This Creamy Chipotle Sauce is the perfect balance of smoky, creamy, salty and spicy. It is my go-to sauce for tacos (especially fish tacos), burritos, and bowls. Best of all, it comes together in under 15 minutes! Start with a small amount of chipotle and add more until the sauce is as spicy as you like.
Serve it with my Pulled Beef Barbacoa or Grilled Old-Bay Shrimp.
Creamy Chipotle Sauce: Recipe at a Glance
Prep Time
15 mins
Cook Time
0 mins
Total Time
15 mins
Servings
20 People
Calories*
37 kcal
Difficulty
Easy
Main Ingredients
Can of chipotles in adobo, sour cream, mayonnaise, lime juice, oregano, and cumin.
Technique
De-seed the peppers and process the sauce in a food processor.
*Calories are estimated
5-Star Reader Review
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
“Best sauce ever” – Anna
Table of Contents
Why My Recipe Works
- Fast and easy to make. It comes together in minutes with a blender or food processor. This is a spicy sauce! I’ve included tips below to lower the heat level.
- Versatile. It’s a handy year-round condiment, especially for grilled meals and summer tacos.
- Tested and reliable. Groceries can be expensive! All my Sauce Recipes are tested by me, my team or recipe testers before posting.
A sauce by many names, this creamy and spicy chipotle sauce will sometimes be referred to as chipotle cream sauce or chipotle crema. There are different ways to make this sauce. What I’m sharing here is my own recipe but feel free to make any adjustments you like.
This recipe can also very easily be veganized. Will it be authentic? I don’t know. Let’s just call it a Mexican-inspired sauce.
Ingredients
A few simple ingredients are all you need for this homemade sauce. The star of the show is the spicy and smoky chipotle chiles in adobo. Here is what you will need:
- 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 substitute for these peppers! After all, this is a chipotle pepper sauce! Use these chiles in my Chipotle Hot Sauce recipe too.
- Sour Cream: You can use Mexican crema here or even Greek yogurt if you prefer. I would avoid plain yogurt as it can be a little runny. You can make this recipe vegan by using a vegan yogurt product.
- Mayonnaise: The mayonnaise gives the final product a nice creaminess and tang. You can omit it and just use more sour cream if you like.
- Cumin: Cumin is a classic Mexican ingredient. It’s a warm spice that adds another layer of flavor to the overall sauce. If you don’t have any, you can substitute it with coriander powder or just omit it entirely.
- Mexican Oregano: Not everyone has access to Mexican Oregano. You can substitute for regular dried oregano.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
How to Make this Easy Chipotle Sauce
This recipe comes together in a few simple steps and in very little time. Under 15 minutes! Guaranteed!
Step 1. Prepare the peppers. Using gloves, remove any stems and seeds from the chipotle peppers. You only need the flesh and adobo sauce.
Step 2. Blend. Add the peppers to a blender or mini food processor. Add the sour cream, mayonnaise, lime juice, cumin, oregano, salt and pepper. Blend until you have a smooth sauce.
Step 3. Taste and adjust seasoning. Taste the sauce. It should be smoky, salty and spicy. Make any adjustments you like at this point. You can add some sugar or honey to balance the heat but it’s not necessary.
Step 4. Serve. Transfer your sauce to a bowl and garnish with optional cilantro. You can also transfer the sauce to a squeeze bottle.
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 500,000 units but it can still irritate if you touch a sensitive area of your body or face.
- Cut the pepper quantity down. This is a very spicy sauce. If you are sensitive to the spice, I suggest starting with 1 pepper and then adding more as needed.
- Halve the recipe. This recipe makes a decent amount of sauce, but you’ll have to use it quickly or it will spoil after a few days. Leftover chipotle peppers can be frozen in a freezer bag to be used later. They will last in the freezer for 6 months.
- Use a squeeze bottle! For that authentic taqueria feel, use a squeeze bottle.
Serving Ideas
One of my favorite condiments, this sauce can be used to dress up tacos, fajitas, burritos and bowls. I like it with my Pulled Beef Barbacoa recipe.
It can be used with grilled proteins. There’s no reason to just stick with Mexican food here, feel free to use this sauce with Chicken Shish Tawook, Chicken Kafta Kebabs or Greek Chicken Souvlaki.
This chipotle crema also works with seafood, so try it with my Sayadieh (Fried Fish with Spiced Rice), Grilled Shrimp Skewers (with Garlic, Lemon and Old Bay), Grilled Mediterranean Salmon Kabobs or Prawn and Shishito Skewers (With Lemon Garlic Oil Dressing).
