Cilantro Lime Crema – The perfect creamy and zesty addition to any Mexican recipe is this fresh Cilantro Lime Crema. Made with cashews, this recipe is dairy free and naturally gluten free. Loaded with nutrients, you’ll never feel guilty piling it on top of your dish.
What Exactly is Cilantro Lime Crema?
This recipe for Cilantro Lime Crema is basically a savory limey-sour-cream-like sauce. it can easily take the place of sour cream and cheese in most recipes. It’s so good you’ll want to start drizzling it on everything from baked potatoes to whole grain dinner bowls.
Of course, I get in the habit of automatically soaking the cashews for this recipe the minute I decide we’re having Mexican. You can easily serve this on top of our Homemade Chicken Enchiladas, as another layout to this 7 Layer Dip, or on the side of our homemade Corn Tortilla Chips and Guacamole.
How to Make Cilantro Lime Crema:
In just a few simple steps, you can make your own recipe for Cilantro Lime Crema. Then, serve it up with some of your favorite Mexican recipes.
#1: Start by Soaking the Cashews to Soften Them
Soaking cashews in hot water breaks down the cashew so it’s easier to cream in a high speed blender. If you don’t soak them long enough, there may be small bits of nuts in your crema. So, take the time to soak the cashews for the best consistency.
#2: Use a High Speed Blender
We love having a blender at home. But, there is a big difference between our old Ninja Blender and a high-quality, high speed blender. We use a high speed blender for lots of recipes on this site including desserts and smoothies. Checking out this blender-based Grain Free Brownie Recipe.
Best Dishes to Serve with Cilantro Lime Crema
Cilantro Lime Crema is just a simple condiment but it adds so much flavor to any recipe you make. Here are some of my favorite Mexican recipes:
- Homemade Chicken Enchiladas are perfectly baked and loaded with tender, juicy chicken.
- Try these Street Tacos with Chicken for a new appetizer or side dish.
- Delicious layered, this 7 Layer Dip can be served on lettuce or topped with this cilantro lime crema.
- A great vegetarian, these loaded Stuffed Peppers with Mexican black beans and seasoning is perfecto!
- Make stacked nachos using these homemade Corn Tortilla Chips and Guacamole.
Looking for more inspiration? Check out this Taste of Home Top 60 Mexican Recipes.
Kitchen Favorites
Cilantro Lime Crema
Cilantro Lime Crema is the perfect blend of lime, crema and fresh chopped cilantro to add to any Mexican-inspired recipe, especially nachos!
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 10 minutes
- Yield: 4-6 1x
- Category: Condiment
- Method: Blender
- Cuisine: Mexican
- Diet: Vegan
Ingredients
- 1 cup raw cashews*
- 1/2 cup cold water
- 3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon raw honey
- Sea salt, to taste
- Fresh cilantro, chopped
Instructions
- In a small saucepan, add 2 cups of water and bring to a boil. Turn off the heat and add the 1 cup of raw cashews to the hot water to soak for 30-90 minutes.
- Then, drain the cashews.
- To a high speed blender, add the cashews, 1/2 cup cold water, lime juice, olive oil, honey and sea salt. Process until smooth and creamy.
- Add the Lime Crema to a small bowl and mix in fresh cilantro, to taste.
Notes
*In order to have creamy Cilantro Lime Crema, soak the raw cashews in hot water for 30-90 minutes
This dairy free sour cream recipe will keep for up to a week if stored in the refrigerator in a mason jar.
Keywords: Cilantro Lime Crema
Try Making Your Own Condiments
Now that you can see how easy it is to make healthy condiments at home, have you considered making others?
In general, we know that store bought, packaged and processed typically means unhealthy. Unless, of course, you purchase from Primal Kitchen. Which definitely gets our seal of approval.
But it’s not common for condiments to be clean. Plus, we certainly don’t want to waste our time looking when we can make healthier versions at home.
Check out our Hummus and Dips recipes here at Clean Cuisine. They are are made with healthy ingredients that are easy to find.
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