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    Home » Recipes » Preservation

    Chipotle Hot Sauce Recipe (Smoky and Spicy)

    5 from 3 votes
    By Luay Ghafari | Updated: Jan 3, 2024 | May contain affiliate links.

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    Looking to replicate that spicy and smoky chipotle-flavored Cholula or Tabasco sauce at home? This recipe for chipotle hot sauce comes together really quickly and doesn’t need any long pickling or fermentation stage. Use this sauce on any recipe when you want to add bold flavor and heat.

    Bottle of hot sauce on a board next to a small bowl with the same hot sauce.
    Jump to:
    • What is a Chipotle pepper?
    • Ingredients
    • Ingredient Notes and Substitutions
    • How to Make Smoky Chipotle Pepper Hot Sauce
    • Expert Tips
    • Recipe FAQs
    • Other Sauces and Condiments to Try
    • Recipe Card

    Now, before we proceed this is a chipotle-flavored hot sauce. Not a Chipotle (the restaurant) copycat recipe. Trust me, when you start making your own hot sauce, you’ll be blown away by how easy and adaptable it is. Plus, many hot sauces on the market these days have added colorants, emulsifiers, and preservatives.

    Making your own ensures you are using the best and freshest natural ingredients. Make sure to also try my Fermented Hot Sauce and Shatta (Middle Eastern Chili paste) recipes.

    What is a Chipotle pepper?

    Many people don’t know this, but a chipotle pepper is a smoke-dried jalapeño chili pepper. The process of making chipotle peppers involves drying and smoking ripe jalapeño peppers (after they turn red on the vine), typically using wood smoke. This process imparts a distinctive smoky flavor to the peppers, along with a mild to moderate heat.

    Chipotle peppers are often used in Mexican and Tex-Mex cuisine to add a smoky and spicy kick to various dishes, such as sauces, marinades, salsas, and meat dishes. They can be purchased dried, canned in adobo sauce, or in powder form.

    Chipotle peppers contribute a unique spicy flavor profile that enhances the overall taste of many dishes. This recipe uses Chipotle peppers in adobo. Try my Salsa Macha and Salsa Roja recipes if you have some dried chipotle peppers on hand.

    To learn more about the wonderful and complex world of peppers, check out my comprehensive post on Pepper Varieties.

    Ingredients

    A few simple ingredients. The star of the show is the spicy and smoky chipotle chiles.

    Chipotle hot sauce recipe ingredients with individual labels on a countertop.

    Ingredient Notes and Substitutions

    • Chipotle peppers in adobo: Sold in small cans, this standard Mexican product can now be found at most if not all grocery stores. You can also get it online or at your local Mexican or Latin market. There’s no substitution for these peppers! After all this is a chipotle-pepper hot sauce! Also try my creamy chipotle sauce recipe.
    • Orange Juice: I like hot sauces that are balanced, not just blow your socks off. Orange juice adds liquid to the mix which helps thin the sauce. It also adds sweetness to help balance the heat from the peppers.
    • Vinegar: I like to use a combination of apple cider and white vinegar in this recipe. The apple cider vinegar adds sweetness, while the white vinegar adds pungent acidity and helps preserve the sauce. You can substitute with white wine vinegar, rice vinegar, or champagne vinegar. Do not use dark vinegar (balsamic or red wine).
    • Cumin: Cumin powder is a classic Mexican ingredient. It’s a warm spice that adds another layer of flavor to the overall hot sauce. If you don’t have any, you can substitute with coriander powder or just omit it entirely.
    • Mexican Oregano: Not everyone has access to Mexican Oregano. You can certainly substitute for regular dried oregano.

    See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.

    How to Make Smoky Chipotle Pepper Hot Sauce

    This recipe comes together in a few simple steps and in very little time.

    Chipotle chiles getting deseeded on a cutting board.

    Step 1. Prepare the peppers. Using gloves, remove any stems and seeds from the chipotle peppers. You only need the flesh of the chiles, juices and the onions in the can. If you want a much spicier sauce, don't discard the seeds.

    Food processor with all the recipe ingredients before getting processed.

    Step 2. Blend. Add the peppers to a blender or food processor. Add the orange juice, vinegar, cumin, oregano, a pinch of salt and a few grinds of black pepper. Blend until smooth.

    Food processor with the finished chipotle hot sauce.

    Step 3. Taste and adjust seasoning. Taste the sauce. It should be smoky, salty, sweet and spicy. Make any adjustments you like at this point. For a looser sauce, add a splash of water and blend again.

    Pouring the finished hot sauce through a funnel and into a glass hot sauce bottle.

    Step 4. Bottle. Using a funnel, transfer the finished hot sauce to clean and sanitized hot sauce bottles. Cover and refrigerate until needed.  

    Expert Tips

    • Wear gloves! When handling spicy chiles, take precautions. Chipotle peppers are about 3000-8000 Scoville Units. This is the scale that measures the heat level of peppers. 8000 isn’t as bad as a habanero which can reach 1,000,000 units but it can still cause irritation if you touch a sensitive area of your body or face. I like to use black nitrile gloves (affiliate link) in the kitchen.
    • Woozy bottles! I’m a firm believer in doing this right and if you’re going to make hot sauce at home, you should have some woozy bottles (affiliate link). They are reusable, dishwasher safe and can make the perfect homemade gift once filled with homemade sauce. They typically hold about 5 fl oz.
    • The perfect gift. Have friends or family that love spicy food? Well now you know what to make for them!
    • Make it chunky! Skip the water and make more of a chunky chile paste than a sauce. Just process less to keep the consistency thicker.
    Hand holding a bottle of hot sauce labeled chipotle hot sauce.

