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You are here: Home » Condiments

Spiciness: Mild

Easy Cilantro Sour Cream Sauce

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This quick and easy cilantro sour cream sauce recipe is perfect on tacos, beans and rice, salads, and veggies.

This creamy green sauce has four ingredients: sour cream, cilantro, salt, and fresh lime or lemon juice.

Blue bowl of green cilantro sour cream sauce on a wood cutting board with a red spatula on the side. Blender top in the background with green sauce all over it. this …

Cilantro Sour Cream Green Sauce For the Win!

One of my favorite taco recipes to pair cilantro sour cream sauce with is tacos and slaw. Serve with: Chicken Enchilada Tacos with Lime Cabbage Slaw.

Having said that, this green cilantro based sauce recipe can be used as a dip (add more sour cream) or a dressing (add a little less sour cream, or add more water).

Blending Tips For Creamy Cilantro Sauce

Blend all the ingredients quickly in the food processor for ~ 5 seconds or until cilantro is pureed and integrated into the sour cream.

If you blend the cilantro sour cream sauce for too long, it will denature the sour cream and be runny. It will still be delicious so don't worry to much about it too much.

But, if you want to thicken it up, remove some of the liquid mixture and manually stir in additional sour cream. Add salt to taste.

Ingredients on a wood cutting board: blue bowl of sour cream with red spatula on the side, 2 lemon halves, bunch of cilantro, and wood bowl of salt.

Cilantro Sour Cream Sauce Variations

This cilantro sour cream sauce is versatile. Ingredients can be substituted or added.

I generally use cilantro sour cream sauce to cool down a spicy taco but if you like heat then add a little jalapeno to the blender.

Some other ideas to add to the mix are ground cumin, hot sauce, lemon juice (to substitute for lime juice), coriander, oregano, or garlic.

Don't have sour cream? Try yogurt. Don't have lime juice? Try lemon juice or a touch of vinegar.

Use the tender cilantro stems in addition to the leaves. They are generally not bitter like parsley stems. Throw the stems and leaves in the blender and don't worry about separating them.

Top down view of a blender with pureed light green cilantro sauce.
Puree the ingredients just until the cilantro is pulverized. The blender only needs to run 5-10 seconds.
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Easy Cilantro Sour Cream Sauce

Blue bowl of green cilantro sour cream sauce on a wood cutting board with a red spatula on the side. Blender top in the background with green sauce all over it. Close up.
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This quick and easy cilantro sour cream sauce recipe is perfect on tacos, beans and rice, salads, and veggies.

  • Author: Beckie
  • Prep Time: 10 minutes
  • Total Time: 10 minutes
  • Yield: 10
  • Category: Dressing
  • Method: Food Processor
  • Cuisine: Mexican
  • Diet: Vegetarian

Ingredients

  • 16 oz sour cream
  • 1 small bunch cilantro with tender stems
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • 1 lime, juiced

Instructions

  • Place all ingredients in a blender and blend for 5-10 seconds or until cilantro is pureed and integrated into the sour cream.  Don't pulse too long or it will be runny.
  • Add more salt and lime juice to taste.

Notes

  • This sauce is versatile.  I generally use it to cool down a spicy taco but if you like heat then add jalapeno.  Some other ideas are ground cumin, hot sauce, lemon juice (to substitute for lime juice), coriander, oregano, or garlic.
  • If you blend the cilantro sour cream mixture for too long, it will denature the sour cream and be to runny. It will still be delicious so don't worry to much about it but if you want to thicken it up, remove some of the liquid mixture and manually stir in additional sour cream. Add salt to taste.
  • Don't have sour cream? Try yogurt. Don't have lime juice? Try lemon juice or a touch of vinegar.
  • One of my favorite taco recipes to pair it with is Chicken Enchilada Tacos with Lime Cabbage Slaw.

You May Also Like

If you like this cilantro sour cream sauce recipe then check out these other easy sauces:

  • Top view of wood bowl filled with white mayonnaise sauce with pickles.
    Easy Homemade Tarter Sauce
  • Bowl of Tzatziki (yogurt, cucumbers, lemon) sauce. falafels in background.
    Easy Chunky Tzatziki Sauce (No Garlic)
  • White tea chup with 3 poached shrimp and a lemon wedge on the edge with cocktail sauce in the cup. Close up.
    Easy Homemade Cocktail Sauce
  • Cooked Cranberry Orange Sauce & Orange Zest Garnish in White Bowl
    Cooked Cranberry Orange Sauce (Relish)

Serving Suggestion

Serve this sour cream sauce for tacos with a one of these recipes:

  • One taco filled with chicken, cole slaw, cilantro, sliced jalapenos, and 3 sliced radishes. Ingredients in background.
    Chicken Tacos with Enchilada Sauce
  • 2 Plates with one taco each. Flour tortilla filled with sliced cooked steak, tomato salsa, red cabbage, tomatoes, and cilantro. sliced radishes on the side. Glass of water, fork, knife and napkin. Top view.
    Easy Skirt Steak Tacos
  • 2 Ground beef tacos in flour tortillas filled with tomatoes, guacamole, goat cheese, sliced radishes, peppers and cilantro. Bowl of salsa in background.
    Easy Ground Beef Tacos with Fixens
  • Shredded Mexican Spiced Pork On a Brown Plate with Wood Tongs and a Chopped Cilantro garnish.
    Tender and Crispy Stovetop Pork Carnitas

Things In My Kitchen:

  • An affordable and great food processor to puree the sauce.
  • Vitamix blender (low profile to fit under the cabinets) for when you want to really puree the heck out of something.

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Hey y'all!

I’m Beckie Hemmerling. I love food and I think of it on a basic level of providing strength & nourishment. Cooking has helped me *try* to figure out life, not just my own, but also other people's. I have cooked through many joys / sorrows and cooking has always been a meditative place through these highs & lows. More background info →

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