Look out tacos and enchiladas, there’s a new condiment in town! This avocado crema is SO delicious and endlessly versatile! We’ve been enjoying it for years and decided it needed its own dedicated space on the blog. With a few tweaks to maximize flavor and ensure success every time, it’s here!
This crema is bright, fresh, perfectly rich and creamy, and plant-based, too! Bonus points? It only requires 25 minutes, 6 ingredients, and 1 blender. Let’s do this thing!
What is Avocado Crema?
Avocado crema is a creamy, slightly tangy dip or sauce starring avocado. It’s similar to guacamole but is extra smooth, creamy, and lightened up. We love it for topping tacos, bowls, and more!
While it’s most commonly made with sour cream, the following is our inspired take relying on plant-based, whole food ingredients.
How to Make Avocado Crema
This 6-ingredient vegan avocado crema relies on creamy cashews and tangy lime juice as a substitute for sour cream.
First, we soak the cashews in hot water to soften them and create a more neutral flavor (a trick we learned when experimenting with cashew cream). Then the soaked cashews go into a blender with ripe avocado, fresh cilantro, lime juice, garlic, sea salt, and water.
All that’s left is blending it up until you’ve got super creamy avocado crema. Swoon!
Using a powerful blender like a Nutribullet, Vitamix, or Blendtec will ensure the cashews blend into a smooth consistency. You can find our blender review here to learn how different blenders perform.
We hope you LOVE this avocado crema! It’s:
Creamy
Bright
Fresh
Versatile
Plant-based
& SO Delicious!
It’s best when fresh but will keep for up to a couple days before the avocado turns slightly brown. Try it on our Enchilada-Stuffed Butternut Squash, Sweet Potato Black Bean Enchiladas, Black Bean Plantain Enchilada Bake, Chipotle Tofu Chilaquiles, Sweet Potato Black Bean Tamales, Smoky BBQ Bean Tacos, and more!
More Delicious Avocado Recipes
- Pesto Avocado Toast with Fresh Tomatoes
- Portobello Steaks with Avocado Chimichurri
- Avocado Pesto Pasta Salad
- Creamy Avocado Banana Green Smoothie
If you try this recipe, let us know! Leave a comment, rate it, and don’t forget to tag a photo @minimalistbaker on Instagram. Cheers, friends!
Easy Vegan Avocado Crema
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup raw cashews
- 1 small-medium ripe avocado (1 small-medium avocado yields ~3/4 cup or 113 g measured after pitting/peeling)
- 1/4 cup loosely packed fresh cilantro
- 2-3 Tbsp lime juice (1 lime yields ~3 Tbsp or 45 ml)
- 1 small clove garlic, peeled
- 1/4 tsp sea salt (plus more to taste)
- 1/3 – 2/3 cup water (plus more if needed)
Instructions
- Add the cashews to a heatproof bowl and cover with hot water by a few inches. Set aside to soak for 20 minutes.
- Drain the water and add the soaked cashews to a small blender* with the avocado, cilantro, lime juice (starting with the lesser amount), garlic, salt, and water (starting with the lesser amount). Blend until creamy and smooth, adding more water 1-2 tablespoons (15-30 ml) at a time as needed to encourage blending.
- Taste and adjust as needed, adding more salt to taste, lime juice for tanginess, or garlic for zing.
- Serve on enchiladas, chilaquiles, tamales, tacos, and more!
- Best when fresh. Leftover sauce will keep in a sealed container in the refrigerator for 1-2 days, but the color will become darker. Not freezer friendly.
Video
Notes
*Adapted from our Sweet Potato Black Bean Enchiladas.
*Prep time includes soaking cashews.
*Nutrition information is a rough estimate.
Sami Montella says
Hello there! I have made this Crema numerous times in my family loves it! I even added a little jalepeno. My question is since the last time I made this, we have discovered that I have a son who can’t do cashews. Have you attempted this with the coconut cream by chance?
Hey Sami! We haven’t tried it with coconut cream, but it would probably work! It will definitely have a coconuty flavor but that could be tasty!
Karen says
This looks amazing. Do you think I could use frozen avocado in place of fresh? And if so, would I defrost it first? Thank you!
Hi Karen, we don’t think frozen avocado would work, unfortunately! The flavor/color would likely be unappetizing.
SharonM says
Delicious! I omitted the cilantro due to family preference and it was still great. We used it to top a burrito-type bowl (roasted sweet potatoes, quinoa, black beans, corn) and it was perfect. Also loved it mixed in with a bit of salsa.
