This dairy-free avocado crema calls for just four ingredients and is the perfect avocado sauce for tacos, wraps, salads, and more.
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What is avocado crema?
In Mexican cuisine, crema refers to a white sauce somewhat resembling sour cream but thinner and more liquid. It’s used to top dishes like tacos and enchiladas, to thicken soups and sauces, and is often served alongside spicy dishes to temper the heat.
Avocado crema is a variation of Mexican crema that uses avocado for flavour and creaminess. Avocado crema can be used in the same types of dishes as traditional Mexican crema.
It makes an especially good avocado sauce for tacos!
This avocado cream sauce recipe is healthier than traditional crema because it’s dairy free, meaning it’s lower in saturated fat and doesn’t contain dietary cholesterol.
Why you’ll love this avocado crema recipe
- It’s dairy free and nut free: This recipe is the perfect creamy sauce for people who are lactose intolerant or vegan. It is also free from cashews for people with a tree nut allergy.
- It’s quick and easy: Simply dump all the ingredients into a food processor and blend. No need to remember to pre-soak cashews!
- Full of flavor: This spicy version of vegan avocado crema calls for pickled jalapeños for spiciness as well as tanginess. Cilantro adds freshness to balance out the spice.
- Versatile: This recipe can be made mild or spicy, whatever your spice tolerance is. Don’t like cilantro? Just leave it out. It can be made thick like a spread or dip, or thinned out for drizzling over salads, vegan bowl recipes, or nachos. Garlic lovers can add a small clove of garlic or a pinch of garlic powder. Add a squeeze of lime for a burst of brightness. This recipe is easily adaptable to your taste!
What is avocado crema made of?
Avocado crema is a simple 4-ingredient recipe that’s very easy to make. The ingredients for avocado crema are:
Avocados: You’ll need two medium-large ripe avocados. Ripe avocados are dark green, nearly black in color and should be slightly soft and giving when squeezed but not mushy. One trick to see if the avocado is ripe is to remove the bit of stem from the top and look at the color inside the avocado. Bright green is still ripe, while brown is overripe.
Plain unsweetened dairy-free yogurt: I like to use unsweetened soy yogurt for it’s natural thickness without added thickeners. Don’t worry if you’re not a fan of soy yogurt, the avocado crema doesn’t taste like soy at all. You can use any other type of vegan yogurt (cashew, almond, oat, etc.) if you prefer, just ensure that it’s unsweetened.
Fresh cilantro: A small handful of cilantro adds a nice freshness to this recipe. If you’re not a fan of cilantro, you can leave it out.
Pickled jalapeños: Most avocado crema recipes call for lime. My recipe adds acidity with pickled jalapeños - both the jalapeños themselves and a splash of the pickling juice from the jar. Feel free to adjust the number of jalapeños you use depending on your spice preference.
Salt: To season and bring all the flavours together.
How to make avocado crema
To make avocado crema you’ll need a blender or a food processor. Either an upright blender or an immersion blender will work.
Combine: Once you’ve gathered your ingredients, place them in a blender, food processor or the tall cup that comes with your immersion blender.
Blend: Blend all the ingredients together until smooth and creamy.
Adjust: Taste the crema and adjust the flavors to your liking. You can also adjust the consistency. For a thinner avocado sauce, add more yogurt or a tablespoon or two of water.
Chill: You can use the avocado cream sauce immediately or you can chill it to allow the flavors to meld. It’s possible that the avocado will oxidize and darken. Help prevent this by transferring the crema to an airtight container and placing a piece of plastic wrap directly into contact with the surface of the crema. Adding a squeeze of lime juice will also help prevent the avocado from oxidizing.
Serve: Use your creamy avocado sauce as desired: on tacos, enchiladas, burritos, salads, Buddha bowls or as a dip.
Substitutions and variations
Make it thinner: The consistency of this recipe will vary a bit depending on what type of vegan yogurt you use. Generally speaking, this avocado sauce recipe as written is quite thick. You can thin it out by adding a tablespoon or two of water or plant-based milk if you want a more pourable dressing for salads or drizzling over enchiladas, for example.
Add citrus: Fresh lime juice is a popular addition to avocado crema. Feel free to add a tablespoon or two if you like.
Spice: The spice level of this sauce can easily be adjusted up or down with the number of jalapeño slices that you add. If you don’t have pickled jalapeño, you can use fresh jalapeño, chili flakes or cayenne pepper.
Garlic: If you love garlic and don’t mind raw garlic breath, add a small clove or a quarter teaspoon of garlic powder.
Sour Cream: The plant-based yogurt can be substituted for vegan sour cream.
What to eat with avocado crema?
Avocado crema is great with your favorite Mexican-inspired recipes such as tacos, vegan burritos, enchiladas, quesadillas, fajitas, taquitos, and nachos.
It can also be thinned out with water or plant-based milk and used as a salad dressing or as a sauce for Buddha bowls or burrito bowls.
This avocado cream sauce is also great stirred into pasta salad like this vegan avocado pasta salad recipe.
You can also use it as a sauce for home fries or hash browns, or a spread for burgers, hot dogs, wraps and sandwiches.
Dip pita bread, tortilla chips, raw or roasted veggies or nachos into this creamy avocado sauce.
FAQs
The liquid from the pickled jalapeños is acidic so it helps to mitigate some of the oxidation of the avocados. However, you still may find your avocado crema turning brown if stored for several hours. You can prevent this by storing it in an airtight container and placing a small piece of plastic wrap directly onto the surface of the crema. If you’re planning to store the crema for a few hours or days, you can add a squeeze of lime to help prevent it from turning brown.
Look for avocados that are dark green, almost black in color. Give it a gentle squeeze. It should feel soft and yield under your fingers but not feel super soft and mushy. One trick is to remove the bit of the stem at the top and look at the color inside the avocado. It should be bright green. If it’s brown, the avocado is starting to go bad.
Yes! This avocado crema is very healthy because it is dairy free, making it lower in saturated fat and free from dietary cholesterol. Avocados are full of vitamins, minerals and fiber. This recipe does not contain any added oils. Plant-based yogurt is a source of probiotics.
Storage
Store avocado crema in an airtight container in the fridge. Press a piece of plastic wrap directly into contact with the surface of the crema before putting the lid on the container. This will help prevent the crema from oxidizing and turning brown.
Use your avocado crema within 2 - 3 days of preparation.
This recipe is not really good for freezing.
Avocado Crema
Ingredients
- ½ cup (120 grams) unsweetened dairy-free yogurt (I use soy)
- 2 medium-large avocados
- 10 pickled jalapeño slices adjust to taste
- ¼ packed cup (24 grams) fresh cilantro (I use the leaves and stems)
- 2 tablespoons of the jalapeño liquid
- ½ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Place all the ingredients in a blender or food processor (you can also use an immersion blender) and blend until smooth and creamy.
- Taste and adjust the flavors to your liking. If desired, adjust to a thinner consistency by adding a tablespoon or two of water or plant-based milk.
- Use immediately or store in the fridge in an airtight container with a piece of plastic wrap placed directly into contact with the surface of the crema.
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