Taco Truck Green Sauce

Taco Truck Green Sauce Recipe – Easy!

This Taco Truck Green Sauce Recipe lets you make that delicious sauce available at every taco truck in your own kitchen. And it’s so easy.

What is Taco Truck Green Sauce?

It’s hard to even figure out what this sauce is called. I’ve seen it called “Creamy Jalapeno Salsa”, “Salsa de Mayonesa”, “Salsa Dona”, “Green Taco Truck Sauce”, and a particularly nondescript “That Green Stuff”. But whatever it’s called this delicious sauce always tastes amazing. 

Every version of creamy jalapeno salsa has its own twist, my goal with this recipe is to create a version that is easy to adjust to your tastes. Through my questioning of the people who run my favorite taco trucks, I found a few common themes. 

Taco Truck Green Sauce Pinterest Image

Techniques for making your own Taco Truck Green Sauce Recipe

  • Jalapenos. Jalapenos are the base of every “green stuff” sauce. There is usually no avocado or cilantro. Further, the jalapenos are usually boiled. I was surprised to learn this, but boiled jalapenos were incredibly common. 
  • Garlic. Almost all recipes have garlic, but usually not so much that it has an overpowering flavor. This is an area where you can easily adjust to your preference. As a guide, 1 clove will add extra flavor without adding a strong garlic taste, this is most in line with what I have had from taco trucks. 3 cloves will add a very strong garlic taste, much stronger than any I’ve had at a truck.
  • Onion. Onion inclusion is about 50/50. I say this is up to you. If you like onion, use it! If you don’t, omit it. 
  • Oil. Oil is critical. Every sauce has a significant amount of oil, that’s what makes it creamy. There is no sour cream or other dairy in any of these, it’s always oil. 
  • MSG. Monosodium glutamate is packed with umami, and a little goes a long way. It’s not required, but it adds an extra depth of flavor if you have it on hand.

Southern & Modern Spicy Sauces

Looking for a taco to put this on? Try our Sweet Potato Tacos.

Yield: About 2 cups

Taco Truck Green Sauce Recipe

Taco Truck Green Sauce

Green Taco Truck Sauce is a ubiquitous yet mysterious condiment in taco trucks. This mysterious sauce is a mystery no more.

Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 15 minutes

Ingredients

  • 4 whole Jalapenos
  • 1 small clove of garlic
  • 1/2 cup vegetable oil
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 white onion, optional
  • 1/4 teaspoon MSG, optional

Instructions

    1. Boil Jalapenos: Bring a medium pot of water to a boil. Carefully add whole jalapenos and simmer until jalapenos are very tender (about 10 to 15 minutes). Once the jalapenos are cooked, remove them from the water and carefully (they will be hot) cut the stems off and discard the stems.
    2. Blend: Blend together cooked jalapenos, raw garlic, raw onion (optional), vegetable oil, salt, and MSG (optional) until the sauce is smooth and creamy. You may need to add additional vegetable oil if it is not emulsifying well.
    3. To serve: Eat with chips or drizzle on your favorite taco.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

12

Serving Size:

1

Amount Per Serving: Calories: 83Total Fat: 9gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 8gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 176mgCarbohydrates: 1gFiber: 0gSugar: 0gProtein: 0g

Nutrition information isn’t always accurate.

Did you make this recipe?

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10 Comments

  1. Yes. The majority of salsas have the ingredients boiled!! Otherwise it tastes just like blended pico de gallo. Sometimes recipes require the ingredients be roasted for that smoky flavored salsas. What was new to me was the inclusion of oil..but it makes sense now that I think about it. Thanks for this recipe.

    1. This is usually a spicy sauce, but it does depend on the jalapenos you get. Some jalapenos are so mild, that the sauce will end up much more mild. If you want a spicy sauce, look for jalapenos with white lines on them. Smaller uniform jalapenos are usually more mild.

  2. Delicious! I did add the onion, and I added lime juice for some tang. Will make again with hotter peppers. Also roasted the jalapeños since the oven was on anyways.

  3. I am from a Colombian background whereas my best friend hails from a Mexican background. Even after knowing each other for over 20 years, we still exchange recipes ALL the time. The first time I asked her about this sauce, I was certain she was pulling my leg. I couldn’t quite ‘get’ the molecular chemistry or wizardry (lol) wherein these ingredients would turn out a creamy concoction!!! Boy, was I wrong. I make large batches because hubby and son love it too, but I tend to add half a teaspoon of cream cheese, a (literal) DROP of lemon or lime, and a dash of Sazon Goya (I normally do not purchase Goya products other than their Sazon). It turns out FABULOUS.

    1. I do not have a pressure cooker, so I have never tried that. The main thing you are trying to do is boil the jalapenos, so it depends on if you can safely do that in a pressure cooker.

  4. I tried this as originally says in recipe and added 5 peppers next time I want to roast 2 peppers and boil 3 or try a mix of peppers.

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