Thanks so much for the lovely review, Sharon. We are so glad you enjoyed it! Next time, would you mind leaving a star rating with your review? It’s super helpful for us and other readers. Thanks so much! xo
Dana Chalamet says
Hey There ~
I’m looking to make a Cilantro Lime Crema. Have you ever had it or made it or are considering including that recipe on your site? I would be most grateful. ☺️ Thanks for ALL the awesome recipes you share! With much gratitude, Dana (yup, I’m a Dana, too). 😃
Hi Dana! We have a similar recipe here!
Dana Chalamet says
Awesome. I can add a touch of lime to it. ☺️ Thanks so much! 💞🙏🏼☺️
Sarah George says
Can you use defrosted frozen avocado halves instead?
Hi Sarah, we don’t think frozen would work, but haven’t tried it!
Yasi says
This recipe was easy and the crowd thought it was delicious. No one can believe it was vegan and made with cashews!!
Love it! Thanks, Yasi!
Claudia Ruiz says
I made this avocado cream for chickpea tacos. It is delicious! Pairs well my the chickpeas. I followed the recipe as is, but added little more water to thin out. Will be a repeat in my Latin household.
Yum, that combo sounds delicious! Thank you for sharing, Claudia! xo
Cat says
Hmm, are chickpea tacos the same as falafel?
Sandy says
Hi, would a food processor or blender work for this recipe?
Thank you for your time.
Hi Sandy, Unfortunately a food processor won’t be able to fully blend the cashews to make it creamy. You could try soaking them overnight and using less water, but just know the cashews are unlikely to fully break down.
Susan says
I LOVE all your recipes!! Just switched to plant based eating. This one is a winner. I’m lucky in that I am not sensitive or allergic to nuts. Cashews, while costly (I tend to buy organic/raw) is fantastic for making dips. I’m looking for yummy Mexican and Greek plant based inspired recipes. I’d welcome any suggestions. You’re one of my favorite food bloggers❣️🥰
Aw, thanks so much for your kind words and lovely review, Susan! We have so many Mexican and Greek-inspired plant-based recipes that it’s difficult to choose favorites. We’d suggest filtering by cuisine in our recipe index for inspiration. Hope that helps!
The Vegan Goddess says
This looks fabulous! I love avocado and all of the iterations with it and will be making this recipe sooner than later.
The featured Sweet Potato Black Bean Enchiladas looks like a must as well.
You’re so inspirational!
Aw, thank you so much for your kind words! We hope you love both recipes! xo
Dihann Rothman says
Curious if you have a suggestion for replacing the cashews if someone has a sensitivity to them?
Hi Dihann, we’d suggest either using more avocado or replacing the cashews with dairy-free sour cream and using less lime juice. Hope that helps!
Kay says
Could almond or pecan meal work instead of cashews?
I can’t get cashews, but occasionally have one of the other.
I was thinking sunflower seeds, but every single brand I’ve seen says, “made on equipment with…,” & I always have a bad reaction. Which is sad, cause I like sunflower (& pumpkin) seeds. Need companies to stop making everything on shared (& apparently) dirty equipment. Then I can enjoy more of recipes like this. Except for the garlic, which I will replace with onion, it sounds lovely. May add some nutritional yeast, pepper, and smoked paprika… hmmm.
Hi Kay, we don’t think it will have the same creaminess with almond or pecan meal. We’d suggest either using more avocado or replacing the cashews with dairy-free sour cream and using less lime juice. Hope that helps!
Laura says
Coming in late to the game here, but hemp seeds worked well for me too! :-)
Denice says
I cannot eat cashews. Is there anything that can be substituted for them in this recipe?
Hi Denice, we’d suggest either using more avocado or replacing the cashews with dairy-free sour cream and using less lime juice. Hope that helps!
Maridee Bell says
I am among the 20% of the population that is genetically predisposed so that cilantro tastes like soap. Has anyone tried this with parsley instead?
Hi Maridee, we’d suggest leaving it out. It will still be tasty =)
Cindy G. says
I know it wont give the effect, but I am going to replace the cilantro with a bit of jalapeno pepper.
Let us know how it goes Cindy!
Kathi says
This looks really good; however, without reading the entire article, would you kindly be more specific about “hot water?” Does this mean hottest tap water or heated on the stove? (I need recipes to be idiot proof!) Thanks!
Hi Kathi, the temperature of the water isn’t super important and either the hottest tap water or water heated on the stove will work. We typically heat on the stove or in a kettle until it’s just about boiling. Hope that helps!
Jessi says
Oh how interesting is this! The other night I had all these ingredients and didn’t know what to cook so I made this with udon noodles. I added spinach leaves along with the cilantro. Loved it. It was great! I was so proud of myself!
Love your creativity, Jessi! Thank you for sharing!