Super Easy Chipotle Crema Recipe

Whether you are food connoisseur or not, you probably know that a good sauce can make or break the meal. Sometimes you just need that extra touch to bring your food to life, making each bite irresistible. This easy chipotle crema with spicy heat from the chipotle peppers, tanginess from the lime, and creaminess from the sour cream, is just what you need to dollop on tacos, pour over a salad, or dip into with chips for that killer finish. With only a few ingredients and about 5 minutes of your time, you'll have the most incredible and versatile sauce.

Recipe developer Miriam Hahn brings us this recipe and says, "I love making my own sauces and dressing because I know exactly what goes in, plus they are so much fresher." Hahn often double the recipe and plan out a couple of recipes for the week to incorporate the sauce. "We love Mexican food in my house and even the most basic burrito gets elevated with this sauce," she adds.

To make this recipe, pick up a can of chipotles in adobe sauce. Since you'll only be using one pepper from the can, you can save the leftovers in a freezer safe container, and make this dip several times off of just one can. From the produce area, pick up garlic and a lime. Then head to the dairy aisle for sour cream. Check your pantry for honey, cumin, and salt.

Finely chop the chipotle pepper.

Juice the lime.

Crush the garlic clove with a garlic press.

Add the sour cream, chopped chipotle pepper, crushed garlic, lime juice, honey, cumin, and salt to a small blender or food processor.

Blend until smooth.

Serve as desired.

There are many things you can do with the easy chipotle crema. Use it for a dip with store bought tortilla chips or make these homemade chili lime tortilla chips. Another appetizer idea is homemade sweet potato chips. To make those, slice a sweet potato into thin slices using a mandoline. Then, toss with olive oil, chili powder, cumin, garlic powder, and salt, then bake for 20 minutes at 400 F. Drizzle with the sauce or serve it on the side for dipping.

To dress up an entree, make a batch of the sauce to go alongside tacos or burritos. The creaminess will complement the various textures in the tacos or burritos. The sauce is also great on hamburgers or veggie burgers. Or try it on a grilled cheese sandwich, a grilled vegetable sandwich, or a chicken and bacon wrap.

The sauce can work as a flavorful topping for grilled salmon, shrimp, or tofu slabs. If you're making a salad or grain bowl and want the sauce to be more of a dressing, add a little water to it to get to your desired consistency. This also works over roasted vegetables like a medley of sweet potato, red pepper, and asparagus.

There are several ways to change up the recipe based on using the ingredients you have on hand or using preferred ingredients. For the base of the sauce, instead of sour cream, you can use unsweetened Greek yogurt, or you can use half yogurt and half mayonnaise. If you avoid dairy, you can use vegan sour cream, or make a simple cashew cream. Just soak 1 cup of raw cashews for an hour, and after draining, add them to a blender with ½ cup water, the juice of half of a lemon, 1 teaspoon of apple cider vinegar, and ½ teaspoon of salt. Use this in place of the sour cream for the sauce.

If you don't have the chipotle peppers, use ½ teaspoon of smoked paprika and a dash of hot sauce. For the honey, an easy swap is maple syrup, and lemon juice or apple cider vinegar will be a fine substitute for the lime juice if necessary.

To add extra creaminess, blend half of an avocado in with the sauce, which will also give it a green hue. Fresh cilantro pairs nicely with chipotle sauce and adds an herby element. If you have tajin spice on hand, sprinkling some on as a topping gives an extra tangy kick to the sauce.