Shrimp Taco Sauce with Pickled Jalapeños
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If you’re looking for a shrimp taco sauce that will rock your dinner, this is your recipe! It’s wonderfully creamy with tons of flavor from cilantro, lime juice, green onion, garlic, and our special ingredient: pickled jalapeños.
Honestly, this is the best sauce for shrimp tacos. It’s creamy, packed with flavor, and has just a hint of heat. At its core, it’s a cilantro lime sauce—but with one extra-special ingredient that makes all the difference.
I blend pickled jalapeños right into the sauce. They’re not overly spicy, but they add a bright, tangy depth that elevates this from good to truly next-level. Without them, the sauce is tasty. With them, it’s unforgettable.
This is the shrimp taco sauce I make again and again, because once you try it, there’s no going back. It’s the same sauce I use on my shrimp tacos, and the pairing is pure magic: perfectly seasoned shrimp tucked into a warm tortilla and smothered in this creamy, zippy sauce.
Two more sauces you might enjoy are my fish taco sauce recipe and my avocado sauce!
A few FAQs
Can I make this without a food processor? Yes! You can finely mince the cilantro, green onion, garlic, and pickled jalapeños by hand, then mix them into the sour cream and mayonnaise. Or you can use your blender – just make sure to blend at low speed so as mayonnaise can ‘break’ and become oily and thin if it’s blended at high speed.
How long will this sauce last in the fridge? This shrimp taco sauce will keep for a week in your fridge.
Is this taco sauce spicy? It’s not overly spicy. It has a pleasant little zing to it, but won’t burn your tongue. If you want it a little spicier, you can add extra pickled japapeños or some fresh jalapeños for a major kick. If spicy isn’t your preference, simply omit the pickled jalapeños.
How to use this shrimp taco sauce
While this sauce is a must when you’re serving shrimp tacos, you’re not going to want to stop there.
- As a dip for fries.
- Liberally drizzled over the top of these Mexican food truck nacho fries.
- On beer-battered fish tacos or Baja fish tacos.
- To freshen up grilled chicken.
- As a dip for bbq chicken quesadillas.
- With shrimp fajitas.
Shrimp Taco Sauce Recipe
Ingredients
- ½ cup cilantro
- ½ cup sour cream
- ¼ cup mayonnaise
- ¼ cup pickled jalapeños
- 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
- 1 green onion (green part only)
- 1 large garlic clove
- A pinch sea salt
Instructions
- Put the ingredients into your food processor.½ cup cilantro, ½ cup sour cream, ¼ cup mayonnaise, ¼ cup pickled jalapeños, 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice, 1 green onion, 1 large garlic clove, A pinch sea salt
- Pulse until mostly smooth then pour over your shrimp tacos.
Nutrition
We have thoroughly tested this recipe for accuracy. However, individual results may vary. See our full recipe disclosure here.
My family loved this!
That makes me so happy to hear! 💛 I’m so glad it was a hit with your family — thanks so much for taking the time to leave a note!
Best sauce you can ever make. I use it for my shrimp and CHICKEN tacos ! I also add it to my Shrimp Bowls!
Aw, I’m so happy you love it that much! Using it for shrimp and chicken tacos — and in shrimp bowls — sounds absolutely delicious. Thanks for sharing your favorite ways to use it! 💛
So good and so easy!!
Yay! I’m so happy you loved it—and easy is always a win! Thanks for trying the recipe! 😊
Amazing now it’s my favorite one.
I’m so happy to hear that!
Definitely part of my Recipe collection.
I used avocado instead of Sour cream. Didn’t have any on hand.
Love this!
Muchas Gracias!😊
DELICIOUS!
I used avocado instead of sour cream, I didn’t have any.
Super delicious!
Thank You!
That’s a fantastic idea!
This is my favorite sauce for shrimp tacos and I’ve tried a ton!
Made a batch and we all loved it – even the picky eater. The sauce was gone within 24 hours – eaten on everything. Currently going for a double batch. Thank you!