Avocado Crema Recipe: 3 Ways to Serve the Condiment

Avocado crema is a rich condiment featuring creamy avocado and cultured dairy. Like a cross between guacamole and regular Mexican crema, it combines rich, ripe avocado with tangy cultured cream—traditionally made with heavy cream, buttermilk, lime juice, and salt.

Typically used as a garnish or condiment after cooking, avocado crema adds a rich and tangy bite to soups, vegetables, and tacos. Here are a few ways to incorporate avocado crema into your repertoire:

1. 1. As a dipping sauce or drizzle: Serve avocado crema alongside tortilla chips, spicy grilled cheese sandwiches, or hot wings for dipping, or use it as a finishing sauce over roasted veggies, grilled seafood, enchiladas, or burrito bowls.
2. 2. To add flavor or tame spice: Cooling dairy products can counter the burn of a spicy dish. Crema has a high fat content, so it won’t curdle when stirred into warm dishes like frijoles de la olla or pozole. You can also use crema to tame the heat in spicier Mexican foods, like stuffed poblano peppers, or add a tangy note to burritos.
3. 3. To balance a dish: Drizzle crema over nachos, quesadillas, or tostadas for a cool, mellow streak or play off the pickled red onions, tangy, citrusy slaw, and the battered crunch of Baja–style fish tacos.

For easy garnishing, keep avocado crema stored in a squeeze bottle. Here are a few other tips for making the condiment:

1. 1. Use ripe avocados. Unripe avocados won’t break down properly when blended, remaining stringy, watery, and mildly bitter. A ripe avocado will still feel firm but give slightly when pressed with a finger. Here’s how to tell if an avocado is ripe.
2. 2. Purée the avocado for a seamless, smooth consistency. Part of the appeal of regular crema is its runny, pourable consistency, but mashing an avocado into the mix with a fork gives the crema a lumpy, grainy texture. Purée the avocado with lime juice in a blender or food processor before using for ultra-smooth results.
3. 3. Use homemade or store-bought crema. While it’s easy to whip up a batch of homemade crema, it does require some planning ahead for the cream mixture to set. Many grocery stores and Latin markets carry plain crema if you’re short on time. You can substitute sour cream, plain Greek yogurt, or crème fraîche, adjusting the consistency as needed with additional lime juice or water.
4. 4. Add spices for additional flavor. To build on a traditional avocado lime crema, add your favorite spices. A teaspoon of ground cumin or garlic powder can add depth of flavor.

Avocado crema is a rich condiment featuring creamy avocado and cultured dairy. Like a cross between guacamole and regular Mexican crema, it combines rich, ripe avocado with tangy cultured cream—traditionally made with heavy cream, buttermilk, lime juice, and salt.

Typically used as a garnish or condiment after cooking, avocado crema adds a rich and tangy bite to soups, vegetables, and tacos. Here are a few ways to incorporate avocado crema into your repertoire:

1. 1. As a dipping sauce or drizzle: Serve avocado crema alongside tortilla chips, spicy grilled cheese sandwiches, or hot wings for dipping, or use it as a finishing sauce over roasted veggies, grilled seafood, enchiladas, or burrito bowls.
2. 2. To add flavor or tame spice: Cooling dairy products can counter the burn of a spicy dish. Crema has a high fat content, so it won’t curdle when stirred into warm dishes like frijoles de la olla or pozole. You can also use crema to tame the heat in spicier Mexican foods, like stuffed poblano peppers, or add a tangy note to burritos.
3. 3. To balance a dish: Drizzle crema over nachos, quesadillas, or tostadas for a cool, mellow streak or play off the pickled red onions, tangy, citrusy slaw, and the battered crunch of Baja–style fish tacos.

For easy garnishing, keep avocado crema stored in a squeeze bottle. Here are a few other tips for making the condiment:

1. 1. Use ripe avocados. Unripe avocados won’t break down properly when blended, remaining stringy, watery, and mildly bitter. A ripe avocado will still feel firm but give slightly when pressed with a finger. Here’s how to tell if an avocado is ripe.
2. 2. Purée the avocado for a seamless, smooth consistency. Part of the appeal of regular crema is its runny, pourable consistency, but mashing an avocado into the mix with a fork gives the crema a lumpy, grainy texture. Purée the avocado with lime juice in a blender or food processor before using for ultra-smooth results.
3. 3. Use homemade or store-bought crema. While it’s easy to whip up a batch of homemade crema, it does require some planning ahead for the cream mixture to set. Many grocery stores and Latin markets carry plain crema if you’re short on time. You can substitute sour cream, plain Greek yogurt, or crème fraîche, adjusting the consistency as needed with additional lime juice or water.
4. 4. Add spices for additional flavor. To build on a traditional avocado lime crema, add your favorite spices. A teaspoon of ground cumin or garlic powder can add depth of flavor.