Made with a creamy cashew base, this Vegan Chipotle Sauce is incredibly flavorful and velvety smooth. It’s easy to make in 5 minutes and perfect for topping Mexican style bowls and salads!
Learn how to make this easy homemade sauce and drizzle it on top of these Vegan Sweet Potato Burrito Bowls and these Plant Based Cauliflower Taco Bowls! I promise, you’ll be reaching for more sauce because it’s that good!
I can’t get enough of this creamy chipotle sauce! It’s one of those sauces that’s so good, you use a spatula to scrape the jar clean because you couldn’t bare the thought of wasting one little drop! Yeah, it’s that good!
While I use the sauce on taco salads and burrito bowls, you could also drizzle it on top of fish tacos, nachos or fajitas. It stays good in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks, so you can keep it on hand to add to all of your favorite Mexican recipes!
What is chipotle sauce made of?
This easy chipotle sauce recipe is made from a base of soaked cashews and flavored with chipotle peppers, garlic and lemon juice.
What you’ll need to make Vegan Chipotle Cashew Sauce:
- Cashews – soaked cashews are the base of this creamy sauce. While the cashews I recommend are unsalted and roasted, you can also use raw or salted cashews. The key is to soak the cashews overnight, or for 6-8 hours. This allows them to soften and blend into a smooth and creamy sauce!
- Chipotle Peppers in Adobo Sauce – you’ll find these peppers canned with the adobo sauce, usually in the Hispanic foods section at your local grocery store. They give this sauce it’s spicy, smokey flavors.
- Lemon Juice – preferably fresh squeezed!
- Garlic Cloves
- Kosher Salt
- Black Pepper
- Extra-Virgin Olive Oil
How to make Chipotle Sauce
- Soak 1/2 cup of cashews in a bowl covered in water for 8-10 hours.
- Drain the cashews from the water and add them to a blender or food processor. I use a Nutribullet to blend and store the sauce.
- Add the chipotle peppers, plus a teaspoon of the adobo sauce from the can of peppers.
- Add the garlic cloves, salt, pepper and extra-virgin olive oil.
- Blend until smooth and creamy.
How long will Chipotle Sauce last in the refrigerator?
This vegan chipotle sauce will last in the refrigerator for up to two weeks in a sealed container. You can also freeze the sauce in ice cube trays, then transfer the cubes of sauce to a resealable plastic bag for later use.
To defrost a cube of sauce, simply place it in a small bowl and into the refrigerator overnight, or for at least 12 hours. Before using, place the cube(s) in a blender and puree again, so that the sauce is smooth and creamy before adding it to your favorite recipe.
Is Chipotle Sauce spicy?
Chipotle sauce does get smokiness and spice from the chipotle peppers, but the spice of the chipotles is balanced nicely by the cashews, lemon juice and olive oil. Overall, I’d say that this Chipotle Sauce is a medium on the spice scale.
How to use Chipotle Sauce in Recipes
This chipotle sauce is so incredibly versatile. That’s one of the many reasons why I love it so much!
Add it to burrito bowls, taco salads, nachos, breakfast tacos or fish tacos. Use it as a dipping sauce for veggies, taquitos or sweet potato fries. Drizzle it over grilled corn on the cob, chicken or steak!
The options really are endless! Here are a few of my favorite ways to use the chipotle sauce in recipes at home.
- Drizzle it over this Sweet Potato Burrito Bowl. (Pictured above!) This bowl was the original inspiration for making this Creamy Chipotle Sauce. The roasted sweet potatoes pair perfectly with the smokey chipotle sauce!
- Add it to this Roasted Cauliflower Taco Bowl. The cauliflower in this recipe is seasoned with ground chipotle peppers. Adding this chipotle sauce just means doubling up on the spicy, smokey flavor!
- Serve it on top of fish tacos. Nothing goes better on top of Blackened Mahi Mahi Tacos than a drizzle of this incredibly creamy chipotle sauce!
- Pair it with shrimp. Grilled shrimp and chipotle sauce are a perfect match. Try adding the sauce on top of this Shrimp and Rice Taco Salad!
- Serve it with this Mexican Quinoa Salad for a healthy, filling vegan meal!
- Try it on this Tex Mex Egg Roll In A Bowl. For a variation on this recipe, top the bowl with this chipotle cashew sauce instead of creamy avocado sauce. It gives it a whole new flavor!
Looking for more easy vegan sauce recipes? Check out these 5 favorites!
- Vegan Poblano Cashew Ranch Dressing
- Harissa Tahini Sauce
- Sweet Sesame Sauce
- Miso Vinaigrette
- Lemon Tahini Sauce
Creamy Vegan Chipotle Sauce
Ingredients
- ½ cup roasted, unsalted cashews soaked 8-10 hours
- 2 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce + 1 tsp adobo sauce
- ¼ cup water
- ¼ cup lemon juice
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- ½ tsp black pepper
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
Instructions
- Add the cashews to a bowl and cover with water. Soak the cashews overnight, or 8-10 hours.
- Drain the cashews and add them to a blender or food processor with all of the other ingredients.
- Blend until smooth and creamy.
- Cover and store in the refrigerator until ready to use.
Notes
- The Chipotle Sauce will stay good in the refrigerator stored in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks.
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