Smoky Red Pepper Crema
This post may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Please read my disclosure.My delicious smoky red pepper crema recipe is incredibly versatile and guaranteed to become your new favorite condiment! I love drizzling it on tacos, tossing with pasta, spreading on sandwiches, or using as a dipping sauce with chips or fries. It’s perfect for anyone looking for a sauce to amp up the flavor of just about any dish!
Smoky red crema is a classic Mexican sauce made with red peppers or tomatoes, olive oil, and fresh herbs. It’s rich, slightly sweet, super smoky, and a little spicy too. You can typically find it canned in the Mexican aisle of your grocery store.
It’s so good that HelloFresh actually started including a smoked red pepper version with some of their meals, and everyone fell in love! So I decided to create my own Hello Fresh red pepper crema copycat recipe that’s just as delicious but healthier and more budget-friendly too.
It turned out amazing and it’s really easy to make! Whether you use it as a dip or slather it all over your favorite vegetarian meals, this tasty sauce can take any dish from boring to incredible with just a little drizzle.
👩🏽🍳 Why I Love This Recipe
My smoky red pepper crema HelloFresh copycat recipe showcases the slightly sweet and savory flavor of roasted red bell pepper! It’s blended until smooth along with the perfect combination of sour cream, mayo, and smoked paprika. I’ve found that it’s a great way to infuse a lot of taste to almost any dish using simple ingredients.
My sauce is restaurant-worthy, but it’s so simple to make and doesn’t require any fancy equipment. You don’t even need to be an experienced cook to make this recipe – by following my steps I guarantee it will turn out perfectly every time. I’ve used this recipe many times to impress friends and family – it’s always a hit!
I also love that when I make smoked red pepper crema from scratch I can control the ingredients, ensuring it’s healthier than store-bought versions that often contain additives and preservatives. You can also use low-fat sour cream and light mayo to reduce the calorie content.
Plus, it’s easy to customize. I can make the sauce spicier, sweeter, or smokier to go with different recipes and tastes. If needed, I can also make the recipe vegan with a few simple swaps.
I’ll often serve it as an a dip with my air fryer tortilla chips or my vegan roasted potatoes, but I’ve used it in all kinds of other dishes as well. See my notes below on how to make different variations and other serving suggestions too!
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🥘 Ingredients
You only need a few basic ingredients to make my easy red pepper crema recipe. You likely have most of them already on hand. See the recipe card at the bottom of the post for the exact amounts and nutritional information.
Red Bell Peppers: My roasted red pepper crema gets the bulk of its flavor from the peppers. They add a lot of the smoky flavor and a bit of sweetness.
Olive Oil: I use olive oil to roast the peppers and enhance their flavor. You can use any neutral oil you like.
Sour Cream & Mayo: Sour cream provides a bit of tangy flavor, and I combine it with mayo to create the traditional flavor of Mexican crema. The creamy mayo gives my recipe the perfect texture and more flavor.
Smoked Paprika: This is a key ingredient for my crema! Smoked paprika rounds out the sauce with a little bit of deep smoky spice and sweetness.
Garlic Powder: A little garlic powder adds an intense, concentrated garlic flavor.
Lime Juice: This ingredient is optional, but I highly recommend it. A squeeze of lime juice adds a layer of citrusy, fresh flavor that makes the sauce pop.
🔪 How To Make Red Pepper Crema
Learning how to make smoky red pepper crema is easy if you follow my simple instructions. Watch my video below to see the step-by-step process in action!
Roast The Bell Peppers: To begin, I preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit (190 degrees Celsius). Then I coat the bell peppers in oil, place them on a baking sheet, and roast them in the oven for 40 minutes, turning them halfway to ensure even cooking.
Transfer The Peppers: Once roasted, I remove the peppers from the oven and place them, while still hot into a bowl, and cover it with plastic wrap.
Cool And Peel: First, I allow the bell peppers in the bowl to cool for 10-15 minutes. Then I remove the stems, seeds, and charred skin from the peppers and cut them into slices.
Dry The Peppers: After the peppers are peeled and sliced, I pat them dry with a paper towel.
Blend The Sauce: I place the roasted peppers and all the remaining ingredients into a food processor and blend until smooth.
