This creamy chipotle sauce recipe is quick and easy to make and focuses more on the chipotle and less on the other ingredients for real chipotle flavor, so good! Chipotle all the way, super creamy!
Homemade Chipotle Sauce Recipe
This is MY kind of chipotle sauce, my friends. It is nice and creamy yet still holds onto all that wonderful smoky-tangy chipotle flavor we all crave. That’s how we want it, right?
What is Chipotle Sauce?
Chipotle sauce is a popular creamy sauce made with spicy, smoky chipotle peppers mixed with mayonnaise and sour cream or crema. You'll find it served in numerous fast food restaurants, like Taco Bell or Subway.
It's a versatile sauce or condiment made with simple ingredients, the perfect way to add flavor and zing to sandwiches, French fries, grilled foods, and so much more.
There are different ways to make it, but they are all quite similar.
I’ve had other chipotle sauces and found many of them lacking. The recipes call for far too much cream or mayonnaise or other ingredients to achieve their desired flavor, but in the end, all you’re really left with is a mixture of mayo and sour cream or Greek yogurt that is colored with a dash of chipotle sauce or chipotle powder added in
NAH! That’s just not enough chipotle sauce for me. We need creamy chipotle sauce with real flavor.
With my chipotle sauce recipe, we’re focusing on the chipotle, and it’s super easy to make. You KNOW how much I love EASY.
Let's talk about how to make chipotle sauce, the right way.
Homemade Chipotle Sauce Ingredients
- Chipotle Peppers in Adobo Sauce. Use the canned product you normally find in the grocery store. You can also use the product labeled "adobo sauce". If offers the smoky-spicy flavor, made with smoked and dried jalapeno peppers. The dried chipotles are drenched in delicious adobo sauce.
- Mexican Crema. You can use sour cream or Greek yogurt, but I prefer the flavor of Mexican crema.
- Mayonnaise. Use your favorite brand. Works with vegan mayo as well.
- Fresh Cilantro.
- Spices. Cayenne powder, garlic powder, cumin, and salt.
How to Make Chipotle Sauce - the Recipe Method
First, gather up your ingredients, which include a can of chipotles in adobe (but of course!), along with ½ cup Mexican crema (or sour cream), ¼ cup mayo, chopped cilantro, cayenne powder for flavor and heat, garlic powder, cumin, and a bit of salt and pepper.
If you'd like a citrus pop, squeeze in a bit of fresh lime juice.
Next, add it all to a food processor and puree until smooth.
BOOM! Done!
That’s it. Easy, right? I love the chipotle pepper flavor. So smooth and creamy, and delicious!
PLUS! You’ll be using the WHOLE can of chipotles in adobo sauce for this. No need to dirty up tiny little storage containers in the refrigerator trying to save the rest. Use ALL of it.
Much better.
Recipe Tips
- Sour cream is great, though I prefer the flavor of Mexican crema. You can usually find it near the sour cream in the grocery store. Also, consider making it with a bit of yogurt as well.
- Real mayonnaise will give you much more flavor. You can make it with non-fat versions, but real mayo it superior.
- Want even MORE chipotle flavor? Add in another can of chipotle peppers in adobo. You can't go wrong.
- Use only half of the chipotles in adobo sauce for a milder version.
- Toss in some fresh cilantro for a herbal flavor.
Storage Information
You can store homemade chipotle sauce in a sealed container in the refrigerator for 1 week.
What Goes Best with Chipotle Sauce?
I LOVE to have this on hand for grilled chicken or pork. It’s a great finisher. Toss some fried or grilled chicken wings or legs with this chipotle sauce and go straight to flavor heaven. Fried or grilled shrimp, too.
It's also great served as a chipotle dip with chips. Just pour it into a small bowl. It's one of the best dipping sauces ever.
Or use it as you would any other condiment and drizzle it over sandwiches, wraps or salads. I love it on fish tacos or drizzled over a burrito bowl. Consider it for fajitas or fried fish.
