This easy chipotle sauce is one of my favorite condiments to keep on hand! It's great for dipping and for spicing up your favorite tacos & bowls.
I say this all the time, but I truly believe that the key to a great veggie meal (or any meal, really) is a great sauce! With a great sauce on hand, you can use whatever veggies/grains/proteins you have to easily make salads, bowls, tacos, or sandwiches any night of the week. This smoky, creamy chipotle sauce is one of my absolute favorites to punch up any meal. It started as a sauce to the cauliflower tacos in my first cookbook and now I love it on everything from burrito bowls to breakfast tacos. It’s also great as a sweet potato fries dipping sauce, as it’s pictured here today. Keep reading for how to make it (and yes, there’s a vegan version!).
How to Make the Best Chipotle Sauce
What’s the secret to making a great chipotle mayo? Canned chipotle peppers in adobo sauce. They have an amazing smoky, spicy flavor that makes them one of my go-to ingredients in savory recipes. If you’ve never used chipotles in adobo, don’t worry – they’re not hard to find. Most grocery stores carry them in the Mexican aisle. After you make this recipe, use your leftover chipotles in BBQ jackfruit sliders or creamy vegan nacho cheese!
In this recipe, I balance the heat of the chipotles with sweetness from honey, richness from Greek yogurt & mayonnaise, and brightness from lime to make an addictive sauce that’s a bit lighter than a traditional chipotle aioli. And no need to worry if you’re vegan – maple syrup and vegan mayo work perfectly in place of the honey, yogurt, and traditional mayonnaise.
How to Use Chipotle Sauce
Ok, you’ve made your chipotle sauce. Now what do you do with it? I love to use it as a sweet potato fries dipping sauce, and it’s great to have on hand for quick no-recipe meals. Drizzle it over a burrito bowl or roasted veggies, or dollop it onto tacos like the cauliflower tacos in our first book! You could also slather it onto a sandwich or use it to top your favorite veggie burger.
In addition, it would be delicious in any of these recipes:
- Spicy Mango, Black Bean & Avocado Tacos (sub in chipotle mayo for the sriracha mayo)
- Crispy Butternut Squash & Poblano Tacos (use this sauce instead of the poblano sauce)
- The Best Darn Vegan Veggie Burger
- Vegan Black Bean Quinoa Burger
- Taco Bowl with Cucumber Jalapeño Ranch
- Cauliflower Rice Burrito Bowl
If you loved this chipotle sauce, try these favorite sauces next!
For more dips and appetizer ideas, check out this post!
Creamy Chipotle Sauce
Ingredients
- ½ cup whole milk Greek yogurt, (*see vegan note)
- ¼ cup mayonnaise, (Sir Kensington’s is best here)
- 1 chipotle pepper from a can of chipotles in adobo sauce
- 1 garlic clove, peeled
- 1 teaspoon lime juice
- 1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon honey or maple syrup
- Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- In a food processor, place the yogurt, mayo, chipotle pepper, garlic, lime juice, olive oil, honey, and generous pinches of salt and freshly ground black pepper and blend until smooth. Season to taste with more salt and pepper, if desired.
Notes
Fixed a double batch of this tonight. It is amazing!
My plan was to use it on fish tacos tomorrow. Tried it on broiled chicken tonight and it was great. I could literally eat it by the spoonful. Thank you so much.
We are low sodium so I cut the sodium down quite a bit. Only 50 calories and 50 mg of sodium per tablespoon. The sodium is less than a third in the national product we would normally buy.
Hi Bob, I’m so glad you loved the sauce!
Made it for taco bar night, it was the star of the show!! It made everything taste better! I added a bit more of chipotle peppers since spice is appreciated in my household! This is gonna be a regular from now on!
I’m so glad you loved it!
My whole family absolutely LOVES this healthy sauce. It makes everything tastier. I’ve been making it every few weeks now when it runs out. We keep it in a jar in the fridge and it lasts for about a month (I double the recipe). When I make something the kids don’t really want to eat (beef and liver patties) they eat it if it’s got this sauce on it.
I’m so glad you all love the recipe!
Can I sub chipotle powder for the canned, and how much should I use?
I’d start with 1 teaspoon chipotle powder and add more to taste. You may need to add a bit more lime juice or maple syrup to balance the sauce. Hope you enjoy it!
This chipotle sauce is perfect! I’ve made it every week for the last month for taco Tuesdays and it’s such a hit. Don’t debate trying it, you’ll love it!
I’ve frozen remaining chipotle peppers (separately, in an ice cube tray) after opening the can and defrosted what I need on the day I make the sauce and it is still wonderful.
Hi Rebecca, I’m so glad you loved it!
Can I just use greak.yogurt and no mayo
Yep, I would add a little more salt, to taste.
I just made this sauce, and I think it’s the flavor I’ve been searching for my entire life. I spilled some on the counter, while I poured it into a jar, and I wanted to lick it off the counter. But I used a spoon. I also dripped some on the floor (art is messy!), and I looked longingly at it. Enough said.
Ha ha, I’m glad you enjoyed it!
Nice recipe! I tried it twice and the sauce was delicious!!!
I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
How long will this last in the fridge?
Can you freeze leftovers? Thanks!
Hi Maureen, I keep it for about 5 days. I haven’t tried freezing it so I’m not sure.
Delicious! I love pouring this sauce over fries (sweet potato or regular) with melted cheese, bacon and green onions. So so so good! Thank you!
I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
This is the only recipe for this that I use now. It’s my family’s favorite. Have subbed lemon for lime when I didn’t have a lime and it was fine. Also subbed sour cream when I ran out of mayo.
But when I can, I make it exactly as is and it’s delicious!
I’m glad you’ve enjoyed the sauce so much!
How long would this last in the frig?
This is by far the easiest and tastiest dressing/sauce I’ve ever made! Added a bit more olive oil to think it out for taco salads!! I’ll be putting this on everything!
So good!
Hi. Do I use the whole can of peppers in 1 recipe
Hi Tahera, no, you pull 1 pepper out of the can. The full recipe is at the bottom of the post in the recipe card. I hope you enjoy!