An easy vegan Creamy Chipotle Sauce with garlic and lime! This simple sauce gives a nice, zesty kick to tacos, burritos, tostadas, quesadillas, baked potatoes, veggie burgers, and more. (Gluten-free.)
This creamy chipotle sauce with garlic and lime gives a zesty kick to tacos, burritos, fajitas, quesadillas, baked potatoes, burgers, and more.
Plus it is easy to make and simple to customize!
The smoky flavor of chipotle adds so much depth, and gives a nice hit of spice (without being too overly spicy).
We especially enjoy it drizzled over these Vegan Black Bean Burrito Bowls.
Ingredients for Chipotle Sauce
For this recipe you will blend in a high-speed blender or food processor:
- Vegan yogurt: Be sure to use plain and unsweetened yogurt. I mostly use coconut yogurt, but your favorite dairy free variety should work. (If you can't find this, then silken tofu, vegan mayo, or soaked cashews could also work to achieve the creamy texture.)
- Chipotle in adobo sauce: This usually comes in a small can. We will use one chipotle pepper for this recipe, but you can adjust as needed.
- Adobo sauce: This provides a lot of flavor, but with a little less heat than the actual chipotle peppers.
- Fresh garlic cloves
- Fresh lime juice: Or you can substitute lemon juice, but I prefer lime.
- Ground cumin: In addition, you could also add a half teaspoon of smoked paprika for another layer of smokiness.
Tips
Leftover chipotles: The recipe only uses one chipotle pepper. So if I don't plan on using the remaining chipotles anytime soon, I remove the seeds, dice them, and freeze them for later.
Starting small: A little chipotle goes a long way. So add the chipotles according to your palette and taste. If you're unsure, you may want to start with a half chipotle pepper (or even less), and adjust from there.
Less spicy option: Alternatively, you can add only the adobo sauce (and omit the actual chipotle peppers). It will still be flavorful, but not quite as spicy.
Serving
This vegan chipotle sauce is so versatile in ways you can enjoy it. A few ideas include:
- Tacos + fajitas: It's an excellent topping for a variety of tacos, fajitas, and wraps. Or you could even use it like a chipotle aioli on sandwiches and burgers.
- Burrito bowls: Drizzle it on top of burrito bowls, taco salads, or even stuffed peppers. (Like these Mexican Quinoa Stuffed Peppers.)
- Baked potatoes: Try it spooned over this Mexican-Style Baked Potato.
- Tofu scramble: Liven up this Southwest Tofu Scramble, or include it in your favorite breakfast burritos.
- Dip: Enjoy it as a dipping sauce for oven fries, sweet potato fries, or roasted veggies.
Storing
Store any leftovers in a sealed jar in the refrigerator. We find it keeps well in the fridge for about 4-5 days.
Try a cashew sauce! For a different version, try this similar Chipotle Crema made with cashews instead of yogurt.
For more inspiration, also browse all sauce and seasoning.
Vegan Creamy Chipotle Sauce
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup vegan yogurt, plain & unsweetened (or 2/3 cup silken tofu)
- 1 chipotle in adobo sauce
- 1/2 tsp. adobo sauce
- 1-2 cloves garlic
- 1 Tbsp. fresh lime juice (about 1/2 lime)
- 1/8 tsp. ground cumin (more to taste)
- Salt to taste if desired
- Optional: agave or other sweetener if desired
Instructions
- Scrape away the seeds from the chipotle with a knife. (Use caution when handling chipotle and wash your hands well when finished.)
- Add all ingredients to a blender or food processor and blend/pulse until smooth.
- Taste and adjust seasonings/consistency as necessary or add salt to taste.
Notes
Nutrition Per Serving (Estimate)
Sodium: This is omitted as I cannot provide an accurate number. I encourage you to calculate your own to provide a much more precise reading based on the exact ingredients, brands, and amounts you're using.
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Amanda
So delicious! Was great on top of broccoli and rice.
Kaitlin
Awesome idea. Glad you enjoyed, and thanks for sharing!
Lisa
This sauce is excellent! I think it made our Mexican black bean bowl a lot more interesting.
Thank you!
Kaitlin McGinn
Fantastic to hear that Lisa! Glad you gave it a try & enjoyed. Thanks so much for coming back to let me know!
