Mexican Crema | Delicious Condiment
Mexican crema is a rich, tangy, and slightly spicy condiment with a silky texture that elevates just about any dish. A staple in Mexican cuisine, this creamy topping adds a cooling contrast to bold flavors and spicy ingredients. Perfect on tacos, enchiladas, burrito bowls, grilled meats, or even as a dressing for salads and slaws. A simple way to bring depth and brightness to everyday meals.
There is a newish Mexican restaurant in the next town over that I love. And although I’ve eaten and made Mexican crema before, I’d never eaten it as a ‘salsa’ or dip. This restaurant serves their chips with three different salsas, and when I dipped my chip in their Mexican crema sauce, I was hooked.
I’ve tried to duplicate their sauce and I think I succeeded. Although my Mexican crema is slightly thicker than theirs, it is still the perfect condiment. The reason I like it thicker is because I usually drape it over hot foods like quesadillas. As it warms, it thins out perfectly instead of getting too thin.
What is Mexican crema?
Mexican crema is a condiment used much like sour cream or French crème fraîche to complement many dishes. The difference is that crema has a nice spice and slight tang.
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Ingredients and substitutes
- Heavy cream – You must use heavy cream because light cream will yield a thinner crema and we like it thick.
- Sour cream – I always use full fat, though low fat would work just as well.
- Lime juice – Freshly squeezed is the way to go.
- Chipotle powder – If you’re not familiar with this delightful spice, it has a smoky flavor that is very satisfying. I use only 1/4 teaspoon, but if you like it spicy, use 1/2 teaspoon or even more if you can stand the heat. If you don’t have chipotle powder, you can substitute regular chili powder, but be aware that you won’t experience the smoky flavor associated with chipotles.
- Salt – Only a dash is needed.
Helpful tips
- Always wash limes before using them. Here’s how: use a natural, unscented hand soap. Squirt some soap in your hands and rub them over the fruit. Next, take a vegetable brush and brush the skin as you run cold water over the limes. Make sure all the soap has been rinsed off before cutting into the limes.
- This Mexican crema lasts for up to two weeks (or more) when stored in the refrigerator in an airtight container. I wouldn’t recommend freezing this sauce.
How to make this Mexican crema recipe
Pre-step
Get out a mixing bowl and whisk.
Step one
Gather the ingredients – heavy cream, sour cream, lime, chipotle powder, and salt. (A)
Step two
Add one cup of heavy cream to the mixing bowl. (B)
Step three
Measure a heaping tablespoon of sour cream. (C)
Step four
Squeeze a lime and measure one tablespoon of the juice. (D)
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Step five
Measure 1/4 teaspoon of chipotle powder. (E)
Step six
Add a pinch of salt. (F)
Step seven
Whisk for about a minute or until it is combined.
Step eight
Now, here’s the hard part: cover the bowl loosely with plastic wrap and let it rest on the counter for four hours. During that time, it will thicken.
Transfer to a jar and either use it right away or store it in the fridge for up to two weeks.
I smear some refried beans on a tortilla, sprinkle shredded cheese over it and heat it in the toaster oven. I add Mexican pickled onions and avocado spread to the plate.
I dribble my new batch of Mexican crema over the beans.
Yum!
I hope you enjoyed this Mexican crema recipe! It’s the perfect condiment and spices up any dish.
Other recipes to use this crema
And as always, may all your dishes be delish.
If you’ve tried this recipe, I’d love the know what you thought about it in the comments below. I love hearing from you! You can also FOLLOW ME on FACEBOOK, TWITTER, INSTAGRAM and PINTEREST to see more of my delicious food and delightful cocktails!
Mexican Crema
Ingredients
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1 tablespoon sour cream (heaping)
- 1 tablespoon lime juice (freshly squeezed)
- 1/4 teaspoon chipotle powder
- dash salt
Instructions
- Add heavy cream, sour cream, lime juice, chipotle powder and salt to the mixing bowl.1 cup heavy cream, 1 tablespoon sour cream, 1 tablespoon lime juice, 1/4 teaspoon chipotle powder, dash salt
- Whisk for around a minute or until combined.
- Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rest on the counter for four hours. It will thicken during this time.
- Dollop on some tacos or a quesadilla.
- Eat, and enjoy.
Equipment
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Helpful tips
- Always wash limes before using them. Here’s how: use a natural, unscented hand soap. Squirt some soap in your hands and rub them over the fruit. Next, use a vegetable brush to gently scrub the skin as you run cold water over the limes. Make sure all the soap has been rinsed off before cutting into the limes.
- This Mexican crema lasts for up to two weeks (or more) when stored in the refrigerator in an airtight container. I wouldn’t recommend freezing this sauce.
I’ve been thinking of what to partner up with my burger and this Mexican crema recipe is just so perfect. I love the taste and it’s both creamy and spicy.
Thanks so much Dennis! I appreciate it! I adore this crema and I think you will too!
I made this and it was amazing! I had it with some roasted veggies and will be making it again.
Yay. Thanks Tayo!! Enjoy it!
I didn’t think crema could be this easy to make! Awesome!
It really is Shashi! So delicious and easy. Wait til you try it!
