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    Home » Food Preservation » Canning » How to Make Adobo Sauce

    How to Make Adobo Sauce

    Posted on May 5, 2020 By Beth Neels

    102 shares
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    Chipotle in Adobo Sauce Pinterest Pin with text overlay
    Chipotle in Adobo Sauce Pinterest Pin with text overlay
    Chipotle in Adobo Sauce Pinterest Pin with text overlay
    chipotle in adobo sauce for Pinterest

    Chipotles in Adobo Sauce are essential for making many Latin dishes. It’s fun and easy to make them at home. The flavor is so such better than the canned version.

    Jar of chipotle in adobo sauce with white bowl of adobo.

    What are Chipotles in Adobo Sauce?

    Adobo is based on the Spanish word adobar, meaning to marinate. It’s a great marinade for chicken, pork, seafood and beef

    Chipotles are red, ripe jalapenos that have been smoked and dried. The adobo sauce is a pepper and vinegar based sauce that takes on the flavor of the smoky peppers.

    Learn how to make chipotles from the peppers in your garden, here.

    Jar and bowl of chipotle in adobo with silver spoon.

    What to do with them?

    This sauce is great to add to lots of dishes. You can use it as a replacement for hot sauces, when you run out. It is great added to salsas, sauces, soups, dips and a beautiful marinade for meats or fish. It makes a delicious enchilada sauce, and is great added to burgers or meatballs.

    • Chipotle salsa
    • Chipotle aioli
    • Smoky chipotle turkey burgers
    • Add it to soups like taco soup or chicken posole
    • Use it in chili
    • Flavor Spanish rice
    • Delicious basted on pork chops

    What do you need?

    • Mexican oregano – you can use regular oregano but Mexican oregano has a more floral flavor
    • onion – yellow or white onion
    • vinegar – apple cider vinegar
    • cumin
    • tomato – whole fresh tomato
    • whole cloves
    • black peppercorns
    • kosher salt or sea salt
    • cloves garlic
    • brown sugar
    • dried chipotle peppers (ripe jalapeños) or any other dried chiles
    Ingredients for chipotle in adobo- oregano, onion, viegar, cumin, chipotle peppers, tomato, clove, peppercorns, salt, garlic, brown sugar.

    How to make it

    1. Place tomato on rimmed baking sheet.
    2. Roast tomato in 400°F oven for 20-30 minutes. Tomato can also be roasted in a hot, dry, cast iron skillet.
    3. Soak dried peppers in water for 30 minutes, or longer, if needed, until soft.
    4. Meanwhile, place the onions, garlic, vinegar and spices in blender container.
    5. Once peppers are softened, remove from water.
    6. Save 8-9 whole peppers and place aside. Remove stems and seeds from the remainder of the peppers.
    7. Add peppers and tomato to the food processor.
    8. Process to a smooth paste. Add water or the soaking liquid to thin. *See notes in recipe.
    9. Add the puree and the whole peppers to a medium pot.
    10. Cook on medium heat for 10-15 minutes, to allow flavors to mingle.
    tomato on roasting pan. Charred tomato. Soaking peppers. Ingredients added to food processor. Rehydrated peppers. Deseeded peppers. Peppers added to food processor. Paste in container. Whole peppers added. Finished chipotle in adobo.

    Store sauce and peppers in a canning jar, or airtight container in the refrigerator for at least a month.

    For longer storage, place in plastic bags and freeze. Then break a piece off and use it in your favorite recipes.

    Close up of bowl of chipotle in adobo.

    Do you have to use chipotle peppers?

    Depending on the heat level of your jalapenos, and then, once smoked, the chipotles, this sauce can be very hot. This year was hot and dry, so my peppers were hotter than normal.

    If you would prefer the sauce more mild, use a more mild dried pepper, like guajillo chiles, dried ancho chiles or pasilla chiles for the sauce and the chipotles for the whole peppers in the sauce.

    Technically any hot pepper can work in this sauce.

    Hand scooping chipotle out of bowl with spoon.

    Tools I use

    • Canning jars
    • Pot
    • Food processor

    If you are interested in growing your own peppers, my series on How to Plant a Vegetable Garden may help you.

    Connect with us through our social media ages! Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, Twitter.

    If you have any questions or comments, please ask in comment section below. We’d love to hear from you!

    I hope you enjoyed the recipe today!

    Enjoy. And have fun cooking!

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    Chipotle in Adobo Sauce in white bowl with hand scooping sauce out with spoon. in white bowl.

