Unleash a flavor fiesta with Homemade Chipotle Mayo. Recipe and Tips! Ready in less than ten minutes, once you’ve stirred the ingredients together, it makes a great taco sauce or a topping for grilled steaks or chicken. And one of my favorites, use it as a dipping sauce for Home Fries.
Why Make Homemade Chipotle Mayo?
Looking to elevate your sandwiches, burgers, tacos—or even just your fries? Chipotle mayo is the creamy, smoky condiment that brings bold flavor to just about anything. Whether you’re a fan of Mexican cuisine or just love a good dipping sauce, this is one recipe you’ll want to keep on hand.
Forget store-bought versions—making homemade chipotle mayo is incredibly easy, takes just minutes, and tastes far better. Homemade Chipotle Mayo is less expensive than store purchased, fresher and flavor and free of preservatives.
In this post, you’ll find a quick and foolproof recipe, plus creative ways to use it in your everyday cooking.
What Is Chipotle Mayonnaise?
Chipotles are smoked dried jalapeno peppers that are often used in Mexican and Tex-Mex cooking. Chipotle mayo is a sauce that combines mayonnaise with chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, which is a tangy, slightly sweet sauce made with vinegar, spices and tomato. The result is a creamy, slightly spicy and smoky mayo that pairs well with many foods.
It’s is a popular condiment that has become a favorite for many food enthusiasts in recent years. This spicy and creamy sauce can be used as a dip, spread or dressing.
Ingredients You’ll Need
Chipotle mayo sauce ingredients are simple and you probably already have everything on hand to make it.
- Purchased Mayonnaise
- Chipotle Peppers in Adobo Sauce
- Garlic
- Olive Oil
Ingredients Substitutions and Variations
- Mayonnaise: To make an even better aioli style sauce, make your own homemade mayo. If you do, you do not need to add any olive oil. The olive oil is only used if using purchased mayonnaise, to make it a bit creamier and thinner.
- Garlic: If you don’t have any fresh garlic, substitute ½ teaspoon garlic powder.
- Sour Cream: For a tangier flavor, healthier version make this using ½ sour cream and ½ Greek yogurt.
- Vegan Chipotle Mayo: Swap out Veganaise for regular mayonnaise.
- A squeeze of fresh lime juice is always welcome and used in many Mexican recipes to brighten flavors. It will give you more of a chipotle lime vibe.
- Add ½ teaspoon honey to sweeten things up and add some additional flavor notes.
Equipment Needed:
- Easy! A bowl and a whisk. If you want to make it super creamy use an immersion blender.
Step by Step Instructions, It’s Easy
- Step 1: Fine chop the chipotle peppers and grate or fine chop the garlic. Simply combine all ingredients in a medium small bowl and whisk until creamy and well blended.
Tip: Use a microplane zester to grate garlic. Its sharp blades are less harsh than using a garlic press and will give you a milder garlic flavor. A garlic press crushes and releases more oil which imparts a stronger garlic flavor with a hint of bitterness.
How To Use Chipotle Mayonnaise
- As a topping for hamburgers.
- It’s a great dip for French Fries.
- Use it as a dip those chicken nuggets.
- Use it as a spread on sandwiches.
- Give a chicken wrap a zesty kick with chipotle mayo.
- It pairs well chicken, fish or steak.
- And of course, the obvious, use as a topping for tacos, burritos, or other Mexican dishes.
- Try mixing a healthy tablespoon into your next batch of Deviled Eggs.
FAQ’s
Of course, there are many variations of chipotle mayo, depending on your personal taste preferences. Some people prefer it to be spicier, so add extra chipotle peppers or even some cayenne pepper.
Chipotle peppers in Adobo are indeed spicy. To make a milder version, substitute them with ½ tablespoon smoked paprika.
This Homemade Chipotle Mayo is a perfect consistency for dipping. If you want to thin it to make it easier to drizzle, add a little milk or a quick squeeze of lime juice.
Yes you can. Chipotle powder brings the same smoky heat and flavor as the canned peppers do. Doing so will result in a creamier texture. Start with one teaspoon of Chipotle powder, stir well, taste and add more if needed. It all depends on your heat level tolerance.
Storage
Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator up to five days. I do not recommend freezing mayo-based condiments. Freezing will compromise the texture.
Here’s our favorite way to use this Chipotle Mayo recipe. A grilled grass fed burger topped with a little of the mayo and a couple slices of avocado.
Recommended Recipes
And if you love Mexican food as much as we do, don’t miss my Mexican Category, you’ll find lots of great recipes to spice up your life, including the most popular on my site for Hatch Green Chili, Colorado Style.
If you’re interested in making your own homemade chipotle mayo, this is an incredibly easy recipe. A recipe I adapted from one I found over at California Wines.
How To Make Chipotle Mayo
Equipment
- Wire whisk
Ingredients
- ¼ cup Mayonnaise plus 2 tablespoons
- 1 Tablespoon Extra virgin olive oil
- 1 clove garlic small, grated with a micro-plane zester or fine minced.
- 1 ½ teaspoons chipotle chiles in adobo fine minced. Add more to make it spicier.
- ½ teaspoon adobo sauce from the can of chipotle peppers in adobo.
Instructions
- Put the mayonnaise in a small bowl. Whisk in the olive oil to improve the flavor. Whisk in the garlic and chopped chile pepper. Taste and add more chile if you like. Cover and refrigerate until needed.
- Whisk in the olive oil to improve the flavor. Whisk in the garlic and chopped chile pepper and sauce.
- Taste and add more chile if you like. Cover and refrigerate until needed.
Notes
- Mayonnaise: To make an even better chipotle mayo, use homemade mayo. If you do, you’ll not need to add any olive oil. The olive oil is only used if using purchased mayonnaise, to make it a bit creamier and thinner.
Nutrition
Chipotle Mayo … It’s What’s for Dipping or Spreading.
Why Trust My Recipes? I am a Culinary School Graduate and a lifelong student of home cooking. I hope to inspire you try to cook as often as you can. I’ve been cooking for 50 years, and my recipes are tried and true tested and tested and then tested again before published. To read more take a look at my About Page.
Lea Ann, I would be all over this chipotle mayonnaise for thick cut fries or roasted potatoes. Delicious! And easy to make too!
Velva
This looks delicious for all of the uses you suggested.