How to Make Adobo Sauce

Sharing is caring!

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.

What are Chipotles in Adobo Sauce?

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.

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

What do you need?

• Mexican oregano
• onion
• vinegar
• cumin
• tomato
• whole clove
• black peppercorns
• salt
• garlic
• brown sugar
• dried chipotle peppers

How to make it

1. Place tomato on rimmed baking sheet.
2. Roast tomato in 400°F oven for 20-30 minutes.
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.

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.

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, ancho or pasilla for the sauce and the chipotles for the whole peppers in the sauce.

Technically any hot pepper can work in this sauce.

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.

Don’t forget to sign up to my newsletter, so that you don’t miss any new recipes! Only 1 email per week, on Fridays! Sign up form is below!

If you try this recipe, let me know how you like it in the comments below! I would love to hear from you!

Also, don’t forget to FOLLOW ME on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Pinterest!

I hope you enjoyed the recipe. Thanks for stopping by today!

Enjoy! And have fun cooking!

This post may contain affiliate links, which means I get a small commission if you click the link and purchase something. See FTC Disclosure, here.

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 tbsp vinegar
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp Mexican oregano
• 2 tsp peppercorns
• 1 whole cloves,
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp 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

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

Get New Recipes Sent to Your Inbox Every Friday!Sign up to our newsletter Binky’s Culinary Carnival!