Easy Chipotle Aioli, also known as Chipotle Mayo, is a verstile condiment.
Use this chipotle mayo recipe on deli sandwiches, burgers, grilled cheese, fries, onion rings, fish tacos and more! Add a little spice to your life with aioli sauce.
Chipotle Aioli Recipe
Easy, creamy chipotle aioli is a quick and zesty sauce perfect for dipping or spreading on sandwiches. Chipotle peppers in adobo sauce add heat while the mayonnaise is slightly sweet.
This perfect combination is also known as chipotle mayo. Mayo is just a less fancy word for aioli.
Condiments can easily make or break a meal. Sauces should complement, not take over the flavor profile. Otherwise you’d just need a bowl of sauce. Gross.
Aioli Sauce (Fancy Mayo)
Aioli sauces are the perfect way to do this. If you make the quick version using premade mayonnaise, they take only minutes and amplify the whole dish.
T says: “I toasted some whole garlic cloves and added it to the mayo. Delicious.”
If you don’t want super intense garlic flavor like T, you can also mute it a little by using bottled minced garlic or roast garlic.
What is aioli?
Aioli translates to “garlic and oil” and is usually emulsified with egg. Is this starting to sound familiar? Emulsified oil and egg is… drumroll please… MAYONNAISE.
You can make mayo from scratch or you can combine your desired ingredients and flavors with premade mayonnaise. So easy! Although making mayonnaise is also pretty simple. Aioli recipes differ from person to person.
There is no “right” way.
Jenn says: “Basically my favorite condiment ever! I cannot wait to try it with the spicy chicken sandwich next – holy cow that looks good together!!!”
So simple that I’ve taught my niece how to make her own in a blender. I love making my own, it has so much more flavor, especially when you use a good quality olive oil.
Chipotle Peppers in Adobo Sauce
For this recipe, my flavor of choice is chipotle. Chipotles in adobo are smoky and sweet, providing the best of both worlds for the ultimate gluten free chipotle sauce.
Chipotle peppers are pretty spicy! Therefore, depending on how many peppers you throw into the blend, you can also adjust the heat of your sauce.
Some dishes, like my Spicy Chicken Sandwich, are defined by the chipotle aioli and certain level of heat.
The adobo sauce that chipotle peppers are typically canned in also adds a layer of smoky flavor sophistication.
Even if you don’t use it in the aioli, store it in an airtight container for later and use it in Mexican dishes or salad dressing. It is so tasty!
Jodi says: “Yum! I was looking for a Chipotle ranch for a grilled chicken gyro. So glad I found your recipe. We added a little ranch seasoning and probably used half the pepper.
Everyone loves it and now we are trying to figure out what else we can make to use the rest of sauce. The possibilities are endless!”
Ingredients
All of these ingredients can easily be found in your local grocery stores. The can of chipotle peppers can be found down the international aisle.
- Chiles in adobo sauce – Chipotles in adobo are smoky and sweet, providing the best of both worlds for the ultimate gluten free chipotle sauce.
- Mayonnaise – Grab your favorite store-bought mayo and use it for this recipe. Or you can make your own homemade mayonnaise.
- Lime juice – Squeeze your own or just get it from the store. I much prefer the taste of fresh squeezed lime juice though.
- Cilantro – I know you either love or hate cilantro, so this ingredient is optional. That being said, I like the zing it adds to this dipping sauce.
- Fine sea salt and ground black pepper – Just use a pinch! The chiles and mayo will do their jobs bringing the saltiness to the table.
How to Make Chipotle Aioli
You are going to love how easy it is to make this spicy sauce!
- Blend peppers. In a small food processor (or immersion blender), puree chipotle peppers and adobo sauce. It should be thick and paste like, it will not be smooth.
- Add rest of ingredients. Without cleaning the food processor, add remaining ingredients including lime juice, mayonnaise, cilantro fine sea salt and ground black pepper.
- Add in peppers. Add 1 tablespoon of chipotle peppers at a time until the desired taste is achieved. I use the whole can, however I like things spicy. You are much better off adding in small amounts and taste testing along the way.
- Chill. Refrigerate for a minimum of 30 minutes or until served. You can refrigerate for up to a week in an airtight container.
How to Use Spicy Chipotle Aioli
This easy dipping sauce can be used for just about anything! My favorite thing to do is spread it on a sandwich or dip french fries into it.
Here are a few more fun options for dipping:
Storage & Freezing
Storage: Make easy chipotle aioli sauce and store it an airtight container for up to a week in the refrigerator.
Freezing: I don’t suggest freezing mayo based sauces.
Frequently Asked Questions
It is as spicy as you want it to be. Make is less spicy by adding less chipotle peppers and/or adobo sauce. Want to sweat a little? Add more!
You can also alter the the flavor profile to make your own unique recipe by adding a dish of smoked paprika, chili powder, basic salt and pepper or even just lemon juice.
You can! You’ll miss the smoky factor of adobo sauce, but about 1 teaspoon of chipotle chili powder will do the trick in a pinch.
When made with egg yolks, no. But you can use a vegan mayonnaise and it will be!
It isn’t just chipotle peppers blended with mayo. Mine, at least, adds a little acid with lime juice (you can also use lemon), cilantro (that can be omitted for cilantro haters), and seasoning.
