Five ways to use smokey spicy chipotle peppers in adobo sauce to make a delicious chipotle sauce for any and every occasion!
Hello friends!
So if you’ve been following for a while, you are very familiar with my obsession with chipotle sauce. I LOVE the smokey, spicy flavor it adds to just about anything you want. The list is literally limitless. We love it on tacos, sandwiches, dipping sauce for fries, tossed into salads, on the grill, like I said, limitless! If you aren’t sure how to use these chipotle sauce recipes, I’ve created recipes that use each one of these sauces. So take a scroll and click through to the recipes that sound the best to you!
But first!
How do you make chipotle sauce from scratch?
The key ingredient to making chipotle sauce from scratch is canned chipotle peppers in adobo sauce. Depending on which variety of chipotle sauce you want to make, various other household staples (read normal) ingredients will be required. Usually, a chipotle sauce recipe doesn’t take more than 6 ingredients to make and can be blended in a blender or food processor.
What are chipotle peppers in adobo sauce?
Chipotle peppers in adobo are actually smoked and dehydrated jalapeno peppers in an adobo sauce, which is usually a blend of tomato, vinegar, garlic, and other spices. You can make chipotle peppers in adobo at home from scratch, but I usually opt to buy it in the small cans. It’s widely available at most grocery stores and has a long shelf life.
What do you do with leftover chipotle peppers in adobo sauce?
Many recipes for chipotle sauce, including the ones below use only part of a can of chipotle peppers in adobo sauce. So, what do you do with the remainder? Well, the cans are cheap, so sometimes I do discard them. However, food waste is something I’ve been trying to reduce so I often freeze them for the next time around. Even though they’ve been previously canned, they do okay in the freezer for a month or two.
5 Ways to Make Chipotle Sauce
Each one of these recipes is distinctly different from each other. They all use chipotle peppers in adobo, but from there they are totally different! Whether your grilling, making tacos, or want a smear for a sub sandwich, this list of chipotle sauce recipes has you covered!
This honey-chipotle sauce is the perfect versatile sweet and spicy sauce for wings, salmon, chicken, & more! No cooking required & it’s only 6 ingredients!
This bbq chipotle sauce is the perfect sauce for chicken, seafood, pork, and beef. It’s the perfect blend between barbecue and fiery chipotle in adobo sauce.
This creamy chipotle sauce is a delicious spicy sauce perfect for tacos, sandwiches, or anything else you want to liven up a little! Dairy & Gluten Free (We love this one my stupid easy shrimp tacos.)
This southwest chipotle sauce is the perfect spread or dipping sauce for any occasion, we love it on quesadillas, sandwiches, and dipping sweet potato fries in it. (Perfect for anything, but I've got a delicious southwest quesadilla to go with this sauce!)
This raspberry chipotle sauce is sweet, tangy, and spicy, the perfect sauce to liven up any dish with a little sweet heat. (Love this one on my raspberry chipotle chicken tacos!)
Are chipotle peppers in adobo sauce healthy?
Jalapenos have a surprising amount of health benefits, including being high in nutrients, metabolism-boosting, have components that may fight cancer and prevent ulcers. The ingredients that make up the adobo sauce, including tomato, vinegar, garlic, and other spices, are low calorie and also pack a nutrient punch as well!
The only downside is that if you use canned chipotle peppers in adobo (as I do), the canning process adds a decent amount of sodium. Personally, I think the benefits of canned produce always outweigh the potential negatives. If you have high blood pressure or a condition exacerbated by salt intake, of course, you want to be careful. But with my clients and myself, my first recommendation is to amp up the produce in your diet (in any and all form possible) because the more produce in your diet, the more nutrients like potassium and magnesium which oppose the actions of sodium in the body.
Is chipotle sauce healthy?
Every time I post a condiment recipe, I find myself explaining that condiments do not make you fat. That’s right, I said it. First of all, no one food, in general, makes you gain weight. Second, condiments are often blamed and labeled as “excess calories” and sources of hidden fat, sugar, and calories. Well, ya, sure, and they are also a source of FLAVOR!
You are likely using just a little bit at a time to add flavor to your meal. And let’s be honest, the flavor can make healthy food more palatable, maybe even actually desirable. It’s like blaming coffee creamer for your extra calories when you have a habit of hitting up your favorite coffee shop for a venti frap 3 times a week. The issue is the 500 calorie frap, not the 50 calorie coffee creamer. It’s the same with sauces. They don’t cause you to gain weight. It’s the lack of balance (and maybe produce) in a meal that causes a problem, not the sauce! In my opinion, chipotle sauce is perfectly healthy, don’t drink them from the container.
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I’m gonna pair this with my pizza or every taco tuesday. Thank you very much! It seems delicious.