Lime crema is an easy cheater recipe for Mexican crema, and it’s hands down the perfect taco sauce. Made in just 5 minutes, you need only 4 simple ingredients to create a zesty, tangy cream that packs a flavor punch for tacos, soups, nachos, quesadillas, and enchiladas!
Everyone in my family LOVES tacos. Whether it’s Slow Cooker Chicken Tacos, Easy Spicy Salmon Tacos, or Black Bean and Corn Salsa Tacos, we simply cannot get enough!
What I’ve noticed though, is that most taco shops make their tacos with some sort of creamy sauce on top… and it’s delicious!
I did some research and recipe testing and found that this recipe for lime crema is the PERFECT sauce for tacos, and it will literally steal the show at the dinner table!
Let’s talk about this amazing tangy sauce…
What is Crema? Lime Crema vs. Mexican Crema
First off, lime crema is a sour cream-based sauce. We add a pinch of lime, garlic, and salt and let it sit while we make the rest of our taco ingredients. In less than 15 minutes, you have a super flavorful sauce that will taste amazing on any Mexican dish… tacos, enchiladas, fajitas, and even soups!
I call this a “cheater” version of Mexican crema because it has similar ingredients and it’s used in the same way. The biggest difference is that Mexican crema doesn’t use sour cream. It uses heavy cream and buttermilk and it has to sit for 24 hours, which makes it a bit less convenient when you’re trying to get dinner done quickly.
Lime Crema Recipe Ingredients
It’s crazy to think that something so good can come from just four simple ingredients, but that’s all you need to make this lime crema!
- Sour Cream: I usually use full-fat, but you can use low-fat or fat-free if that better fits your diet. A lower-fat sour cream will make a slightly thinner lime crema. Creme fraiche can be substituted or plain Greek Yogurt if you’re in a pinch.
- Limes: For zesting and juicing. I use the medium holes in my old-school cheese grater to zest the lime.
- Granulated Garlic: You need just a tiny bit, and fresh garlic clove is a bit too overpowering in my opinion.
- Kosher Salt
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HOW TO MAKE LIME CREMA
Step 1. Combine the sour cream, lime zest, fresh lime juice, garlic, and salt in a small bowl.
Tip: Keep the sour cream container and reuse it for leftover lime crema! Just be sure to label the container so you don’t mistake it for plain sour cream later.
Step 2: Whisk together to combine the ingredients well. Other than the zest, you don’t want any clumps in the sauce.
Step 3: Refrigerate the lime crema until it’s time to serve, at least 15 minutes. This will give the flavors time to develop.
Lime crema will store in the refrigerator inside an airtight container for about one week.
Variations for Lime Crema
Avocado Crema
Make the lime crema recipe with this change: Reduce the sour cream by half and add one ripe avocado, mashed well. You may want to combine the ingredients in a food processor if you want a super smooth avocado lime crema. Add additional lime juice, garlic powder, and/or salt as desired.
Cilantro Lime Crema Recipe
Make the lime crema recipe as written, adding 2 Tablespoons of mayonnaise and ¼ cup of chopped cilantro. A blender or food processor will help give you a silky smooth cilantro lime crema recipe if you prefer.
Tip: If you don’t have mayonnaise, here’s my Failproof Homemade Mayo recipe. You only need four ingredients and it’s ready in two minutes!
Jalapeno Lime Crema
Make the lime crema recipe as written, adding ½ to 1 whole ripe jalapeno. Add additional lime juice, garlic powder, and/or salt as desired. If you have it, a tablespoon or two of chopped cilantro is really good!
Tip: The more brown “wrinkles” a jalapeno has, the hotter it will be. Choose your peppers wisely!
HOW TO USE LIME CREMA
Lime crema has become a staple in our home, and I almost always have some in the fridge. If you have leftovers after taco night, here are some ways you can use it up:
- Tacos: Salmon Tacos, shrimp tacos, Chicken Tacos!
- Nachos: traditional or Buffalo Chicken Potato Nachos
- Burritos
- Quesadillas
- Enchiladas: Spinach and Chicken Enchiladas, Sweet Potato Black Bean Enchiladas
- Stuffed Baked Potatoes
- Soups: Chicken Tortilla Soup, Mexican Potato Soup
- Grilled Chicken or Carne Asada
- Salad Dressings: Cilantro Lime Salad Dressing, Ranch Dressing
- Dip for Fish Sticks
- Chicken Wings
FAQs for Easy Lime Crema
What is lime crema made of?
