For some use cases, traditional guacamole is just too thick. That’s when something smooth fits right in. Spicy avocado sauce has an earthy tang (love those tomatillos) and solid bite, making it a perfect sauce for use as a taco topping or as dipping sauce for Mexican meals.
🌶️ Quick recipe snapshot
| Flavor profile | Bright and tart from the tomatillo and lime, mellowed by creamy avocado, with a fresh, green jalapeño bite. |
| Primary heat source | Fresh jalapeños, one or two, with a serrano as the hotter option. |
| Heat level | Mild to medium. Jalapeños top out around 8,000 Scoville heat units, and the avocado and sour cream soften the bite. |
| Texture | Smooth and spoonable, a good deal looser than guacamole, and a splash more water thins it for drizzling. |
| Best uses | Tacos, burritos, nachos and grilled meat, or as a dip for tortilla chips. |
| Customization ideas | A serrano for more heat, a single jalapeño for less, or a handful of cilantro blended in. |
| Before you start | Allow 15 minutes and a blender, plus 2 hours in the fridge if you have the time, and it makes about 3 cups. |
Flavor notes
Fresh jalapeño peppers (2,500 to 8,000 Scoville heat units) are the heat source, though you could opt for the spicier serrano pepper here (10,000 to 23,000 SHU). Serranos are typically two to three times as hot, so take care not to over-spice.
Just about everything in the blender is green, and the flavors line up the same way. Jalapeños have a fresh, grassy bite, and raw tomatillos bring a tart, green tang that goes right along with it. The lime sharpens all of that, while the avocado and sour cream turn it creamy and round off the heat.
How smooth should it be? A few quick pulses leave a little texture, and a longer blend gets you a silky sauce you can drizzle over just about anything. Give it a taste before it goes in the fridge, too, because tomatillos and limes can vary a lot in tartness. So add a squeeze more lime or a pinch more salt if it needs it.
Got some time? Cover it and chill it for 2 hours so the flavors can meld. But it’s good right away, too, if dinner’s already on the table and everyone’s waiting.
Adaptation ideas
Want to make it your own? Here are a few easy ways to change it up:
- Hotter: Swap in serranos for the jalapeños, starting with one. Our serrano vs. jalapeño comparison shows how big the jump is.
- Milder: Start with half a jalapeño, blend, taste, and add more from there until it’s as hot as you like.
- More herby: Blend in a small handful of fresh cilantro along with everything else.
- No tomatillos: A few spoonfuls of jarred salsa verde, which is mostly tomatillos and green chilies, can stand in. Add it a little at a time, since it brings its own heat and salt.
- Chunkier: If you’d rather have something you can scoop, our spicy avocado salsa is the chunky cousin of this sauce.
Serving ideas
Not sure where to start? Anywhere you’d put guacamole or salsa, this sauce will feel right at home, and it pours a lot more easily. A few favorites:
- Tacos: Spoon it over carne asada, chicken or fish tacos, with a little crumbled cotija on top.
- Burritos and bowls: Spoon it into a burrito, or drizzle it over a bowl of rice, black beans and grilled chicken.
- Nachos: Thin it with a splash of water and zigzag it over a sheet pan of nachos.
- Dip: Serve it in a bowl with tortilla chips or crunchy vegetable sticks.
- Eggs: Spoon it onto breakfast tacos or a plate of fried eggs.
Storage notes
Leftovers? Like any avocado sauce, this one tastes freshest on day one, since cut avocado turns brown as it stands. Lay a sheet of plastic wrap flat against the sauce itself, keep it in the fridge, and plan to use it within a couple of days, giving it a stir if the top has darkened a little.
And with sour cream in the mix, don’t leave it out at the table for more than 2 hours.
Like this recipe? You’ll love these too:
- Spicy Guacamole: A classic dip with good bite.
- Texas Caviar: This mishmash of nine ingredients are perfect as a Tex-Mex side.
- Spicy Pineapple, Avocado, and Black Bean Salad: The mix of tropical sweetness, earthiness, and heat are a perfect trio.
50 quick, bold sauces and salsas: classic salsas and fun twists, BBQ sauces with a kick, and dippers with bang. Simple to make, big on flavor.
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Spicy Avocado Sauce
Ingredients
- 3 avocados pitted, skin removed, roughly chopped
- 3 tomatillos peeled, roughly chopped
- 1 -2 jalapeño peppers seeds and stem removed, roughly chopped
- 1 clove garlic peeled
- 1/3 cup water
- 1/4 cup sour cream
- 1 tablespoon lime juice approximately the juice of 1/2 lime
- 1 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Place all ingredients into a blender and pulse blend until you reach your desired sauce consistency.
- Serve immediately, or for best flavor cover the sauce and refrigerate for 2 hours before serving to allow the flavors to meld.
