Creamy Jalapeño Sauce | Well and Full | #vegetarian #recipe

This Spicy, Creamy Jalapeño Sauce is made with pickled jalapeños and fresh herbs. It’s a crowd-pleasing dip for chips or dressing for salad!


It probably goes without saying that I like all the recipes I post here on my blog. Otherwise, I wouldn’t be posting them, right? But every once in a while, there’s a recipe that gets me saying – STOP! HOLD EVERYTHING! I need to eat this now!!

This is one of those recipes. As soon as I scooped some of this sauce onto a chip, I knew I’d be hooked forever. That night for dinner, I made my husband and I some nachos baked in the oven with cheddar cheese, black beans, scallions, and pico de gallo. When the cheese was hot and bubbly I took the nachos out and drizzled this jalapeño sauce on everything. It was SO. FREAKIN. GOOD. I know I should probably try to be more chill and professional when I’m writing stuff here, but dude. This sauce is IT!!

I wish I could mail everyone a cup of this jalapeño sauce so they could partake in the creamy, spicy, tangy goodness. But since that’s not possible, I beg you guys to try this one out at home. Don’t let the long-ish list of ingredients put you off – all you have to do is throw everything in your food processor and that’s it. I promise your life will be transformed!! Enjoy! ;)


How you can use this sauce:

  • As a dip for chips or fries
  • Drizzled on top of tacos or nachos
  • Inside a burrito
  • As a dressing for salad
  • In omelettes or drizzled on eggs
  • As the sauce for a pasta salad

Creamy Jalapeño Sauce | Well and Full | #vegetarian #recipe

Jalapeño Sauce FAQs

What is jalapeño sauce made of?

This jalapeño sauce is made from spicy pickled jalapeños, fresh herbs like cilantro and parsley, creamy mayonnaise, tangy sour cream, and pantry spices like garlic powder and dill.

Is creamy jalapeño sauce spicy?

Yes, it’s pretty spicy! However, jalapeños are considered to be a fairly mild spicy pepper. There’s a way of measuring the spiciness of peppers called the Scoville Scale. This scale measures the amount of capsaicin (the chemical that makes peppers spicy) they have.  For reference, a regular bell pepper has a Scoville value of 0. A typical jalapeño has a Scoville value anywhere between 2,500-10,000. However, a habanero pepper can a value up to 350,000, and a Carolina Reaper pepper can have get up to 2.5 MILLION Scoville units! So, in the grand scheme of things, a jalapeño is not considered to be terribly spicy. However, how spicy it seems will depend on your spice tolerance. The more spicy foods you eat, the more of a tolerance you’ll develop.

Are pickled jalapeños hotter than fresh?
Generally, the consensus is that pickled jalapeños are less spicy than fresh jalapeños. Why? Because in fresh jalapeños, the spiciness is primarily concentrated in the white membrane that holds the seeds together inside the pepper. But when the jalapeño is sliced and put in pickling brine, the heat seems to almost “even out” a little. That’s because the vinegar in the pickling liquid helps break down some of capsaicin in the pepper, making it less spicy.
Do pickled jalapeños taste different?
They definitely do! Because they’re pickled, the peppers get a tangy flavor from the vinegar that isn’t present when they’re raw.
Do pickled jalapeños taste like pickles?
Not really… they taste like tangy peppers! When people think pickles, they’re often thinking of vinegar + dill. This is what standard cucumber pickles are usually marinated with. For example, if you buy pickle-flavored potato chips, they usually season them with vinegar and dill. However, most pickled jalapeño brands are not made with dill, so the peppers and the brine will taste different than regular cucumber pickles.
Creamy Jalapeño Sauce | Well and Full | #vegetarian #recipe
Creamy Jalapeño Sauce | Well and Full | #vegetarian #recipe
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Creamy Jalapeño Sauce

This Spicy, Creamy Jalapeño Sauce is made with pickled jalapeños and fresh herbs. It's a crowd-pleasing dip for chips or dressing for salad!
Course condiments
Cuisine American
Keyword chives, cilantro, jalapeños, lime, mayo, parsley, sour cream
Prep Time 15 minutes
Servings 2 Cups (approx)

Equipment

  • 1 Food Processor

Ingredients

  • 1/2 Cup Pickled Jalapeños
  • 1/3 Cup Fresh Cilantro
  • 1/3 Cup Fresh Parsley
  • 1/4 Cup Fresh Chives
  • 1 Cup Mayonnaise
  • 1/2 Cup Sour Cream
  • 1/4 Cup Pickled Jalapeño Brine
  • 1/2 Lime juiced
  • 1/2 Tsp Garlic Powder
  • 1/2 Tsp Onion Powder
  • 1/4 Tsp Dried Dill
  • 1/2 Tsp Salt or more to taste
  • Black Pepper to taste
  • Red Pepper Flakes optional, to taste

Instructions

  • Add the pickled jalapeños and fresh herbs into your food processor and pulse on high until herbs are minced.
  • Then, add the rest of the ingredients and blend on high until smooth and creamy. Taste, and adjust seasonings if necessary.
  • Serve jalapeño sauce as a dip for chips, or as a dressing for salads, nachos, tacos, and more.
  • Enjoy!

Notes

  • The fresh herbs in this recipe cannot be substituted for dried.
  • If you don’t like cilantro, try reducing the amount by half and adding more parsley. Or just replace with parsley altogether.

Creamy Jalapeño Sauce | Well and Full | #vegetarian #recipeCreamy Jalapeño Sauce | Well and Full | #vegetarian #recipe

P.S.

For more recipes and lifestyle inspiration, be sure to follow along on Instagram and TikTok! If you make a recipe, please tag me in the photo and use the hashtag #wellandfull so I can see! I love seeing your creations!

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Hi friends! I’m Sarah, and welcome to Well and Full. Here, you’ll find seasonal, plant-forward recipes and lifestyle inspiration rooted in New England charm.

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