You need sour cream, fresh lime, granulated garlic, and salt to make lime crema. If you’re in a pinch, plain Greek yogurt works in place of sour cream.
What is a good substitute for Mexican crema?
That’s a great question, and I don’t know! But I think it has to do with the tangy creamy citrus flavor, and how it seems to compliment so many dishes so well!
More Easy Sauce Recipes:
- Homemade Salsa Verde
- Failproof Homemade Mayo
- Magic Thai Peanut Sauce
- Creamy Cauliflower Sauce
- Mayo Free Caesar Dressing
- Homemade Ranch Dressing
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Lime Crema
Lime crema is an easy cheater recipe for Mexican crema, and it’s hands down the perfect taco sauce. Made in just 5 minutes, you need only 4 simple ingredients to create a zesty, tangy cream that packs a flavor punch for tacos, soups, nachos, quesadillas, and enchiladas!
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 0 minutes
- Total Time: 5 minutes
- Yield: 8 oz 1x
- Category: Sauces/Condiments
- Method: Bowl
- Cuisine: Mexican
Ingredients
- 8 oz sour cream
- 2 big limes, about 2 ¼” in diameter
- ½ tsp granulated garlic
- ½ tsp salt
Instructions
- Combine the sour cream, lime zest, fresh lime juice, garlic, and salt in a small bowl. Tip: Keep the sour cream container and reuse it for leftover lime crema! Just be sure to label the container so you don’t mistake it for plain sour cream later.
- Whisk together to combine the ingredients well. Other than the zest, you don’t want any clumps in the sauce.
- Refrigerate the lime crema until it’s time to serve, at least 15 minutes. This will give the flavors time to develop.
Notes
- Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.
Nutrition
- Calories: 66
Keywords: lime crema
Hi! So, we just needed half the recipe really, and so I began with 8 oz sour cream….and, in the midst of mixing FORGOT that I had halved the recipe…and added the full 1/2t salt and 1/2 t garlic…and the lime and zest. THEN remembered about how much garlic and salt. Uh oh! But it was fine!! In fact, I could add more. And, I’m thinking of chopping some cilantro. Yummy stuff, this lime crema!
I have really appreciated anything I’ve read from you, Tiffany. Thanks for what you do. Shelley
★★★★★
I have loved this since the first time it was posted and make it at least once a month. I just read the entire post and some where it says to put it in coffee. Now who in their right mind would put garlic in their coffee? That would totally ruin the line creama!!!🤪
I made this tonight with no particular use in mind, I just love lime and wanted to try it. I knew if it was good I’d find a use for it. Well, I tasted it and it was through the roof delicious! Wow, the lime absolutely popped! I dug out some taco flavored chips and began dipping. Oh, no, now I’ve eaten half of the stuff. It is quite addictive, for me anyway.
Hey Tiffany,
I gotta say, was rather diappointed – #1, you don’t need 16 ounces. Who uses THAT MUCH? #2, it was just “okay” really and not really five star worthy. Sorry.
★★
Matt, I am sorry to hear that! The 16 oz suggestion is with the idea of a family using the lime crema multiple nights in a row. If the flavor was not enough and the sour cream was to much cut the sour cream to 8 oz, and put the same amount of everything else. I tend to like flavorful but soft seasoning but my husband likes strong seasoning; so this is a trick I do when making sauces or meals for him. =)
I just bought some mahi-mahi and wanted to make grilled tacos for dinner. When we eat out the restaurants serve them with a sauce but I never knew what was in it. I saw your recipe and made it (half the recipe because there’s only 2 of us,) but WOW pretty much covers the taste. Easy Peasy. Thank you.
So glad to hear you enjoyed Tiffany’s recipe!!
This sounds amazing! How many people would you estimate this serves if using in street corn? Trying to assess the rest of the recipe (the corn part)…thank you!
Hi Jessica! I haven’t had this on corn, but if you estimate 1 Tbsp per ear, this make 32 servings (1 Tbsp = 1/2 ounce). If you allow 2 Tbsp per ear, it makes 16 servings.
Love it. Always have it in my fridge. Great with all Mexican dishes and several chicken entrees. So easy to make!
