This Chipotle Honey Vinaigrette is a smoky, sweet, tangy dressing that comes together in just minutes! It tastes just like the restaurant-style version you love. This easy homemade sauce is perfect for salads, bowls, tacos, and more.
Why This Recipe is the Best
Made with chipotle peppers in adobo, honey, lime juice, red wine vinegar, and a few simple spices, this homemade dressing comes together so easily! And it tastes as if it came straight from the restaurant.
For more copycat dressings, try our Southwest Dressing, Apple Cider Vinaigrette, and our homemade Balsamic Vinaigrette.
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Key Ingredients
What is in Copycat Chipotle Honey Vinaigrette?
- Chipotle Peppers in Adobo - This is what gives the vinaigrette its signature smoky flavor and gentle heat. One chipotle pepper makes the dressing about mild to medium spicy, but you can use more or less depending on your preference. If you're looking for a version without adobo, you'll need another ingredient to provide that smoky chile flavor, so the taste will be different.
- Oregano - If you can find Mexican oregano, that's what Chipotle uses, and it's worth seeking out for the most authentic flavor. Mexican oregano has a different flavor than the Mediterranean oregano you may already have in your spice cabinet. That said, regular oregano works perfectly well if that's what you have.
How to make Copycat Chipotle Honey Vinaigrette
Use these step-by-step instructions as a guide to get the best results. You'll love this copycat recipe.
- Juice the lime and add the other wet ingredients, like the oil, to a small food processor or blender.
- Add the seasoning and chipotle pepper and blend until smooth.
Helpful Hint: Fresh lime juice makes a noticeable difference in this dressing, so we recommend using freshly squeezed lime rather than bottled juice when possible. If the vinaigrette tastes too spicy, add a little more honey to balance the heat.
Common Mistakes
A common mistake is using a strongly flavored oil, which can overpower the other ingredients. For the closest restaurant-style flavor, use vegetable oil, or choose a mild olive oil or avocado oil.
Top tip
Using too much chipotle pepper is the easiest way to make this vinaigrette much spicier than intended, so start with one and adjust from there. It gives the dressing a mild to medium level of heat while providing plenty of smoky flavor, and you can always blend in another pepper if you want your sauce hotter.
Recipe
Copycat Chipotle Honey Vinaigrette Recipe
Ingredients
- ⅔ cup vegetable oil can sub mild olive oil or avocado oil see note 1
- ¼ cup red wine vinegar
- 3 Tablespoons honey see note 2
- 2 Tablespoons lime juice
- 1 chipotle in adobo sauce see note 3
- ½ teaspoon oregano
- ½ teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon sea salt or to taste
- ¼ teaspoon pepper or to taste
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
Instructions
- Combine all ingredients in a blender and blend on high for 1 minute to emulsify. I like to use a smoothie cup size, I feel like it works a little better.
- Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 month.
Notes
- For a "true" copycat, use vegetable oil. We have found this recipe also works great with a mild olive oil or avocado oil if you don't want to use vegetable oil.
- Feel free to add an extra Tablespoon or 2 of honey.
- 1 chipotle makes it about mild/medium spicy. Feel free to add more or less to your desired spice preference.
Nutrition
Variations and Substitutions
Try these tips and tricks to make your Chipotle Honey Vinaigrette the flavor you want.
- Vegetable Oil- For a true copycat-style dressing, use vegetable oil, but mild olive oil or avocado oil also works well.
- Sweet vinaigrette- Adjust the honey to make the vinaigrette sweeter, or add another chipotle pepper for more heat and smoky flavor.
- Oregano- You can also use regular oregano instead of Mexican oregano, although the flavor will be slightly different.
- Vegan- If you need a vegan version, substitute the honey with maple syrup or another vegan sweetener.
Storing- How long is Chipotle Honey Vinaigrette good for?
Store Chipotle Honey Vinaigrette in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 month. The oil may thicken or separate slightly when chilled, so let the dressing sit at room temperature for a few minutes and shake or stir well before serving.
What to Serve With Chipotle Honey Vinaigrette
This homemade dressing is delicious drizzled over a simple salad, Southwest chicken wrap, southwest salad, burrito bowl, taco bowl, or grilled chicken bowl. It's also great as a sauce for roasted vegetables, chicken, tacos, or as a dipping sauce for your favorite sides.
FAQs
Chipotle Honey Vinaigrette is a sweet, smoky, tangy salad dressing made with chipotle peppers, honey, vinegar, lime, oil, and spices. It's commonly served with salads and bowls and has a combination of sweetness, acidity, smoky chile flavor, and mild heat.
No. This recipe does not contain dairy, making it a good option if you're avoiding milk or other dairy ingredients.
The ingredients in this homemade version are naturally gluten-free, but always check the labels on ingredients such as chipotle peppers in adobo and other packaged products if you need to avoid gluten completely.
It has a sweet, tangy, smoky flavor with a little heat from the chipotle pepper. The honey adds sweetness, lime and red wine vinegar provide acidity, and cumin, oregano, and garlic give it a savory finish.
Traditional honey vinaigrette is not typically considered keto because honey contains carbohydrates. If you're following a strict keto diet, you would need to replace the honey with a keto-friendly sweetener.
Andrea says
We love this homemade chipotle honey vinaigrette! It has the best flavor combos.