Do you love rich and creamy soups with just the right amount of spice? If so, get ready to fall in love with this delicious chili poblano soup (crema de poblano)! And if you have extra poblanos, be sure to try my easy chile relleno recipe!
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Earlier this year, my daughter, Nena, got a chance to shoot a destination wedding in Cabo, Mexico. This was her first time in Mexico so she was pretty excited. Being born and raised in San Diego, you could say she is a Mexican food connoisseur, as is the rest of the family.
While there, Nena had "the best soup I've ever had!" (in her own words). After describing the soup and doing an internet search, we narrowed it down to Crema de Poblano.
We did a lot of trial batches, but the exact flavor Nena was yearning for took some time to perfect. Who knew the missing ingredient would be jalapeno pepper pickling juice?
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🔖 Ingredients & Substitutions
- Peppers: You'll need 6 large poblanos for this soup.
- Broth: Chicken stock or broth. If you prefer, you can also use vegetable broth.
- Potato: One large potato to dice and add to the soup, which will be blended to thicken the soup.
- Half and Half: You can use cream instead.
- Pickle Juice: Pickle juice adds just the right amount of tang to this recipe but you can substitute lime juice.
*A full list of ingredients can be found in the recipe card.
🥣 How to Make Crema de Poblano
Step 1. Add poblano and jalapeno peppers to a foil-lined baking sheet and broil on low, flipping halfway through, until charred. Peel off charred skin when cool enough to handle.
Pro Tip: If you prefer, you can hold the poblano peppers by their stem and roast them over an open flame.
Step 2. Melt butter in a medium-sized pot over medium heat. Add onion and garlic and sauté for a few minutes. Add flour and salt, and cook for a few more minutes, as you stir. Add broth and whisk to combine.
Step 3. Remove seeds from the peppers, then dice. Add to the pot, along with the diced potato. If you'd like some texture in your soup, leave one of the chopped poblanos to add after you puree the other peppers in the soup.
Step 4. Add jalapeno juice and bring to a boil. Turn the heat to low, cover, and simmer on low heat for 30 minutes.
Step 5. Use a hand-held immersion blender to blend the soup until creamy. Stir the reserved chopped poblano and half-and-half into the soup before serving.
🍽 Serving Suggestions
Serve chili poblano soup topped with fresh tortillas or with tortilla chips on the side. Garnish with chopped fresh cilantro and a dollop of sour cream!
🤷🏻♀️ Recipe FAQs
Poblano Peppers are a favorite in Mexican cooking. When dried, "Poblano Peppers" are known as "Ancho Peppers." Poblano peppers are considered mildly spicy (ranging from 1,000 to 1,500 Scoville heat units.
Poblano soup is usually prepared with blended poblano peppers mixed with chicken broth. The soup is thickened with a roux made with flour and butter. Half and half or cream is also added to give the soup a creamy texture.
Looking for more delicious soup recipes? If so, give this Italian wedding soup a try!
👩🏼🍳 Pro Tips
- If you want an even creamier texture and don't mind the extra fat, add heavy cream to your crema de poblano soup.
- If you like a chunkier soup, feel free to add some canned/drained black beans and corn kernels.
- If you prefer milder soup, you can leave out the jalapeno pepper.
- To increase the amount of protein, make chicken poblano soup by adding shredded rotisserie chicken.
- Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container for up to 5 days in the fridge.
- I don't recommend freezing poblano soup, especially after adding half and half.
🥘 More Soup Recipes
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📖 Recipe
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Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Add poblano and jalapeno peppers to a foil-lined baking sheet and broil on low, flipping halfway through, until charred. Peel off charred skin when cool enough to handle.
- Melt butter in a medium-sized pot over medium heat. Add onion and garlic and sauté for a few minutes. Add flour and salt and cook for a few more minutes, as you stir. Add broth and whisk to combine.
- Remove seeds from the peppers, then dice. Add to the pot, along with the diced potato. If you'd like some texture in your soup, leave one of the chopped poblanos to add after you puree the other peppers in the soup.
- Add jalapeno juice and bring to a boil. Turn heat to low, cover, and simmer on low heat for 30 minutes.
- Use a hand-held immersion blender to blend the soup until creamy. Stir the reserved chopped poblano and half-n-half into the soup before serving.
Nutrition
Notes
- If you want an even creamier texture and don't mind the extra fat, add heavy cream to your crema de poblano soup.
- If you like a chunkier soup, feel free to add some canned/drained black beans and corn kernels.
- If you prefer milder soup, you can leave out the jalapeno pepper.
- To increase the amount of protein, make chicken poblano soup by adding shredded rotisserie chicken.
- Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container for up to 5 days in the fridge.
- I don't recommend freezing poblano soup, especially after adding half and half.
chris says
This is delicious. I did add the black bean and corn as well as some kale at the tail end of the cook. The kale holds the soup and is a nice bite.
Hilda Sterner says
Thanks, Chris, I love the additions you made!
Christy Howard says
I made this soup and loved it! I wonder if you could convert it to a slow cooker recipe and I want to slow cook it with a ham bone. I would remove the bone, immersion blend and then add the half & half and some ham. What are your thoughts?
Hilda Sterner says
Hi Christy, you can definitely prepare it in a slow cooker, but I'm not sure about using a ham bone. It may work, but if I was going to add pork, I'd go with pork shoulder or pork butt. If you end up doing it, I'd love to hear how it goes!
Janel says
This was delicious! I added about 1/4 cup small diced panela cheese to each bowl as I was serving! Thanks for sharing.
Hilda Sterner says
Hi Janel, Thank you for the review. I love the idea of adding panela cheese. Great job!
Mare says
Love this soup! We had Cream of Poblano soup while in Loreto, Baja Sur and I looked forward to replicating it at home. This recipe hit the nose on the button! Delicious! I didn't have 1/2 & 1/2 so substituted 1/2 cup 1% milk and 1/2 cup Mexican Creama. It seemed to work very well. Thanks for sharing your recipe with the world. 🙂
Hilda Sterner says
I'm so glad to hear that, especially since I had never had the soup before and created the recipe based on my daughter's description of the amazing soup she had in Mexico. 😉
Orest Hodinski says
What is Jalapeno pickling liquid. When did you source it?
Hilda Sterner says
It's the pickling solution/brine in a jar of pickled jalapenos. You source it by purchasing pickled jalapenos. You can substitute plain vinegar, but it won't have the same spicy flavor, so you may need to add some crushed chili flakes.
Kelly Methey says
Yum!
Kelly Hartman says
I have made this about 5 times love it!!!
Hilda Sterner says
Hi Kelly,
So glad you're enjoying the Poblano Soup. Thanks for stopping by and reviewing the recipe! ❤️
CC says
This was a terrific soup!! The taste was amazing, with just enough heat. My husband loved it as well.
I’ll definitely be making this soup again!!
HildaSterner says
Thanks, CC, I'm so glad you enjoyed it. Thank you so much for the review! ❤️
Marilyn says
Delicious!
HildaSterner says
Thank you! I really appreciate the review and comment!