Chipotle Garlic Sour Cream Sauce Recipe
This chipotle sauce with garlic and sour cream is a creamy, smoky, and spicy condiment perfect for enhancing tacos, burritos, grilled meats, roasted vegetables, and as a flavorful dip. Made with chipotle peppers in adobo, garlic, sour cream, and a blend of spices, it offers a balanced heat with a tangy and smoky profile, ready in about 10 minutes.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 0 minutes
- Total Time: 10 minutes
- Yield: About 8 servings (approximately 2 tablespoons per serving) 1x
- Category: Sauce
- Method: Blending
- Cuisine: Mexican-inspired
Ingredients
Scale
Sauce Base
- 1 cup sour cream
- ¼ cup mayonnaise
Chipotle and Spices
- 2 whole chipotle peppers in adobo
- 1 tbsp adobo sauce (from the chipotle peppers)
- 2 cloves garlic, minced (or roasted for a milder flavor)
- 1 tbsp fresh lime juice
- ½ tsp smoked paprika
- ½ tsp cumin
- ½ tsp salt, or to taste
Optional
- 1 tbsp olive oil (optional, to adjust texture if needed)
Instructions
- Prep the garlic & chipotles: Roast garlic cloves over medium heat until golden and soft for a milder flavor, or use raw minced garlic. Roughly chop the chipotle peppers so they blend more easily.
- Blend the base: Combine sour cream, mayonnaise, chopped chipotle peppers with adobo sauce, garlic, lime juice, smoked paprika, cumin, and salt in a blender or food processor. Blend until smooth, about 30–60 seconds depending on your blender.
- Taste and adjust: Sample the sauce and adjust heat by adding more chipotle peppers or adobo sauce if desired, or mellow the spice by adding more sour cream. Adjust salt and lime juice to suit your taste.
- Check consistency: If the sauce is too thick, add a splash of olive oil or a teaspoon of water and blend briefly to incorporate and achieve desired texture.
- Store and chill: Transfer the sauce to an airtight container and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes to allow flavors to meld before serving.
Notes
- Use canned chipotle peppers in adobo for convenience and authentic smoky flavor.
- For a healthier alternative, substitute sour cream and mayonnaise with Greek yogurt to reduce calories and increase protein.
- Store sauce in an airtight container in the fridge for 5-7 days; flavor improves after resting for a day.
- This sauce works well as a marinade, particularly for chicken or shrimp.
- Adjust the spiciness gradually to your preference to avoid overly hot sauce.
Keywords: chipotle sauce, garlic sauce, sour cream dip, spicy sauce, creamy chipotle dip, taco sauce, burrito sauce, smoky sauce, easy sauce, chipotle adobo, dipping sauce
