Drizzle tangy, creamy avocado lime crema over tacos, burgers, tostadas, and salad. This quick and easy 5-ingredient condiment adds fresh flavor to Tex-Mex classics. Keep a batch in your fridge to level up everyday meals in seconds.
What is Avocado Lime Crema?
Avocado lime crema is a creamy sauce or dip with a bright green color that’s made from avocados, fresh lime juice, sour cream or yogurt, cilantro, fresh garlic, and various spices.
What You Need to Make this Recipe
- Avocado: All you need for this recipe is two whole, ripe avocados.
- Cilantro: Cilantro balances the heat and flavors the sauce.
- Garlic: I suggest using two garlic cloves, but measure with your heart.
- Yogurt: Use full-fat Greek yogurt to thicken the avocado lime crema.
- Lime Juice: I use fresh lime juice, about one to two whole lime. You can use store-bought lime juice, but it won’t have the same fresh taste.
- Salt + Pepper: Season the crema according to your preference. I recommend starting with a little and tasting and seasoning as you go.
- Water: Use warm water to thin out the sauce and achieve your preferred consistency.
Additions and Substitutions
- Make it Spicy – Add chiles like serrano or jalapeño peppers if you prefer a little heat.
- For the Cream – Do you enjoy a tangier flavor? Replace the full-fat Greek yogurt with sour cream.
Tools Used to Make this Recipe
All you need to make this recipe is a hand blender, food processor, or blender to combine the ingredients. You can store the sauce in an airtight container or squeeze bottle in the refrigerator.
How to Make Avocado Lime Crema
The full recipe with measurements is in the recipe card below.
Step 1: Combine avocado, cilantro, garlic, Greek yogurt, lime juice, salt, and pepper in a blender or food processor and process until smooth.
Tip: Go easy on the salt and pepper in the beginning so you can taste and season as you go.
Step 2: Add 2-4 tablespoons of warm water until you get the desired consistency. Then, taste and season with salt and pepper.
Expert Tips
- Combine the ingredients for the sauce in a food processor or blender before adding the warm water. The lime juice is often enough to puree the ingredients into a creamy sauce, but if the sauce it too thick you can add a little at a time.
- Go light on the salt and pepper, and taste and season with more at the end.
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What Can I Serve Avocado Crema with?
I love using the creamy and delicious sauce to garnish everything from tacos, fajitas, enchiladas, nachos, burgers, and quesadillas. It’s also an excellent dip for grilled chicken.
What to do With the Leftovers
- Refrigerate – Store the leftover crema in an airtight container for for 3-4 days.
- Freeze – I don’t recommend freezing avocado lime crema since its consistency may change once frozen. It’s best to make the sauce fresh and use it within a few days.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between avocado crema and guacamole?
Avocado crema with lime and guacamole uses avocado as a main ingredient but differs in ingredients, texture, use, and flavor.
Avocado crema is a smooth sauce made by pureeing avocado with a cream base, such as yogurt or sour cream. Meanwhile, guacamole is a chunkier dip that sometimes contains cilantro, tomatoes, and onions. Crema is drizzled over dishes as a sauce, while the texture of guacamole is better for dipping and spreading.
More Sauce Recipes:
Avocado Lime Crema
- 2 avocados, pitted and peeled
- ¼ cup cilantro
- 2 cloves garlic
- ½ cup Greek yogurt, full-fat
- lime juice, 1½-2 limes
- kosher salt, to taste
- black pepper, to taste
- 2-4 tablespoons warm water (to thin it out)
- Combine avocado, cilantro, garlic, Greek yogurt, lime juice, salt, and pepper in a blender or food processor and process until smooth. Tip: Go easy on the salt and pepper in the beginning so you can taste and season as you go.
- Add 2-4 tablespoons of warm water until you get the desired consistency. Then, taste and season with salt and pepper.
- Combine the ingredients for the sauce in a food processor or blender before adding the warm water. The lime juice is often enough to puree the ingredients into a creamy sauce, but if the sauce it too thick you can add a little at a time.
- Go light on the salt and pepper, and taste and season with more at the end.
- The nutritional information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for professional advice.