Creamy Chipotle Lime Dressing (Vegan!)

This Creamy Chipotle Lime Dressing is smoky, tangy, and completely dairy-free! It blends up in minutes with fresh lime, tahini, warm spices, and chipotle in adobo. (Vegan, gluten-free, no added oil.)

If you love smoky, zesty, and creamy, this Chipotle Lime Dressing brings it all together! It's one of my new favorites.

You can use it to brighten up taco salads, burrito bowls, loaded baked potatoes, nachos, you name it. It can even be used as a dip for chips, oven fries, or veggies.

Best of all, it's made quick and easy in a blender and you can adjust the heat right where you like it. We'll combine fresh lime juice, drippy tahini for the creamy texture, smoky chipotles, and warm spices. (No dairy or added oil needed!) The result is a bold, flavorful dressing that's ready to add smoky deliciousness to a variety of dishes.

Ingredients for Chipotle Lime Dressing

For this recipe, you'll blend together in a small high-speed blender:

• Fresh lime juice: You'll need three tablespoons lime juice which is about 1.5 limes. You can also add up to a tablespoon of lime zest (about one lime) for more bright citrus flavor. The zest is optional, and it really makes the lime flavor pop. (I enjoy it both with and without.)
• Tahini: This is a condiment made from ground sesame seeds. You'll need three tablespoons drippy tahini. Be sure to use a good quality tahini (one that isn't bitter) and find 100% sesame tahini with no added oil. Lately I've been using the Whole Foods 365 brand.
• Chipotle peppers in adobo sauce: This brings the smoky heat. You'll need one chipotle pepper and a tablespoon of the adobo sauce. I like to scrape out and discard the seeds from the pepper for a milder flavor.
• Pure maple syrup: A little natural sweetness helps balance the flavors. Fine-tune it however you see fit.
• Apple cider vinegar: Just a splash adds some tang. Feel free to include another teaspoon for additional punch.
• Ground cumin
• Garlic powder: Or substitute a fresh garlic clove.
• Smoked paprika: Just a little adds another delicious layer of depth and smoky flavor.
• Salt: I use fine grain salt. You can also add black pepper to taste.

Customizing

Thickness: Fine-tune the thickness with the amount of water you add. Depending on how you're using it, you can make it a thicker/dippable consistency with slightly less water, or thinner & pourable with slightly more.

Heat level: I'd call this light-medium as written, so adjust as you like. For less heat, start with half a chipotle, or just use 1-2 tsp. adobo sauce and skip the pepper itself. For spicier, toss in an additional half a chipotle (or more).

Strictly oil-free: Most canned chipotles in adobo contain a small amount of oil. For a strictly oil-free version, check the ingredients and look for an oil-free brand. Or substitute with a quarter teaspoon (or less) ground chipotle powder instead. Start small because it's hotter and concentrated. The flavor will be slightly different, but still smoky and delicious.

Serving

Condiment & sauce: Drizzle this creamy, smoky salad dressing over taco salads, grain bowls, roasted veggies, burritos, burrito bowls, nachos, loaded baked potatoes, or tacos.

Dip: You can also leave the texture slightly thicker to enjoy it as a dip with tortilla chips, oven fries, crackers, or anything else that sounds good.

Storing

Store the dressing in a sealed jar (or other airtight container) in the refrigerator. I find it keeps for about 5 days. It'll thicken in the fridge, so you can set it out at room temperature for a few minutes before serving, or stir in 1-2 tsp. water/lime juice to help thin it out again.

For more inspiration, also browse all vegan salad dressing recipes.

If you're enjoying this vegan creamy chipotle lime dressing recipe, also check out:

• Chipotle Crema
• Taco Pasta Salad
• Taco Sauce

Follow The Garden Grazer on Instagram, Pinterest, X (Twitter), or Facebook for more updates and inspiration.