This post may contain affiliate links to products I use and highly recommend. You can read my full disclosure . As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Chipotle Mayonnaise is a creamy, smoky sauce with a little heat and a fresh squeeze of lime. It takes about five minutes to make and adds plenty of flavor without overpowering the rest of your meal.
Use this chipotle mayo sauce as a dip for Homemade French Fries in the Air Fryer, spread it on Ground Chicken Burgers, or drizzle it over Ground Chicken Tacos.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Ready in five minutes: Add everything to a bowl, whisk, and refrigerate until you are ready to use it.
- Smoky with easy-to-control heat: This recipe uses the sauce from a can of chipotle peppers, so the mayo stays smooth and is not overly spicy.
- Easy to use all week: Serve it as a dip, spread it on burgers and sandwiches, or add it to tacos, wraps, and bowls.
Ingredients You’ll Need
Here are a few helpful notes about the ingredients you’ll need to make chipotle mayo. Find the exact amounts in the recipe card at the bottom of the post.
- Mayonnaise: Use a mayonnaise you already like since it makes up most of the sauce.
- Adobo sauce: Spoon the sauce from a can of chipotle peppers in adobo. You do not need to add any of the actual peppers. The sauce gives the mayo smoky flavor and mild heat while keeping it smooth.
- Paprika: Adds a little more pepper flavor and gives the sauce a deeper color.
- Garlic powder: Mixes easily into the mayonnaise without leaving pieces of raw garlic.
- Onion powder: Adds more savory flavor while keeping the sauce smooth.
- Lime juice: Fresh lime juice gives the sauce the brightest flavor, but bottled lime juice also works. Half of a lime should give you about one tablespoon.
- Salt: Mix and taste the sauce before adding salt. Mayonnaise and adobo sauce already contain some, so you may not need much.
How to Make Chipotle Mayonnaise
Add the Ingredients
Add the mayonnaise, adobo sauce, paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, and lime juice to a small bowl or jar.
Whisk Until Smooth
Mix until the adobo sauce and spices are completely blended into the mayonnaise. The sauce should have an even color with no dry seasoning left at the bottom.
Taste and Chill
Taste the chipotle mayo before adding salt or more adobo sauce. Cover and refrigerate it for at least 30 minutes when possible so the flavors have time to blend.
SAVE THIS RECIPE
I'll email this post to you, so you can come back to it later!
How to Adjust the Heat
- For a milder sauce: Use the two teaspoons of adobo sauce listed in the recipe without adding any of the peppers.
- For more heat: Add one more teaspoon of adobo sauce, whisk, and taste before adding more.
- For a much spicier sauce: Blend in a small piece of one chipotle pepper. The whole peppers are hotter than the sauce and will make the mayo a little thicker.
- If it gets too spicy: Add more mayonnaise and a small squeeze of lime to soften the heat.
Start small when adding more adobo sauce or pepper. It is much easier to make the sauce hotter than it is to fix one that is already too spicy.
Tips for the Best Flavor
- Use the adobo sauce first: You get plenty of smoky chipotle flavor without making the mayonnaise chunky or too hot.
- Add salt after mixing: Taste the finished sauce first since the mayonnaise and adobo sauce may provide enough salt.
- Use fresh lime when possible: Bottled juice works, but fresh lime gives the sauce a brighter flavor.
- Let it chill: You can serve the mayo immediately, but it tastes even better after resting in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.
- Save the remaining peppers: Freeze the unused chipotle peppers and adobo sauce in small portions. Use them later to make my Chipotle Chicken or add smoky heat to Slow Cooker Mexican Shredded Chicken.
- Label the container: Write the date on the jar so you know when the sauce was made.
Easy Swaps and Variations
- Use bottled lime juice: Fresh lime is my first choice, but bottled juice works when that is what you have.
- Make it lighter: Replace part of the mayonnaise with plain Greek yogurt.
- Make it tangier: Replace part of the mayonnaise with sour cream.
- Use vegan mayonnaise: Swap in your favorite plant-based mayo to make the sauce egg-free.
- Add fresh garlic: Replace the garlic powder with a small amount of finely grated garlic for a stronger garlic flavor.
- Add more smoky flavor: Use smoked paprika instead of regular paprika.