McKenziesMomma
Hey! I would love to try this recipe. I was wondering if the yogurt is coconut flavored yogurt or if there is actually coconut yogurt.
K Wood
There is actually coconut yogurt made by Silk. There are usually a few small cups at Walmart.
LaneK
This sauce is excellent! I had to use low fat Greek yogurt because I am allergic to coconut and almonds, so my alternatives for yogurt are limited and I can't eat tofu. I added a handful of cilantro as well and I used it on your black bean and corn fajita recipe (had that over brown rice sauteed with garlic and cilantro!). Both are delicious and thank you for sharing!
Kaitlin | The Garden Grazer
Hey Lane! Thank you for sharing!
Lionfish Lair
This was SO awesome. It's now in a condiment squeeze bottle and I'm going to put it on everything.
Kaitlin | The Garden Grazer
Great idea! Thanks for sharing.
Folake Abass
Hey Kaitlin. Thank you for this wonderful recipe. I'm having a party tomorrow and this will be a wonderful dip for my veggie platter. I used cashew yogurt instead and it tastes wonderful. The challenge now is to make sure I keep some for tomorrow.
Kaitlin | The Garden Grazer
Haha, I hope it was enjoyed at your party! Cashew yogurt sounds perfect - thanks for sharing!
Nan Rosenberg
Hi! Is there enough adobo sauce in the can of chipotle to use or will I need to buy a can of adobo sauce? Thanks, it looks delicious!
Kaitlin | The Garden Grazer
Hi Nan! I always have enough sauce in the can of chipotle. Hope you enjoy!
Nan Rosenberg
Hi Kaitlin, I made this sauce along with your burrito bowl two years ago for a family birthday. I'm making it again this year. The burrito bowl AND the chipotle sauce were delicious. Thanks for delicious recipes!
Unknown
Could I use extra firm tofu? That's all I have.
Kaitlin | The Garden Grazer
Hi! You'd need to use silken tofu for this recipe (silken vs regular tofu is quite a bit different). Silken tofu is a great replacement for dairy!
Linda Rhode
Holy deliciousness! I made this tonight and it is AWESOME! I've never made a dressing with yogurt before and I am super excited right now. My husband even liked this!
Antigonish Joe
Tasty stuff, but I will probably leave out the garlic next time!
Kaaren
OK, I'm from Eastern shore and do not know what "chipotle in adobo sauce" is. Are chipotle a type of pepper and if so, why in adobo sauce? Where in the store would I find it? I really want to try this and love trying new things, especially Mexican foods. I know chipotle is huge now and I have had foods flavored with it but I guess I always thought of it as a spice. Can't wait to try this. Sound delish.
Kaitlin | The Garden Grazer
Hi Karen! Chipotle is a type of pepper and they sell it in small cans with adobo sauce (which is a paste/marinade used in Mexican-style cooking). Spicy, but adds great flavor! You can find the cans in the Mexican food aisle in many grocery stores now. What you mentioned is probably ground chipotle powder which I love to cook with as well!
Anu Menon
Kaitlin - we love this recipe - just made this today (found your website yesterday after lunch at Baja Fresh) and just had to try it out. Used 3 Chipotle chilis instead of one and needed to add a little salt but it was perfect! Thank you!
Kaitlin | The Garden Grazer
So great to hear! Thanks for sharing!
Ustartsomewhere
Do you think leftover sauce would freeze well?
Kaitlin | The Garden Grazer
I've never tried freezing this, but it might do okay. The texture of yogurt changes after it's frozen and thawed, so just make sure to stir it well afterwards.
Jenni
I made this this morning and it is pretty spicy. I wanted to mild it a bit so my kids will eat it. I added more yogurt. Any other ideas?
Kaitlin | The Garden Grazer
I'd suggest adding less chipotle next time (maybe try 1/2 chipotle instead). Or simply just use the adobo sauce instead of the actual chipotle peppers. Same great flavor but less spicy!
Jessica Burr
LOVE THIS! I have made several batches in the last couple of days! I made my own greek yogurt and this was a great way to use it! I even used it in a recipe for scalloped potatoes! Delish! Thank you!
Kaitlin | The Garden Grazer
Thank you for sharing!
Andrew Stover
Thanks for the recipe! I made it with 2/3C of silken tofu and it was amazing!
Kaitlin | The Garden Grazer
So great - thanks for the helpful feedback!