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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.
Can you freeze the sauce!?
Hi David, yes you can!
How is it best frozen? I would think I would freeze in freezer bags in 2 cup serving sizes. With sour cream in this sauce will this hold up for 4 months in freezer?
I agree I think in small batches in freezer bags is the best way to go! I think with sour cream it should be okay in the freezer!
Have you ever tried freezing this sauce? I suppose with the sour cream it might not be greats but would be good to do when the poblanos are ripe!
Hi Jan! We have not, but I think it should be okay!
This is INSANE
FYI I blended in a TBSP of canned diced jalapeno to give it a lil more kick and it was fantastic! Great on the tacos I made last night.
Had it again today, just threw a lil dollop on an omlette. SO GOOD WITH EGGS!!
Thanks for the recipe! I needed to something to add to my repertoire during staying at home and this was perfect.
This is my favorite sauce ever. I eat it on EVERYTHING. I make it all the time subbing nonfat yogurt for sour cream.
I can’t find poblano peppers right now, so my latest batch was made with roasted shishito peppers and it’s also delish. I didn’t bother to peel or remove seeds from shishito peppers (I follow directions for the poblanos).
Made to go over pork carnitas. My 10 and 12 year olds loved it, not to mention my hubby. Thank you for a great recipe. 🙂 Mic
Thanks so much, Michelle. So happy you and your family enjoyed it!
I see by the directions the actual sauce is made of “olive oil, onions and garlic”.
No instruction for the poblanos to be included, somehow?
Oh no, thank you so much for pointing that out! I apologize for the confusion. I just updated the recipe with the correct instructions.
Hola!!!
My mother makes this sauce with cream cheese instead of sour cream AND uses it as a green sauce to spaghetti. She makes enough to feed 10 people and it is always the first thing devoured. If she wasn’t a great cook with other amazing recipes her green pasta would be the only thing her children, nephews, nieces, grandchildren and siblings would ever ask for. No one even notices it’s a vegetarian dish.
That sounds so good, Esther! I love the idea of using cream cheese. I’m definitely going to try that next time. Thanks!
Hullo! This sounds super tasty. I’m wondering how long it keeps in the fridge and if it’s freezer suitable at all?
Hi Sophie! I haven’t put it in the freezer so I’m not quite sure, but because the base is sour cream, I don’t think it would work. It lasts in the fridge for about 2 weeks.
Your poblano chicken burrito recipe has this sauce in it and says the burritos are freezer friendly. Is that not true?
Hi Alli, I think it would be fine in the burritos because it’s mixed in with other foods and it doesn’t separate as bad as it would if it were just frozen on its own.
Soooooo yummy!!! I love the fact that I’m eating veggies while eating sour cream!!!
Haha, I totally agree! 🙂 So happy you liked it!
Hi, would this recipe work well for green spaghetti??