Avocado Crema is a thick, creamy sauce that can be served with a variety of dishes, from tacos and burritos, to enchiladas, chilaquiles and breakfast scrambles. It’s made with ripe avocado, sour cream, lime juice, a little fresh garlic, and Kosher salt, and takes just 5 minutes to make in a blender or food processor. It’s a great alternative to guacamole, but with a lot of the same characteristics.
For a quick dinner idea, try pairing this with our Chorizo Tacos and these Sweet Potato Fritters! Here’s a few more reasons why we love it so much:
- Clean ingredients! The fresh citrus juice and lime zest really rounds out the tangy sour cream and brightens up the avocado flavor.
- Versatile! Not only is this delicious with Tex-Mex and Southwestern dishes, but it pairs well with any recipe where you’d want to add avocado. Whether that’s as a sandwich spread or a creamy dip, we love having a container on hand throughout the week.
- Silky smooth and creamy! Drizzle this cool, creamy avocado sauce over your favorite spicy dishes to cool down the heat.
Make a batch today, store in a fridge, then enjoy throughout the week!
What’s In Avocado Crema?
- Sour cream: The base of the crema! Sour cream has a thick texture, rich milky taste, and a slightly acidic tangy flavor similar to (but thicker than) crème fraîche.
- Avocado: Be sure to use a ripe avocado for this recipe! It makes for an extra creamy sauce!
- Garlic: You’ll need 1 clove finely chopped garlic, which adds a nice kick and subtle heat that only garlic can add. You can use garlic powder, but fresh garlic has a stronger flavor.
- Lime: A fresh lime is zested, but we’ll also need the fresh lime juice.
- A pinch of Kosher salt: To season the avocado crema!
We like to make crema in a personal blender, but a small food processor works as well. Alternatively, you can mash the avocado and finely chop the garlic clove, then whisk all ingredients together in a bowl.
How To Make Avocado Crema
Simply combine all crema ingredients — avocado, sour cream, fresh lime juice and lime zest, garlic, and Kosher salt — in a blender or food processor, then blend until smooth. If you want a thinner consistency, add a little milk, then process again to thin out. And that’s it — your creamy avocado sauce is ready!
How To Prevent Browning
If you’ve ever had avocados turn brown once peeled, you’re familiar with oxidation. This is a chemical reaction when certain substances are exposed to air. The best way to prevent avocados from turning brown is to eliminate as much air as possible.
When storing leftovers, we recommend placing the crema in an airtight container, but also placing a piece of plastic wrap firmly on top, pressed down into the sauce to prevent as much air as possible from getting in. Just as you’d do with fresh guacamole. Keep in a fridge for 4-5 days.
The fresh lime juice will also help to prevent browning!
If, however, the sauce turns a little brown, don’t worry. Just give a stir!
Variations
- Instead of using all sour cream for the base, you can substitute with part whole milk Greek yogurt or mayonnaise. Cream cheese could be used, as well.
- Make it spicy! To add some heat, add ¼ tsp of cayenne pepper to the crema ingredients. Jalapeño adds a great spice as well! For a less intense heat, add chili powder or ground cumin to add warmth without much spice.
- Make it smoky! You could add 1 chipotle pepper in adobo sauce, or even just a couple teaspoons of the adobo sauce liquid before blending. As another smoky option, you can add smoked paprika.
- Add fresh cilantro! Cilantro lovers will agree that the fresh herb is a natural addition to Mexican crema of any kind. We love to add it in before blending!
If you love cilantro as much as we do, be sure to try our Cilantro Lime Dressing next!
Expert Tips
- For a smooth, avocado cream sauce, be sure to use a ripe avocado.
- Is the sauce too thick? Add a little bit of water, milk, or heavy cream to thin it out to your desired consistency.
- Is the sauce too thin? Add more sour cream or even some mayo to thicken it up.
- The longer it sits, the more the flavor will intensify. If you want a stronger garlic flavor, you can add an extra clove. Just note that it will be super garlicky after a couple days!
How To Ripen Avocados Quickly!
You absolutely do not want to use unripe avocados for this recipe. Here’s a few quick tips to help ripen avocados a little faster:
Place the avocado in a brown paper bag with a banana or an apple. These fruits produce ethylene gas, which helps to ripen avocados. The closed paper bag traps the gas inside, which speeds up the ripening process.
Another option? Place the avocado in the sun or a warm spot in your kitchen (under a hot light). In a few hours, the avocado will be noticeably softer.
Finally, you can ripen an avocado in an oven. Preheat to 200F, then wrap an avocado in foil and place it in the oven for 10-15 minutes.
Best Uses For Avocado Crema
- Drizzle on top of: tacos, burritos, enchiladas, or your favorite Mexican dishes. Try it with our Chorizo Tacos, Grilled Fish Tacos, or Tacos De Carnitas (these make great burrito bowls with pico de gallo!).
- As a dip for: roasted vegetables, crudité, quesadillas, tortilla chips, nachos, or french fries.
- This can also be used as a salad dressing (we recommend thinning it out a little with milk to make it more pourable) or as a sandwich spread. This would be delicious on a burger! Try it with our Santa Fe Salad or this Mexican Cobb Salad with Chicken.
FAQs
Store in an airtight container in a fridge for 4-5 days.
Yes! Freeze in small, airtight containers for up to 2 months.
Yes, just be sure to use vegan sour cream or mayonnaise or your favorite plant-based alternative.
Yes!
Yes! Avocados are one of the healthiest sources of fat you can reach for. Additionally, they’re a good source of fiber and low in total carbohydrates.
If you make this Avocado Crema recipe, please let us know by leaving a review and rating below!
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5 Minute Avocado Crema!
Equipment
Ingredients
- ⅔ cup sour cream
- ½ large ripe avocado peeled
- 1 large garlic cloves finely chopped
- 1 lime zested and juiced
- Pinch of Kosher salt
- Milk optional, for thinning out crema
Instructions
- Make the avocado lime crema. If making in a blender, place all avocado crema ingredients in the bowl of a blender, then process until very smooth. Otherwise, whisk together all ingredients until smooth. Cover and refrigerate until needed.
Notes
- Consider serving this with: Chorizo Tacos,Grilled Fish Tacos, Mexican Cobb Salad, Sweet Potato Fritters, as a dipping sauce or on sandwiches.
- Leftovers: we recommend placing the crema in an airtight container, but also placing a piece of plastic wrap firmly on top, pressed down into the sauce to prevent as much air as possible from getting in. Keep in a fridge for 4-5 days.
- Too thick? Thin out by drizzling in a little milk, water, or heavy cream, then blending again until your desired consistency is reached. Start with a 1-2 teaspoons, then increase from there.
- Too thin? Add a bit more sour cream, then blend again.
- Sour cream: You can use all sour cream or a mix of sour cream with whole milk Greek yogurt or mayonnaise. Crème fraîche works too!
- To make vegan: Use vegan sour cream, vegan mayo, or your favorite plant-based dairy alternative.
Nutrition
Photography by: Megan McKeehan
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