r/SalsaSnobs

This is my take on Taco Bell’s Lava sauce - but better. I aimed for the same flavor profile but with better ingredients. The real lava sauce is a mayo-based sauce, just a powder that is mixed into mayo. I also wanted to roast the veg over coals for smoky depth.

I reviewed the ingredients from the real lava sauce and went with the ingredients pictured above. Not pictured is a bit of Caldo De Tomate. Instead of using mayo I made an emulsion with canola oil. I did end up using processed cheese powder, I think it’s important for the final outcome - it also helped with the emulsion and I was able to use much less oil. I did not end up using cayenne at all. Red jalapeños vary in spice level and these were HOT. I used the whole roasted jalapeños destemmed - did not deseed or remove skin.

Super happy with the result. Cheesy, tangy, garlicky, smoky, and much spicier than the TB sauce. Same flavor profile as lava sauce but better. This may be my favorite taco sauce I have made yet. I’ve used it so far on carnitas, loaded nachos, and I also tried it on homemade Crunchwrap supremes. 10/10 sauce. It’s also great alone on chips.

Two roasted salsas. The red salsa I made with roasted Roma tomatoes, white onion, Anaheim, Serrano, jalapeño, and habanero peppers, garlic, lime juice, cilantro, and salt. The green one I used 1.5 C of the red salsa and blended with roasted tomatillos and more roasted Anaheim, Serrano, jalapeño, and habanero peppers, onion, garlic, lime juice, cilantro, and salt. The green one is spicier and has a better flavor, in my opinion.