Oh I love me some Crema! It adds such a delicious zing to many different dishes! Your recipe is awesome.
Thanks so much Denise! I love the extra zing in just about everything I try it on.
This Mexican crema was terrific! So simple and so delicious! I am going to add it to some fish tacos.
Yay! Thank you, Zaza! It’s so versatile and delicious!
Oh yum! Crema really is such a wonderful final flourish on so many restaurant dishes – how nice to be able to make it at home now, too! We all loved it. I appreciated your point about how it’s actually beneficial to make it slightly thicker than you think you’d want to, so it thins out to be the absolute perfect condiment once it’s spooned over hot dishes. And great suggestions about little tweaks like making it a tad spicier or using reduced-fat sour cream!
Thanks Shelley! I appreciate it. I also appreciate the time you spent writing the comment! You rock!
Oh, yummy, Elaine! This is a great addition to fish tacos! Now I’m looking for other things to drizzle it on.
Thanks Carrie! It is so good on fish tacos!
Perfect to top off on tacos, nachos, burritos or anything else. It is so delicious!
Hehe. Thanks Nicole, how right you are!
Mexican food is my favorite! I can’t believe I’ve never had Mexican crema before. I’m so happy I tried it. It’s delicious and I could put this on EVERY thing!
Thanks Michele. I love Mexican food too and this sauce just makes it better.
Really love how simple and delicious this Mexican Crema recipe is and already planning on more things to use it on. I put it over quesadillas. And love how informative your writing is :)!
Thank you Daniela! I really appreciate that!
Does this have to sit on the counter for 4 hours, or can I put it in the fridge overnight? I plan to use this tomorrow and I just made it and stuck it in the fridge. Just want to be sure that’s okay. Thanks!
You can put it in the fridge Alexandra! I put it on the counter because I usually use it in the same day! 🙂 It will be fine. Play around with the chipotle powder – as I don’t use a lot because hubby can’t take the spice. But it’s so good with more spice in it.
awesome! thank you so much! I may add some more chipotle powder in it then!
And the longer it sits, the more the flavor melts. I hope you enjoy it Alexandra! 🙂
Can I use 18% cream instead of heavy cream in recipe, thanks
Hi Ginny. I haven’t used 18% cream but I don’t see why it wouldn’t work. My only thought is it may not be as thick. Good luck and let me know how it goes.
Sounds delish … can you substitute yogurt for the sour cream?
Yes Ken you can. Thanks so much for your question! I hope you enjoy it.
This is meant to be left out at room temp for 4 hours? With the cream and sour cream? It won’t go bad?
It definitely won’t go bad, P. I hope you try it.
Hi Elaine!
My grocery store has chili powder but no chipotle powder. Is chili powder a good substitute (we like spicy) or should I try another grocery story to find chipotle?
Thanks!
Sorry, Ashley. I didn’t see this until today. Chili powder is fine. I use chipotle because it’s a different ‘hot’ and it’s smokey! Good luck! Thanks for your question!
This did not work out for me. After combining all the ingredients (no substitutions made), this came out way too thick. Thicker than sour cream would even be, and definitely unable to dribble it on anything. So disappointed. I tried two different recipes, this one and one other, and the other, even though made with a base of sour cream, came out thinner (although still not thin enough to “dribble”).
Awww. I’m sorry, Cammi. Did you try heating it up a little to thin it out?
This was perfect…I didn’t want to purchase a whole jar of crema…so I cut your recipe in half and ended up with the required 1/4 cup that was needed for the Mac and Cheese recipe I was preparing…this taste great…I think I’ll be using Mexican Crema more often now…thanks for sharing your recipe…
You’re welcome, Theresa! You made my day and how fun to put crema in mac and cheese. I bet it was wonderful!
It was very runny and never thickened. After 4.5hrs, I ended up adding more sour cream but that didn’t help.
I’m so surprised, KL. That has never happened to me. Hmmm. You did it exactly as written?
I tried this Crema because TeresaS submitted it for play at Food, Friends & Fun’s “Best of 2023” tag game. I must admit that I was skeptical that there could be a DIY with these ingredients, but boy was I wrong! I made a half recipe and went light on the chipotle powder because I didn’t want it flavoring the crema. And the end result was tangy, thick, and delicious! I’m Hispanic and have eaten crema all my life, so I feel it’s safe to say that this is a very close approximation to the flavor and texture of the real thing – without the price tag or worrying that I won’t use it all up before spoiling. Thanks for sharing this keeper – it’s now going in MY Best of 2024 list for sharing with the group next January.
Wow, thank you, Lori! Your comment made my day. We love crema and I make it regularly. I had my first crema years ago at a Mexican restaurant and then spent as much time as it took to duplicate it. Thank you so much for your awesome comment!
Hi Elaine! I made your crema, it’s in the fridge as I’m using it tomorrow. Came out great, thank you! The only thing I did different was, had some left over chipotles so I decided to use the sauce from there. If you like spice it gives it a nice kick and tastes so delicious!
I’m glad you like it, Fran. I like your addition and since hubby can’t eat crema, that’s what I’m going to do next time, as I love spicy!