Serve: Once the sauce is blended, I taste it, adjust the seasoning as needed, and mix in some lime juice. I then serve it immediately or store it in the fridge.
💭 Expert Tips
My #1 Secret Tip when making this recipe is to roast the peppers thoroughly and turn them over halfway through the cooking time.
Properly roasting the peppers brings out their natural sweetness that gives the crema its distinctive taste, so you don’t want to skip this step!
Other Tips To Keep In Mind:
- Steam For Easy Peeling: It’s important to let the roasted peppers sit covered in a bowl to let the steam help loosen the skins. Trust me, this makes peeling them much easier.
- Remove Excess Moisture: I always pat the roasted peppers dry with a paper towel. This helps achieve a thicker, creamier consistency. Excess moisture can dilute the flavors and make the crema too runny.
- Adjust Consistency: If the crema is too thick, I add a splash of water or vegetable stock to thin it out. For a thicker consistency, I blend the ingredients for a shorter time or reduce the amount of liquid.
- Season To Taste: I recommend starting with the basic seasonings and adjusting according to your taste. Remember, you can always add more.
- Use Store-Bought Roasted Peppers: If you’re short on time, you can use a jar of roasted red peppers. Drain and pat them dry to remove excess moisture, ensuring your crema stays thick and flavorful.
📖 Variations
Spicy Smoky Red Crema: When I want more spice, I’ll add more heat with some chili powder, cayenne pepper, white pepper, or hot sauce. Just be sure to add small amounts at a time and do a taste test before adding more.
Adobo Chipotle Crema: Mix in some ground chipotle peppers in adobo sauce for more heat and smokiness. Keep in mind that chipotle peppers are hot! When making adobo crema I only add a little chipotle.
Lower Calorie Crema: To make this recipe even healthier, I sometimes use low fat or fat free sour cream, and light mayo. This cuts back on the calories and fat.
Roasted Poblano Pepper Crema: Poblano peppers provide a mild heat between bell peppers and jalapeños. To make this variation, I substitute the red bell peppers and smoked paprika with roasted poblano peppers.
Vegan Red Pepper Crema: To make it vegan I simply use vegan sour cream and vegan mayo.
Red Pepper Sour Cream: Omit the mayo completely and double the amount of sour cream to create a smoky-flavored sour cream.
Red Crema Substitute: When I’m short on time, I’ll use what I have on hand to make a smoky red pepper crema substitute. I’ll mix some mayo and sour cream with smoked paprika, cayenne pepper, black pepper, sriracha sauce, or other hot sauces.
🍽 Serving Suggestions
My HelloFresh smoky red pepper crema copycat recipe is super versatile. You can use it as a dip, sauce, or condiment for many different dishes. Here are some of my favorite ways to use this smoky sauce:
As A Dipping Sauce: Use it as a flavorful dip for chips, vegetable sticks, or my air fried sweet potato fries. It’s also yummy with my vegan sausage balls and air fryer smashed potatoes.
On Pasta And Veggies: For a simple meal you can simply toss it with some boiled homemade vegan pasta. You can also mix it into my vegan pasta primavera or red lentil pasta. Another way to enjoy this sauce is drizzled over my healthy mashed potatoes, baked tofu steaks, or roasted vegetables.
On Sandwiches: Spread some on your sandwiches or wraps for an extra burst of flavor. Try it on my vegan chicken sandwich, vegan hummus avocado wrap, or spicy black bean burgers.
On Mexican Dishes: Drizzle some red pepper crema sauce over my sweet potato tacos or crispy potato tacos. It’s great on other Mexican favorites too like my black bean quesadillas and vegetarian flautas.
On Entrees: It enhances the flavors and adds a creamy, smoky element to any dish. Use it as a finishing touch on chicken, salmon, portobello mushroom steaks, or roasted cauliflower steaks.
🧊 Storage Directions
To store, I put the crema in an airtight container and then keep it in the fridge for up to 5 days. I don’t recommend freezing this sauce as it will change in texture and flavor.
❓Recipe FAQs
WHY WON’T THE SKIN PEEL OFF OF THE PEPPERS WHEN I ROAST THEM?
If the skin won’t easily peel off, the peppers may not have been roasted long enough. I make sure the skins are charred and blistered all over. It’s also important to immediately place the hot peppers in a bowl and cover them with plastic wrap or a lid to steam for 10-15 minutes.
