crema

noun

ˈkre-mə 

plural cremas

1

: cream or a preparation made with or resembling cream used in cooking : crème: such as

a

: any of various custards prepared as a dish, sauce, or filling

… a trio of Mediterranean desserts, including a Catalan-inspired, lavender crema presented in an edible almond ramekin.

—Julia Zaltzman

b

: heavy cream thickened and slightly soured usually with buttermilk and often served with spicy foods

Serve the flautas with the crema.

—Zanne Early Zakroff

Crema can be used to thicken or enrich a dish, but it is broadly thought of as a condiment.

—Alex Stupak and Jordana Rothman

Pour in the Mexican crema, stirring to make sure it coats all of the vegetables, and gently simmer for about 2 minutes.

—Mely Martínez

2

: a layer of golden-brown froth that forms on the top of freshly made espresso

To get the best aroma, flavor and crema, I needed fresh beans from great roasters.

—Jeremy Repanich

What the head is to the beer lover, the foam called crema is to the espresso aficionado. … The crema is produced as the water is pushed through and past the close-packed grains of coffee, although how that happens is not fully understood.

—Sidney Perkowitz

Examples of crema in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The first boil will develop a foam (think crema, as seen in other coffee drinks). —Tyler Shane, Wired News, 31 May 2025

The San Antonio approach is to mix tortilla chips with pico de gallo and scrambled eggs, while the version popular south of the border prefers tortilla chips or strips cooked in salsa and topped with queso fresco and crema. —Edmund Tijerina, Bon Appétit, 27 Feb. 2025

The abundant nitro froth, and espresso crema in your martini, are absolutely the strongest selling points for this $700 home machine (each capsule makes enough coldspresso for two martinis, or a hefty double). —Louryn Strampe, Wired News, 24 May 2025

No matter your choice of pod, the coffee is rich and flavorful with a layer of foamy crema on top. —Adam Campbell-Schmitt, Bon Appetit Magazine, 22 Apr. 2025

This produces a delicious layer of crema that’s as good as Nespresso’s. —Adam Campbell-Schmitt, Bon Appetit Magazine, 22 Apr. 2025

The star of this enchilada variation is the creamy green sauce made from bright salsa verde and Mexican crema. —The Washington Post, San Diego Union-Tribune, 2 Apr. 2025

Dodger Stadium Team: Los Angeles Dodgers The Slugger is a 16-inch jalapeño cheddar sausage topped with corn relish, white cheddar cheese sauce, cilantro crema and crunchy tortilla strips, served with fries. —Peter Burke, FOXNews.com, 27 Mar. 2025

Toasted Cheddar Street Chalupa - Coming this year In 2023, Houston customers tried this twist on the cheesy street chalupa, featuring cheddar baked into the shell, a layer of crispy cheese toasted on the outside, and a new chile lime crema sauce. —Maxwell Millington, Axios, 21 Mar. 2025

Word History

Etymology

(sense 1) borrowed from Spanish, "cream," borrowed from French crème, going back to Old French craime; (sense 2) borrowed from Italian, "cream," borrowed from French crème — more at cream entry 1

First Known Use

1982, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Rhymes for crema

• cima
• pima
• prima
• rima
• schema
• sema
• sima
• thema
• edema
• extrema
• ulema
• emphysema