Addicted to Chipotle Mexican Grill's famous honey vinaigrette? Satisfy your craving at home with our copycat chipotle honey vinaigrette recipe you can make in minutes.
If you're looking for more delicious sauces to be the crowning touch on your next salad or dish, look no further than our tomatillo salsa or tomato salsa.
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Ingredients
Chipotle Mexican Grill uses these ingredients in its famous spicy honey vinaigrette. For this vinaigrette recipe, we used the industry standard of 3:1 oil to vinegar so the vinegar isn't too strong.
- Acid: We used red wine vinegar.
- Sweet: We used honey.
- Seasonings: We used chipotles in adobo sauce and freshly minced garlic.
- Dried Spices: We used Mexican oregano, cumin, salt and pepper.
- Fat: Chipotle uses rice bran oil, but it's hard to find, so we used olive oil.
How to Make
- Add the red wine vinegar and the dried spices to a food processor or high powered blender.
- Next, add the garlic, adobo sauce, and chili peppers.
3. Add the honey next. Use a greased measuring cup to make cleanup easier.
4. Put the lid on and process until the dressing is smooth. Finish it off by drizzling in the olive oil while the motor is still running. This will help emulsify the vinaigrette.
5. The dressing should be smooth and emulsified. (This recipe makes 2 cups.) Use right away or store in the fridge in an airtight container.
6. Serve and enjoy with your favorite salad ingredients from Chipotle. Pictured here is a copycat version of their supergreens (baby kale, spinach, Romaine), fajita veggies, chicken, tomato salsa, guac, and shredded Monterey Jack cheese.
Recipe FAQs
No, it's not because the carb content is too high. Our copycat recipe has much lower carbs, 2.4 g for a 2 tablespoon serving. This recipe is gluten-free but isn't compliant with paleo or Whole30. You can swap out the honey for dates to make it suitable for Whole30.
Chipotle chili peppers are smoked jalapenos. Since they are jalapenos, they are spicy. But they also have a smoky flavor that balances the spiciness perfectly. Most often they are served in adobo sauce which is a rich, earthy tomato-based sauce.
The honey vinaigrette recipe contains chipotles, cumin, garlic, honey, black pepper, oregano, red wine vinegar, rice bran oil, and salt. We used the same ingredients to create our copycat recipe except we swapped the rice bran oil with olive oil. This combination of ingredients delivers a smoky, sweet and tangy dressing.
This recipe contains ⅓ cup of raw honey, and most vegans don't want to eat honey because it's an animal product. To make this recipe vegan for your salad, replace the honey with agave nectar or a vegan honey alternative.
Serve
- Serving up chicken? Use this vinaigrette as a meat marinade for chicken instead. Let the chicken marinate for 30 minutes or overnight in the fridge. When ready grill it or cook it in a cast-iron skillet.
- Want to add zing to your veggies? It also tastes great poured on roasted vegetables or over your favorite salad bowl.
- Taco Tuesday? Add it to burritos or tacos for a special kind of zing!
- Want to make a keto lifestyle bowl at home? Build your own salad bowl with layers of supergreens (baby kale, baby spinach and Romaine), fajita veggies, chicken or steak, salsa, grated Monterey Jack cheese, guacamole and a drizzle of this salad dressing!
Store
- Make ahead: Make the night before, but it's best to use it on your favorite salad within 24 hours.
- Leftovers: If you plan on making this the night before, store it in an airtight container and place it in the fridge. When ready to use, give the jar a good shake before drizzling on a salad.
Expert Tips
- Key ingredient? Use adobo sauce and the chipotle peppers; these ingredients provide the smokiness this dressing needs.
- What's the best oil? Use any neutral oil. The restaurant uses rice bran oil.
- Want less mess? Coat the measuring cup with oil before pouring in the honey.
- Want the vinaigrette more tangy? Add a splash of freshly squeezed lime juice.
- Want to increase the heat? Add 1 or 2 more chipotle peppers.
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Recipe
Chipotle Honey Vinaigrette (Copycat)
Ingredients
- ½ cup red wine vinegar
- ¼ cup raw honey
- 1 tablespoon adobo sauce
- 3 canned chipotle peppers
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 1 ½ teaspoons dried Mexican oregano
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 ½ cups olive oil
Instructions
- Add all the ingredients, except the olive oil, into a food processor and blend.
- With the motor still running, slowly pour in the olive oil until it emulsifies with the other ingredients.
- Taste and adjust seasonings, if necessary.
- Use a and store in the fridge for up to 4 days. It's best to consume all the dressing within 48 hours for the best taste. Shake well if it has separated.
Notes
- Key ingredient? Use adobo sauce and the chipotle peppers; these ingredients provide the smokiness this dressing needs.
- What's the best oil? Use any neutral oil. The restaurant uses rice bran oil.
- Want less mess? Coat the measuring cup with oil before pouring in the honey.
- Want the vinaigrette more tangy? Add a splash of freshly squeezed lime juice.
- Want to increase the heat? Add 1 or 2 more chipotle peppers.
Carlee
Where do you buy the adobo sauce I’ve been trying to find the right one for years. Can you please include the brand and name and where you bought it🙏🏼🙏🏼
Emma
We use La Costeña brand, which we purchased at our local Walmart. You can buy a jar of adobo sauce plain, or you can use the adobo sauce that's in the jars of chipotle peppers. Enjoy!
Alex
The sweet and sour flavors combine perfectly. The sauce is smoky, tangy, and tastes SO GOOD on Chipotle chicken!
Emma
I'm glad you like this so much, Alex!
Beth
The color of this dressing is quite appealing, and it tastes tangy, sweet, and smoky. The garlic adds the perfect touch. I absolutely love this dressing!
Emma
That's great to hear, Beth! Thanks for commenting.