This creamy fish taco sauce recipe with smoky chipotle, herby cilantro, and lime will take your tacos to the next level. Ready in 5 minutes, drizzle it on for the perfect amount of heat!
Why You’ll Love This Fish Taco Sauce Recipe
Every time I make fish tacos or shrimp tacos, I serve them with this creamy chipotle sauce. After that first bite, everyone is always going back to drizzle more on top of their tacos! It’s just *that* good! Here’s why I know you will enjoy it too:
- Quick: You only need 5 minutes to make this flavorful and creamy sauce for fish tacos!
- Creamy: The sauce is ultra rich and creamy thanks to the plain yogurt and sour cream, but balanced with the addition of zesty lime juice and fresh garlic.
- Spicy or Not: Chipotle peppers in adobo sauce add a smoky, slightly sweet, and perfectly spicy flavor to this sauce. Use half a pepper for just a little spice, or two peppers to pack in the heat!
- Versatile: Serve it with your favorite fish tacos, burgers, burrito bowls, hot dogs, or salmon patties, it’s good drizzled over so much more than just tacos!
What You’ll Need
Tangy lime juice and herby cilantro help brighten up the mixture. Scroll down to the recipe card for exact amounts.
- Sour Cream: You can also use mayo.
- Yogurt: Make sure it’s plain and unsweetened Greek yogurt. If you don’t have any, you can use mayo or extra sour cream instead.
- Fresh Cilantro: I always remove any yellow or wilted stems to prevent bitterness. You can skip the cilantro if you are not a fan!
- Garlic: Fresh garlic or garlic paste is best. Use garlic powder as a last resort!
- Chipotles in Adobo Sauce: I prefer to use the whole canned chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, but the blended chipotle sauce will also work. Hot sauce will also work in a pinch, but it won’t have that smoky flavor.
- Lime Juice: Fresh lime juice will give you the best flavor. Feel free to use lemon juice.
- Salt: Kosher salt is best.
How To Make Fish Taco Sauce
This creamy chipotle sauce is an easy, fail-proof sauce for fish tacos and so much more. All you have to do is combine the ingredients and enjoy! Scroll to the bottom of the post for the full recipe card.
- Blend: Add all of the ingredients to a bowl and blend until smooth with an immersion blender. If you don’t have an immersion blender, you can use a food processor or regular blender.
- Chill: Pop it into the fridge until ready to serve and enjoy!
Cook’s Tips and Variations
- Adjust the Heat: I like to control how spicy the sauce turns out by blending in 1/2 chipotle at a time. This way you don’t end up with an overly spicy sauce!
- Add Spices: Stir in 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano, smoked paprika, and 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper for even more depth.
- Skip the Herbiness: Don’t add cilantro to the sauce if you’re not a fan of it. The sauce will taste like a garlicky chipotle crema without the cilantro.
- Don’t Over-Mix: Since the sauce is cream based, blend it until just smooth. If you keep going trying to dissolve all the little bits of cilantro, the lime juice can split the mayo and yogurt in the mixture.
- Adjust the Consistency: If the sauce is too thick, mix in 1/2 tablespoon milk at a time until it reaches your desired consistency.
Ways To Use This Fish Taco Sauce
This spicy fish taco sauce is perfect on your favorite tacos, even if they’re not fish ones. I also enjoy it served on my crockpot chicken tacos or air fryer shrimp tacos. My crispy chicken sandwich and air fryer hot dogs are other great pairings as well.
For less of fast food feel, add it to some salmon patties, my air fryer Mahi Mahi or any white fish! I also have served this creamy sauce as a dipping sauce for the crab stuffed shrimp or cajun baked chicken wings. If you can’t tell yet, I really love this creamy chipotle sauce!
How To Store Leftover Sauce
I love making this fish taco sauce in advance so I can add it to whatever I want during the week! It stores great, just don’t try freezing it as it will not thaw well.
- Store: Place it in an airtight container and store in the fridge for up to 7 days. If a film forms on top, you can remove it with a spoon, the sauce is still good to go!
Fish Taco Sauce
Ingredients
- ½ cup sour cream, or mayo
- ½ cup plain greek yogurt
- ¼ cup packed fresh cilantro, optional
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- 1-2 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, depending on heat preference
- Juice of 1 lime
- ⅛ teaspoon kosher salt
Instructions
- Puree all ingredients together until smooth using a food processor, immersion blender or traditional blender.
- For best results refrigerate sauce for at least 30 minutes, to allow the flavors to meld, before serving.
