Chipotle Sauce
This creamy chipotle sauce is spicy, bold and irresistible. It's easy to make with simple ingredients. You decide the spice level!
Posted by Kathryne Taylor on September 15, 2026
This creamy chipotle sauce is bold and punchy! It’s the kind of sauce that takes your meal to the next level, and brings together component-based dishes like tacos and burrito bowls. You can also serve it as an irresistible dipping sauce. It offers a thicker drizzle than chipotle mayonnaise and tastes better, too.
To make this chipotle sauce recipe, you’ll need a few basic ingredients. Start with a base of sour cream (use Greek yogurt if you prefer), chipotle peppers in adobo sauce (more on those below), a dollop of mayonnaise for a silky texture, dried garlic granules for intrigue, and salt and pepper.
Chipotle sauce should be somewhat spicy at minimum, but you control the spice level when you make it yourself. I’ve written the recipe below with a range of chipotle peppers. Start with the lowest amount, then taste, and blend in more if you’d like.
Chipotle Peppers in Adobo Sauce
What are they? Chipotles are ripe red jalapeños that have been smoked and dried. Adobo sauce is a vinegar and tomato paste-based sauce that rehydrates the peppers. Chipotle peppers in adobo sauce are an easy ingredient that lends a special smoky spiciness to salsa, chili, tofu sofritas and stuffed poblano peppers.
Where to find them: Look for them in the international aisle of well-stocked grocery stores near the other Mexican ingredients, or at a Mexican grocery store.
How to store leftovers: If they’re canned, transfer the contents to a glass jar with a lid, and they’ll keep in the refrigerator for several weeks. For longer-term storage (up to 6 months), pour them into a small freezer bag, freeze it flat, and pull off what you need.
How to Make Chipotle Sauce
You can make chipotle sauce in a food processor (as shown here), with an immersion blender (less clean-up), or by hand.
To make it by hand, use only adobo sauce to avoid chopping. If you don’t mind some texture, chop the peppers well before whisking it all together.
Serving Suggestions for Chipotle Sauce
Here are just a few ways that I’ve enjoyed chipotle sauce:
- Drizzle chipotle sauce on tacos, like my Easy Black Bean Tacos or Roasted Cauliflower and Lentil Tacos. It brought together tacos made with sofritas and fajita veggies for these photos—delicious!
- You can also add a dollop to burritos and burrito bowls, or serve it on the side with quesadillas and nachos.
- Try chipotle sauce with any combination of eggs (fried or scrambled) and refried beans (black or pinto). Add a sprinkle of crumbled tortilla chips with a migas vibe.
- Serve it as a contrasting dipping sauce to crispy sweet potato fries.
- It’s also terrific on a green salad. Add a drizzle of thick balsamic vinegar or balsamic glaze, olive oil and flaky salt.
Please let me know how your sauce turns out in the comments! I’m looking forward to hearing how you use this one.
Chipotle Sauce
This creamy chipotle sauce is spicy, bold and irresistible! It’s easy to make and packs a punch. Use it on tacos and so much more. This recipe yields ¾ cup and is easily doubled.
Ingredients
- ½ cup sour cream
- 2 to 4 tablespoons chipotle peppers in adobo sauce* or chipotle hot sauce, to taste
- 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
- ¼ teaspoon garlic granules
- ⅛ teaspoon fine salt
- 5 twists of freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Combine all of the ingredients in a food processor or a bowl (if you’re mixing it with an immersion blender or by hand). Blend or whisk well.
- Taste, and if you prefer a spicier sauce, blend in more chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, one tablespoon at a time. Use as desired. Leftover chipotle sauce will keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 10 days.
Notes
*Ingredient note: If you buy a can of chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, you can use the adobo sauce here or a combination of the peppers and adobo sauce, if you run out of the sauce. Or, use Tobasco brand of chipotle hot sauce instead.
Make it dairy free/vegan: Replace the sour cream with vegan sour cream. You might be happy with the texture without mayonnaise, or you can substitute vegan mayonnaise if you prefer a more silky-smooth texture.
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice. See our full nutrition disclosure here.
