Your favorite fish tacos get even better with this easy-to-make, easy and creamy Fish Taco Sauce. It’s creamy, spicy, tangy, smooth, and perfect for any fish!
Sometimes known as a baja style sauce or cream, it is a little more amped than the plainer version of crema mexicana and commonly served on Tijuana or baja style tacos.
Ingredients
The simple ingredient combine to make an excellent creamy white sauce perfect for Taco Tuesday (who am I kidding, I eat it everyday of the week on any tacos.)
- The base of the sauce. The base of the sauce comes together with mayonnaise and Greek yogurt. I enjoy a 50/50 combination. However, you can play with the ratios based on personal taste and preference. Sour cream is another option.
- Blend of spices. You will need onion powder, garlic powder, chili powder, cumin, cayenne pepper, cilantro, and kosher salt to load in all those bold flavors!
- Wet ingredients. To get that perfect consistency, you are going to need white vinegar, light olive oil, and fresh lime juice. Depending on how thick or thin you want your sauce you can add more lime juice or thin it out with water.
Variations
There are plenty of ways for you to make this creamy fish taco sauce recipe your own. Here are a few suggestions.
- Mayonnaise. Using mayo as the base for a sauce gives it that perfect creaminess we all know and love. However, if you are looking to save yourself some calories and make the sauce a little leaner, you can substitute regular mayo for light mayo or use straight Greek yogurt as your base.
- Thinning out the sauce. If you aren’t a fan of thick or super creamy sauces, you can thin out your fish sauce by adding more lime juice or water.
- Turn up the heat. If you are looking to crank up the spice factor on the fish taco sauce, you can add more cayenne pepper and/or chili powder and taste test as you go to get the sauce to the level of heat you are looking for. However, if you are really looking to turn up the heat, I recommend adding in some of your favorite hot sauce, chipotle adobo sauce, and/or chipotle peppers! I’m sweating just thinking about it.
Make It!
Making this easy fish taco sauce is as easy as one, two, three!
- Combine seasoning. In a small bowl, combine the onion powder, garlic powder, chili powder, cumin, cayenne pepper, and kosher salt.
- Prepare the sauce. In a medium mixing bowl, whisk the seasoning mixed together with the Greek yogurt, mayonnaise, white vinegar, olive oil, lime juice, and cilantro until well combined.
- Refrigerate. Store in the refrigerator in an airtight container for 4-5 days.
- Serve. To serve you can simply drizzle onto taco, taco salad or any other dish you’d like or put it in a squeeze bottle and give an artistic flare.
Creamy Baja Sauce Uses
- Drizzle on classic battered or grilled fish tacos (cod, halibut, mahi-mahi)
- Shrimp, scallop, or lobster tacos (or tostadas)
- Blackened salmon/mahi bowls with rice, beans, and slaw
- Spread on fish sandwiches, crab cakes, or shrimp po’boys
- Dressing for shredded cabbage slaw (taco topper or side)
- Dip for fries, yuca fries, or breaded fish bites
- Drizzle over nachos or loaded totchos with shrimp/fish
- Sauce for quesadillas, burritos, fajitas, or seafood enchiladas
- Finish grilled corn (elote-style), roasted zucchini, or cauliflower
- Spoon over roasted or air-fried potatoes/sweet potatoes
- Brighten grain bowls with quinoa, farro + greens and avocado
- Accent for seared tuna, salmon croquettes, or frozen fish sticks
- Breakfast tacos, huevos rancheros, or breakfast burritos
- Thin with lime/ water for salad dressing; thicken with sour cream for a creamy dip
- Use it as an alternative for tartar sauce on fried fish (fish fry)
Commonly Asked Questions
How do I make it dairy-free?
Use all mayo (or vegan mayo) plus lime, spices, and a splash of water to thin. Plant-based yogurt also works.
How much juice is one lime?
1 medium lime ≈ 2 tablespoons juice. Start with 1–2 tbsp and adjust to taste.
It’s too thick- how do I thin it?
