Taco Bell Creamy Jalapeno Quesadilla Sauce (Copycat) is easy and tangy with a kick. Made with paprika, pickled jalapenos, and cayenne pepper.
This simple and creamy sauce makes the perfect topping for all your favorite Mexican Dinners. Apart from quesadillas, you can serve it up with Oven Baked Beef Tacos, Slow Cooker Chicken Fajitas, or any of your other favorite Mexican recipes, like Tacos Al Pastor.
We love easy recipes that make it possible to enjoy your favorite restaurant food from the comfort of your own home. This sauce is the perfect copycat of Taco Bell’s creamy jalapeño sauce. You can find this sauce on all of Taco Bell’s most iconic quesadillas. Nothing’s better than a freshly cooked quesadilla with this slightly spicy sauce. Making the quesadilla and sauce yourself just makes it even more satisfying.
If you’re looking for a new go-to sauce that’s creamy and spicy, then this is the one for you. It’s made with flavorful ingredients like pickled jalapeños, white vinegar, paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, and cayenne pepper. Those flavorful and spicy ingredients are mixed with mayonnaise and sour cream to make them into a creamy mixture that you can serve over tacos, quesadillas, or burritos.
Between hot sauce, Chipotle Sauce, sour cream, and Guacamole there’s no end to the delicious toppings you can serve with Mexican dinners. This easy recipe is just one more option to add to the table for your next Mexican dinner night. You can either cook the sauce into your quesadillas or put it out as an optional dipping sauce.
How to Make Taco Bell Quesadilla Sauce
Taco Bell Creamy Jalapeno Quesadilla Sauce is a delicious and versatile sauce that can easily be made at home with just a few simple ingredients. With its rich, creamy texture and a kick of spice, this sauce will elevate your homemade quesadillas and tacos. It can even be used as a salad dressing! Check it out!
Step One: Gather your ingredients, including sour cream, mayonnaise, pickled jalapenos, white vinegar, paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, sugar, kosher salt, and cayenne pepper.
Step Two: In a medium bowl, add all the ingredients and whisk them together until well combined.
Step Three: Refrigerate the sauce for at least 1 hour before using to allow the flavors to meld together.
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Frequently Asked Questions
The Taco Bell Creamy Jalapeno Quesadilla Sauce can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks. Make sure to give it a good stir before using it again.
Yes, you can substitute fresh jalapenos for the pickled jalapenos in the recipe, but keep in mind that fresh jalapenos may be spicier. You can adjust the amount according to your spice preference.
To make a vegan version of the Taco Bell Creamy Jalapeno Quesadilla Sauce, replace the sour cream and mayonnaise with vegan alternatives, such as vegan sour cream and vegan mayonnaise.
While it’s possible to freeze the sauce, it may affect the texture and consistency when thawed. It’s best to make a fresh batch when needed.
Yes, you can create a low-fat version by using low-fat or fat-free sour cream and mayonnaise. The taste may be slightly different, but it will still be delicious.
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Key Ingredients in Taco Bell Quesadilla Sauce
This easy-to-make sauce uses common ingredients that can be found in most grocery stores. Each ingredient plays a crucial role in creating the perfect balance of flavors in the sauce.
- Sour Cream: Adds creaminess and tang to the sauce. It also helps to mellow out the spiciness from the jalapenos.
- Mayonnaise: Contributes to the rich, smooth texture of the sauce while also adding a slight tanginess.
- Pickled Jalapenos: Provide the sauce with a spicy kick and a touch of acidity, making it the perfect complement to savory dishes.
- White Vinegar: Adds acidity and helps to balance the flavors in the sauce.
- Seasonings: The seasonings and spices in this recipe work together to create a well-rounded, flavorful sauce with just the right amount of heat. Adjust as needed for the perfect spice level.
Can Taco Bell Creamy Jalapeno Quesadilla Sauce Be Made Ahead of Time?
Absolutely! The sauce can be made ahead of time and stored in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks. In fact, allowing it to sit for at least 1 hour before using will help the flavors to meld together and create a more delicious sauce.
Substitutions in Taco Bell Quesadilla Sauce
- Sour Cream Substitution: You can use Greek yogurt as a healthier alternative to sour cream without sacrificing the creaminess and tanginess.
- Mayonnaise Substitution: Try using plain yogurt or a vegan mayonnaise if you prefer a lighter or plant-based option.
