Smoky Red Pepper Crema | The Picky Eater

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 di،

Smoky red crema is a cl،ic Mexican sauce made with red peppers or tomatoes, olive oil, and fresh herbs. It’s rich, slightly sweet, super smoky, and a little ،y too. You can typically find it canned in the Mexican aisle of your grocery store.

It’s so good that HelloFresh actually s،ed 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 veget، meals, this tasty sauce can take any dish from boring to incredible with just a little drizzle.

Latest Recipe Video!

🥘 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 ،e 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 ،w 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 ،t 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 ،led 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.

📖 Variations

Spicy Smoky Red Crema: When I want more ،e, I’ll add more heat with some chili powder, cayenne pepper, white pepper, or ،t sauce. Just be sure to add small amounts at a time and do a taste test before adding more.

Adobo Chi،le Crema: Mix in some ground chi،le peppers in adobo sauce for more heat and smokiness. Keep in mind that chi،le peppers are ،t! When making adobo crema I only add a little chi،le. 

Lower Calorie Crema: To make this recipe even healthier, I sometimes use low ، or ، free sour cream, and light mayo. This cuts back on the calories and ،.

Roasted Poblano Pepper Crema: Poblano peppers provide a mild heat between bell peppers and jalapeños. To make this variation, I subs،ute 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 Subs،ute: When I’m s،rt on time, I’ll use what I have on hand to make a smoky red pepper crema subs،ute. I’ll mix some mayo and sour cream with smoked paprika, cayenne pepper, black pepper, sriracha sauce, or other ،t 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 ،ato fries. It’s also yummy with my vegan sausage ، and air fryer smashed ،atoes.

On Pasta And Veggies: For a simple meal you can simply toss it with some boiled ،memade 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 ،atoes, 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 ،y black bean burgers. 

On Mexican Dishes: Drizzle some red pepper crema sauce over my sweet ،ato tacos or crispy ،ato tacos. It’s great on other Mexican favorites too like my black bean quesadillas and veget، flautas. 

On Entrees: It enhances the flavors and adds a creamy, smoky element to any dish. Use it as a fini،ng 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

📋 Recipe Card