This post contains affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.
Add a little oomph to your rotation with this Creamy Chipotle Sauce! It has the perfect balance of spicy, tangy, and smoky flavors that are completely addictive. It's easy to customize and can be used as a condiment, recipe enhancer, or creamy dip.
I love making homemade sauces, condiments, and dressings because they are easy, inexpensive, and much healthier than store-bought varieties. Most of them freeze well too, so I always have them on hand which makes things easier.
I make this Creamy Chipotle Sauce all the time for various recipes like wraps, tacos, fries, salads, baked potatoes, casseroles, tofu scramble, pasta, and much more. It adds incredible flavor without overpowering the dish.
Also, this awesome sauce is rich and creamy without the use of oil. Instead, I use cashews and non-dairy yogurt to bring it all together. Plus, the yogurt yields an extra tangy flavor and helps balance the spiciness of the chipotle peppers.
What ingredients do I need?
(FULL AMOUNTS IN RECIPE CARD BELOW)
For the rich and creamy base, you'll need Raw Cashews, Non-Dairy Yogurt, and Water to thin it out.
To get the spicy, smoky and tangy flavors, you'll need Chipotle Peppers in Adobo Sauce, Lime Juice, Agave, Granulated Garlic, Cumin, Smoked Paprika, and Salt.
How to make it
STEP 1 - First, you'll want to soften the cashews. To do this, boil water in a small pot and remove from heat. Add the cashews and cover for 15-20 minutes. Now, drain and rinse the cashews and discard soaking water.
STEP 2 - Place the cashews in a high-powered blender along with the water, chipotle pepper with sauce, yogurt, lime juice, agave, smoked paprika, garlic, and sea salt. Blend on high until very smooth. Scape down the sides as needed. Now taste for seasoning and add more if desired. If it's too thick for your taste, add a few splashes of water.
Success Tips:
- To make it less spicy, you can omit the teaspoon of adobo sauce and use the smallest pepper in the can. You can always add more if needed, so it's best to start with less.
- The consistency of the sauce is all up to you. If you want it thinner, add more water or unsweetened milk. Taste after thinning out and add more seasoning if needed.
- The sauce will thicken up in the fridge. Give it a good stir and determine if you want to thin it out a little. It makes a great dip at this point!
- Want an extra zing? Add a teaspoon of apple cider vinegar to the recipe.
- Make sure to scrape down the sides of the blender and blend again. Otherwise, you'll be catching cashew particles when you pour the sauce out. I love these mini spatulas for getting into small spaces like this.
- If you won't be using the remaining chipotle peppers, you can freeze them until ready to use.
- Made it too spicy? You can add a little more citrus, yogurt and a touch of agave to balance out the heat.
- Different brands of non-dairy yogurt will yield various results as far as texture and taste. I prefer to use So Delicious Coconut Yogurt in most of my recipes because it has a mild flavor and it isn't too thick.
Substitute Ideas:
- If you don't have chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, you can replace them with ½ teaspoon of ancho chili powder and ½ teaspoon of chipotle powder. Add more or less to taste.
- Don't have non-dairy yogurt? You can use non-dairy sour cream instead. My favorite brands are Good Karma, Wayfare, or Follow Your Heart.
- If you want to make this nut-free, you can replace the cashews with ½ cup of silken tofu. Blend all the ingredients together before adding any water to determine if you'll need it.
How long will it last?
For optimal freshness, place the chipotle sauce in an airtight container and store it in the fridge for 3-5 days. I haven't tried freezing it yet, but I will report back when I do.
More spicy recipes to try:
I love to hear from you
If you make this Creamy Chipotle Sauce, let me know what you think by ★ star rating it and leaving a comment below. It would really make my day. You can also follow me on Instagram and share your creation with me. Just tag me @veganhuggs and hashtag #veganhuggs so I don’t miss it.
Creamy Chipotle Sauce
Ingredients
- ½ cup raw cashews (see note)
- ¼ cup unsweetened non-dairy yogurt (sub plain)
- 3 tablespoons water , more as needed
- 2 tablespoons lime juice , more to taste (sub lemon)
- 1 teaspoon agave (or preferred sweetener)
- 1 chipotle pepper in adobo sauce + 1 teaspoon of sauce
- ½ teaspoon salt , more to taste
- ½ teaspoon granulated garlic
- ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
- ¼ teaspoon ground cumin
Recommended Equipment
Instructions
- To soften the cashews, boil water in a small pot and remove from heat. Add cashews and cover for 15-20 minutes. Drain and rinse the cashews and discard soaking water.
- Place cashews in a high-powered blender along with the water, chipotle pepper and sauce, yogurt, lime juice, agave, smoked paprika, garlic, and salt. Blend on high until very smooth. Scape down the sides if needed. Now taste for seasoning and add more if desired. If it's too thick for your taste, add a few splashes of water and blend.
- Serve right away or store in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-5 days.
Notes
If you don't have yogurt, you can use non-dairy sour cream. CASHEWS: To prep ahead, pre-soften your cashews by placing them in cool water for 2-4 hours (or overnight in the fridge). Then they'll be ready to pop in the blender right away.
If you don't have a high-speed blender, the cashews might not completely break down and this could result in a gritty texture. You can try soaking the cashews longer for 6 hours or more. HEAT METER: this sauce has a medium heat, if you'd like more, you can add another chipotle pepper or another teaspoon of sauce. If you'd like less heat, you can omit the teaspoon of sauce and use the smallest pepper in the can. * Yields about ¾ cup of sauce. * Sauce will thicken up more in the fridge. If it's too thick add a teaspoon of water and combine. Add more if needed.
Tenae
This sauce was easy to make and it’s delicious!! Thank you for this easy recipe!!
Melissa Huggins
You're most welcome! I'm so glad you liked it. 🙂
Holly Janz
Do you think this sauce could be frozen and then thawed?
Melissa Huggins
Hi Holly, I haven't tried it yet. It may change the texture slightly, but I'm not sure. Sorry that I can't be more help. I'll have to experiment. Thanks for stopping by 🙂
Bao Vu
Hi Melissa,
I am not a fan of spicy stuff. I used chipotle peppers in adobo sauce once. It was toooooo spicy for me.
Is there any alternative? Would all other ingredients be enough to give me a non spicy chipotle sauce?
Thank you.
Melissa Huggins
You can add 1/2 teaspoon of chili powder which isn't spicy but will add more depth of flavor (You can also bump up the other spices if you prefer). Cholula hot sauce is something else you can try because it's not too spicy and will add nice flavor. The adobo peppers also add a slight tomato flavor and color to the sauce. You may want to add 1-2 tablespoons of diced tomatoes too. I hope this helps. Thank you for stopping by 🙂
Claire
Could you give me a little clarification on the peppers. Is it just 2 peppers and all of the sauce in the can?
Melissa Huggins
Hi Claire, it's just two peppers that are in the sauce, but you won't be adding the sauce portion. You can save the sauce for future recipes (you can freeze it). However, if you want it extra spicy, you can add a few teaspoons of the sauce to the recipe. Thank you for stopping by. I'd love to hear how it turned out for you. 🙂
KB
Love Chipotle anything! Looks delish!
Mambo Sprouts
Can't wait to add this to our Dr. Praeger's veggie burgers!
Linda
Totally makes the veggie burger!
Melissa Huggins
Thank you so much 🙂
Karly
Looks delicious! This would be perfect for fries!! Now I'm hungry!