Easy to make and packed with flavor, this creamy poblano sauce is the perfect way to add vibrant flavor to any meal. Earthy poblano peppers are charred under a broiler then blended with sour cream, cilantro, and lime zest and juice until super smooth. Salt seasons while a touch of agave syrup balances the tanginess. Whip up a batch to pair with tacos, enchiladas, salads, or tofu scrambles.
If I meal prep one thing these days, it’s usually a really flavorful sauce that I can pair with some basics in order to have a fairly quick and easy meal. This creamy poblano sauce is a recent favorite born out of a craving for all of the great salsas back in Texas! It comes together with just 6 ingredients and can easily go from vegetarian to vegan with one simple ingredient swap. And, you can completely customize the heat level by how many poblano seeds you leave in or remove!
How to Make this Recipe fit Your Needs
This recipe relies on just 6 ingredients: poblano peppers, sour cream, cilantro, limes (both zest and juice), salt, and agave syrup. Here are a few ways to adapt this recipe to fit your dietary needs:
- If you’re vegan or dairy free, you can swap a vegan sour cream for the regular sour cream. You can also use a super thick vegan yogurt but you want want to increase the amount of lime juice added to make sure you get the right level of tanginess.
- Want a higher protein sauce? Use a full fat Greek yogurt in place of the sour cream. I recommend going for full fat since the richness really adds to the flavor.
- If you’re sensitive to spicy foods, make sure to remove all of the seeds from the inside of the poblano peppers before you blend them into the sauce.
Note on using poblano peppers – you’ll need 3 large poblanos for this recipe. Each poblano was about the size of my hand for reference. You can use 4-5 medium ones instead or 5-6 smaller ones.
Key Steps in Making this Creamy Poblano Sauce
Before they’re blended into the sauce, the poblanos are broiled or charred over a burner on a gas stove until the skin is blistered and blackened. After a short steam, the skin is peeled off and discarded. At this point in the recipe, you get to choose how spicy or mild you want your sauce. Remove all of the seeds for a mild sauce, leave about half of them in for a medium heat level, or go all in for the spiciest version. I prefer a medium heat level!
Place the peeled poblanos in the blender with the remaining ingredients. For this sauce, I prefer a super smooth texture rather than a chunky one. Once the poblano sauce is blended, taste it, then add more salt, agave syrup, or lime juice as needed so that it suits your own taste buds. Store the sauce in an airtight container in the fridge and use it within a week.
Ways to Enjoy Your Creamy Poblano Sauce
- Pair it with your favorite tacos or a burrito (try it with these cauliflower ones instead of the pickled jalapeño chimichurri!)
- Thin it out with a little water or milk to use as a salad dressing (I think it would be amazing with this roasted sweet potato and black bean quinoa salad)
- Use it as a dip for chips, raw veggies, or roasted potato wedges
- Spread it onto a sandwich
- Dollop onto eggs or a tofu scramble
- Drizzle it over enchiladas
Looking for a more traditional tomato based salsa? Try my roasted garden salsa with serrano peppers, garlic, and onion!
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Creamy Poblano Sauce
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 2 cups 1x
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
Easy to make and packed with flavor, this creamy poblano sauce is the perfect way to add vibrant flavor to any meal. Earthy poblano peppers are charred under a broiler then blended with sour cream, cilantro, and lime zest and juice until super smooth. Salt seasons while a touch of agave syrup balances the tanginess.
Ingredients
- 3 large poblano peppers
- 8 ounces sour cream
- 1/2 cup cilantro leaves, packed
- 1–2 limes
- Sea salt, to taste
- 1 teaspoon agave syrup, plus more to taste
Instructions
Turn your broiler on to high. Place the peppers on an unlined baking sheet (the broiler can cause parchment to catch on fire so skip it here). Broil the poblanos, checking and turning them every 3-5 minutes, until the skin is evenly blackened and blistered. Remove the peppers and place them in a bowl. Cover the bowl with a lid or plastic wrap to allow them to steam for a minimum of 10 minutes.
After 10 minutes, carefully remove the peel and the stems. Depending on how spicy you want the sauce, leave the seeds intact (spiciest), or remove some (medium) or all of them (mild).
Place the peeled peppers in a blender followed by the sour cream, cilantro leaves, the zest and juice of 1 lime, a pinch of salt, and the agave. Blend until smooth. Taste and add more salt, agave, or lime juice as needed.
Store in the fridge in an airtight container and use within a week.
Notes
- For a thinner salad dressing consistency, add water, milk or cream to thin it down.
- If your poblanos aren’t large, use 4-5 medium ones or 5-6 smaller ones.
- Use vegan sour cream or thick vegan yogurt in place of the sour cream for a dairy free option.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 10-15 minutes
- Category: sauce
