This easy Smoky Red Pepper Crema adds bold flavor to pretty much anything! Use this versatile sauce on tacos, burrito bowls, fajitas, nachos, proteins or veggies. Great for weekday meal prep. Just 6 ingredients and 3 minutes to make. (Vegetarian, Gluten Free).
This Smoky Red Pepper Crema is our go-to sauce for Mexican-inspired meals at home. It's versatile, delicious, and best of all...takes only minutes to make!
This crema tastes smoky, creamy, and has just a bit of tang. It's a copycat recipe, inspired by the Hello Fresh Smoky Red Pepper Crema. But it's made with more wholesome, better-for-you ingredients.
For more Mexican-inspired recipes, check out: Green Chile Soup, Smoky Stewed Beans, Portobello Mushroom Tacos, and Chili Lime Pepitas.
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Why you'll love this recipe
- Easy: It takes less than 5 minutes to make. And, clean-up is a breeze!
- Versatile: Use this Smoky Red Pepper Crema on pretty much anything! It's delicious on burrito bowls, tacos, fajitas, quesadillas, roasted veggies, and so much more.
- Hello Fresh copycat: If you love Hello Fresh's Smoky Red Pepper Crema, then you'll love this homemade version! It's made with simpler, better-for-you ingredients. And, you can easily adjust it to be as thin or as thick as you'd like.
- Meal Prep Friendly: Make a batch to quickly add flavor to different lunches and dinners throughout the week.
Ingredients (and substitutes)
This Smoky Red Pepper Crema recipe has just 6 ingredients. Here's what you need:
- Roasted Red Pepper: Roasted red peppers from a jar are fast and convenient. Pat the pepper dry so it doesn't make the sauce too runny. Or, you can roast the pepper yourself (in the oven). If you do this, remember to remove the skin and seeds before using.
- Sour Cream: For best flavor and texture, use a full-fat sour cream. You could use plain Greek yogurt instead of sour cream, but make sure it's super thick (not runny).
- Lime Juice: Fresh lime juice adds brightness to this crema sauce. You could substitute fresh lemon juice instead.
- Smoked Paprika: Smoked paprika adds a delicious smoky flavor. Most smoked paprika is the "sweet" variety, which means it's not spicy. Sometimes you can find smoked "hot" paprika, but it can be really spicy! We haven't tested the recipe using smoked hot paprika, so you'd need to adjust to taste.
Find the recipe card below for the complete recipe, including all ingredients and instructions.
How to make (step-by-step photos)
It couldn't be easier to make this red pepper crema. It's ready in just 3 minutes! Here's how to make it:
Find the recipe card below for the complete recipe, including all ingredients and instructions.
Tips
- Pat pepper dry: Roasted red peppers from a jar are stored in liquid. So, make sure to pat the pepper dry with a paper towel or clean kitchen towel. This helps remove excess liquid, so it doesn't end up in your crema! The crema is already on the thinner side (so that it can be drizzled and poured)...so you want to avoid adding unnecessary liquid.
- Thicken with more sour cream: If you want a thicker crema that clings to a spoon, just use more sour cream. You can add extra sour cream directly to the blender container. Or stir it in by hand afterwards.
- Spicy option: This smoky red pepper crema recipe isn't spicy. But, if you want to make it spicy, just add some hot sauce! We recommend a Mexican hot sauce, Sriracha or a substitute. Alternatively you could use cayenne or chili powder.
- Blender alternative: You can use a food processor or immersion blender instead of a regular blender.
How to use it
This smoky red pepper crema is super versatile! We love to keep a jar of it in the fridge. It's an easy way to add flavor to all kinds of weeknight meals.
Here are some of our favorite ways to use it:
- Burrito Bowls: Pile Air Fryer Peppers, Smoky Stewed Beans, avocado and shredded cheese on top of rice or lettuce. Generously drizzle this crema on top to tie it all together.
- Tacos: These Smoky Mushroom Tacos and Crispy Avocado Tacos are always reader favorites. This red pepper crema takes them over the top!
- Quesadillas: We love to dip our favorite crispy Cheese Quesadillas into this sauce.
- Fry Dip: If you've never had Crispy Avocado Fries, make them now! Then dip them in this crema. Or, pair it with parsnip fries, broccoli fries, or even broccoli tots.
- Potatoes: This creamy, smoky sauce is delicious drizzled over potatoes of all kinds. We especially love it over Crispy Smashed Potatoes or Air Fryer Breakfast Potatoes.
- Sauce for Veggies: Drizzle this red pepper crema over roasted broccolini, Air Fryer Tomatoes, or even use it as a dip for roasted shishito peppers.
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📖 Recipe
Smoky Red Pepper Crema
This easy Smoky Red Pepper Crema adds bold flavor to pretty much anything! Use this versatile sauce on tacos, burrito bowls, fajitas, nachos, proteins or veggies. Great for weekday meal prep. Just 6 ingredients and 3 minutes to make. (Vegetarian, Gluten Free).
Pin Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 roasted red pepper (see note 1)
- ½ cup sour cream (see note 2)
- 1 teaspoon fresh lime juice
- ¼ teaspoon smoked paprika (see note 3)
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt (more to taste)
Instructions
- Blend: Pat 1 roasted red pepper dry to remove excess moisture. Add it to a blender container, along with ½ cup sour cream, 1 teaspoon fresh lime juice, ¼ teaspoon smoked paprika, ¼ teaspoon garlic powder, and ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt. Blend until smooth (see note 4).
- Taste and serve: Add more salt to taste (I sometimes add up to another ¼ teaspoon salt, depending on what it's being served with). Transfer to a resealable container and refrigerate leftovers.
Notes
- Roasted Red Pepper: Roasted red bell peppers from a jar are easiest. Make sure to pat the pepper dry to remove excess moisture that would make the crema too runny. Otherwise, you can roast your own red bell pepper (remove skin and seeds before adding to blender).
- Sour Cream: For best taste and texture, use full fat sour cream. If you don't have sour cream, you could swap a thick plain Greek yogurt.
- Smoked Paprika: Use smoked sweet paprika (vs. smoked hot paprika). Sweet paprika isn't spicy. If the package doesn't specify, it's likely the sweet paprika variety—because it's more common. If in doubt, give it a taste.
- How to Make Sauce Thicker: This recipe yields a pourable sauce that can be drizzled over pretty much anything! If you want a thicker sauce, you just need to add more sour cream. We recommend following the quantities in step 1. If after blending you want a thicker sauce, add sour cream in increments to the blender until it's the texture you want.
- Spicy Variation: This recipe isn't spicy as written. If you want to make this crema spicy, add hot sauce to taste. Or add cayenne pepper or similar.
- Storage Tips: Cover and refrigerate extras. Best used within 5 days.
Nutrition
Calories: 30kcal | Carbohydrates: 1g | Protein: 0.4g | Fat: 3g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 8mg | Sodium: 141mg | Potassium: 28mg | Fiber: 0.1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 145IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 17mg | Iron: 0.1mg
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