Chipotle Honey Vinaigrette

This chipotle vinaigrette is smoky, spicy, and a little sweet. Use it as a salad dressing, or drizzle it over burrito bowls, tacos, grilled veggies, and more!

chipotle vinaigrette

This chipotle vinaigrette recipe makes a fairly big batch, but I’m not mad about it. It’s the sort of salad dressing that tastes good on almost anything – roasted veggies, tacos, burritos, and, of course, salad. Keep a jar on hand in the fridge, and you’ll use the whole thing before you know it.

Lately, my favorite way to use it has been on grilled veggies. Whether I’ve been cooking zucchini, onions, or portobello mushrooms, this vinaigrette has been the perfect finishing touch. The chipotles deepen the smoky flavor that the veggies gain from the grill, lime juice adds a nice brightness, and a touch of honey balances it all out. I can’t get enough of its sweet, smoky, spicy flavor. I hope you love it too!

Chipotle dressing recipe ingredients

Chipotle Vinaigrette Recipe Ingredients

This chipotle dressing recipe might remind you of the famous chipotle honey vinaigrette served at Chipotle Mexican Grill. It’s definitely similar, but if you’re a fan of Chipotle’s salad dressing, don’t expect this one to be an exact copycat version. Here’s what I use to make it:

  • Chipotles, of course! To make this chipotle vinaigrette, you’ll use one chipotle from a can of chipotles in adobo sauce. Use the remaining peppers and sauce to make BBQ sandwiches, black bean burgers, chili, black bean soup, or enchiladas!
  • Fresh lime juice – It makes the dressing zesty and bright.
  • Honey – Its sweetness balances the heat of the chipotle pepper.
  • Garlic and cumin – They add depth to the sweet and spicy blend of chipotles and honey.
  • Avocado oil – It gives the dressing body and richness.
  • And salt and pepper – To make all the flavors pop!

Place the ingredients in a blender or food processor, and blitz until the dressing is smooth. Season to taste, and enjoy! Store any leftover dressing in a Mason jar or airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.

Find the complete recipe with measurements below.

Chipotle salad dressing in a food processor

How to Use This Chipotle Honey Vinaigrette

This chipotle dressing is such a versatile condiment to keep on hand. For starters, it’s excellent on salads. Toss it with a Simple Green Salad for an easy side dish, or drizzle it onto this Black Bean and Corn Salad. Use it instead of the tahini dressing on my Sweet Potato Salad, or add it to any taco salad or burrito bowl.

But the ways to use it don’t end there. Here are a few more of my favorites:

How do you like to use this chipotle vinaigrette? Let me know in the comments!

chipotle salad dressing

More Favorite Salad Dressings

If you love this chipotle vinaigrette, try one of these homemade salad dressing recipes next:

chipotle salad dressing

Chipotle Honey Vinaigrette

rate this recipe:
5 from 8 votes
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Serves 8
This chipotle vinaigrette is sweet, smoky, and spicy. Use it as a salad dressing, or drizzle it over grilled or roasted veggies, tacos, bowls, and more!

Ingredients

Instructions

  • In a small food processor, combine the oil, lime juice, chipotle, honey, garlic, cumin, salt, and several grinds of pepper. Pulse until combined.
  • See the above blog post for serving suggestions.

7 comments

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Rate this recipe (after making it)




  1. Tere
    02.08.2023

    5 stars
    Made this dressing when we brought salad for a Going Away Party at Church- the guest of honor raved about it! As did many others! We found it delicious too! I made my own adobe sauce since I couldn’t find organic! Thanks very much for the Great Recipe- will be making it often 😋 long does this dressing last in the fridge?

    • Phoebe Moore (L&L Recipe Developer)
      02.09.2023

      I’m so glad it was a hit!! It lasts for about 5 days in the fridge.

  2. Nancy
    11.07.2022

    5 stars
    Amazing recipe. I make this and add it on top of my salad that contains black beans, pico de gallo, corn and pickled onions. Love this recipe ! I freeze the extra Chipolte peppers from the can in snack baggies so I can just pull out and make this dressing anytime.

    • Phoebe Moore (L&L Recipe Developer)
      11.11.2022

      I’m so glad you love the dressing!

  3. Leptosiphon
    12.20.2021

    5 stars
    Holy moly. Amazing!! I added extra Chipotles, three to be exact. Maybe mine were very mild? Not spicy but delish. Also, all the honey I added got stuck at the bottom of the blender and I had to mix it in when I poured out the sauce, so just beware of your honey getting lost in the bottom! Definitely make this though, it’s AMAZING! I poured it over roasted sweet potatoes with black beans, and topped with cilantro. Pickled onions could have been a nice addition…

    • Jeanine Donofrio
      12.22.2021

      I’m so glad you loved it!

  4. Laura
    07.13.2021

    5 stars
    Just in time for taco salads tonight. This was absolutely delicious and the perfect touch. Only sub was olive oil for avocado oil due to availability.

A food blog with fresh, zesty recipes.
Photograph of Jeanine Donofrio and Jack Mathews in their kitchen

Hello, we're Jeanine and Jack.

We love to eat, travel, cook, and eat some more! We create & photograph vegetarian recipes from our home in Chicago, while our shiba pups eat the kale stems that fall on the kitchen floor.