Ninfa’s green sauce is a fresh and creamy avocado salsa made with green tomatoes, tomatillos, avocados, sour cream. This is so delicious and you recreate this recipe at home in no time at all.
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What is Ninfa’s Green Sauce?
This sauce is a famous green salsa sauce that has ensured Mama Ninfa will never be forgotten in Texas. Ninfa Laurenzo, the late owner of the Houston chain Ninfa’s, is credited with inventing this green sauce.
At Ninfa’s restaurant, you get this green sauce along with the usual bowl of red salsa with chips before your meal.
It’s a guacamole salsa that is delightfully creamy with just the right touch of heat. Don’t miss out on trying Ninfa’s Green Sauce.
This creamy avocado salsa is low-carb friendly and is super easy to make. It’s a lot like the commercially available Herdez Guacamole Salsa.
What is Ninfa’s?
If you grew up in Houston, you knew who Mama Ninfa was. She personified the American rags to riches life story by turning a small tortilla shop into a popular Tex-Mex food chain. Her first restaurant, now lovingly known as Ninfa’s on Navigation, has become a Houston institution.
Opened in 1973, it is probably the only real Ninfa’s restaurant left; the others have been bought out. It serves amazing Tex-Mex food, including fajita tacos al carbon, pickled carrots and jalapenos, and enchiladas.
What makes fresh avocado salsa so good?
Ninfa’s green sauce, a creamy and tangy mix of avocados, cilantro, green tomatoes, tomatillos, jalapenos, garlic, and sour cream, is simply magical. The creamy avocados and the sour cream are the perfect complements to the tangy tomatillos.
The cilantro helps give this guacamole salsa recipe its distinctive flavor. The sauce is not too spicy, but you can add more jalapenos if you crave more heat.
You can scoop up this salsa with tortilla chips, but it also goes well with enchiladas, carnitas, chicken, and fish.
This is a perfect guacamole salsa recipe to wow your guests. Use it as a sauce or dunk tortilla chips in it to your heart’s content.
Recipe Ingredients
Here’s a list of what you need:
- Avocados
- Green tomatoes
- Fresh tomatillos
- Garlic
- Jalapeno pepper
- Fresh cilantro
- Sour cream
- Salt
What is a Tomatillo?
Tomatillos look a bit like green tomatoes, but they come with a husk and a tart taste all their own. Although they come from the same family as regular tomatoes, they’re not exactly “little tomatoes,” as their name would suggest.
When allowed to fully mature, tomatillos can turn shades of red, purple, or yellow. However, they are generally harvested and eaten while still underripe and green and still have their signature acidic edge.
This tangy green fruit is a staple in Mexican cuisine.
How to Make Creamy Mexican Green Sauce
- Peel and remove the seed from the avocados. Discard the skins and seeds.
- Put the flesh of the avocados in a blender.
- Place chopped tomatoes, tomatillos, garlic, jalapenos, and cilantro in a medium saucepan.
- Bring the tomato mixture to a boil and cook it for 15 minutes.
- Transfer the cooked mixture to the blender with the avocados.
- Add sour cream and blend until smooth.
- Add salt to taste.
How long does avocado salsa last?
This sauce keeps for about 7 days, but it’s so good I doubt you’ll have any leftover. However, the flavors and texture improve if you refrigerate the salsa for at least 2 hours in advance.
Love Tex-Mex dips? Try these recipes!
- Chili Cheese Dip
- Chuy’s Queso Recipe
- Copycat Chipotle Guacamole
- Mexican Hot Sauce Recipe
- Mexican Restaurant Queso
- Rotel Dip with Meat
- Pappasito’s Salsa
- Taco Dip
And let me know which one of these tasty Mexican dips is your favorite.
Favorite Mexican Recipes
- Authentic Cheese Enchiladas
- Carne Guisada Mexicana
- Chili Relleno Casserole
- Creamy Refried Beans
- Easy Chili Verde
Check out more of my easy sauce recipes and the best Mexican food recipes here on CopyKat!
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Ninfa’s Green Sauce
Ingredients
- 3 avocados
- 3 medium green tomatoes
- 4 fresh tomatillos
- 3 cloves garlic
- 1 jalapeno pepper
- 2-3 teaspoons fresh cilantro
- 1 1/2 cups sour cream
- salt to taste
Instructions
- Peel and remove the seeds from the avocados.
- Place the avocado flesh in a blender.
- Chop the tomatoes, tomatillos, garlic, jalapeno, and cilantro.
- Place tomatoes, tomatillos, garlic, jalapenos, and cilantro in a medium saucepan.
- Boil the tomato mixture for 15 minutes.
- Transfer the boiled mixture to the blender with the avocados.
- Add sour cream and blend until smooth.
- Add salt to taste.
Cynthia White
Always glad to find your emails in my inbox! I grew up in Houston with Ninfas but moved to E TX over 20 years ago. I still miss their amazing food, especially the tacos al carbon before they became ‘cool’. This recipe looks like it will be a winner. – Ninfa’s might have been the restaurant that started the ‘chips before meals’ tradition. If not, they sure did start the green sauce tradition with me! Thanks again!
SocraticGadfly
My homemade version is even easier. About 55 percent French onion dip, 25 percent avocado and 20 percent salsa verde. No skillet needed.
Lily
I love trying new sauces although I have never eaten at Ninfa’s. Thank you for sharing the recipe!
Deborah
Try buying the smaller tomatillos they dont have as much of the bitter taste, the bigger they are the more tart they become
Stephanie
Great tip!
Gale
I just wanted to add that most of the green sauces I’ve eaten here in Texas, over my 66 yrs have all been tart. Tomatillos are tart so the sauce will have some of that tartness and that’s always been a good thing for me.
Joanna
The recipe I saw said 2 tbs olive oil when you boil the tomatillos,tomatoes, garlic and Jalapeno.
It also says to let cool. Then throw that with the avocados and cilantro in a food processor. Then add sour cream. Not sure if that is the missing ingredient or not. Going to go try and whip some up now.
Kim R.
I made this recipe and cut the sour cream back to about 1/2 a cup. It still has a slight sour flavor. Could this be the green tomatoes or tomatillos? Anybody?
stephaniemanley
Sometimes fresh vegetables can vary in flavor. If something is a little extra sour, you can always add a touch of sugar to help offset the sour flavor.
Brenda
Thanks for the recipe but you are missing some of the ingredients. I received the ingredients from Gringos but they wouldn’t tell me how to or how much of the ingredients to use.
Kim R
What are the missing ingredients?
chris
Ninfa’s IS STILL a popular Mexican restaurant. I ate at one of many locations just yesterday. Trying to make some bucks on your book, are you? Shame on you.
Anonymous
About 15 years ago there were many more of these than there are now. I think the chain lost its zing when Mama Ninfa sold the chain.
Kim R
Thanks for the recipe! Since moving to NE Louisiana it’s proven impossible to find good Mexican food. I made this as directed and it tasted too much like sour cream. Next time I will start with only 1/2 cup of sour cream and add more if necessary.
Ann
Stephanie, I can’t tell you how long I have looked for this recipe. 🙂 You’ve made my day.
Stephanie
I am so happy I could be helpful!
Michelle @ 5 Forks
This is great! I live in the Houston area and I’m so excited about trying this. I love the green sauce, it’s a must at Mexican restaurant.