★★★★★
It’s taco night and I just realized I’m out of sour cream. I made this recipe with plain Greek yogurt, and it’s really good! I thought it might be too tangy, but no. I love it. (Though I guess my kid will be the ultimate judge. I might just tell her it’s a new kind of sour cream.) Thank you!
★★★★★
You’re very welcome Julia! I bet this would be really good with Greek yogurt!
Similarly to you Tiffany, I can’t believe I lived my whole life and didn’t know what lime Crema was? We were on a beach on Cape Cod with the kids and ordered fish tacos from the stand. The lime Crema blew my mind. Later that afternoon I had to go back for seconds. WOW
★★★★★
Yumm! I just made this crema for some steak lettuce wraps tonight and almost ate it all! Can’t wait to see how the flavors meld by dinner time 😋
So glad you liked this Chelsea!
I came upon your site today. I (we)are so happy that I did. I made this today for our tacos. Hubby and I really enjoy this easy and tasty recipe on our tacos.
★★★★★
I’m so glad you liked the lime crema Tammy!!
Yas! Making carnitas tacos for dinner tonight and wanted to add a notch of flavor. This is so simple and fresh. I tasted it and its amazing! I cannot wait to try it tonight, after the flavors have marinated, on my tacos. Yum!!
★★★★★
Hope you love it as much as we do Amber!
“I used a sharp knife and carefully cut the zest off and then ran my knife over the peel until it was very finely diced.”
I’m confused by this instruction of deconstructing to lime.
Aren’t the zest and peel the same thing? And “running a knife over” doesn’t sound like the act of dicing? Sound slime an act of skinning something. Can you please clarify?
Anthony – the zest and the peel are not the same thing. The zest is the colored part, so for a lime, it’s just the green. The white part is the pithe, which is very bitter. I carefully cut off just the green portion, and then minced the zest until it was teeny tiny. Hope that clarifies!
Do you happen to have any nutritional information for this recipe? How much is a serving and how many calories? Thank you!
I don’t Abby, but you can enter it into any nutritional calculator!
Tiffany, we’re having it again tonight on Mexican Monday – this time on veggie quesadillas. The kids have BEGGED for the lime crema again. Thanks!!!
Oh man, you’re welcome! What a great response from the kids!
I’ve been reading your blog for a while but have never posted. I tried this last week – I tossed it with shredded cabbage to go on top of fish tacos – absolutely delicious!!! I made it with plain yogurt instead of sour cream since that’s what I had. Total hit with my family!
Oh wonderful Julie! I’m so glad you enjoyed this recipe, and shared your results with me!! 🙂
My 16-year-old daughter, who loves to cook, mixed this up the night you posted it to go on our tamales and nachos (it was “Mexican Monday” at our house). The kids devoured everything with the lime crema on it! My husband was the only one who didn’t care for it – but that’s because he doesn’t like anything with citrus on his food. : ) Thanks so much for the recipe – it’s a new favorite. It’ll join our homemade recipe books with so many other recipes from your blog!
★★★★★
This sounds yummy. I can’t eat dairy and don’t like the “fake” sour creams so I think I will try this with mayonnaise. I make your mayo all.the.time.
Ooh, I haven’t tried this with mayo! Do let me know how it turns out!! (and I’m so glad you like my mayo!)
Do you think this recipe would work with greek yogurt in place of the sour cream? It’s what I have on hand. Thanks
It might be a bit more tangy Leigh, but it should still be pretty tasty!
Sounds good!
Yum! I will definitely be trying this. I guess I figured that citrus juice would curdle sour cream, but I’m glad to know it doesn’t. I can just imagine how delicious this is on tacos 🙂
Btw, I made your carnitas the other day and they were fantastic. Then I took the leftovers to church where there was a surprise potluck with a lot of hispanic friends, and they devoured the leftover carnita meat! I figure if the hispanics like it, it’s a winner for good reason 🙂 Thanks again for sharing the recipe!
You’re so welcome Diana! And I thought the same thing about the citrus juice and sour cream, but nope! You’re golden for a least a week. 😉 Wonderful news that the carnitas were devoured at the potluck! Glad it’s a winner!!
Using green onion instead of white onion adds nice color to the dip. I also like to use fresh garlic chives…you get the garlic flavor without all that garlic breath. Adding some finely minced jalapenos or serranos is a great way to add some heat. This dip is so versatile and easy to personalize. Thanks for this!!!!
★★★★★