DELISH!
Try it out with this Quick and Easy Chipotle Chicken Recipe, Grilled Chicken Wings or Grilled Shrimp.
You pretty much have to make it homemade. I don't often see chipotle sauce in grocery stores. I'd rather make it at home anyway. More chipotle flavor for me!
Give it a go, my friends. Let me know how you like it, and how you best like to serve it. Curious to hear! Enjoy. – Mike H.
Try Some of My Other Popular Sauce Recipes
- Chipotle Mayo
- Jacked Up Fry Sauce
- Homemade Buffalo Sauce
- Sriracha Aioli
- Creamy Sriracha Mayo
- Cajun Remoulade Sauce
- Creamy Fish Taco Sauce
- Bang Bang Sauce
- This Mexican White Sauce Recipe (Salsa Blanca) is a tasty variation from Virginia that you will love.
If you try this recipe, please let us know! Leave a comment, rate it and tag a photo #ChiliPepperMadness on Instagram so we can take a look. I always love to see all of your spicy inspirations.
Chipotle Sauce Recipe
Ingredients
- 7 ounce can chipotles in adobo sauce or use chipotle sauce
- ½ cup Mexican crema sour cream is good, too
- ¼ cup mayonnaise
- 3 tablespoons chopped cilantro
- 1 teaspoon cayenne powder (or to taste - use 1/2 teaspoon for less spicy)
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon cumin
- Salt to taste
Instructions
- Add all of the ingredients to a food processor. Process until smooth!
- Store in an airtight jar in the refrigerator.
Video
Notes
Nutrition Information
NOTE: This recipe was updated on 3/24/23 to include new information, photos and video. It was originally published on 4/4/18.
Josh M says
Chipotle + sour cream is a match made in culinary heaven, IMHO. Solid condiment...still feels like it's missing something. As the sauce is straight forward heat + cooling cream, my tastebuds felt like an acid was needed. I sifted through my cabinet and chose cider vinegar (for a touch of sweetness), but in hindsight some lime juice + bit of honey might have kept with the overall profile. *BTW, whenever I try to comment via Safari browser, your website freezes up on laptop and mobile; Chrome appears to work better.
Mike Hultquist says
Glad you enjoyed it with the vinegar, Josh. Note to others - most brands of chipotles in adobo contain some vinegar, so best to taste and adjust as needed. Cheers. Thanks for the heads up on your Safari issue.
Janet Dierker says
I used a 220 gram of La Costena brand chipotles adobados, doubled the amount of fresh cilantro, omitted the cayenne and used sour cream. Like all your recipes, Mike, it was yummy!
Mike Hultquist says
Thanks, Janet!! I love to hear it! Very happy you enjoyed it!
Cliff W. says
What do you do on a rainy Sunday afternoon in Pennsylvania? COOK RECIPES!! The Chipotle Sauce was great. Super easy to make. We followed the recipe except we replaced the cilantro with parsley (the lovely wife is allergic). We wanted to drizzle it over a Mexican dish, so we made your Chicken Enchilada Casserole Verde. Wow Mike, nice recipe. Turned out great. Had to tweak it a bit as we didn't have everything in the kitchen, but with the Chipotle Sauce drizzled over top, it was a great combination. Keep the fun challenges coming!!
Mike Hultquist says
Outstanding!! Glad you both enjoyed it, Cliff!! Such a tasty sauce for sure! I appreciate it.
Sherry says
Learning to be a señora or else my partner and I are going to starve! 😂 You got the sauce Mike. Thanks for sharing! These are so easy and very tasty. Almost the same consistency as the habanero salsa my mom makes for the pozole. 😋
Mike Hultquist says
Haha, glad you enjoyed it, Sherry!! I love to hear it. Happy cooking!
Suzanne says
YES! This was so easy to make, and it turned out SO good. I made it for a Mexican-inspired stir-fry served over barley, and this sauce absolutely made the dish.
