Easy Lime Crema

One of the simplest and tastiest toppings for Mexican food is a Lime Crema. This classic Mexican topping is a creamy, zesty topping flavored with Lime and Cilantro. It is the perfect pairing for any kind of Mexican dish. It’s particularly great when drizzled generously over Tacos. It also pairs just as well with Burritos, Enchiladas, and all kinds of wonderful dishes. In this recipe we will show you how to make an Easy Lime Crema that takes absolutely no time at all, and yields an amazing tasting dish

What ingredients are needed for Lime Crema

The core ingredient to our Easy Lime Crema is Sour Cream. This gives the Sauce it’s body and wonderful flavor. Now, Sour Cream is no stranger to Mexican food, so chances are if you’re planning to cook up some Mexican at home you’ve probably already got Sour Cream on your shopping list

The other core ingredient is not surprisingly Lime, as it’s in the name of the dish! Again, like Sour Cream there’s almost no way you’re making some delicious Mexican food at home without an abundance of Limes. Adding Lime to rich and spicy Mexican cuisine helps to balance out the flavors and brings the whole dish to life

In this dish Lime is really the star of the show, and I recommend being quite generous with your use of Lime. Even if the dish tastes a little too tart, remember, this Easy Lime Crema is used as a way to balance out the food you are eating, so you want the Lime flavor to be prominent

Other than Sour Cream and Lime, there’s very few ingredients needed

The last ingredients for our Easy Lime Crema are Cilantro, Garlic and Salt. Again, all ingredients that you’d expect from Mexican food, which is what makes this recipe so good. You will very likely be purchasing all these ingredients anyway, so making this beautiful Crema at home isn’t really going to be costing you anything extra

The dish itself comes together very quickly, which is another reason it’s such a great pairing for Mexican food. You can spend all your time in the kitchen making those delicious Tacos or Enchiladas and know that the Lime Crema is going to come together easily at the end. You can also make this dish in advance and simply refrigerate it (for up to 48 hours)

How to make an Easy Lime Crema

There are a few techniques we recommend when making this dish. They will make it so simple to create at home and yield the best tasting dish. The first step is to blitz your Cilantro. You want that beautiful Cilantro flavor and vibrant green color to really shine through in this dish

I recommend simply combining the Lime Juice, Garlic, and Cilantro (including the stalks) into a blender and give it a nice blitz until smooth. You will likely need to push the Cilantro pieces down the side (stopping the blender before you do this of course!) to ensure everything gets blended nicely

Adding the Lime at this point is purely to help the Cilantro to catch in the Blender, as you do need liquid to get everything to blend nicely. The Garlic is best completely blended, which is why we add it at this point. You can also use an immersion blender if you like

However, you blend it, the key is to get that Cilantro as nicely blitzed as possible. Adding the stalks of the Cilantro helps to add body to the Crema, and I find it makes the blending process a bit easier too

Combining the Cilantro mixture into the Sour Cream

The final step is simply to combine this beautiful Lime and Cilantro liquid into your Sour Cream. Now, the big key here is to do so using a spoon or spatula and not using your blender. If you blend the Sour Cream, it’s going to completely turn into liquid. No amount of refrigeration is going to return it to its original form, so avoid adding it to the blender

Instead, simply add your Sour Cream into a bowl and pour the Cilantro mixture in, then fold it in using a spoon or spatula. My recommendation with this step is to avoid adding all the Cilantro and Lime liquid at once. Remember, this is a powerful flavor, so I’d suggest adding half of it into the Sour Cream and mixing it through

Give it a taste at this point and add any additional Lime Cilantro mixture you need. Texture and consistency are another point to keep an eye on here. You want a consistency that’s slightly runny, almost like a thick Soup. So, mix until you’ve got the desired flavor and consistency you’re after and it’s done! Season with some Salt then you’re ready to enjoy our Easy Lime Crema

Adding Lime Crema to Mexican Food

This step is so easy, as like most Mexican dishes the best way to serve up a Crema is simply to drizzle it over the top of a completed dish. It pairs so well with Tortilla-based Mexican dishes, and is particularly tasty in Tacos, such as this amazing Shrimp Taco recipe

I recommend simply serving Lime Crema on the side in a bowl with a spoon so people can add as much or as little of it to their food as you want. It’s best added right before eating, and can be served either at room temperature or chilled

You can prepare this delicious Sauce in advance and refrigerate it. It will keep for about 48 hours with no hassles in the refrigerator, but like most dishes, it’s best enjoyed immediately. I like to make it before I start the rest of the meal as it can be popped in the fridge and is fine to serve cool. This allows you to get it made so you can prepare the rest of your meal for a fun and tasty Mexican feast

Easy Lime Crema Recipe

Ingredients

• Juice of 4 Limes
• 2 cups of Cilantro (including stems)
• 3 Garlic Cloves, peeled
• 2 cups of Sour Cream
  
  

Equipment needed: Blender

Instructions

1. Add the Lime, Cilantro, and Garlic Cloves into your Blender and blitz until the Cilantro has been fully incorporate. You may need to stop a few times and scrape the sides down (do so only when the Blender is turned off)
2. Once smooth, set aside and place your Sour Cream into a large bowl. Add half of the Cilantro Lime mixture and fold into the Sour Cream using a spatula or spoon
3. Taste and check for desired texture, adding additional Lime Cilantro liquid as required until you are happy with the flavor. Season with a pinch of Salt and serve
   
   

Recipe Notes

• The dish can be prepared up to 48 hours prior to eating. Simply store it in a sealed container in the refrigerator before use
• You can blitz the Cilantro with Lime using an Immersion Blender
• Avoid blending the Sour Cream as it will turn into liquid, always fold the Cilantro and Lime mixture into it
  
  

This wonderfully Easy Lime Crema recipe is the perfect pairing for any home cooked Mexican food. It’s light and vibrant, and packs in a heap of flavor that brings Mexican food to life. It’s simple to make and utilizes ingredients that are very common with Mexican cooking, making for an easy and affordable accompaniment to your meal

For more wonderful Sauces just like this one, check out these delicious recipes:

• Mustard Pickle Sauce
• Easy Beurre Blanc Sauce
• Mojo Picon Sauce
• Garlic Scape Chimichurri Sauce
  
  

Happy Cooking!