WHY IS MY CREMA WATERY?
Your crema might be watery if the roasted peppers weren’t properly dried before blending. You can thicken it by blending in more sour cream or mayo.
WHY DID MY CREMA SEPARATE?
Crema can separate if there’s too much liquid or if it wasn’t blended well enough. If it separates after sitting, I just give it a good stir before using it again.
CAN I GRILL THE PEPPERS INSTEAD OF ROASTING THEM?
Yes, you can grill the peppers instead of roasting them in the oven. When I do this, I place the peppers directly on the grill over medium-high heat, turning occasionally until the skins are charred and blistered. Then I’ll follow the same steps for steaming, peeling, and blending.
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📋 Recipe Card
🎥 Watch How to Make It
Smoky Red Pepper Crema
My delicious smoky red pepper crema recipe is incredibly versatile and guaranteed to become your new favorite condiment! I love drizzling it on tacos, tossing with pasta, spreading on sandwiches, or using as a dipping sauce with chips or fries. It's perfect for anyone looking for a sauce to amp up the flavor of just about any dish!
Servings: 16 tablespoons
Calories: 35kcal
Ingredients
- 2 red bell peppers
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- ½ cup sour cream can use low fat or fat free sour cream
- ¼ cup mayo can use light mayo
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp lime juice optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F / 190 C.
- Coat the bell peppers in the oil, place on a baking sheet and roast for 40 minutes. Turning half way to ensure even cooking.
- Remove and place the peppers, while still hot into a bowl, and cover with plastic wrap.
- Allow the bell peppers to cool for 10-15 minutes.
- Remove the stems, seeds and skin from the bell peppers and cut into slices.
- Pat dry with kitchen paper.
- Place all ingredients into a food processor and blend until smooth.
- Adjust seasoning to taste.
Notes
- Drying the roasted peppers helps to reduce the moisture content.
- Add some cayenne pepper to spice it up a little.
- Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
- Due to the dairy component, this recipe doesn’t freeze well.
- Don’t let water get into your crema while storing or it will spoil faster.
Nutrition
Serving: 1tablespoon | Calories: 35kcal | Carbohydrates: 2g | Protein: 0.4g | Fat: 3g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 0.002g | Cholesterol: 5mg | Sodium: 105mg | Potassium: 46mg | Fiber: 0.4g | Sugar: 1g
This red pepper crema was soooo delish! Obsessed!
Yay! Thank you Paula!
This is too good. Perfect balance of spice and flavor.
Thanks so much Lubna!
Wow – I did not know you could make such a creamy red pepper crema! It was so smooth and light – and it was just perfect as a spread on my sandwich!
Awesome! That’s so great to hear – thanks for letting me know!
This was seriously so good, I added some cayenne to spice it up! There’s nothing better to drizzle on tacos!
Yay! Thanks Emily!
it is after midnight and i don’t have any mayo, can i just use more sour cream?
Hi Rose! You can certainly try, but the crema might turn out to be too sour or have the wrong consistency. I haven’t tested it with only sour cream so I can’t tell you for sure how it would taste. If you do try it with only sour cream let me know how it turns out, but if you have time to pick up the mayo tomorrow – I’d recommend using the mayo! Hope that helps!
This dip is so versatile! Chips, carrots, etc – you name it! Plus, I love how creamy the sour cream makes it. Yum!
Totally!! Thanks so much! 🙂
Amazing base (I loaded mine with garlic and anchi chili powder), and one I’m bookmarking for future reference!
I can’t wait until summer when I can roast the peppers over charcoal while I’m cooking the steak (that will be the recipent of the sauce). 🙂
Thanks!!!
Aw yay!! I’m so happy to hear that Bill – thanks for letting me know! 🙂
This crema was the perfect sauce to drizzle over our tacos. Loved the smokiness! I added a few dashes of hot sauce to spice it up even more. Thanks!
Awesome! So happy to hear that Sharon – thanks for letting me know!
Tomorrow is taco night and I am excited to try this delicious red pepper crema. I know it will be a hit!
Yay! This works great on tacos – I’m sure you will love it!
Oh wow… this is one of the best crema recipes that I have ever seen! That smoky flavor must be amazing!
Awesome!! Yes it really is and it tastes good with so many dishes! Enjoy!