    How to Make Adobo Sauce

    Chipotles in Adobo Sauce are essential for making many Latin dishes. It’s fun and easy to make them at home. The flavor is so such better than the canned version.
    See Step by Step Photos Above!Most of our recipes have step by step photos and videos! Also helpful tips so that you can make it perfectly the first time and every time! Scroll up to see them!
    5 from 6 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: Condiment, sauce
    Cuisine: Mexican
    Prep Time: 20 minutes
    Cook Time: 20 minutes
    Soaking dried peppers: 30 minutes
    Servings: 64 tablespoons
    Calories: 13kcal
    Author: Beth Neels
    Cost: $5

    Ingredients

    • 30 chipotle peppers
    • 1 onion
    • 1 tomato
    • 3 cloves fresh garlic
    • 4 tablepoons vinegar
    • 1 teaspoon cumin
    • 1 teaspoon Mexican oregano
    • 2 teaspoons peppercorns
    • 1 whole cloves,
    • 1 teaspoon salt
    • 1 teaspoon brown sugar

    Instructions

    • Soak peppers in water, until softened, about 30 minutes.
    • Roast tomato in oven or on grill until charred in spots.
    • Add onion, garlic brown sugar and all spices to food processor bowl.
    • Once softened, save 8-10 whole peppers. Stem and seed the remainder of the peppers.
      Taste the steeping liquid from the peppers. If it tastes bitter to you, then discard it. If it doesn't, use it to thin the sauce.
    • Add the seeded peppers and the tomato to the food processor.
    • Blend until a smooth paste forms, adding water, or a bit of the steeping liquid from the peppers to thin.
    • Add paste to sauce pan. Add peppers and about 1/2 cup of the water or steeping liquid. Cook on low heat for 10-20 minutes, until the desired consistency.
    Food Processor
    cutting board, bamboo
    saucepans
    See all of my favorite tools and gift ideas on my New Amazon Store!Check out Binky’s Amazon Store!

    Video

    Notes

    Adobo sauce can be refrigerated about 1 month, in sterile jar or container.
    Freeze leftovers in thin layer, in bags. Break off piece to use in all your favorite Latin dishes.
    Heat level of sauce will depend on the heat level of the peppers. If you would like a more mild sauce, use guajillo, ancho  or pasilla pepper for sauce, and jalapenos for the whole pepper portion.
    See article for uses for Chipotles in Adobo.

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1tbsp | Calories: 13kcal | Carbohydrates: 3g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 39mg | Potassium: 10mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 16IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 2mg | Iron: 1mg
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    102 shares

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Mahy

      May 05, 2020 at 12:43 pm

      5 stars
      I am out of Adobo sauce, so here I am. I am sooo glad I’ve stumbled upon this recipe, because it provides clear instructions and detailed steps to follow. Love it!

      Reply
      • Beth Neels

        May 05, 2020 at 12:59 pm

        Thanks Mahy! Everything is getting harder to find lately. Isn’t it?

        Reply
    2. Toni

      May 05, 2020 at 12:28 pm

      5 stars
      I really can’t tell you how excited I am about this recipe. I buy chipotles en adobo all the time, can’t get enough of adobo sauce. Now that I can make it myself? Never been happier.

      Reply
      • Beth Neels

        May 05, 2020 at 12:58 pm

        Ha! Glad you stumbled upon it Toni! Let me know how you like it!

        Reply
    3. Who Noms the World

      May 05, 2020 at 12:25 pm

      5 stars
      Considering how complex adobo sauce flavors are, you made this incredibly easy to make! Great ingredients and flavors. Can’t wait to use this on chicken!

      Reply
      • Beth Neels

        May 05, 2020 at 12:58 pm

        Thanks so much Peter! I really appreciate you checking out the recipe!

        Reply
    4. Andrea Metlika

      May 05, 2020 at 12:18 pm

      5 stars
      I never thought to make my own adobo sauce until now. It’s so flavorful and perfect for so many dishes.

      Reply
      • Beth Neels

        May 05, 2020 at 12:57 pm

        It’s really easy too! Thanks Andrea!

        Reply
    5. Denay DeGuzman

      May 05, 2020 at 12:13 pm

      5 stars
      I love your deeply-flavorful adobo sauce recipe! It’s easy to make and so much better than the canned version.

      Reply
      • Beth Neels

        May 05, 2020 at 12:57 pm

        Oh, I agree totally! Thanks so much for letting me know Denay! Happy Cinco de Mayo!

        Reply

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