Ways to Use Chipotle Mayonnaise
This sauce works anywhere you would normally use mayonnaise or a creamy dip.
- Fries and potatoes: Serve it as a dip for Homemade French Fries in the Air Fryer or Air Fryer Potato Wedges, or spoon it over crispy Smashed Potatoes.
- Burgers: Spread it on Ground Chicken Burgers, Salmon Burgers with Canned Salmon, or Air Fryer Frozen Turkey Burgers.
- Sandwiches: Add it to my Fried Chicken Sandwich, sliders, or other chicken sandwiches.
- Wraps: Use it instead of blue cheese dressing on my Buffalo Chicken Wrap, or spread it inside other chicken and veggie wraps.
- Tacos and quesadillas: Drizzle it over Ground Chicken Tacos, Shredded Chicken Tacos, or a chicken quesadilla.
- Bowls: Add it to Chicken Fajita Bowls, taco bowls, or rice bowls made with Mexican shredded chicken.
- Meat and seafood: Serve it as a dip for grilled chicken, steak, shrimp, or fish.
- Vegetables: Use it as a dip for roasted vegetables, raw peppers, cucumbers, or carrots.
More Easy Sauces and Toppings
Try my Burger Sauce when you want a creamy, tangy sauce for fries, burgers, and sandwiches. My Spicy Mayo is another quick option when you want heat without the smoky chipotle flavor. For tacos and bowls, add Guacamole or Avocado Cream Sauce. You can also browse my sauce recipes for more homemade dips, dressings, and toppings.
Make-Ahead and Storage
- Make ahead: Prepare the sauce at least 30 minutes before serving so the flavors have time to blend.
- Store: Refrigerate the chipotle mayonnaise in a clean, airtight container for up to one week.
- Before serving: Give the sauce another stir after it has been sitting in the refrigerator.
- Freeze: Freezing is not recommended because the mayonnaise can separate and become oily after thawing.
FAQs
Adobo sauce is the smoky, seasoned sauce packed with canned chipotle peppers. You can spoon the sauce from the can without using any of the whole peppers.
This version has a mild kick because it uses adobo sauce without the whole peppers. Add more adobo sauce gradually when you want more heat.
Yes. Blend in a small piece of one pepper for stronger chipotle flavor and more heat. Start with a little because the peppers are much hotter than the sauce alone.
No. Spicy mayo is usually made with a hot sauce such as sriracha. Chipotle mayo gets its heat and smoky flavor from chipotle peppers in adobo.
Yes. You can use it as soon as it is mixed, but chilling it for at least 30 minutes gives the lime, spices, and adobo sauce more time to blend.
Chipotle Mayonnaise
Use DRDAVINAHS at checkout to save on some equipment & ingredients!
Ingredients
- 1 cup Mayonnaise
- 2 tsp Adobo Sauce, from canned peppers in chipotle sauce. You can add peppers to this mayo for more heat
- 1 tsp Smoked Paprika
- ½ teaspoon Garlic Powder
- ½ teaspoon Onion Powder
- ½ Lime, juiced, about 1 tbsp of juice
- Natural Ancient Sea Salt, to taste
Instructions
- Add all of your ingredients to a small bowl or jar.
- Whisk to combine. Make sure the spices are fully incorporated with the mayo.
- If in a bowl, transfer your mayo to a small mason jar or other airtight container and chill in the fridge until you are ready to use it.
SAVE THIS RECIPE
I’ll email this post to you, so you can come back to it later!
Recipe Notes
- Adobo sauce: Use the sauce from a can of chipotle peppers in adobo. The whole peppers are not needed. Freeze the leftovers in small portions to use in Chipotle Chicken or Slow Cooker Mexican Shredded Chicken.
- Adjust the heat: Add more adobo sauce one teaspoon at a time for a spicier mayo.
- Lime juice: Fresh lime juice has the brightest flavor, but bottled juice also works.
- Storage: Refrigerate in a clean, airtight container for up to one week.
- Freezing: Do not freeze the finished mayonnaise because it may separate.
Nutrition Details
The nutrition facts come from entering the recipe ingredients into a database of food ingredients. They may vary for any recipe based on the exact product used.
Leave a Reply