- Pickled Jalapenos Substitution: Fresh jalapenos can be used instead of pickled jalapenos, but remember to adjust the amount based on your desired spice level.
Variations in Taco Bell Quesadilla Sauce
- Creamy Cheese Sauce: Make your sauce even creamier by adding some cheddar cheese to the recipe. Start by making the cheese sauce. Combine ½ cup milk, 2 teaspoons flour, and 2 tablespoons shredded cheddar cheese to a saucepan. Once they’ve melted and cooked together you can mix the cheese sauce with your Taco Bell Sauce.
- Jalapeno Sauce: Try making this sauce extra hot by adding some more jalapeno to the recipe. Add some extra jalapeno slices to the sauce. Make sure to dice them thinly before mixing them in. You could also add in a few teaspoons of jalapeno juice if you want the flavor but not the jalapeno chunks.
- More add-ins: There are plenty of other spices that go well with this Taco Bell sauce. Try adding in some cumin, coriander, chiles, and oregano.
- Mild Quesadilla Sauce: You can easily adjust the ingredients in your recipe to change up the flavor and make it milder. Try reducing the jalapeños and cayenne pepper if the sauce is too spicy for you. Any of the other ingredients can also be adjusted according to your taste. Another good thing about making this sauce yourself is that you can make adjustments and experiment until it’s perfect for you.
How to Serve Taco Bell Quesadilla Sauce
This versatile sauce can be served with a variety of dishes beyond just quesadillas. Try using it as a dipping sauce for chicken tenders, drizzling it on top of nachos, or adding a dollop to your favorite taco salad. Pair it with this delicious Super Crispy Chicken Tenders recipe for a crowd-pleasing appetizer or main course. This easy sauce recipe is perfect to serve with an easy chicken quesadilla:
How to Make Taco Bell Chicken Quesadillas
Quesadillas are such an easy recipe to make quickly. You can keep this sauce in the fridge and cook up some quick quesadillas for lunch, then just take it out as a dipping sauce. It takes simple recipes to a whole new level. Once you have the Copycat Taco Bell Quesadilla Sauce in the fridge all that’s left to do is make the chicken quesadilla. Here’s a recipe for 4 Taco Bell Quesadillas.
- Toss 4 cups of shredded chicken breast with half of the Taco Bell sauce, until coated.
- Put one of the flour tortillas in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Top with American cheese and ½ cup of chicken. Sprinkle with shredded Monterey Jack cheese. Place a second tortilla on top. Cook for about 2 minutes until the tortilla is golden, then flip and cook the other side.
- Repeat this for the other 3 quesadillas.
- Slice the Taco Bell Quesadillas into wedges. Serve with the remaining sauce for dipping.
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How to Store Taco Bell Quesadilla Sauce
- Serve: Wait to serve Taco Bell Quesadilla Sauce until after you’ve refrigerated it for at least an hour. Don’t leave it at room temperature for more than 2 hours.
- Store: Kept in an airtight container you can serve this sauce in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.
- Freeze: Because of the mayonnaise in the sauce, freezing this recipe won’t work well.
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 3 tablespoons mayonnaise
- 1 tablespoon pickled jalapenos , finely minced
- 1 tablespoon white vinegar
- 2 teaspoons paprika
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Instructions
- Add ingredients to bowl and whisk until well combined.
- Refrigerate for 1 hour before using.
Nutrition
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Photos used in a previous version of this post.
SUPER picante sauce with all that cayenne and jalapenos!!!! And I like hot spicy foods. Threw the whole bowl out, after trying it. YIKES!!! The recipe has potential, though. Will try it with a dash or two of cayenne, instead of 1/4 tsp.
Literally only one tablespoon of jalapeño lmao. Ur literally on a food blog looking at a JALAPEÑO CREAM SAUCE WHAT DID U EXPECT and have the audacity to give the blogger 3 stars lmao like ur embarrassing
OMG I’m so excited for this! Thank you for all the Taco Bell recipes, I can’t wait to try them!
Do you think you can fix the Taco Bell Ground Beef link? It says that the recipe is not found :/
Yes I am so sorry about that, the recipe is listed in the burrito supreme recipe!
Looks awesome. We get this one sometimes on our burritos, but also we get that “Creamy Chipotle Sauce” too. If you want or can, in future, maybe make that one too. Because these sauces are good on burritos, tacos, or almost anything Mexican.
You’re right, it’s so good on just about everything.