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This poblano cream sauce is made with roasted poblano peppers, sour cream or Mexican crema, and a few other pantry staple ingredients to make a quick and easy sauce that adds delicious bold flavors to any meal. Perfect for drizzling on tacos, nachos, enchiladas, bowls, salads, or just about anything you can think of!
Poblano peppers are one of my favorite ingredients to cook with, and I use them in everything from my roasted poblano corn chowder to my arroz verde. They’re packed with rich, smoky, and comforting flavors with mild spice, making them a super versatile ingredient.
This poblano cream sauce features roasted poblanos, sour cream or Mexican crema, and other simple ingredients that add just the right finishing touch to all your favorite Mexican recipes.
Here’s why I love it:
- It’s versatile: It pairs well with a variety of dishes, including grilled meats, roasted vegetables, tacos, and nachos.
- It has the best creamy texture: The smooth, creamy consistency of the sauce adds richness and depth to any meal.
- It’s easy to make: With just a few ingredients and simple steps, poblano cream sauce is quick and easy to prepare at home.
Ingredients Needed
- Poblano peppers: Poblanos have a rich and earthy flavor that’s great when roasted. You can roast poblanos over an open flame or under the broiler in minimal time. The recipe includes instructions on roasting, but if you’d like to read a step-by-step post, take a look at how to roast poblano peppers.
- Sour cream or Mexican crema: Sour cream adds creaminess and a slightly tangy flavor. You can swap it for Mexican crema for a lighter taste and thinner consistency. If you’re all about homemade, consider making your own Mexican crema.
- Cilantro: This popular Mexican herb adds a fresh flavor to the sauce, but you can use parsley or leave it out completely.
- Garlic cloves: Always a must in any sauce!
- Whole milk: This helps to thin out the sauce while keeping it creamy. You can also use half-and-half, heavy cream, reduced-fat milk, or your favorite plant-based milk.
- Lime juice: Just a little bit adds some citrus and extra tang. Use fresh limes for the best flavor.
- Kosher salt: A dash of kosher salt brings the sauce together. You can taste and adjust as needed.
How to Make Poblano Cream Sauce
Add the poblano peppers to a baking sheet and place under the broiler for 10 minutes until the skin is blackened and blistered, flipping halfway through. Remove from the broiler, cover with aluminum foil or plastic wrap, and let sit for 10 minutes. Uncover and peel off as much of the skin from the peppers as possible.
Slice the peppers open and remove the seeds, veins, and stems.
Add the roasted poblanos, sour cream or Mexican crema, cilantro, garlic, milk, lime juice, and salt to a large blender.
Blend until smooth.
Recipe Tips
- For a more pronounced smoky flavor, leave some pieces of charred skin from the poblano peppers to be blended into the sauce.
- Too spicy? If the poblano cream sauce is too spicy for your liking, blend ¼ – ½ an avocado to help mellow out the spice. Just note it will thicken the sauce, and you may have to adjust the milk ratio accordingly.
- Don’t have a broiler? You can roast the poblano peppers over an open flame on the stovetop, turning frequently until charred.
- Make it extra creamy by using half-and-half or heavy cream instead of whole milk.
Serving Suggestions
This poblano cream sauce is super versatile and pairs well with so many different recipes. Use it as a sauce, drizzle, topping, or even a dip! Here are a few ideas:
- Drizzle on top of sheet pan nachos, carne asada fries, or chimichangas.
- Add creaminess to chilaquiles verdes or spread a layer on a torta.
- Spoon a dollop on carne asada tacos, cauliflower tacos, or chicken tacos.
- Dip with tortilla chips, flautas, cheese, or black bean quesadillas.
- Pair will grilled meats like carne asada or pollo asado.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, but the sauce may not be as smooth. For a silkier texture, a high-speed blender works best.
Yes. Swap the sour cream for a dairy-free alternative like cashew cream or a plant-based yogurt. And instead of the whole milk, use your favorite non-dairy milk to adjust the consistency.
Bottled lime juice works in a pinch. You can also use equal amounts of lemon juice.
Storage
Poblano cream sauce can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week or 7 days.
It can also be frozen for up to 2 months, but the texture may change slightly upon thawing and may separate. To fix this, thaw it in the fridge overnight and blend it again with a splash of milk or cream to restore its creaminess.
