Cilantro Lime Crema
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This delicious Cilantro Lime Crema recipe is easy to make and a great way to add flavor to tacos, seafood, or salads!
It comes together in just a few minutes for a super simple homemade condiment that will instantly upgrade a wide variety of dishes from blackened salmon tacos to rice bowls.
I want to bathe in this crema 😍 it’s so delicious and the perfect topping for taco bowls, my Jalapeno Lime Flank Steak Tacos, burritos, a Blackened Salmon Bowl, and these Crispy Roasted Mini Potatoes.
Honestly, this crema is so delicious, I might start putting it on everything. Did I mention how good it is with salmon?!
The crema however, it full of zesty, herby flavor, and it’s quick and easy to mix up!
Why This Recipe Works
- Easy to make: With a few simple ingredients, this recipe comes together in only 5 minutes!
- Stores well: It’s easy to make a big batch of this and use it throughout the week.
- Versatile: Because it’s so simple, the flavors of this homemade crema go well with lots of your favorite dinners, snacks, appetizers, and more!
Ingredients You Will Need
- Sour cream: Acts as the base for your crema and gives it a nice tangy bite.
- Mayo: Adds a thicker and creamier consistency.
- Fresh lime: You’ll need both lime juice and lime zest, so fresh limes are always my choice.
*For a detailed list of instructions, ingredients and measurements, please reference the recipe card down below.
Substitutions/Additions
- Instead of the sour cream, you could also make this with Greek yogurt.
- If you prefer to only use one ingredient, Mexican Crema makes an amazing base for this one!
How to Make Cilantro Lime Crema
By hand – This is my preferred method. It’s quick, it’s easy, and you don’t need to dirty another dish or appliance. The caveat here is you need to ensure you chopped the cilantro super fine. In a small bowl, combine all of the ingredients, then taste and adjust as needed.
Food processor – If you have one, you may want to use it! A food processor is super easy to blend small batches of sauce or dips. Throw it in and let is whiz!
This mini food processor is perfect for mixing up sauces and dressings.
Blender – A smaller blender, a large blender, or an immersion blender all work well to get the job done here! However, watch the consistency when you are blending, you don’t want it too runny!
Recipe FAQs
Crema, the Spanish word for cream, typically takes sour cream and thins it out while adding flavor. The next time you’re having taco night, serving nachos for a snack, or making burrito bowls, whip up this tangy and slightly salty crema as a major upgrade to plain sour cream!
Transfer to a mason jar or some kind of airtight container and pop it in the fridge for a couple of days. I love to store my homemade sauces in these Weck jars. You can also purchase wooden lids or plastic lids if you prefer those. The jars look so nice, I don’t mind leaving them on the counter!
This crema sauce goes well with SO many of my favorite dishes! Use it as a topping fish tacos or other seafood, with burritos, on top of my Air Fryer Sweet Potato Fries, over some grilled or roasted veggies, as a replacement for salad dressing, or as a fun addition to these Loaded Nachos!
More Homemade Condiment Recipes
- Homemade Chick-fil-A Sauce
- Cilantro Tahini Sauce
- Whole30 BBQ Sauce
- Hibachi Yum Yum Sauce
- DIY Big Mac Sauce
- Chili Garlic Sauce
- Cilantro Lime Empanada Sauce
If you tried this Cilantro Lime Crema or any other recipe on my blog please leave a 🌟 star rating and tell me how it went in the 📝 comments below. I love hearing from you!
Cilantro Lime Crema Recipe
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup sour cream
- 3 tablespoons mayonnaise
- 1 Iime, juice and zest
- 3 tablespoons cilantro, finely chopped
- 1 garlic clove, minced
Instructions
- In a small bowl, combine the sour cream, mayonnaise, lime juice and zest, cilantro, and minced garlic. Serve with your favorite tacos or seafood!1/4 cup sour cream, 3 tablespoons mayonnaise, 1 Iime,, 3 tablespoons cilantro,, 1 garlic clove,
- Serve immediately or store in a glass jar for later.
Notes
- Mexican Crema also works as a base for the sauce instead of using mayonnaise and Greek yogurt!
- When using a food processor or a blender for this recipe, you don’t want the crema to become a soup! Watch the consistency when you are blending and processing.
- Pro-tip with cilantro, fresh is best – typical this herb does not dry well so the fresher the better. For this recipe, make sure you finely chop it.
- You may want to leave out some of the sour cream and hand stir that in with the rest of the ingredients before serving.