Whisk in 1-2 teaspoons of water or lime juice at a time until drizzly.
It’s too thin- how do I thicken it?
Whisk in more sour cream, Greek yogurt or mayo, 1 tablespoon at a time; chill 10 minutes to set.
Creamy Fish Taco Sauce Recipe
Fish tacos get even better with this easy-to-make, homemade Fish Taco Sauce. It's creamy, spicy, tangy, smooth, and perfect for any fish!
Servings: cup
Ingredients
- 1/2 tablespoon onion powder
- 1/2 tablespoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 cup Greek yogurt
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise
- 1 tablespoon white vinegar
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1-2 tablespoons lime juice , more or less based on preference
- 1/4 cup cilantro , minced
Instructions
- In a medium mixing bowl, combine the 1/2 tablespoon onion powder, 1/2 tablespoon garlic powder, 1 teaspoon chili powder, 1 teaspoon cumin, 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper, and 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt.
- Whisk the seasoning mixture together with the 1/2 cup Greek yogurt, 1/2 cup mayonnaise, 1 tablespoon white vinegar, 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil1-2 tablespoons lime juice, and minced 1/4 cup cilantro until well combined.
- Store in the refrigerator in an airtight container for 4-5 days. Stir before using.
- If you've tried this recipe, come back and let us know how it was in the comments or star ratings.
Notes
This sauce recipe makes about 1 cup of sauce. Depending on how much you need, you may need to double accordingly.
How to Store
Remember, with this fish taco sauce, a little bit goes a long way, so if or when you have leftovers, grab an airtight container! Leftover sauce will keep in the fridge if stored properly for a week.Can I Freeze Fish Taco Sauce?
This sauce does not freeze well, so unfortunately no, we do not recommend it.Nutrition
Calories: 93 kcal, Carbohydrates: 1 g, Protein: 1 g, Fat: 9 g, Saturated Fat: 1 g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 4 g, Monounsaturated Fat: 3 g, Trans Fat: 0.02 g, Cholesterol: 4 mg, Sodium: 112 mg, Potassium: 30 mg, Fiber: 0.1 g, Sugar: 0.4 g, Vitamin A: 69 IU, Vitamin C: 1 mg, Calcium: 14 mg, Iron: 0.2 mg
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More Homemade Sauces
If you know me, I love a good homemade sauce or condiment. If you do too, here are some of our favorites.
Hello, we have enjoyed this recipe for when we have fish tacos except for one thing. The ingredients listed include lime juice but without a measurement. The other day I made the sauce and thought perhaps you mean the juice of one lime, but that turned out to be far too strong in the sauce. Do you have a preferred measurement? Thanks so much.
Hi! Thank you for bringing that to our attention. We needed to consult with our contributor who submitted this recipe and it was the juice of 1 lime, but that varies greatly from lime-to-lime. We changed it to 1-2 teaspoons. Thank you for coming back to let us know!
Amazing for fish tacos! Because it is what I had on hand, I used 1/4 cup nonfat Greek yogurt and 1/4 cup light our cream instead of the Greek yogurt, and used 1 Tbsp of regular EVOO. This will be my new go-to sauce for fish tacos. Thank you!
Glad you loved them!
delicious and addicting Fish Taco Sauce
Really great fish taco recipe! So easy to follow!
I’m making fish tacos for dinner tonight with sea bass and shrimps. I’ve just made this sauce which BTW tastes amazing! It’s in the fridge now. Can’t wait for dinner time!
I adore so many of your sauces, I can’t even count them. This is another winning recipe! We absolutely love it with tacos, but occasionally serve them with a simple baked or crispy fish too! Yummy!
Thanks for such a rich and creamy and perfect Fish Taco Sauce recipe. Bursting with flavors and perfect as a dip or as a spread too.
I am obsessed with this fish sauce. It’s so creamy and perfect for my blackened fish tacos. I will be making it when I make tacos again.
This sauce looks so creamy and flavorful! I bet it’s the perfect topping for fish tacos!