Name: Creamy Chipotle Sauce
Prep time: 5 min
Total time: 5 min
Ingredients: 2 chipotle peppers in adobo (more if needed); ½ cup greek yogurt; 3 tablespoons mayonnaise; ½ lime (juiced); 2 cloves garlic; ½ teaspoon onion powder; ½ teaspoon kosher salt (more to taste)

Spice up your life with this Creamy Chipotle Sauce! It’s the ultimate sauce for french fries, tacos, burgers, and more. Plus, it’s easy to make with only 7 ingredients!

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creamy chipotle sauce with a spoon in a small mason jar.

Homemade chipotle sauce recipe

If you want to enjoy bold, smoky flavors with your potato wedges, chicken burgers, or sweet potato fries, give this Creamy Chipotle Sauce a try! It’s a smoky, sweet, and spicy sauce that comes with a million different uses. Enjoy this bold condiment spread on burgers, drizzled over taco bowls, as a french fry dipping sauce, and so much more!

Chipotle is an ingredient synonymous with bold, spicy, and smoky dishes. It’s commonly used in red enchilada sauce, chicken tortilla soup, and homemade aioli because the depth of flavor is unmatched. All you need are 2 chipotle peppers in adobo to upgrade this easy cream sauce.

This homemade chipotle sauce takes 5 minutes to blend together before it’s ready to use on whatever you like! Keep reading to learn how to make this spicy dipping sauce and even more recommendations on how to use it.

a spoon holding a scoop of chipotle sauce on a beige plate next to a small mason jar with more chipotle sauce.

What are chipotle peppers in adobo sauce?

Chipotle peppers in adobo are smoked and dried jalapeno peppers packed in cans with a spicy and tangy adobo sauce (made with tomatoes, vinegar, garlic, and spices). They aren’t overwhelmingly spicy with 2,500 – 8,000 Scoville Heat Units but do pack a punch with their sweet and smoky depth.

Most recipes with chipotle peppers in adobo only call for 1 to 3 peppers because of their strong flavor. Luckily, I’ve included storage instructions below so you can save the extras.

The leftovers would be perfect in homemade chipotle aioli for chicken tacos, tortilla soup, added to a spicy shakshuka, or in any of these 8 delicious recipes suggested by Bon Appetit.

ingredients for creamy chipotle sauce in small bowls.

Ingredients needed

All you need are 7 simple ingredients to create this creamy and bold dipping sauce:

Chipotle peppers in adobo – You can find canned chipotle peppers in adobo sauce in most well-stocked grocery stores or in Mexican markets.
Greek yogurt – Some chipotle sauce recipes are made with a base of sour cream but I like using Greek yogurt to help lighten up the texture without losing the tang. It’s also very healthy, containing probiotic cultures, calcium, protein, and a variety of vitamins and minerals.
Mayonnaise – Use my Homemade Mayonnaise for a richer, thicker consistency.
Lime juice
Garlic – Fresh garlic cloves are best.
Onion powder
Kosher salt

4 images showing the process of blending creamy chipotle sauce in a small mason jar.

How to make creamy chipotle sauce

Add all of the ingredients to a wide-mouthed mason jar. Using an immersion blender, blend the sauce until it’s completely smooth.

Taste, then add more salt, seasonings, peppers, or lime juice as needed.

Use the chipotle sauce right away or store it in the fridge for later.

Tips and tricks

I recommend starting this recipe with only 2 chipotle peppers. Once it’s blended, you can taste the sauce to see if it needs an extra pepper or 2 for additional heat.
Don’t have an immersion blender? Blend the sauce ingredients in a regular blender or food processor instead. You can also finely chop the peppers and garlic first, then whisk the ingredients together.
This recipe makes approximately ¾ cup of sauce. Feel free to double or triple the recipe if you need more.

a platter of sweet potato fried on a platter next to a small bowl of chipotle sauce.

Serving suggestions

I highly recommend doubling or even tripling this chipotle sauce recipe because it has so many uses! These are just a few suggestions to help you get started:

Dipping sauce – The sweet and smoky flavors in chipotle sauce make it the perfect dipping sauce for sweet potato fries, regular french fries, taquitos, crispy chicken tacos, potato wedges, or cheeseburger stuffed mini peppers.
Dressing – Enjoy it as a spicy dressing on taco salads, shrimp tacos, burrito bowls, burger salads, loaded nachos, smoked salmon tacos, and enchiladas.
Sandwich spread – Spread the sauce on your favorite sandwiches, drizzle it over these chili lime chicken burgers, use it as the sauce in a burrito or these breakfast burritos, or drizzle it over sloppy joes.

Variations

If you can’t find chipotle peppers in adobo – A dried and ground version works in a pinch! Just keep in mind that one dried chipotle pepper = ½ teaspoon of chipotle powder. If you feel that’s not enough, you can always add a bit more and blend again.
Dairy free chipotle sauce – It’s really easy to make the chipotle sauce without dairy. Simply substitute the Greek yogurt for dairy free plain yogurt and use vegan mayonnaise instead of regular.

Storing

Storing: Keep the sauce in an airtight container and store it in the fridge for up to 10 days. I don’t recommend freezing the leftovers because dairy tends to become gritty once thawed.

If you have leftover chipotle peppers, you can extend their shelf-life by freezing them in a sealed container. They should keep for about 3 months.

Looking for more homemade sauces?

If you try this Creamy Chipotle Sauce let me know what you think! Rate and review this recipe in the comments below. Don’t forget to take a picture and tag me on Instagram @lenaskitchenblog!