    Recipe FAQs

    Does this hot sauce need to be refrigerated?

    Yes, this homemade chipotle hot sauce doesn’t have any preservatives other than the acid in the vinegar and orange juice. For that reason, it should be refrigerated at all times.

    How long will this hot sauce last in the fridge?

    It should last in the fridge for up to 4 weeks. It could last longer but I recommend using it up quickly. The natural flavors will degrade over time, so you can cut the recipe in half if you prefer to make this in smaller batches.

    My hot sauce is separating, is it still ok to eat?

    Absolutely. Homemade hot sauce tends to separate because we don’t add any artificial preservatives to it. So, all you need to do is give it a good shake before using and it’ll mix right back up. Xanthan gum can be added to help keep the sauce emulsified but honestly, you don’t need it.

    Other Sauces and Condiments to Try

    • tomatillo salsa
      Delicious and Easy Roasted Tomatillo Salsa Verde
    • Fermented hot sauce in hot sauce bottles.
      How to Make Homemade Fermented Hot Sauce
    • Two bowls of chili paste, one green and one red, on a wooden board.
      Shatta (Authentic Middle Eastern Chile Paste)
    • Peach tomatillo salsa in a bowl surrounded by ingredients.
      Peach Tomatillo Salsa

    If you make this Chipotle Hot Sauce Recipe or any other preservation recipe on Urban Farm and Kitchen, please take a moment to rate the recipe and leave a comment below. It’s such a help to others who want to try the recipe.

    For more Urban Farm and Kitchen, follow along on Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest, visit the Urban Farm Shop, or subscribe for new posts via email.

    Recipe Card

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    Bottle of hot sauce on a board next to a small bowl with the same hot sauce.

    Chipotle Hot Sauce Recipe (Smoky and Spicy)

    Luay Ghafari
    Looking to replicate that spicy and smoky chipotle-flavored Cholula or Tabasco sauce at home? This recipe for chipotle hot sauce comes together really quickly and doesn’t need any long pickling or fermentation stage. Use this sauce on any recipe when you want to add bold flavor and heat.
    5 from 3 votes
    Print (Email Required) Pin Recipe Save RecipeSaved!
    Prep Time 15 minutes mins
    Total Time 15 minutes mins
    Course condiment, Side Dish
    Cuisine Mexican
    Servings 20 Servings per jar
    Calories 9 kcal

    Equipment

    • Hot sauce bottles (also known as Woozy bottles)

    Ingredients
      

    • 1 can Chipotle peppers in adobo - 7 oz can
    • ¼ cup Orange juice - From ½ an orange
    • ¼ cup Apple cider vinegar
    • ¼ cup White vinegar
    • ½ teaspoon Cumin powder
    • ½ teaspoon Mexican oregano - Substitute standard Greek oregano
    • Salt and black pepper to taste
    • ¼ cup Water - Use what you need to get the right consistency.
    • Sugar - Optional

    Instructions
     

    • Prepare the peppers. Using gloves, remove any stems and seeds from the chipotle peppers. You can do this on a cutting board or by hand. You only need the flesh and juice. [If you want a much spicier sauce, don't discard the seeds]
    • Blend. Add the peppers and all the adobo sauce to a blender or food processor. Add the orange juice, both kinds of vinegar, cumin, oregano, a pinch of salt and a few grinds of black pepper. Blend until smooth. Scrape down the sides if needed and blend again.
    • Taste and adjust seasoning. Taste the sauce. It should be smoky, salty, sweet and spicy. Make any adjustments you like at this point. You can add a little white sugar for more sweetness. For a looser sauce, add a splash of water and blend again.
    • Bottle. Using a funnel, transfer the finished hot sauce to clean and sanitized hot sauce bottles. Cover and refrigerate until needed.

    Notes

    See the blog post above for step-by-step recipe photos.
    Important ingredient notes:
    • Chipotle peppers in adobo: Sold in small cans, this standard Mexican product can now be found at most if not all grocery stores. You can also get it online or at your local Mexican or Latin market.
    • Orange Juice: Orange juice adds liquid to the mix which helps thin the sauce. It also adds sweetness to help balance the heat from the peppers.
    • Vinegar: I like to use a combination of apple cider and white vinegar in this recipe. The apple cider vinegar adds sweetness, while the white vinegar adds pungent acidity and helps preserve the sauce.
    • Cumin: Cumin powder is a classic Mexican ingredient. It’s a warm spice that adds another layer of great flavor to the overall hot sauce.
    • Mexican Oregano: Not everyone has access to Mexican Oregano. You can certainly substitute for regular dried oregano.
     
    Enjoy with chicken wings, burrito bowls, on eggs or with any dish you like.
    Save this recipe by emailing it to yourself!

    Nutrition

    Calories: 9kcalCarbohydrates: 2gProtein: 0.03gFat: 0.02gSaturated Fat: 0.002gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0.003gMonounsaturated Fat: 0.01gSodium: 1mgPotassium: 9mgFiber: 1gSugar: 1gVitamin A: 7IUVitamin C: 2mgCalcium: 1mgIron: 0.3mg
    Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was! Or Pin it!

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    Comments

    1. Karen says

      April 01, 2025 at 4:26 pm

      5 stars
      Delicious & hot. Great recipe, Thank you

      Reply
      • Luay Ghafari says

        April 02, 2025 at 12:10 pm

        Thank you for sharing! Glad you liked it!

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    Hi! I'm Luay, a cook, recipe developer, gardener, educator and photographer and this is my little slice of the web! I launched Urban Farm and Kitchen as an ode to seasonal, local, garden-to-table recipes and I look forward to continue sharing my passions with you all! More about me>


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