#tacosauce

Homemade chilies and tomato sauce recipe. Perfect for tacos, burritos, or grilled meats.

Tacos and burritos are two of the most popular foods in America. They are also two of the most consistently under-sauced.

Most people reach for whatever is on the table. Sour cream, salsa, or a packet sauce from a fast food chain. These options fill the role without fulfilling it. They add moisture but not depth. They add heat but not complexity. They finish the meal without making it memorable.

One gourmet sauce changes that. The Smoky Original by SOSS Bros is built to work as a dip, spread, dressing, and marinade. Tacos and burritos use all four of those functions at once.

Why Tacos Need More Than Salsa

A taco has three jobs to balance: protein, structure, and freshness. The shell or tortilla provides structure. The filling provides protein. Fresh toppings like onion, cilantro, and lime provide brightness.

Salsa handles freshness. Sour cream handles creaminess. But neither one handles the bridge between the seasoned protein and the rest of the taco.

A smoky, creamy chipotle sauce does. It connects the seasoned meat to the fresh toppings, adds a layer of richness that holds the taco together texturally, and delivers a finish that neither salsa nor sour cream can produce on their own.

This is why a gourmet sauce works better on tacos than the standard two-sauce combination most people use. It does the job of both, and it does it with more flavor depth.

The Right Sauce Application for Tacos

How you apply sauce to a taco matters as much as which sauce you choose.

Sauce added to the base of the taco, directly on the tortilla before the filling goes in, acts as a flavor foundation. Everything placed on top of it picks up the smoke and creaminess from beneath.

Sauce added on top as a finish acts as contrast. It sits against the heat of the filling and the freshness of the toppings.

Using a small amount at the base and a small amount on top creates a layered taco where every bite contains all three flavor dimensions: seasoned protein, fresh toppings, and smoky creamy sauce. This is the difference between a taco that tastes assembled and one that tastes built.

How Sauce Changes a Burrito

A burrito presents a different challenge. Everything is enclosed, which means flavor distribution matters more than presentation.

The most common burrito problem is uneven flavor. Some bites are heavily seasoned. Others taste mostly like rice or beans. Sauce fixes this by providing a consistent flavor layer that runs through the entire build.

A creamy smoky sauce applied along the length of the tortilla before the fillings are added creates a baseline flavor that unifies every component. It also adds moisture that keeps the burrito from tasting dry in the middle, which is a common issue with rice-heavy builds.

The Ranch Killer works particularly well inside burritos because its cool, creamy, balanced profile complements bold proteins without competing with them. For those who want more heat built into the burrito itself, The Habanero Heat delivers smoky chipotle and real habanero heat in a creamy base that distributes evenly through every bite.

Taco Bell Hacks: Where SOSS Belongs

The SOSS Bros have a documented approach to fast food called the SOSS List. The Taco Bell entry is one of the most specific.

The recommended order includes a Grilled Steak Burrito with double steak, lettuce, tomatoes, onions, sour cream, and double steamed, cooked well done. A Hard Taco Supreme with Cantina Chicken substituted. A Grilled Chicken Quesadilla with double Cantina Chicken, pickled jalapeños, tomatoes, and cooked well done.

The bonus move: order the quesadilla uncut, open it, insert the hard taco, and fold. The result is a Quesadilla Crunch Wrap that Taco Bell does not officially offer.

Every one of these builds is improved with SOSS. Bring your own sauce. The packet sauces at Taco Bell are designed for broad palatability, not for flavor depth. A smoky creamy gourmet sauce added to any of these orders changes what you are eating into something the menu was not designed to produce.

Building the Right Sauce Habit for Mexican Food

The reason most people do not use a gourmet sauce on tacos and burritos is habit. Salsa and sour cream are default because they have always been default.

Replacing one of them with a sauce that actually has depth, real peppers, real citrus, zero sugar, and no artificial flavors, does not require a new recipe or a new cooking method. It requires one different bottle in the door of the refrigerator.