If it just a mayo base, then yes! Check to make sure your brand of chipotle peppers is also low sugar. Adobo sauce can have added sugar, so use minimal amounts of adobo sauce.
Well, no, at least my version of chipotle mayo doesn’t. Eggs aren’t dairy.
It is a little sweet, a little spicy and a little smoky. All of these flavors can be adjusted when you are making chipotle aioli from scratch.
You might also like these other classic sauce recipes:
More Favorites from Savory Experiments
Chipotle Aioli Recipe
Ingredients
- 3-6 chipotle chiles in adobo sauce
- 2 teaspoons lime juice
- 1 cup mayonnaise
- 1 tablespoons cilantro , chopped and optional
- 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
Instructions
- In a small food processor (or blender), puree chipotle peppers and adobo sauce for 30 seconds. It should be thick and paste like, it will not be smooth. Transfer to a seperate bowl.
- Without cleaning the food processor, add remaining ingredients including lime juice, mayonnaise, cilantro (optional) fine sea salt and ground black pepper.
- Add 1 tablespoon of chipotle peppers at a time until the desired taste is achieved. I use the whole can, however I like things spicy. You are much better off adding in small amounts and taste testing along the way.
- Refrigerate for a minimum of 30 minutes or until served. You can refrigerate for up to a week in an airtight container.
- If you’ve tried this recipe, please come back and leave us a rating and comment. We like to hear how we did!
Hey! This is our favorite at home and make it so often. I was wondering if this would work with a vegan mayo too? I have someone who doesn’t eat eggs but I would love to make it for them.
There is no reason why it shouldn’t! But come back and let us know how it went so we can add that to the post 🙂
I have been making chipotle aioli for years now. It is a perfect condiment for salmon. You will love the combination.
We make it all the time and I’ve never made with salmon- great idea, we will surely try that!
This recipe is delicious. Like the author, I also added the full can of chipotles because I like it SPICY! Will make again, thank you 😊
Thank YOU for coming over to let us know, Christina. Have a great night!
I love this recipe! It’s delish and I love topping pulled pork nachos with it! Does anyone know how long it’s good for if it’s covered and in the fridge after making?
Hi Brian! Thanks for letting us know how much you like it! I would say it is good in the fridge for about a week.
The best parts about this recipe, besides being delicious, are the directions for preparing it so we can choose the hotness level!! Brilliant, Thanks! I prepared it exactly as written and only needed 1 Tablespoon of the chipotle pepper sauce for our tastes. Exactly what I was looking for. Now if I can find that condiment squeeze bottle…I know it is somewhere!!!
Fabulous! And thanks for coming by to let us know!
I was looking for a recipe like this to use on Mexican Grilled Corn (Elote). Should be perfect but I will have to add some garlic since it is an aioli. Thanks for the recipe!
I cannot wait to try this recipe out! I’ve always been intimidated by making an aioli but your recipe is so easy to follow I’d give it a try.
This is fabulous! All my meals just got a ton more tasty with this sauce!
I love, love, love the recipe! I make BLP (Bacon, Lettuce, Pico) tacos with this chipotle aioli and they are absolutely delicious. I have also used it for sandwiches and burgers!
Yay! Thank you for stopping by to let us know!
This sauce is DELICIOUS!! People think I’m a good cook because I make this insanely yummy, but totally easy sauce. Definitely a favorite in our house!
Yay!! That is what we love to hear. Sauces make any dish “extra”, as the kids say.
I love how the texture and the heat was with this recipe. Although, it just tasted like mayo for the most part. Maybe adding some sour cream would have helped. Regardless, thank you for the recipe!
Aioli is pretty much mayo, but yes, sour cream would be great!
I toasted some whole garlic cloves and added it to the mayo. Delicious.
That is a great addition! Hope you enjoyed it!
Yummy but HOT. How could i make it milder?
Hi Shannon! The heat has to do with the chipotle peppers, some batches are hotter than others. I would cut the amount in half. Or start with a very small amount and slowly add more until it is to your desired taste.
Basically my favorite condiment ever! i cannot wait to try it with the spicy chicken sandwich next – holy cow that looks good together!!!
I should be everyone’s favorite condiment!
How lovely. I’ve never attempted to make my own mayo, but i should get around to it. Like you, for now ‘ll settle for premade and add to it. I’m imagining this dip with crisp onion rings. it’s a very happy thought.
YES! So good with onion rings. My other favorite is fried cheese curds.
Sauce came out a lot thinner than i expected. Still tasty thoUgh
Hi Matt, thanks for stopping by! I’m trying to figure out why that was. Did you by any chance use a light mayo instead of full fat or was your can of chiles more saucy than usual?
Aoli is very popular here in Australia. I’m sure this would impress my friends, and so easily too!
Thanks for such a simple way to spice up a popular classic.
Chipotle is one of my favorites and this looks so creamy and delicious. I love the idea of drizzling this sauce on burgers.
Yum! I was looking for a Chipotle ranch for a grilled chicken gyro. So glad I found your recipe. We added a little ranch seasoning and probably used half the pepper. Everyone loves it and now we are trying to figure out what else we can make to use the rest of sauce. The possibilities are endless!
Thanks for stopping by to let us know, Jodi! Adding ranch is an excellent idea! We use our Chipotle as a dipping sauce for potato wedges, fries, onion rings, on burgers, hot dogs or even just for potato chips!
I will definitely make this……thanks