbye to bland and boring food with my easy-to-follow recipes. Let’s get cooking!

More about me →

Mexican
Cajun
Sauces
Seasonings

5 ESSENTIALS FOR SPICY COOKING

Subscribe and receive my FREE email series with tips for spicy cooking and new Recipes

Order The Spicy Food Lovers' Cookbook by Mike Hultquist

AMAZON / BARNES & NOBLE / INDIEBOUND / BOOKS A MILLION

Order The Spicy Dehydrator Cookbook by Mike Hultquist

AMAZON / BARNES & NOBLE / INDIEBOUND

Most Popular Recipes

  • Bang Bang Chicken
  • Pollo Guisado Recipe (Chicken Stew)
  • Creamy Fish Taco Sauce
  • Michelada Recipe - Spicy Mexican Beer and Tomato Juice Cocktail
  • Jamaican Jerk Seasoning - Taste of the Caribbean
  • Homemade Blackening Seasoning

Footer

NEVER MISS A RECIPE

Receive my "5 Essentials for Spicy Cooking" email series & new recipes

↑ back to top

About | Contact | Travel-Food | Stories | Privacy | Disclaimer | © 2022 Chili Pepper Madness

EXCLUSIVE MEMBER OF MEDIAVINE FOOD