Lime Crema

$1.98 recipe / $0.25 serving
by Beth Moncel
4.92 from 12 votes
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It’s about time this awesome sauce got its very own post. Everything that I drizzle this Lime Crema on is elevated to “OMG” status. It’s just so freaking good. It only takes a few simple ingredients and about five minutes to make, so it’s totally worth adding this to your next southwest-inspired meal. If you want to take your recipe from just “good” to AH-MAZ-ING, this Lime Crema is your key.

A bowl of Lime Crema surrounded by garlic, limes, and cilantro

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How to Use Lime Crema

So what do you use this magical Lime Crema for? I like to drizzle it on tacos, nachos, tostadas, and have even used it as a sort of salad dressing. Swirl it into a soup or chili, or even use it as a simple tangy chip dip. Why not? It’s just an all around yum sauce.

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Lime Crema

4.92 from 12 votes
This tangy, creamy, fresh, and garlicky Lime Crema is the key to taking your tacos, nachos, salads, and more to the next level. 
This tangy, creamy, fresh, and garlicky Lime Crema is the key to taking your tacos, nachos, salads, and more to the next level. Budgetbytes.com
Servings 8 2 Tbsp each
Prep 5 minutes
Cook 0 minutes
Total 5 minutes

Ingredients

  • 8 oz. sour cream ($1.69)
  • 1 lime ($0.19)
  • 1 small clove garlic, minced ($0.08)
  • 1/4 tsp salt ($0.02)
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Instructions 

  • Zest the lime, then squeeze the juice into a small bowl.
  • Add about 1 tsp of the zest and 1 Tbsp of the juice to the sour cream, along with the garlic and salt. Stir to combine and use immediately, or refrigerate until ready to serve. Store the lime crema in the refrigerator for up to one week.

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Notes

The ingredient proportions of this recipe are flexible. You can add more or less lime zest, juice, or salt to your liking.
If fresh garlic is not available, 1/4 tsp garlic powder can be used in its place.

Nutrition

Serving: 2TbspCalories: 59.95kcalCarbohydrates: 2.34gProtein: 0.79gFat: 5.58gSodium: 82.89mgFiber: 0.25g
Read our full nutrition disclaimer here.
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A spoon scooping Lime Crema out of a small bowl

How to Make Lime Crema – Step by Step Photos

Zest Limes

First, zest the lime and then squeeze its juice into a small bowl. You’ll want about 1 tsp zest and 1 Tbsp juice. 

Add garlic lime and salt to sour cream

Add 1 tsp zest, 1 Tbsp lime juice, one small clove of garlic (minced), and 1/4 tsp salt to an 8 oz. container of sour cream. Stir to combine, then use immediately, or refrigerate until ready to use.

Finished Lime Crema with lime zest on top

I usually just prepare my lime crema before I begin my meal, so it has at least a few minutes for the flavors to infuse into the cream as I cook, but I can verify that it’s still super tasty just after mixing (I always have a hard time not licking the spoon!).

What do you like to add Lime Crema to? Leave your favorites in the comments below!

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Comments

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  1. I blame you that I will never put regular sour cream on my tacos again! ๐Ÿ˜‚๐Ÿ˜‚๐Ÿ˜‚
    This is so addictive! Thanks!

  2. I could eat this with a spoon! It just elevates my nachos to the extreme. Thank you for the recipe.

  3. Very nice recipe chef ๐Ÿ‘๐Ÿ‘Œ๐Ÿ‘. Thank you for your effort ๐ŸŒž๐Ÿ˜Ž.

  4. I threw all my favourite nacho toppings together (rep peppers, red onion, corn, black beans, chopped tomatoes) and added this dressing. Amazingly satisfying dinner without turning on the oven! ย Thank you!

  5. Put it on chicken tacos and salads. Also add finely chopped cilantro to it when I mix it up for a bit of a twist.

  6. This was Da Bomb! I made Pernil and served this with warm flour tortillas and Chimichurri!

  7. THIS IS THE BEST THING I HAVE PUT IN MY MOUTH IN A LONG TIME.
    Absolutely worth it. Kind of obnoxious that I want it on EVERYTHING. Delicious and very worth it!

  8. Hmm, Iโ€™m all out of sour cream (and working on a pantry challenge)- do you think plain yogurt would work?
    I was thinking of making the lime cream to top a corn and black bean salad ย ๐Ÿคž

  9. The tangy flavors form the lime and sour cream really make otherwise boring dishes interesting. This would go great on steak or chicken soft tacos.

  10. I’ve made a similar sauce for years, but I’ve always added some cayenne pepper to it. Give it a try the next time you make it!

  11. I made this tonight for “taco tuesday” and everyone in the family (2 adults, 4 children) absolutely loved it. ย My only problem was that I didn’t make enough. ย What a refreshing twist for tacos!

  12. To save calories and money I use non fat yogurt either one that I have drained or greek.ย 

  13. I make a version of this using fat free Greek yogurt. Fage is my favorite brand. Thanks for sharing!

  14. I’m trying to move to a (mostly) plant-based diet and sour cream is one of my all-time favorite foods. What other non-dairy base might be used. Would Veganaise work? Thanks!

    1. Unfortunately I haven’t tried this with any non-dairy type of sour cream substitutes, so I’m not sure how it would turn out.

    2. There are some really good mock sour cream recipes using cashews as a base. They can easily be made sweet or savory by changing out a few ingredients. A google search should help find some recipes to try. :)

  15. My whole family is addicted to this! My kids get excited about anything that includes the words “lime crema”. SO yummy!

  16. Yum, this sounds fantastic. I love everything with limes so this lime cream will be made tonight! Thank you for sharing the recipe!

    E || OH LA LATKES

  17. I first made this to have with the sweet potato and black bean salad. Realising its potential we have the ingredients on hand at all times and it goes so well with so many dishes…my fave has to be with chilli con carne or nachos. Also great with smoky chicken and cinnamon roast potatoes. I haven’t tried a recipe yet from your site that has not been a crowd pleaser, thanks for making dinner time easier!

  18. I am lactose intolerant, and sour cream is actually one of the worst foods I can eat, so I tried making this sauce using the sour cream alternative Tofutti. It turned out great! The texture is a little different (it’s a little more solid than actual sour cream if you’ve just taken it out of the fridge), but the lime flavor mixes in so well with it, and I would say that it goes well with all those foods that Beth listed above! Just wanted to provide an option for those out there who are sadly lactose intolerant like me, but still want to enjoy some of these delicious recipes!

    1. Thanks for sharing that! I had a lot of people asking about non-dairy substitutes, but I have not tried any, so I couldn’t offer any help. :P Your response is super helpful!

  19. Yummy. The sauce will taste absolutely amazing on tacos, which happens to be my favorite food EVER!!! :-)

  20. Just made it for dinner and the fam gave it two thumbs up! Thanks for the great recipe!

  21. I make something similar to this all the time! I’ve also taken to adding a touch of toasted cumin I ground up just to give it a tiny additional punch and it winds up drizzled over EVERYTHING.

    Even a bit of dried cilantro can be added though you have to be careful with the dried version since if you use too much it has a much higher risk of the dreaded ‘soapy’ taste over the fresh!