No burrito is complete without this quick and easy Burrito Sauce recipe! It blends sour cream, chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, and fresh lime together to create the ultimate creamy, smoky, and slightly spicy topping for classic burritos, breakfast burritos, burrito bowls, and beyond!
Want to Save This Recipe?
Enter your email & I'll send it to your inbox. Plus, get great new recipes from me every week!
By submitting this form, you consent to receive emails from Platings + Pairings.
Ready to take your burrito game to the next level? Then let me introduce you to this 10-minute creamy Burrito Sauce recipe. With the perfect balance of smokiness, tang, and a hint of sweetness, it turns any burrito into a fiesta of flavors.
This recipe has been a game-changer in my kitchen, standing proudly next to other classic Mexican favorites like enchilada sauce and salsa. Beyond burritos, I’ve found it equally delightful drizzled over tacos, as a dip for quesadillas, and even as a zesty topping for grilled veggies.
Whether you’re looking to spice up your weeknight dinners, Cinco de Mayo feast, or impress at your next BBQ, this burrito sauce should be your new go-to condiment. Trust me, once you try it, you’ll want to put it on all the things!
Ingredients
- Sour cream – You can use regular or fat-free sour cream for the creamy, tangy base. For a lighter option, substitute Greek yogurt.
- Mayonnaise – Regular or fat-free if you prefer a lighter option.
- Chipotle peppers in adobo sauce – These smoky peppers and sauce give the burrito sauce a well-balanced smoky heat and a great depth of flavor. You can usually find these in cans in the international aisle of well-stocked grocery stores or in Mexican markets.
- Lime – You need both the lime zest and juice to bring a hint of balancing acidity to the sauce. To get the most juice out of the lime, roll it on the counter before juicing.
- Garlic – Use fresh garlic or roasted garlic for a milder flavor.
- Cumin
- Salt
How to make burrito sauce
Place all of the burrito sauce ingredients into a blender, then blend until the sauce is completely smooth.
Taste and adjust the flavors as needed, adding more salt for balance or lime juice/zest for more acidity.
Transfer the sauce to a jar or squeeze bottle and serve it immediately or refrigerate it until you’re ready. Enjoy!
Serving suggestions
You can use this smoky, creamy Mexican-inspired condiment for almost anything! It’s obviously perfect in a fully loaded beef, chicken, or veggie burrito, but don’t stop there—this sauce can add a ton of flavor to even more meals:
- Breakfast burritos: Wake up your tastebuds by adding this sauce to your scrambled eggs, sausage, and veggie-stuffed breakfast burritos.
- Burrito bowl sauce: Skip the tortilla and build a burrito bowl with rice, beans, veggies, your favorite protein, and a generous spoonful of this sauce on top.
- Dipping sauce: It’s the perfect dipping sauce for tortilla chips, shoestring fries, zucchini fries, or smashed potatoes.
- Enchiladas: Drizzle this sauce over your red or green enchiladas before baking for an extra layer of flavor.
- Tacos: Whether you like pork, chicken, beef, street corn, or sweet potato tacos, this sauce complements them all.
- Quesadillas: Serve this sauce on the side for dipping or drizzle it inside your quesadillas.
- Grilled veggies: Drizzle it over grilled bell peppers, asparagus, or your favorite grilled veggies.
- Seafood: It pairs wonderfully with fish taco bowls, grilled salmon, or shrimp skewers. It also adds a nice smokiness to an avocado tuna salad and poached fish.
- Dressing: Drizzle it over your quinoa taco bowls, sweet potato Buddha bowls, Southwest chicken salad, stuffed poblano peppers, or migas for a smoky, creamy finishing touch.
Variations
- For a milder sauce – Only blend 1 chipotle pepper and 1 or 2 tablespoons of adobo sauce into the sauce. If you love deep, smoky flavors without the heat, swap the peppers for 2 tablespoons of smoked paprika.
- Turn up the heat – Add 1 extra chipotle pepper, a pinch of cayenne pepper, or a few splashes of Tobasco sauce.
- If the sauce is too tangy – Add a dash of sugar or honey to balance the acidity from the lime juice and adobo sauce.
- Add a handful of fresh cilantro for a burst of herbaceous freshness and flecks of green in your sauce.
- Dairy-free option – Replace the sour cream and mayonnaise with dairy-free alternatives, such as vegan sour cream, vegan mayo, cashew cream, or plain coconut yogurt.
Storing
You can prepare the sauce and store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week or freeze it for up to 3 months.
If freezing, thaw the sauce in the refrigerator overnight, then give it a good stir to make it thick and creamy once again.
More Mexican-inspired sauces
- Chipotle Crema Sauce
- Poblano Cream Sauce
- Mojo Sauce
- Baja Fish Taco Sauce
- Easy Quesadilla Sauce
- More → 15+ Tamale Sauces
Did you make this burrito sauce?
If you loved this sauce for burritos, I would appreciate it so much if you would leave a ⭐️star review⭐️! Also, be sure to snap a picture of your finished dish and share it with me on Instagram using the hashtag #platingsandpairings and tagging me @platingsandpairings.
For more great Platings & Pairings recipes, be sure to follow me on Pinterest, Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, and TikTok.
Burrito Sauce
Ingredients
- ¾ cup sour cream (regular or fat-free)
- 2 Tablespoons mayonnaise (regular or fat-free)
- 2 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
- 3 Tablespoons adobo sauce
- 1 lime (zested and juiced)
- 1 clove garlic (peeled)
- ¼ teaspoon cumin (optional)
- Salt (to taste)
Instructions
- Place all of the ingredients in a blender or food processor and blend until smooth. Season with salt, to taste.
- Transfer to a jar or squeeze bottle and serve immediately, or refrigerate until ready to serve.
Notes
- For a milder sauce – Only blend 1 chipotle pepper and 1 or 2 tablespoons of adobo sauce into the sauce. If you love deep, smoky flavors without the heat, swap the peppers for 2 tablespoons of smoked paprika.
- Turn up the heat – Add 1 extra chipotle pepper, a pinch of cayenne pepper, or a few splashes of Tobasco sauce.
- If the sauce is too tangy – Add a dash of sugar or honey to balance the acidity from the lime juice and adobo sauce.
- Add a handful of fresh cilantro for a burst of herbaceous freshness and flecks of green in your sauce.
- Dairy-free option – Replace the sour cream and mayonnaise with dairy-free alternatives, such as vegan sour cream, vegan mayo, cashew cream, or plain coconut yogurt.
- You can prepare the sauce and store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week or freeze it for up to 3 months.
- If freezing, thaw the sauce in the refrigerator overnight, then give it a good stir to make it thick and creamy once again.
I’ll have to see where I can get adobo. This sounds like a great sauce that can be used on a variety of different things. I usually just use hot sauce and it is nice to mix things up a bit.