SOSS was built on this exact idea. One bottle that replaces ketchup, mustard, mayo, BBQ sauce, and hot sauce. On tacos and burritos specifically, it replaces the need for separate crema, salsa verde, and chipotle dipping sauce simultaneously.

Explore the full SOSS collection and find the sauce that fits how you build your tacos.

Frequently Asked Questions

What sauce goes best with tacos? A creamy smoky chipotle sauce works better than salsa or sour cream alone because it bridges the gap between seasoned protein and fresh toppings, adding depth that neither condiment provides on its own.

What is the best sauce for burritos? A creamy sauce with real peppers and real citrus applied along the inside of the tortilla before the fillings are added creates consistent flavor distribution across every bite.

What is a good sauce to dip tacos in? A gourmet chipotle sauce with a creamy base works as a dipping sauce because it has enough body to coat without running, and enough flavor complexity to add to the taco rather than just providing moisture.

You can add this creamy and spicy Dairy-Free Chipotle Sauce to your tacos to make them taste even better. It's a dairy-free alternative to creamy sauces because it's made with soaked cashews and chipotle peppers.

Ingredients: 1 cup raw cashews, soaked in hot water for 1 hour. 2 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce. 2 cloves garlic. 1/2 cup water. 2 tablespoons lemon juice. 1 teaspoon cumin. 1/2 teaspoon paprika. Salt and pepper to taste.

Instructions: Drain the soaked cashews and add them to a blender. Add chipotle peppers, garlic, water, lemon juice, cumin, paprika, salt, and pepper to the blender. Blend until the mixture is smooth and creamy. You may need to scrape down the sides of the blender and blend again to ensure everything is well combined. Taste the sauce and adjust the seasoning if needed, adding more salt, pepper, or lemon juice to your preference. Transfer the dairy-free chipotle sauce to a jar or container and refrigerate until ready to use. Use it as a delicious and spicy topping for tacos, burritos, or any dish of your choice!

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 0 minutes

The Quesadilla Bun Burger is a tasty mix of American and Mexican flavors. It doesn't have burger buns, but instead has seasoned ground beef patties between two crispy, cheesy quesadillas. Served with a spicy salsa and a smooth taco sauce, this burger is a delight for the taste buds.

Ingredients: 1 lb ground beef. 1 teaspoon salt. 1/2 teaspoon black pepper. 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder. 1/2 teaspoon onion powder. 4 flour tortillas. 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese. 1/2 cup diced red onion. 1/2 cup diced tomato. 1/4 cup chopped cilantro. 1/4 cup sliced pickled jalapeos. 1/4 cup sour cream. 1/4 cup mayonnaise. 1 tablespoon taco seasoning. 1 tablespoon vegetable oil.

Instructions: In a bowl, combine ground beef, salt, black pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder. Mix well and form into 4 burger patties. Heat a grill or grill pan over medium-high heat. Grill the burger patties for about 4-5 minutes per side or until they reach your desired level of doneness. While the burgers are cooking, heat a large non-stick skillet over medium heat. Place a flour tortilla in the skillet and sprinkle with 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese. Top with another tortilla and cook until the cheese is melted and the tortillas are crispy, about 2-3 minutes per side. Repeat for the remaining tortillas and cheese. In a small bowl, mix together diced red onion, diced tomato, chopped cilantro, and sliced pickled jalapeos to make a salsa topping. In another small bowl, combine sour cream, mayonnaise, and taco seasoning to make a creamy sauce. To assemble the burgers, place a quesadilla on a plate, add a grilled burger patty on top, and then spoon some of the salsa topping over the burger. Drizzle with the creamy sauce and top with another quesadilla. Serve the Quesadilla Bun Burgers immediately and enjoy!

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes

Available at McEwan Fine Foods, Hard Taco Dinner Kit includes 12 taco shells, mild taco sauce and taco seasoning mix. You can get this meal ready in 20 minutes!