Learn how to make easy chipotle sauce with just 6 ingredients and a blender! It’s a smoky and creamy sauce you’ll love slathering on tacos, veggie burgers, and more. Plus it’s vegetarian friendly!
If there’s one sauce that can make your meal 10 times more delicious, it’s chipotle sauce. It’s a creamy, delicious, and smoky all-purpose sauce that you can drizzle over tacos, use as a dip for french fries, spread on burgers… the list goes on!
Made in a blender with cashews, chipotle peppers and a handful of other flavor boosters, vegan chipotle sauce is something you can whip up whenever you need a little extra pizazz for your appetizers or snacks. Best of all, it’s completely dairy free, gluten free, oil free and the flavor is complex and irresistible!
Why You’ll Love This All-Purpose Chipotle Sauce
- 6 ingredients; 10 minutes. That’s all it takes! Cashew Chipotle Sauce is easy to make with a short list of simple ingredients and less than 10 minutes.
- Easy to make in a blender. Pop all the ingredients into a blender, blend until smooth, and you have a smoky, creamy and subtly spicy sauce you’ll love to use.
- Use it anywhere! The rich and smoky flavor makes this sauce an especially perfect pairing for tacos, but it’s also incredible on burgers, wraps, french fries, and more.
Required components (including substitutions)
- cashew nuts – Raw, unsalted cashews are blended into a cashew cream, giving you a creamy base for vegan chipotle aioli. Raw almonds will also work in place of cashews. Nut free? Make this recipe with sunflower seeds instead.
- the water – You need fresh water (separate from the water you used to soak the cashews) to help loosen the sauce.
- Chipotle peppers in adobo – Chipotle peppers are red jalapeño peppers that are smoked and dried, then canned in adobo sauce. Chipotle peppers are crucial to the smokiness and depth of flavor in the sauce, so try not to leave them out!
- garlic
- the lime – Freshly squeezed lime juice is non-negotiable!
- salt
How to Make Chipotle Sauce
Find the full recipe with measurements below on the recipe card.
Soak the cashews quickly by placing them in a bowl and pouring boiling water over them. The almonds take about 5 minutes to soften but you can leave them for up to 1 hour if needed.
Drain the water, then add the soaked cashews to a blender. Add fresh water from can of adobo, garlic, lime juice and salt, chipotle pepper. Blend until very smooth.
Give the sauce a taste and add more lime juice or salt if needed. You can thin the consistency with a little more water.
Use the sauce now or save for later. Enjoy!
Serving advice
The list of ways to use chipotle sauce is endless, but these ideas will get you started:
- Tacos: Finish off your potato tacos, Mexican tofu tacos, and jackfruit tacos with a drizzle of this sauce.
- Jumping sauce: Pour the sauce into a bowl and use as a dipping sauce for French fries, sweet potato fries, Brussels sprouts, potato wedges, vegan sausage rolls, vegan pizza, and more.
- Sandwich spread: Spread it on jackfruit pulled pork sandwiches, vegan BLTs, veggie burgers, and more!
- Buddha bowl topping: Drizzle a little in your favorite Buddha bowl for extra flavor and heat.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, you can easily swap cashews for raw almonds or sunflower seeds. Or, if you want to omit nuts and seeds entirely, use 1/4 cup vegan mayonnaise or plain vegan yogurt + 1 cup vegan sour cream as the base instead.
The sauce is smoky and a little spicy. Chipotle peppers can be spicy on their own, but cashew cream, garlic, and lime work well to tone down the heat. If you’re worried about it being too spicy, use only 1 chipotle pepper in the adobo sauce. If you don’t really like spices, use a few tablespoons of adobo sauce and leave the peppers whole.
The sauce will last up to 1 week if stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
Yes, the sauce should freeze well for up to 6 months. Remember to thaw it completely before using it again; Sometimes it helps to re-mix it or rub it very well to maintain its smooth consistency.
Want more easy vegan sauces?
-
Soak cashews quickly: Boil a few cups of water (I use my tea kettle for this). Add the cashews to a bowl or glass measuring cup and cover and pour boiling hot water over the top. Let them soak for 5 minutes or up to an hour.
-
Drain and add the cashews High powered blender. Now add 3/4 cup fresh water, chipotle chili adobo from a can, garlic, lime juice, and salt. Blend until very smooth.
-
taste; Add more lime juice or salt as desired. Pour into an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 1 week.
-
If you don’t have a high-powered blender like a Vitamix or don’t want to use cashews, you can make it using vegan sour cream and vegan mayo or yogurt. Instead of cashews and water, just use 1/4 cup vegan mayo or plain vegan yogurt and 1 cup vegan sour cream. Blend using a blender or food processor until smooth.
-
Sunflower seeds or raw almonds also work in place of cashews.
Worship: 110 servings | Calories: 74kcal | Sugars: 4g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 6g | Polyunsaturated Fats: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Sodium: 119mg | Potassium: 86mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 0.2IU | Vitamin C: 0.2mg | Calcium: 6mg | Iron: 1mg