More Sauces to Try
If you tried this Poblano Cream Sauce Recipe or any other recipe on Isabel Eats, don’t forget to rate the recipe and let me know how it went in the comments below! I love hearing about your experience making it!
Poblano Cream Sauce
Ingredients
- 1 pound poblano peppers (about 4-5)
- ⅓ cup sour cream or Mexican crema
- ¼ cup cilantro
- 4 cloves garlic
- 3 tablespoons whole milk
- 2 tablespoons lime juice (about 1 lime)
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
Instructions
- Add the poblano peppers to a baking sheet and place under the broiler for 10 minutes until the skin is blackened and blistered, flipping halfway through.
- Remove the baking sheet from the broiler and cover it with aluminum foil or plastic wrap. Let it sit for 10 minutes. Uncover and remove as much of the skin from the peppers as possible.
- Make a vertical slit down one side of the peppers and remove the seeds and veins.
- Transfer the roasted poblanos to a blender and add the sour cream, cilantro, garlic, milk, lime juice, and salt. Blend until smooth. Taste and add more salt if needed.
Notes
- Yields: This recipe makes a total of 1 1/2 cups of sauce.
- For a more pronounced smoky flavor, leave some pieces of charred skin from the poblano peppers to be blended into the sauce.
- Too spicy? If the poblano cream sauce is too spicy for your liking, blend ¼ – ½ an avocado to help mellow out the spice. Just note it will thicken the sauce, and you may have to adjust the milk ratio accordingly.
- Don’t have a broiler? You can roast the poblano peppers over an open flame on the stovetop, turning frequently until charred.
- Make it extra creamy by using half-and-half or heavy cream instead of whole milk.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This recipe was originally published in September 2017 and has been updated with new photos and more helpful tips and tricks.
Photography by Ashley McLaughlin.
It was my first time I made this salsa
And me,my husband and Grandkids just loved it so much that I’m going to make it again next week and this time I’m going to use 1-2 jalapeños in it just for a little kick and see what they think.. love this salsa would love to see more
Absolutely delicious sauce. The only thing that I added was a bit of lime juice and a teaspoon of diced jalapenos to the sauteed garlic and onion for a little kick. Served it on grilled chicken thighs with a spanish/cilantro lime rice blend. Fantastic!
To die for! I substituted an avocado for the cilantro and added 2 tbsp of lime juice as some others have done. It made about 2.5 cups. This is lick the spoon and bowl good! We’ll be having it with chicken burritos this week. I’ll likely be adding it to many meals this week and want to make again as soon as I can!
Great tip! Thanks for sharing!
Could you add shredded chicken to this sauce and use it for tacos?
Hi Gloria! Yes that would be delicious! Thanks for the tip.
I love recipes and ideas how to use sauces and salsa. Thanks my menu will be changing ASAP. Thanks!!!
Thank you so much Candy!
I just discovered poblano peppers. (Expanding my horizons) Have been tasting them in many dishes these days.
I decided to buy some, and figure out how I can make this deliciousness myself. I ran into your directions on how to roast them and your helpful suggestions on what to do with them once they were roasted. I followed all of your directions and they turned out amazing. Then I clicked on your link on what to do with them. I found your EASY ROASTED POBLANO CREAM SAUCE.
I am so proud that I made this – my family loves it. Thank you so much for sharing your tips.
Hi Patsy! I’m glad you enjoyed the recipe!
Just finished making the Roasted Poblano Cream Sauce since I had an abundance that were ready to pick from my garden. I made a double batch and gave one jar to a friend. I also added a bit of cumin and squeeze of fresh lime just before serving and it really brightened up the flavor. It was delicous and so easy once you roasted the poblanos.
Have made this several times and it is a big hit!!!!
Thank you for this recipe. I had over roasted my Carranza poblanos and
didn’t want to waste them, so this saved the day! The recipe was made per instructions and was enjoyed by family and friends. You get two thumbs up!
OMG..so very good. I added a sliced up avocado! I hate cilantro. I am one of those that it tastes like soap. So, needless to say left that out. I added a tsp of fresh ground ginger and 2 cap-fulls of lime juice.
I forgot. I used Cabot’s Greek yogurt and i didn’t cook the onion, i used 1/4c. raw.