Easy 5-Minute Chipotle Sauce

Name: Easy 5-Minute Chipotle Sauce
Prep time: 5 min
Total time: 5 min
Ingredients: 1 tablespoon diced chipotles in adobo; 3/4 cup sour cream; 1/4 cup mayonnaise; 1/4 cup chopped cilantro; 3 tablespoons lime juice; 1/2 teaspoon cumin; 1 teaspoon garlic powder; 1/2 teaspoon chili powder; 1 clove garlic; Kosher salt; fresh cracked pepper

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This simple chipotle sauce takes about 5 minutes to make and requires only a few pantry ingredients. You can adjust the amount of chipotle to make it as spicy or mild as you want. It goes great with your favorite foods and will quickly become a household staple!

White bowl filled with creamy chipotle sauce with a spoon in it.

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Ingredients and Substitutions
You Can Easily Adjust the Heat Level!
How to Make Chipotle Sauce from Scratch
Tips
You Will Love This
Frequently Asked Questions
Serving Ideas
How to Store Leftover Chipotles in Adobo
Make-Ahead, Storage, Freezing, and Reheating
More Delicious Sauce Recipes
Recipe
Easy 5-Minute Chipotle Sauce
💬 Comments

Ingredients and Substitutions

This quick chipotle sauce recipe requires only a few ingredients. The full proportions are listed on the printable recipe card below.

White marble counter top with bowls of ingredients to make chipotle sauce.

Chipotles in Adobo - I like chipotles in adobo for sauces like this because you get both the chipotles and the adobo sauce, which is really tasty and prepared from jalapeño chilies, tomatoes, vinegar, and garlic. If you don't have a jar or can of chipotles, you can use chipotle powder. I recommend starting with half a teaspoon of chipotle powder and adding more to taste.
Sour Cream - I like full-fat sour cream for its superior flavor and texture. You can substitute it with Mexican cream or Greek yogurt.
Mayonnaise adds taste and creaminess to the sauce. If you wish to avoid dairy, you might use vegan mayo (and sour cream) instead.
Cilantro - Fresh cilantro gives a vibrant flavor. If you don't have any or don't like cilantro, you may leave it out.
Lime juice provides a tang that complements the creamy smoothness and smokey flavors. Freshly squeezed is best, but bottled works just as well!
Spices: The principal spices are ground cumin, garlic powder, and chili powder. You can change these as you please. You can also use some of taco seasoning.
Garlic - Fresh garlic will give this sauce a powerful punch. If you have a fresh clove of garlic, I highly recommend using it; otherwise, garlic powder will suffice.
Salt and Pepper - I prefer to use Kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper in most of my recipes. Don't skimp on these two; they'll go a long way toward enhancing the overall flavors of the sauce.

You Can Easily Adjust the Heat Level!

The best thing about this recipe is that you can truly customize it by using it as a guide! Remember that each person will want a different amount of spice. Without overpowering your taste senses with heat, you want to taste enough of the chipotle.

Very Spicy:Use more than six tablespoons of chipotles in your adobo for a spicy dish.
Spicy:Four to five teaspoons of chipotles in adobo makes it spicy.
Medium: two to three teaspoons of adobo-cooked chipotles
Mild: adobo with no more than one tablespoon of chipotles
Very Mild: One teaspoon of chipotles in adobo is really mild.

How to Make Chipotle Sauce from Scratch

Fill a high-speed blender with ingredients.

Blender pitcher filled with ingredients to make chipotle sauce.

Blend till creamy and smooth.

Blender pitcher with freshly made chipotle sauce.

Enjoy as a delightful drizzle over smoked salmon or as a dip with fried fries after seasoning with salt & pepper to taste!

Tips

This sauce is best made in a high-speed blender, but if you'd like, you may also use a food processor. An immersion blender can also be used! If you want a really smooth consistency, you'll need some sort of blender.
Add more sour cream or mayo if you think the adobo is too hot or has too many chipotles for your taste. Adding a little more lime juice can also help balance things out.
If you're one of those people who prefers their chipotle sauce recipe a little sweeter, consider adding some honey or even maple syrup. Start with a tiny bit and increase to taste.

You Will Love This

It's incredibly versatile and simple to produce! The possibilities are infinite with this chipotle sauce, which literally just takes five minutes to prepare! This sauce will quickly become a family favorite for taco Tuesday, grilled chicken, and roasted vegetables. The finest aspect is that you are fully aware of its contents!

Frequently Asked Questions

What are chipotle peppers in adobo sauce?

They are simply the greatest thing ever! Smoked and dried jalapeño peppers are used to make adobo chillipotles. They are then covered in a highly flavored puree of adobo sauce, which is produced with vinegar, tomatoes, more dried chili peppers, and a variety of other spices. If you haven't tried chipotles in adobo, they're a great way to add flavor to your favorite tacos, black bean soup, stuffed peppers, crispy flautas, or chili recipe. In this case, they're also a great way to add flavor to this chipotle sauce.

What is chipotle sauce made of?

Chipotles in adobo, spices, cilantro, lime juice, sour cream, and mayonnaise are the ingredients of Chipotle sauce. Your family will like the smooth, smoky, somewhat spicy sauce made from the blend of all these ingredients!

Is chipotle sauce hot or spicy?

It is not so much a spicy sauce as it is a smokey heat. The best part is that you can change the amount of chopped chipotles you add to the adobo to provide as much or as little heat as you wish!

What does chipotle sauce taste like?

Chipotle sauce is incredibly creamy and has a smokey, somewhat spicy flavor. Although there are subtle notes of lime and cilantro, this sauce is generally highly palatable and complements a wide range of foods.

Serving Ideas

Since it can be used over anything, I love to always have this chipotle sauce in the refrigerator! Among the favorites in our family are:

Mexican nachos
Quesadillas
Sheets pan fajitas
Taco salad
Fish tacos
Chicken tacos
Roasted veggies
Tortilla chips
Burgers
sandwiches
Burritos
Oven-baked fries
Sweet potatoes fries
Bowls of burritos
Chicken wings

How to Store Leftover Chipotles in Adobo

I prefer to purchase a jar of chipotles in adobo so that you may use what you need and simply store the container in the refrigerator until you need it again.
However, I suggest moving the leftovers to a plastic Ziploc bag, pressing it flat gently, and squeezing out all the air if you can only find the canned chipotles in adobo. For up to three months, place it in the freezer.
Simply pick up the Ziploc, open it, and expose a portion of the frozen chipotles to use in adobo. Put it on a chopping board and carefully cut off the part you need with a sharp knife.
The remainder can then be stored in the freezer until you need them for taquitos, black bean soup, or chili again!

Make-Ahead, Storage, Freezing, and Reheating

Make-Ahead: You can make this dish in advance. Time simply improves the flavors!
Storage: Keep for up to a week in the refrigerator in an airtight container.
Freezing: This sauce keeps for up to three months in a freezer-safe container. Before using, let it thaw overnight in the refrigerator.
Reheating: Just place the frozen sauce in the fridge until it has fully thawed to reconstitute it. After that, give it a good stir or put it back in the blender with some water or lime juice and blend until it's smooth once again.

If you tried this Easy 5-Minute Chipotle Sauce or any other recipe on my website, please feel free to leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it goes in the 📝 comments below. And remember to tag me on Instagram!