Jalapeño Crema

Jalapeño crema is the perfect upgrade to your typical sour cream or Mexican crema scoop. It adds brightness with just a touch of spicy heat to your dishes.

I made this recently for my Breakfast Burrito recipe, which is fantastic on its own, but I wanted something lighter to cut through all that egg and potato and cheese. This is it. It turned out so good, I decided it needed a dedicated recipe page of its own.

All it takes is ten minutes and a food processor. No cooking needed.

Let's talk about how we make it.

What Is Jalapeño Crema?

Crema is Mexican cultured cream. It is tangier and thinner than sour cream, and pourable. Blend it with fresh jalapenos along with lime, garlic, and cilantro and you have jalapeño crema.

The word "crema" is often used loosely for anything creamy and green, including sauces made with avocado or straight mayonnaise. This recipe is a true crema, meant more for drizzling or pouring, not dipping.

The flavor is bright and clean with a grassy pepper bite from raw jalapeno. If you want smoke and sweetness instead, try my Roasted Jalapeño Sauce, which chars the peppers first and uses only a spoonful of crema or sour cream, so it's quite a bit thicker.

Ingredients Needed

The full ingredients list with measurements is listed in the printable recipe card at the bottom of the post.

• Sour Cream or Mexican Crema. Mexican crema is thinner and tangier and gives you a more pourable texture. Sour cream is easier to find and works, though you may want to thin it. Look for crema in the refrigerated Latin or International section.
• Mayonnaise. A quarter cup. Some people say it's not traditional or needed, but for me it adds needed body an helps it stick to your taco or other dishes. You can skip it if you'd like - just replace with more crema or sour cream.
• Jalapeño Peppers. Two, stems removed and coarsely chopped. Fresh is the norm, but try it with roasted jalapenos for a mellower, sweeter version.
• Garlic. One clove, raw. Give it just the right pungent note.
• Lime Juice. Fresh squeezed is better than bottled.
• Cilantro. Two tablespoons, chopped. Stems are fine, they've got plenty of flavor.
• Salt. To taste, as needed.

How to Make Jalapeño Crema

Add everything to a food processor or blender, then blend until smooth, but with a few extra tips.

• Chop the peppers coarsely first. Whole jalapeños bounce around the blender and you'll be scraping the sides forever. You get much smoother crema with a rough chop.
• Do not overprocess. It can thin the crema too much. Pulse if needed, but blend enough for your preferred smoothness. Use only half the crema to start, then stir the rest in at the end for extra smoothness.
• Taste before you salt. Start light, as sour cream and mayonnaise include salt of their own.
• Let it sit if you have time. It's great right off the bat, but the flavors meld and mellow a touch with thirty minutes in the fridge.
• Adjust consistency. It's pretty loose as written, but you can loose it up even more with a tablespoon of milk or two. Perfect for adding to a squeeze bottle.

Heat Factor and How to Adjust It

• Milder. Cut the peppers open and scrape out the seeds and white membranes before chopping. That's where the heat lives. This is gentler and more family friendly.
• Medium. As written.
• Hotter. Swap in 1-2 serranos for one of the jalapeños. You'll get the same green, grassy flavor with noticeably more heat.
• Wild. Add 1/2-1 chopped habanero when blending. It adds fruity notes along with the fire that play nicely with the lime. A ghost chili will really dial it up.

Remember that dairy knocks heat down, so this sauce runs milder than the same peppers would raw in a salsa.

Serving Suggestions

• On tacos. Fish tacos especially, or these amazing fried Baja fish tacos. Also shrimp tacos, carnitas, and carne asada.
• On burritos. Drizzled inside a Breakfast Burrito before you roll it, or spooned over the top, or maybe a little with each bite!
• With grilled fish and shrimp. Anything off the grill with char on it.
• On grilled chicken. Spooned over thighs or a chicken sandwich.
• As a salad dressing. Thin it out and pour it over a Taco Salad.
• On eggs. Scrambled, fried, huevos rancheros, huevos a la Mexicana, breakfast tacos.
• As a dip. Keep it thick and set it out with tortilla chips or raw vegetables.
• On roasted vegetables. Corn especially. Sweet potatoes too.

Substitutions and Variations

• No crema or sour cream? Plain Greek yogurt works and adds more tang. Mexican crema, crème fraîche, and sour cream are all interchangeable here.
• Skip the mayo. Use a full three quarters cup of sour cream instead. Lighter, a little looser, slightly more sour.
• Add avocado. Add half a ripe avocado for a richer and greener crema. It's closer to an avocado crema at that point, and it won't keep as long.
• More cilantro. Double it for a properly herby, green sauce.
• Pickled jalapeños. Use them in place of fresh, plus a splash of the brine. It's tangier and works very nicely when you don't want to run to the store.
• Add cumin. A quarter teaspoon gives it in a smokier, more Tex-Mex vibe.

Storage

Store jalapeño crema in an airtight container in the refrigerator and use it within 5 days. It's a fresh dairy sauce with raw garlic in it, so it doesn't keep like a vinegar-based hot sauce.

The garlic gets stronger as it sits. Day three tastes noticeably more garlicky than day one, which some people love. Swap in a quarter teaspoon of garlic powder to keep the garlic flavor milder and more even.

It may loosen or weep a little in the fridge. Stir it back together before serving.

I don't recommend freezing it. Sour cream and mayonnaise both break when they thaw and turn grainy, which is not pleasant.

That's it, my friends. I hope you enjoy the jalapeno crema. Let me know if you make it and how you made it your own. And how you served it! I always love to hear.

More Jalapeno Sauce Recipes

• Creamy Jalapeno Sauce
• Jalapeno Ranch
• Roasted Jalapeno Sauce
• Jalapeno Hot Sauce

More Creamy Sauces and Dressings

• Remoulade Sauce
• Avocado Crema
• Roasted Poblano Cream Sauce
• Homemade Ranch Dressing
• Blue Cheese Dressing
• Burger Sauce

FAQ

What's the difference between jalapeño crema and jalapeño sauce?

Crema is a dairy-based sauce made with cultured cream, so it's cool, mild, and meant for drizzling. My creamy jalapeño sauce is an emulsion with no dairy at all, and my roasted jalapeño sauce includes charred peppers for a smokier flavor with only a spoonful of cream.

Can I use sour cream instead of Mexican crema?

Yes, and either are good. Sour cream is thicker, so thin it with a little milk if you want it pourable.

Can I make it without a food processor?

Yes, though the texture changes. Mince the jalapeños, garlic, and cilantro as fine as you can by hand, then stir everything together. You'll get a flecked sauce instead of a smooth one, which is very nice on tacos.