The Chipotle Mayo You'll Want To Slather On Everything

Chipotle peppers are smoked and dried jalapeño peppers most commonly used in Mexican cuisine. They can be found plain and dried, as a powder, or canned in adobo sauce, which is a spicy tomato-based sauce. They're as spicy as the hottest jalapeño peppers, since their heat develops to the max as they ripen and turn red on the vine. Chipotle peppers can pack lots of tasty flavor into an abundance of dishes and even condiments, like chipotle mayo. You may be familiar with chipotle mayo as the creamy and spicy dip served in Mexican restaurants, or perhaps you've purchased chipotle aioli from the grocery store to spread on your sandwiches. It's convenient to buy it premade, but making chipotle mayo yourself is very quick, and the result always tastes fresher. 

Recipe developer Michelle Bottalico has created a recipe for an easy chipotle mayo recipe that's so versatile you'll want to put it on everything. Chipotle peppers in adobo sauce and mayo are flavored with lime juice, garlic, and spices. This delicious, spicy spread is excellent as a dip, spread, and drizzle for fries, burgers, sandwiches, tacos, and more. Use it anywhere you want extra flavor and heat or a creamy complement to your dish. 

For this recipe, you will need chipotle peppers in adobo sauce. A small 7-ounce can will give you more than you need, so you could make a big batch if you like or use the remaining peppers in another recipe. You'll also need mayo, lime juice, garlic, smoked paprika, salt, and black pepper.

Remove 2 chipotle peppers from the can and place them in a food processor. (The seeds are the hottest part so if you want the sauce less spicy, remove some or all of the seeds first, or start with just 1 pepper and taste before adding another.)

Scoop out 1 tablespoon of the adobo sauce from the can and add it to the food processor.

Add the remaining ingredients to the food processor.

Process until smooth and creamy, scraping the sides of the food processor as necessary. Taste and adjust for seasoning if desired.

Serve immediately or store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.

Chipotle mayo is a spicy, creamy, and versatile dip that goes with almost everything. Try it as a dip for french fries, sweet potato fries, or homemade baked potato wedges. There's no need to stick to potatoes either. Many of these fries made from vegetables that aren't potatoes would be tasty dipped in chipotle mayo. Similarly, spread it on burgers, including veggie burgers and fish burgers made with options like salmon and tilapia, chicken fingers, or crab cakes. Fried tuna cakes would similarly benefit from this spicy spread, whether you serve them with or without a bun. Chipotle mayo also works as a spread on sandwiches or wraps.

Fans of heat will appreciate this spicy mayo as a dipping sauce for fresh vegetables like carrots and cucumbers because there's no bread, breading, or starchy carbs to mitigate the spiciness. It's also a good choice for drizzling over roasted or grilled vegetables like broccoli, zucchini, and peppers. Since chipotle peppers in adobo sauce are so spicy, you can use this spread on dishes you would normally top with hot sauce. Drizzle it on tacos, burritos, and burrito bowls, serve it as a dip for buffalo cauliflower, or add it to deviled egg filling. In fact, you can use it in place of regular mayo in any recipe you'd like to enhance with a spicy kick.

Even though it's such a simple recipe, chipotle mayo can be customized in a few different ways. The first way is to lighten it up by using light mayo or substituting half of the mayo with sour cream or Greek yogurt. You can easily make it vegan by using vegan mayo or silken tofu. Instead of chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, you could use chipotle powder. To make it less spicy, just use the adobo sauce or, as noted in the recipe, remove the seeds from the peppers first to dial down the heat if you like the flavor but are less of a fan of a burning mouth.

You can put your own spin on the final chipotle mayo by using your preferred spices and seasonings. We use lime juice, garlic, smoked paprika, salt, and black pepper. You could leave the garlic out if you're not a fan, or substitute it with garlic powder. Besides smoked paprika, sweet paprika onion powder, or cumin work well, and you can make it even spicier by adding cayenne or red pepper flakes. Finally, one of the unique ways to use liquid smoke is to add a splash to chipotle mayo. It will add a smoky flavor that's perfect for your next barbecue.