Oh yes, you are so going to score points for serving this Chipotle Lime Sour Cream sauce next Taco Tuesday! Plus, it's super easy to make, requiring only sour cream, chipotle en adobo peppers, and fresh lime juice. A quick blend and brief refrigerator chill and you're ready to serve this smoky, creamy, and refreshingly acidic sauce.
This sauce is on the liquidy side, perfect for drizzling on taco salads, burrito bowls, or enjoying as a chip dip. You know those super-thin Tostitos Cantina Thin & Crispy chips? I'm obsessed with them, but they aren't ideal for enjoying guacamole or chunky salsas because they aren't a robust chip in the strength department. BUT they are perfect for dipping in this sauce without breaking!
This sour cream sauce is SO GOOD drizzled on these sizzling Chicken Fajita Tacos and on top of this Creamy Beef Taco Soup. And you must pair it with these Chipotle Chicken Quesadillas.
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- What to Love about this Homemade Sauce
- Ingredients
- Chipotle Lime Sour Cream Sauce Variations
- How to Make Chipotle Cream Sauce with Lime - Directions
- Top Tips for the BEST Chipotle Lime Sour Cream Sauce
- Recipe FAQs
- Try this Chipotle Lime Crema with:
- Chipotle Lime Sour Cream Sauce
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What to Love about this Homemade Sauce
Only 3 ingredients! Sour cream, canned chipotle en adobo peppers, and fresh-squeezed lime juice are all you need.
Easy preparation! Break out that immersion blender, food processor, or blender - whatever you prefer or have on hand - to quickly whip up the sauce.
The flavor! The smoky heat from the canned chipotle en adobo peppers, the acidic hit from the lime juice, and perfectly creamy base make for an excellent Mexican cream sauce.
The resulting viscosity. Thin enough to drizzle, but thick enough to coat a spoon, or better yet, a tortilla chip!
Ingredients
- Sour cream - I prefer to use full-fat, but fat-free variations work as well. I have not tried this with Greek yogurt, but I think it would make a suitable alternative, providing tanginess and a texturally similar result. Or you could go half and half with Greek yogurt and sour cream.
- Canned chipotle en adobo peppers (and sauce) - I'm obsessed with these smoky, spicy little flavor bombs. They are perfect for jazzing up all kinds of sauces, like this Honey Chipotle Sauce.
- Lime juice - Fresh-squeezed is best, but I admit to using lime from concentrate on occasion. The limes are sad-looking in December in Minnesota, okay?
- Salt - To taste, I like to add a few shakes.
Scroll on down to the recipe card for quantities.
There are several ways to modify this simple recipe to make it your own. Here are a few suggestions to get you inspired.
Chipotle Lime Sour Cream Sauce Variations
Spice it up... even more! Add a few dashes of cayenne pepper or chipotle powder to instantly add some heat. You could also add a few dashes of your favorite hot sauce, but be careful not to add too much or you risk the sauce perhaps getting too thin.
Add more flavor. A dash or two of garlic powder, onion powder, or cumin adds more dimension.
Add a fresh herb. You know the one - cilantro. I don't care for it myself, but cilantro's addition turns this into a lovely Chipotle Lime Cilantro sauce. Or so I've heard.
On a Minnesota spicy scale of 1 being ketchup and 10 being I smelled a habanero and started crying, I'll give this sauce a 4. The sour cream helps rein in the heat from the canned chipotle en adobo peppers quite nicely, but it still has a nice bite to it. When I'm feeling zesty I add two chipotle en adobo peppers, kicking it up to a 9. Trust me, the Midwest math checks.
How to Make Chipotle Cream Sauce with Lime - Directions
Add all ingredients to a food processor or blender, or add to a glass measuring pitcher if you plan on using a stick blender like I did.
Blend for 15 seconds or so, just long enough to pulverize the chipotle en adobo pepper into the sour cream.
Taste, and add salt if desired. Refrigerate for 2-3 hours to get that perfect gloopy thin consistency.
Serve with Tostitos Cantina Thin & Crispy chips, taco salad, or burrito bowls.
Makes approximately 1.5 cups.
Note: The sauce will be unpleasantly, imperfectly thin (IMO) at this stage. Like we're talking milk thin. Please don't panic. I find that a 2-3 hour refrigeration is necessary to achieve what I call gloopy thin - you know it's thin enough to be drizzleable but thick enough to pleasantly coat a spoon. THIS is the intended viscosity for this sauce.
Top Tips for the BEST Chipotle Lime Sour Cream Sauce
Don't judge the sauce at first, it will have a thinner texture initially. I may have mentioned this earlier, but plan on refrigerating the sauce for 2-3 hours before serving so you get the perfect consistency. It will thicken up as it chills.
Store in a lidded container in the refrigerator for up to five days. Stir vigorously before serving.
Jazz it up as you like. Sometimes I like to add a dash or two of garlic or onion powder. Maybe a little paprika or cayenne. Make it your own, this sauce makes a great base for experimentation.
If the sauce is too thin for your liking, add more sour cream, 1 tablespoon at a time, until you get to the desired viscosity. This doubles as my suggestion for if you find the dip a tad on the spicy side.
Recipe FAQs
This sauce can be used as a dressing for taco salads, a tortilla chip dip, or atop tacos, burritos, tostadas and more! This sauce is about the viscosity of a Chipotle Lime Crema. I haven't tried this yet, but it has the potential to make a great pasta dish, maybe with some Rotisserie chicken and fresh corn.... For sure on roasted veggies or huevos rancheros.
Store sauce in a lidded container in the refrigerator. For best results, use within 5 days.
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If you tried this Chipotle Lime Sour Cream Sauce recipe (or any other recipe on Midwexican), please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it turned out in the 📝 comments below! And share your favorite way to drizzle this sauce :), I've got a fresh batch ready to go.
Chipotle Lime Sour Cream Sauce
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 ¼ cups sour cream
- 1 chipotle en adobo pepper plus 2 teaspoons chipotle en adobo sauce
- 2 teaspoons lime juice
- Salt (to taste)
Instructions
- Add all ingredients to a food processor or blender, or add to a glass measuring pitcher if you plan on using a stick blender like I did here.1 ¼ cups sour cream, 1 chipotle en adobo pepper, 2 teaspoons lime juice
- Blend for 15 seconds or so, just long enough to pulverize the chipotle en adobo pepper into the sour cream.
- Note: The sauce will be unpleasantly, imperfectly thin (IMO) at this stage. Like we're talking milk thin. Please don't panic. I find that a 2-3 hour refrigeration is necessary to achieve what I call gloopy thin - you know it's thin enough to be drizzleable but thick enough to pleasantly coat a spoon. THIS is the intended viscosity for this sauce.
- Taste, and add salt if desired.Salt
- Refrigerate for 2-3 hours to get that perfect gloopy thin consistency.
- Serve with Tostitos Cantina Thin & Crispy chips, taco salad, or burrito bowls.
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