That smoky-sweet Chipotle Honey Vinaigrette you love and crave, now made in your own kitchen with easy pantry ingredients. Your new favorite salad dressing!
“Do you want the vinaigrette on the side?”
They ask this every time I go to Chipotle and order a salad. Little do they know, the vinaigrette on the side is a primary driver to order a salad in the first place.
What is in Chipotle Honey Vinaigrette?
Chipotle’s vinaigrette is made with a combination of red wine vinegar, honey, adobo sauce, spices, and oil.
Chipotle uses Rice Bran oil in all of their recipes. I always substitute olive oil because that’s what I have on hand (you can use any neutral-flavored oil).
First combine all non-oil ingredients in a blender, then drizzle in your oil until it emulsifies. It takes literally one minute once you hit “process” and you’re done.
What is a substitute for adobo sauce?
Whisk together:
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 tablespoon cider vinegar
- 1 teaspoon chipotle powder (or ½ teaspoon each smoked paprika and cayenne powder)
- ½ teaspoon cumin
- Pinch EACH of oregano, garlic powder, and salt
What can I do with my leftover Chipotle peppers and/or adobo sauce?
Transfer to a bag and freeze for future use, or use in:
- Chicken Tinga
- Vegetarian Stuffed Peppers
- Chipotle Chicken (copycat)
- Chipotle Barbacoa (copycat)
- Chipotle Steak (copycat)
- Chipotle Sofritas (tofu)
- Chipotle black beans (copycat)
- Chipotle pinto beans (copycat)
Chipotle Honey Vinaigrette (Copycat)
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup red wine vinegar
- 1/3 cup honey
- 1 tablespoon adobo sauce (see notes)
- 1 tablespoon water
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin ground
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon fresh oregano leaves (see notes)
- 1 1/2 cups olive oil or rice bran oil (see notes)
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- In a food processor or blender, combine red wine vinegar, honey, adobo sauce, water, cumin, garlic powder, and oregano. Turn on the processor.
- With the motor still running, drizzle in the oil until the salad dressing comes together and emulsifies. Season to taste with salt and pepper (I like 1 tablespoon salt and 1 ½ teaspoon pepper). Serve immediately or store covered in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
Notes
Nutrition
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I followed the recipe as directed. Once finished it initially tasted only of olive oil, honey and red wine vinegar. I doubled the amount of adobo sauce, cumin and garlic powder. Also added another 1/4 cup of red wine vinegar. Afterwards it was almost spot on to Chipotle’s dressing.
Holy cow, this is GOOD. Perfectly balanced, just enough smoky flavor from the chipotle. 10+ stars.
Thank you Lisa! – Meggan
Great flavor! This recipe is way better than the others I have tried.
Thank you so much Lisa! – Meggan
I only go to Chipotle for the dressing. This will hopefully save me time and money. Thank you I’m excited to try this.
I can’t use honey. Can I substitute with natural sweetener xylitol? I wander if it would change the taste. I love this dressing. I would have to make the adobo sauce. Most of the ones I’ve seen in the store contain citric acid, which can come from corn.
Hi Faye, I haven’t tried substituting xylitol for honey. Since xylitol has a different flavor than honey, it will change the taste, so I would recommend adding it a little at a time. – Meggan