Name: Vegan Chipotle Crema Recipe
Total time: 10 min
Yield: Makes about 1 ¼ cups
Cuisine: MEXICAN
Ingredients: 1 cup raw cashews; 1 chipotle chile in adobo sauce; ¼ cup fresh lemon juice; Kosher salt

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By Genevieve Ko

July 29, 2019

Creamy and complex, this crema gets its richness from pureed cashews and is elevated by the addition of a chipotle in adobo. Spoon it all over vegan chilaquiles or any other dish. For the smoothest crema, soak the cashews overnight.

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1 cup raw cashews

1 chipotle chile in adobo sauce

¼ cup fresh lemon juice

Kosher salt

Put the cashews in a medium bowl and add enough cold water to cover by 1 inch. Soak until the cashews are softened, at least 1 hour and up to 12 hours. When you squeeze a nut between your fingers, it should break apart easily. If soaking for longer than 1 hour, cover and refrigerate.

Drain the cashews and rinse well. Transfer to a blender, along with the chipotle, lemon juice, ½ cup fresh water, and 1 teaspoon salt. Puree until very smooth, scraping down the blender occasionally. If needed, add another ¼ to ½ cup fresh water to get the mixture to an extremely smooth crema consistency. Taste and add more salt if needed.

Make Ahead:

The crema can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 1 week.

Genevieve Ko

Genevieve Ko is the former cooking editor for the Los Angeles Times. She is a cookbook author and has been a food writer, editor and recipe developer for national food media outlets. Ko graduated from Yale after a childhood in Monterey Park.