My Taco Bell Chicken Quesadilla Sauce tastes just like Taco Bell’s (TRUST, I’m a huge fan): it’s creamy and tangy with that fun, spicy, zesty kick from pickled jalapeños! Ready in 2 minutes! It’s the best dipping sauce for quesadillas!
PS: Try my viral Taco Bell Chicken Quesadilla recipe if you want to make the whole chicken quesadilla from scratch at home!
Quick Look: Taco Bell Chicken Quesadilla Sauce
- ⏰ Ready in: 2 minutes.
- ⭐️ Difficulty: Super easy.
- 🍴 Serves: 1 cup (4 quesadillas or 2 + dipping).
- 🥣 Main Ingredients: Mayonnaise, sour cream, pickled jalapeños, spices.
- 😋 Taste: Creamy, tangy, spicy, zesty.
- 🌿 Dietary info: Gluten-free, vegetarian.
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Why you'll love my Taco Bell Chicken Quesadilla Sauce recipe!
- Tastes just like Taco Bell’s Creamy Jalapeño Sauce, which is what they use for their Chicken Quesadillas and Grilled Cheese Burritos!
- Healthier: you get to pick the quality of the ingredients yourself!
- Ready in 2 minutes: dump everything in a bowl and mix!!!
- Perfect amount! My recipe makes 1 cup, which is enough for 4 quesadillas or 2 + lots of dipping! This sauce is also delicious on Fried Fish Tacos, Refried Bean Tostadas, Skirt Steak Tacos, and whatever your heart desires!
Jump to:
- Quick Look: Taco Bell Chicken Quesadilla Sauce
- Why you'll love my Taco Bell Chicken Quesadilla Sauce recipe!
- Ingredients
- Substitutions and variations
- How to make Taco Bell quesadilla sauce
- Pro Tip
- What To Serve with this Creamy Jalapeño Sauce
- Taco Bell Chicken Quesadilla Sauce FAQs
- Other Taco Bell-inspired Recipes To Try
- Taco Bell Chicken Quesadilla Sauce
Ingredients
- Mayonnaise and sour cream. I use both to recreate Taco Bell’s creamy sauce. On their website, they list soybean oil, buttermilk, egg yolk, and different texture stabilizers, but when making this at home, you can just use mayonnaise to replace the egg yolk and oil emulsion (that’s what mayo is!) and sour cream to replace buttermilk and add dairy tang that balances out the richness of mayonnaise.
- Pickled jalapeños. Jalapeño flavor and acidity in one convenient ingredient: you get to add both the peppers and the brine for maximum flavor instead of adding peppers, vinegar, and other acidity stabilizers. The brine’s acidity cuts through the rich mayo and dairy, making the sauce bright and fun rather than heavy!
Substitutions and variations
Taco Bell quesadilla sauce recipe without sour cream: Try Greek yogurt or use just mayonnaise! Throughout the years, I tested this recipe with just mayonnaise, and it does work, it’s just more mayo-forward flavor-wise but still good (replace the amount of sour cream with more mayonnaise).
Taco Bell quesadilla sauce recipe without jalapeños: Skip the jalapeños and use cayenne powder instead! To recreate the tangy flavor of the brine, use vinegar.
How to make Taco Bell quesadilla sauce
- Step 1: Add all the ingredients to a small bowl.
- Step 2: Mix!
Pro Tip
Let the sauce sit for 10-15 minutes before serving so the flavors can bloom! You can also cover it with plastic wrap and pop it in the refrigerator if you want to let it sit more. It’s a great make-ahead sauce!
What To Serve with this Creamy Jalapeño Sauce
- Taco Bell classics: Taco Bell Chicken Quesadilla and Taco Bell Grilled Cheese Burrito, of course!
- Tacos: Fried Fish Tacos (Baja-style), Salmon Fish Tacos or Skirt Steak Tacos, but all tacos work!!!
- Empanadas: try my Colombian Empanadas with this!!!
- Sweet potatoes: this sauce is amazing with my Sweet Potato Fries and regular Sautéed Sweet Potatoes.
- Jalapeño Popper Bites for double jalapeño flavor (super spicy!!!).
- Hamburgers and hot dogs.
- Steak, all sorts of chicken, and shrimp! This is the best quesadilla dipping sauce, but it’s good with pretty much anything!
Taco Bell Chicken Quesadilla Sauce FAQs
Taco Bell’s creamy jalapeño sauce is mildly spicy with a fun tangy zesty flavor.
When stored covered in the refrigerator, this sauce lasts up to 3-4 days. Let it rest at room temperature for 30 minutes for better flavor, if you plan to enjoy it as is. If you’re gonna add it to a quesadilla or burrito and cook it, it’s not needed but you can add a splash of water or milk to loosen up the texture.
Yes, but the sauce will be a bit different as fresh jalapeños have a greener, smokier flavor. Add in some vinegar instead of the brine to recreate the tanginess.
No, the creamy chipotle sauce is made with chipotle peppers and has a smokier flavor. You can add chipotles in adobo to this one (instead of jalapeños) and their sauce (instead of brine) and easily recreate the creamy chipotle one! Or you can try my Creamy Chipotle Sauce!
Other Taco Bell-inspired Recipes To Try
If you make this recipe, be sure to comment and rate it down below. Also, don't forget to tag us @itsdamnspicy on Instagram and use the hashtag #itsdamnspicy so I can see your creations and re-share them with my followers! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Taco Bell Chicken Quesadilla Sauce
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup (125 ml) mayonnaise
- 1/2 cup (125 ml) sour cream
- 3 tablespoon (45 ml) pickled jalapeno juice (from the pickled jalapeños)
- 3 tablespoon (15 g) pickled jalapeños (finely minced)
- 1 small clove garlic (or 1/8 teaspoon garlic powder)
- 2 teaspoon cumin
- 2 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon cayenne powder
- Salt and pepper (to taste)
Instructions
- Add all the ingredients to a small bowl and mix until well combined. Let sit for 10-15 minutes (if desired) for a deeper flavor.
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