Salsa huancaína
Vegetarian
Salsa a la huancaína
Peruvian ají amarillo chillies sautéed with onion and garlic, then blended with queso fresco, evaporated milk and soda crackers into a velvety, golden, gently hot cheese sauce.
Salsa huancaína is a Peruvian sauce, ready in about 23 minutes and made with ají amarillo paste, queso fresco and evaporated milk. It serves 8 and is rated easy to cook.
- Prep
- 5 min
- Cook
- 8 min
- Rest
- 10 min
- Total
- 23 min
- Serves
- 8
- Level
- Easy
- Calories
- 162
Method
Step 1
Heat 15 ml of the oil in a frying pan over medium heat and sauté the onion and garlic (opens in a new tab) for 4–5 minutes until soft and translucent. If using fresh ají, add it now and cook 3 minutes more. Cool for 10 minutes.
How it looks · Photo: Magda Ehlers on Pexels Step 2
Put the cooked onion and garlic (opens in a new tab), the ají paste, crumbled cheese and evaporated milk (opens in a new tab) in the blender (opens in a new tab) and blend for 1 minute until smooth.
Step 3
With the motor running, drizzle in the remaining 30 ml oil, then add the crackers one at a time, blending until the sauce is thick and velvety. It should coat a potato and slowly slide off, like thick custard.
Step 4
Taste and add salt only if needed. Loosen with a splash of milk or thicken with another cracker.
- 1 min
About this dish
- Origin
- Peru · Commonly attributedNamed after Huancayo in the central Andes, though the dish is identified with Lima; its history is mostly oral. The evaporated milk and soda crackers of modern recipes are 20th-century additions.More food from Peru
- Dish
- Lunch · Dinner · Snack · Sauces · Dips & spreads
- Cooking method
- Sautéed, Blended
- Taste
- creamy, spicy (chilli heat), fruity, salty
- Diet
- Vegetarian (lacto-ovo) · No nut ingredients · Keto-style · Low-carbWorked out from the ingredients. How labels work
All labels
Vegetarian (lacto-ovo) · Eggetarian · Lacto-vegetarian · Pescatarian · Flexitarian-friendly · Egg-free · No nut ingredients · No added sugar · Alcohol-free · Pork-free · Beef-free · Keto-style · Low-carb - Cook more with
- Ají amarillo paste · Queso fresco · Evaporated milk · Red onion · Garlic · Saltine crackers
- Techniques
- Sautéing · Wet grinding · Emulsification
Allergens
- Contains: Milkfrom queso fresco, evaporated milk, saltine crackers
- Contains: Wheatfrom saltine crackers
- Contains: Glutenfrom saltine crackers
- May contain: Soyfrom saltine crackers
Based on typical versions of these ingredients and not verified allergen-free. Brands differ and cross-contact happens, so always check labels. For severe allergies, follow your clinician’s advice.
Nutrition
162 kcal per serving
Estimated1 serving ≈ 60 g · recipe makes 8
Where the energy comes from
- Protein 15%
- Carbohydrate 14%
- Fat 71%
| Nutrient | Per serving | Per 100 g |
|---|---|---|
| Energy | 162 kcal | 270 kcal |
| Protein | 6.3 g | 10.6 g |
| Carbohydrate | 5.7 g | 9.5 g |
| Net carbohydrate | 5.4 g | 9.1 g |
| Sugars | 3.5 g | 5.8 g |
| Added sugars | 0 g | 0 g |
| Fibre | 0.3 g | 0.5 g |
| Fat | 12.9 g | 21.4 g |
| Saturated fat | — | — |
| Trans fat | — | — |
| Cholesterol | 23 mg | 38 mg |
| Sodium | 277 mg | 461 mg |
| Salt equivalent | 0.7 g | 1.2 g |
Vitamins & minerals per serving
- Potassium
- 138 mg
- Calcium
- 198 mg
- Iron
- 0.3 mg
- Magnesium
- 14 mg
- Vitamin A (RAE)
- 74 µg
- Vitamin C
- 15 mg
- Vitamin D
- 1.1 µg
- Vitamin B12
- —
- Folate (DFE)
- —
How these numbers were made
- Calculated from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) per-100 g values and the listed quantities.
- Ají amarillo paste: Raw hot chilli peppers (FDC 170106) used as a stand-in for puréed Peruvian yellow chilli; jarred pastes may add a little oil and salt.
- “—” means the value isn’t known for enough of the ingredients; it is never zero by default.
- Values are estimates for guidance, not for medical dosing. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. fdc.nal.usda.gov.
Good to know
Tips
- Ají amarillo is fruity rather than fiercely hot; jarred paste brands vary, so add it gradually.
Common mistakes
- Making it too thin, so it runs off the potatoes.
- Over-salting: queso fresco and crackers are already salty.
Serve with
- Papa a la huancaína with boiled egg and black olives.
- Dip for yuca frita, choclo and fried potatoes.
- Tossed with spaghetti (tallarines a la huancaína) alongside lomo saltado.
Storage
- Refrigerate in a covered container for up to 3 days; it thickens when cold.
Reheating
- Serve at room temperature; stir in a little milk to loosen.
Variations
- Ocopa (Peru): Arequipa's cousin sauce, made with huacatay (black mint), roasted peanuts and ají mirasol.
Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added · Updated
Goes with
Recipe DNA
How this dish is built
Grouped by each ingredient’s role in the dish. Each band’s width is its share of the dish by weight. Choose a component to see what it does.
What the dish is built around
Main ingredient
- Queso fresco, crumbled200 g
- Evaporated milk150 ml · 161 g
- Saltine crackers, about 4 crackers (galletas de soda), broken15 g
Make it milder, swap ingredients for your diet, change the batch size or thickness — the original stays as it is.
Customise in Sauce & DrizzleReviews & corrections
Reviews come from signed-in cooks and appear after a moderator checks them. We never show made-up ratings.
You might also like
Ají verde (Peruvian green sauce)
Peruvian · 10 min · 108 kcal · Contains eggSalsa criolla (Peruvian onion relish)
Peruvian · 25 min · 15 kcal · Vegan
Papa a la huancaína
Peruvian · 55 min · 343 kcal · Vegetarian
Ají de gallina
Peruvian · 1 h 5 min · 553 kcal