This Easy Garlic Lime Crema is creamy, tangy, and loaded with fresh garlic and lime flavor. It takes just five minutes to throw together using ingredients you probably already have in your fridge.

Bowl of garlic lime crema with some limes, a citrus squeezer and a garlic press

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What Is Crema?

Crema is a creamy and tangy condiment that’s especially popular in Mexican cuisine. It’s cool and refreshing and it helps tone down spicy dishes. You can drizzle over tacos or some Blackstone fajitas, or add a dollop to a stew or soup.

The first time I made garlic lime crema was a typical Taco Tuesday at home. Tacos are a great weeknight meal because they cook up so fast and everyone loves them. We usually just open up a container of sour cream, but I was in the mood for something a little different.

So I grabbed a lime from the fridge and a couple cloves of garlic. I combined some sour cream with the lime juice and pressed the garlic into the mixture along with a pinch of salt.

BAM! In less than five minutes I had upgraded those simple ingredients into a flavor-packed topping that the whole family loved.

How To Make Garlic Lime Crema

The beauty of this recipe is that it takes less than five minutes to prepare and you only need four basic ingredients that you probably already have in your kitchen.

It’s light and refreshing, and because it’s homemade you know it will be healthier than store bought stuff full of preservatives.

Ingredients

Sour cream – I prefer to use light sour cream because it’s lower in calories, but if you prefer regular sour cream go for it.
Lime – Skip the pre-bottled lime juice you see in the supermarket and get a real lime. The juice will be fresher and more flavorful, plus you can add the zest which packs even more flavor.
Garlic – I like to use a garlic press like this one because it turns the garlic into a paste that mixes into the sour cream really well. If you don’t have a press you can use a knife to mince the garlic into tiny pieces. Can you use garlic powder instead of freshly pressed garlic? Yes, if you’re all out of fresh garlic you can substitute garlic powder in its place. But the flavor won’t be quite the same so use fresh if you’ve got it.
Salt – Kosher salt is preferable but use whatever you’ve got on hand.

Simply combine all the ingredients into a glass bowl and mix well until it has a uniform and creamy texture. Sprinkle a little zest on top to add a pop of color.

Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week. A plastic squeeze bottle makes for super convenient serving.

Where To Use Garlic Lime Crema

The best thing about this garlic lime crema is that it goes well in so many dishes. Try adding it to:

Chicken and steak fajitas
Fish Tacos
Chicken tortilla soup
Veggie dip with crudités
Spicy chili
As salad dressing