It can also be used as a dipping sauce with chips, French fries, and even crudité.
Creamy Chipotle Sauce Recipe FAQs
Yes, this sauce has dairy which will spoil if not refrigerated.
This sauce will last 3-4 days if left in a bowl. The goal is to keep air away from the surface of the sauce, so make sure you cover it well or use an airtight container. If using a squeeze bottle, cover it with a cap or a piece of plastic wrap.
Yes, simply follow the recipe as written, but use half the canned chipotles for a milder sauce. Or start with one or two peppers and work your way up.
Mexican oregano, scientifically known as Lippia graveolens, is a distinct herb with a flavor profile similar to traditional Mediterranean oregano but with citrus and earthy notes.
Unlike the Mediterranean variety, Mexican oregano comes from a different plant and is not directly related to the common oregano used in European cuisine. It is a popular ingredient in Mexican and southwestern cuisines, adding a unique and robust flavor to dishes like salsas, stews, and marinades.
Many people don’t know this bit of information, but a chipotle pepper is a smoke-dried jalapeño chili pepper. The process of making chipotle peppers involves drying and smoking ripe red jalapeño peppers, typically using wood smoke. This process adds that distinctive smoky chipotle flavor.
These smoked chili peppers are often used in Mexican and Tex-Mex cuisine to add a smoky and spicy kick to various dishes, such as sauces, salsas, marinades, and meat dishes. They can be purchased dried, canned in adobo sauce, or 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 Chipotle Hot Sauce recipe too. To learn more about the wonderful and complex world of peppers, check out my comprehensive post on Pepper Varieties.
If you grow jalapeno peppers in your garden, let a few of them ripen to red so you can smoke them on the BBQ and make your own chipotle peppers!
Other Pepper Condiment Recipes
Preservation
Condiments
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Levantine Recipes
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Creamy Chipotle Sauce Recipe (for tacos, dips and more)
Ingredients
- 1 can Chipotles in adobo – 7 oz can (see note)
- ½ cup Sour cream – Or Mexican crema
- ¼ cup Mayonnaise
- 2 tablespoon Fresh lime juice
- ½ teaspoon Ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon Mexican oregano – Or regular dried oregano
- Kosher salt and black pepper to taste
- White sugar or honey (optional)
- Fresh cilantro (optional)
Instructions
- Prepare the peppers. Using gloves, remove any stems and seeds from the chipotle peppers. You only need the flesh and adobo sauce. For a milder sauce, start with one to two peppers and work your way up.
- Blend. Add the peppers to a blender or food processor. Add the sour cream, mayonnaise, lime juice, cumin, oregano, a bit of salt and pepper. Blend until you have a smooth sauce.
- Taste and adjust seasoning. Taste the sauce. It should be smoky, salty and spicy. Make any adjustments you like at this point. You can add some sugar to balance the heat, but it’s not necessary.
- Serve. Transfer your sauce to a bowl and garnish with optional cilantro. You can also transfer the sauce to a squeeze bottle.
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. They give the sauce its distinct smoky heat flavor. Use them in my Chipotle hot sauce recipe.
- Cumin: Cumin powder is a classic Mexican ingredient. It’s a warm spice that adds another layer of great flavor to the overall sauce.
- Mexican Oregano: Not everyone has access to Mexican Oregano. You can certainly substitute for regular dried oregano.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Like this recipe? Rate & comment below!
Way too spicy. I didn’t even use the entire 7 oz can if chipotles, removed all the seeds, and doubled the amount of sour cream and mayo and it’s still painfully spicy. So that’s a waste of ingredients
Chipotles are ripe smoked jalapenos. So yes, the sauce will of course be spicy. But spice levels are subjective. What you find “painfully spicy” might be just slightly spicy for someone else. In any case, you can always cut the peppers back, start with one or two, and more until you reach the level that works for you.
How long will this keep, refrigerated long.
This sauce will last 3 days if left in a bowl (covered well). It will last a bit longer (5 days) if you have it in a squeeze bottle. The goal is to keep air away from the surface of the sauce, so make sure you cover it well or use an airtight container. If using a squeeze bottle, cover it with a cap or a piece of plastic wrap.
What is a serving size?
Serving size is specified in the recipe card. About 20 servings per batch (which is what the nutritional information is based on). But of course real serving size depends on your appetite.
Best sauce ever!
Thanks, Anna!
So good! I’m going to use it on grilled chicken…
Perfect with chicken! Enjoy!