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If you, like me, have ever found yourself standing at a taco truck drowning a carne asada taco in a light green, creamy jalapeno sauce, offered up in a squeeze bottle– this is the recipe FOR YOU!
This thick and creamy, super SPICY, bursting-with-jalapeno green sauce is GOOD ON EVERYTHING from chips to tacos.
When I fall in love with a sauce or dip I naturally want to be able to cook it myself, and usually, it’s no problem after 14 years as a professional chef, but this homemade jalapeno sauce recipe was tricky to reverse-engineer.
When people see the white-green and creamy whipped texture of this sauce it’s natural to assume it’s made with sour cream, avocado, or mayonnaise, none of which would be correct. I know because I tried them all without success. 🙁 These sauce creations were tasty, but they didn’t quite mimic the jalapeno sauce I had grown to crave from my favorite taqueria.
I finally found my savior in the form of a Tex-mex restaurant owner who was serving this exact same sauce as a jalapeno dip (along with chips and salsa) at a restaurant in north Texas. I begged him to help me out and he laughed as he explained how his cooks prepare the jalapeno sauce each morning over the grill.
Whether served as a spicy dip or taco truck green sauce it is made in exactly the same fashion with the same cast of ingredients—jalapenos, onion, garlic, oil, salt, and lime juice.
How To Make Creamy Jalapeno Sauce:
First the jalapeno, garlic and onions are cooked. My restaurant friend grills them until soft but as I’ve learned this really doesn’t impart a different flavor to the final dip, so I prefer boiling them unless I have the grill already going for another dish.
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These soft veggies are transferred to a high-powered blender and transformed into a puree. I use this high-powered Blendtec Blender for all my sauces and soups to create a smooth and silky puree.
Then an emulsion is created by slowly drizzling in oil. The oil blended into the puree creates a mayonnaise-like creaminess and dilutes the spiciness of the jalapenos making them more palatable.
To finish the sauce with a pop of flavor, we’ll season the jalapeno emulsion with plenty of salt which brings out the rich chile flavor in the jalapenos, and fresh lime juice for acidity and balance. Then pour into these wide-mouth squeeze bottles. You can buy them right here.
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Creamy Jalapeno Sauce Recipe
This thick and creamy, super SPICY, bursting-with-jalapeno green sauce is GOOD ON EVERYTHING from chips to tacos.
Ingredients
- 16 fresh jalapeno peppers
- 1 white onion
- 8 garlic cloves
- 2 t. kosher salt
- ½ c. avocado oil, or any fresh flavorless oil
- 1 ½ T. fresh lime juice (about 1 whole lime)
Instructions
Fill a large stockpot halfway with water and add 1 t. salt,
begin heating over high heat.
Meanwhile, remove the peel off one white onion and quarter
the onion, place in a bowl.
Wash the jalapeno peppers well, drain, and place in the bowl
with the onion.
From a large bulb of garlic, break up 8 cloves. You can cook
the garlic in their husks, and it will eventually fall off, so no need to peel
them. Place them in the bowl.
Take all of the vegetables in the bowl and carefully pour
them into the stockpot. Bring the water to a boil, then reduce the heat until
the water is just at a simmer.
Simmer the vegetables for approximately 20 minutes. The
jalapenos and onion should be soft, and the peppers should be an army green.
The garlic will fall from its husks. Drain the veggies from the water and place
into the bowl of a blender.
Add 2 t. kosher salt (you may want to start with 1 t. salt and
work your way up if you are using table salt to see if you need a full 2 t.). Add ½ c. avocado oil and 1 ½ T fresh lime juice.
Place the lid on the blender and blend 1 full minute. Taste
for seasoning. You may want to add additional salt or lime juice if needed. If
for any reason you need to thin the puree, add 1 T. water at a time until the
blender moves easily.
Pour the jalapeno cream into squeeze bottles and chill. This
sauce should be stored in the refrigerator and lasts about 10 days.
Sergio
Monday 26th of June 2023
I'm so glad I found this recipe. I've been looking for something that was a little more versatile and we've been putting it on tacos, fajitas, even nachos! You name the type of tex mex and we're putting it on there! The flavor and thickness of this sauce was something to behold for sure.
Aaron
Sunday 28th of May 2023
Fellow N Texan here! I love this Taqueria salsa but haven’t had any luck replicating it. I’m going to try yours. Have you ever thought about smoking the veggies to bring a smoky element to this?
Sarah Penrod
Sunday 4th of June 2023
Hi Aaron, smoking foods of all kinds is 2nd nature to my family but there can also be too much of a good thing. I haven't tried it in this recipe but for any recipes I want a smoky taste in, I certainly do!
Bob
Sunday 2nd of October 2022
Hi Sarah. This looks like an awesome recipe. I havent tried it yet but am looking for ideas as I have several gallons of jalapenos on the vine and will need something to do with them. My question is, have you tried freezing this sauce in small freezer containers for later use? Would like to know before I try it in case freezing alters the flavors. Thanks Sarah!
Sarah Penrod
Sunday 2nd of October 2022
Hi Bob, I have not tried freezing it, but I do know it can be bottled and processed with heat. I do not know if that helps. My instinct is that freezing it would be fine because it's not that different than spinach and artichoke dip (mayo and vegetable puree) and that freezes and defrosts just fine. Best of luck!
H
Friday 20th of May 2022
any idea why this came out super bitter? bad quality/too old jalapeños or cooked them for too long?
Emily
Thursday 16th of March 2023
@H, Leave out the onion and garlic. I’ve had the same thing happen with a similar recipe. Use canola oil and add water if you think it’s too thick.
Sarah Penrod
Friday 20th of May 2022
Hi H, I would try again with fresh jalapenos as we have made this recipe many times (and it's barely even a recipe, the Mexican culture makes this style of sauce often) and it has never come out bitter. Also, make sure you are not burning the garlic. (Kind of hard to do when this recipe is boiled but wanted to add that in.) Good luck, I'm sure that was just a weirdness and won't happen again! - Chef Sarah
RSter
Monday 14th of March 2022
NO LIME !! that citrus flavor totally destroys the original intent of this great salsa.
Sarah Penrod
Monday 14th of March 2022
Thanks for the tip! We appreciate that you tried our recipe. :) - Chef Sarah