If you’ve got 10 minutes to spare, you can make this smooth Avocado Crema that stays bright and creamy without the bite of raw garlic.
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I first made this Avocado Crema to replace refried beans as the base for my Chile Lime Shrimp Tostadas. Refried beans are the usual base that holds everything together on a tostada, but with delicate seafood beans are too overwhelming in both flavor and texture. This crema works so much better: cool and mild enough to enhance the shrimp, but thick enough to keep the toppings in place. And once I had it in the refrigerator, I found myself reaching for it constantly: spooned over black beans, spread on a turkey sandwich, dolloped onto tacos instead of my typical sour cream.
Avocado Crema gets confused with guacamole all the time, but it’s not the same at all. Where guacamole is chunky and bold, crema is silky smooth and mild enough to work as a spread on sandwiches and tostadas, or anywhere you want avocado flavor without a chunky texture. And it’s a rare occasion where I prefer garlic powder to fresh garlic. It adds just a hint of garlic flavor without taking over.
Table of Contents
Avocado Crema Ingredients
- Fresh Avocado: Choose an avocado that’s ripe enough to yield slightly when you press near the stem. Too firm and the crema will be grainy; overripe and it will be too thin with dull color.
- Sour Cream, Mexican Crema, or Greek Yogurt: Use whatever you prefer or have on hand. Sour cream gives you a thicker, richer spread; Greek yogurt makes it a little tangier; Mexican crema falls somewhere in between.
- Fresh Lime Juice: It’s worth squeezing fresh lime juice for crema. Bottled juice works, but the flavor won’t be the same.
- Garlic Powder: This is a rare case where garlic powder is better. Fresh garlic is too strong and sharp for delicate crema.
- Ground Cumin: Just a tiny amount of cumin adds a little earthiness to offset the bright flavor of lime.
- Fine Sea Salt: Be sure to use sea salt, not iodized table salt. Keep in mind that lime juice and sour cream both bring some saltiness, so add salt with caution.
How to Make Avocado Crema
Blend, Season, and Serve: Place the avocado, sour cream, lime juice, and spices in a blender or small food processor. Process until completely smooth. Taste and add salt before serving.
Pro Tips
- Adjust Freely: Both the sour cream and lime juice amounts are a starting point. Adjust either to match the flavor and consistency you’re after.
- Best Blending Options: A mini food processor or immersion blender works better for making crema than a full-sized blender. With such a small volume, a standard blender blade can struggle to blend it until smooth without a lot of manual help with a rubber spatula.
Make-Ahead and Storage
Avocado Crema holds its color better than guacamole, but it’s still best the day you make it. Refrigerate leftover crema in a small container with plastic wrap pressed directly against the surface. It will keep for up to 1 day.
More Essential Mexican Condiments
Avocado Crema
Ingredients
- 1 medium avocado
- 1/3 cup sour cream or Mexican crema or plain Greek yogurt
- 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
- fine sea salt to taste
Instructions
- In a blender or small food processor, combine avocado, sour cream, lime juice, garlic, and cumin. Blend until smooth. Season to taste with salt and serve.
Notes
- For the smoothest crema with such a small volume of ingredients, use a mini food processor or immersion blender rather than a full-sized blender.
- Press plastic wrap directly against the surface before refrigerating, not just over the top of the container. The crema will stay bright for up to 24 hours.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