My kids insist that I’ve blown out my tastebuds because I make everything way too spicy, but even I decided to tone this one down a bit. I used just 2 chipotles plus a little of the adobo sauce rather than the entire can, and the heat level was perfect for me. (I’m definitely not at Mike’s level of spice tolerance!)
Side note: my sauce didn't turn out quite as bright and vibrant as Mike’s because I had some extra cilantro on hand and threw it all in rather than let it go to waste. It may have changed the color, but it definitely didn’t hurt the flavor. This one’s a keeper!
Mike Hultquist says
Fantastic!! Glad you enjoyed it, Suzanne! Great comments!
Ryann says
This sauce is awesome. I could put this sauce on anything. This is my new go to! Also, it was super easy to make.
Mike Hultquist says
Thanks, Ryann! Glad you're enjoying it!
Glen says
This sauce is outstanding with the creaminess balanced by the smoky heat of the chipotles. I added a few peppers for good measure to amp the heat up. I used it on shrimp tacos but I think it would be great with a pork tenderloin or of course tacos as well. I would also love to try it with wings!
Mike H. says
Sounds like a plan. Glen. Have fun with it!
adi says
Hello, I am a long time subscribe of your app and use your recommendations a lot. This time I face a "problem". I can't find chipotle in adobe sauce, can you recommend on a substitute? thanks a million
Mike Hultquist says
Adi, you can find the adobo sauce in cans in the grocery store with the Mexican items. I do have a homemade adobo sauce recipe here: https://www.chilipeppermadness.com/recipes/adobo-sauce/ - you can also use teaspoon of chipotle powder.
Steve says
Amazing! Followed the recipe and loved it, wouldn’t change a thing!
Mike Hultquist says
Yes!! Glad to hear it, Steve! Thanks!
Karen Hays says
I love easy recipes, and this is certainly one. Though I made the recipe as is, the adobo sauce in my canned chipotles (La Costina) had way too much vinegar. I toned it down by adding a little extra sour cream. Next time, I'll rinse some of the adobo sauce off the chipotles first. A great recipe (5/5) once I adjusted for the tartness.
Mike Hultquist says
Thank you, Karen! Glad you enjoyed and I appreciate your comments!
Jérémie says
Hey Mike!
I made this sauce exactly as written to go with fish tacos using seasoned hake, a crunchy slaw, and fresh cherry tomatoes from my garden, and it was absolutely great.
The chipotle is really the star here: smoky, deep and rounded, with just enough heat. I also loved the subtle earthy warmth from the cumin, while the crema and mayonnaise give the sauce a rich, smooth texture without drowning out the chipotle flavor.
The tacos already had plenty of flavor and texture, with the well-seasoned fish, fresh cherry tomatoes and crunchy slaw, but this sauce was what brought everything together and added that extra kick. What lingered after each bite was that wonderful smoky chipotle flavor and a gentle, very pleasant heat.
Definitely a keeper. I now want to try it on other things, because I can imagine it being fantastic on a burger or simply spooned over grilled chicken straight from the barbecue.
Mike H. says
Spot on, Jérémie. And thank you for such a warm review. I really appreciate it.
Jason Renaud says
Wow! This sauce is packed with flavor! Beware though, it’s fairly spicy! I only used 1/2 tsp of cayenne. I can handle the heat but if you’re serving an audience you may not even need the added cayenne. Wish I could have used real Mexican Crema but I couldn’t locate any so I had to use sour cream in its place. Will definitely try in the future with the crema. Can’t wait to try the sauce later this week on some grill chicken legs and wings!
Mike Hultquist says
Thanks, Jason! I appreciate your comments! SUPER happy you like it! Cheers!
Russ Lewis says
Wow! This is a super great sauce that can be used for multiple things, I used it on my burger, and as a dip for fries and veggies. The smoky taste of the chipotles is fantastic. I even kicked up a small batch with some ghost pepper powder. This recipe is now a go to for me. Thanks for sharing.
Mike Hultquist says
Thanks, Russ! Glad you like it! So versatile!