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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)
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Chipotle Honey Vinaigrette (Copycat)
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup red wine vinegar
- 1/3 cup honey
- 1 tablespoon adobo sauce (see note 1)
- 1 tablespoon water
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin ground
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano (see note 2)
- 1 1/2 cups olive oil or rice bran oil (see note 3)
- 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 and pulse to combine.
- 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).
Notes
- Adobo sauce: To make your own 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 ground cumin, and a pinch EACH of oregano, garlic powder, and salt.
- Oregano: Chipotle uses dried Mexican oregano. It tastes more like marjoram than Italian oregano and can be tricky to track down (I always find it at the Mexican grocery store). You can use either one (and you can choose fresh over dried if you want).
- Olive 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).
- Yield: This recipe makes about 2 cups of Chipotle Honey Vinaigrette, enough for 16 servings, 2 tablespoons each.
- Storage: Store leftovers covered in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
- Make ahead: The dressing can be up to 3 days in advance. Store covered in the refrigerator and shake or stir well to recombine before using.
Nutrition
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Meggan Hill is a classically-trained chef and professional writer. Her meticulously-tested recipes and detailed tutorials bring confidence and success to home cooks everywhere. Meggan has been featured on NPR, HuffPost, FoxNews, LA Times, and more.
So so good, tastes just like Chipolte- quick and easy. I used the Adobe chipotle peppers, I believe 3 in the sauce from the can. Scrumptious- deliocious! I had the wild flower honey- hesitant at 1st, but it came out so yummy!
Wildflower honey sounds wonderful, Courtney! I’m so happy to hear you loved it! Take care! – Meggan