Cilantro Lime Crema adds a tangy, bright creaminess to all your favorite Tex-Mex foods, from tacos to enchiladas and so much more. Made with Greek yogurt, fresh cilantro, and lime zest and juice, you can whip it up in minutes!
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Stop putting plain sour cream on your tacos.
Start using this cilantro lime crema recipe instead! Once you give it a try, you will never go back.
- This cilantro lime crema is tangy like sour cream, but it’s got so much more going for it: bright and citrusy, garlicky, savory, earthy, and herbaceous. It’s magic!
- It’s creamy, but not as thick as sour cream, which means it’s easy to drizzle onto for more even distribution.
- Best of all, you can mix it up in a matter of minutes. It’s so quick, there’s no excuse NOT to make it!
I first developed this recipe for pairing with my Cilantro Lime Chicken, but since then, I’ve been drizzling it over Burrito Bowls, and even using it as a salad dressing for Healthy Taco Salad. It keeps in the fridge for several days, so I love keeping it on hand!
How to Make Cilantro Lime Crema
Combine. Add all of the ingredients except the cilantro to a food processor or small blender. (A big blender can work too, but sometimes smaller batches of sauces can be tricky for a standard-sized blender.)
Blend. Turn on the food processor and blend until the mixture is smooth.
Add the Cilantro. I like to process until there are still some discernible specks of cilantro in the crema, but you can also go for completely smooth or bigger bits of herbs. It’s up to you!
Finish. Season with salt to taste and chill until you’re ready to serve. ENJOY!
My Favorite Ways to Use Cilantro Lime Crema
- Nachos. A drizzle of cilantro lime crema on Chicken Nachos is the perfect finishing touch!
- Tacos. Crema would be fab with Cauliflower Tacos and Mushroom Tacos.
- Burrito Bowls. Use the crema as a sauce for your next burrito bowl or Steak Bowl on top of Cilantro Lime Rice.
- Salads. Swap your usual dressing for cilantro lime crema in Mexican Salad.
- Enchiladas. After baking Zucchini Enchiladas, add a drizzle of crema over the top.
- Dipping sauce. Use it for dipping Smoked Chicken Wings and Air Fryer Buffalo Chicken Taquitos.
Cilantro Lime Crema
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Ingredients
- 1 cup plain Greek yogurt recommended: whole milk or 2%
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- Zest of 2 medium limes
- 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice
- 1 clove minced garlic
- ¼ teaspoon ground cumin
- ¼ teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ cup roughly chopped fresh cilantro
Instructions
- In a food processor, combine the yogurt, oil, lime zest and juice, garlic, cumin, onion powder, and salt. Blend until smooth. Add the cilantro. Process in long bursts, stopping when you still have a few specks of cilantro. Taste and adjust seasoning as desired— I typically add another pinch of salt. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
Notes
Nutrition
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Really liked how light and fresh this tasted. This was exactly what I needed to jazz up a pretty basic burrito bowl. It added the right amount of creaminess without being too rich. Great flavor balance, especially with the cumin in there.
So glad to hear, Janine! Thank you!
I wasn’t sure about the Greek yogurt base, but it actually worked really well. Super creamy and the lime and garlic really bring it to life. Great with tacos, but I could see myself using this on a lot of things.
So happy to hear that Lorna!
Just whipped this up to go with some fish tacos tonight, and it’s good! Definitely going into my rotation.