Chipotle Salad Dressing
This creamy chipotle salad dressing is a healthy vinaigrette that can spruce up any salad to bring it those famous southwest flavors you crave. What makes this recipe even better is that it is completely dairy free (vegan option). Delicious, simple, healthy and creamy, what more could you possibly ask for?
Why I love this Chipotle salad dressing
This chipotle salad dressing is such an easy recipe to throw together that you can whip up a batch in minutes. It’s also a great way to kick up the heat and bring the flavors you’d expect from a taco salad dressing.
I’ve been making it for years now, and I try to have some on hand so I can throw a taco salad together whenever I want – like when I have leftover meat from my ground chicken tacos or Instant Pot carnitas. Just add a few fresh veggies, and you have a filling lunch or dinner that’s full of flavor.
More chipotle recipes like this one: Chipotle Salsa / Fish Tacos with Chipotle Aioli / Chipotle Chicken Pumpkin Soup / Chipotle Chicken Tacos
Here’s what you’ll need to make this recipe
- High speed blender or Food Processor
- Measuring Spoons
- Mason jar (for storage)
Ingredients note: I made this recipe with honey, which is definitely not vegan, but a vegan honey alternative would be a great choice. You can also use your favorite liquid sweetener, such as brown rice syrup or date syrup. Even regular old sugar will work just fine, but you’ll need a bit more. Try 3 – 4 tablespoons.
How to make this Chipotle salad dressing
Measure and prep ingredients. There really isn’t much prep for this dressing recipe. You don’t even need to chop anything, but if you’re looking to make this even easier, try coating your measuring spoon with oil or cooking spray before measuring the honey.
Blend the ingredients. Throw everything into the bowl of a food processor or blender, and process until smooth.
Transfer to a storage container. This dressing is quite thin, which I think is great for stretching it over your salad and keeping things healthy, but you’ll want to keep that in mind because it can get a bit messy when transferring.
FAQ’s about making Chipotle salad dressing
How long does Chipotle dressing last?
If kept properly stored inside of your fridge, you can expect your dressing to last up to 4 days and still taste great. This is a perfect recipe to use for meal prepping. Making a batch on Sunday to use for your salads throughout the week.
What are some easy storage ideas for leftover Chipotle salad dressing?
You want to keep your chipotle dressing stored inside an airtight container, but you also need it to be easy to access your dressing. Keeping it in a mason jar is a good way to keep it sealed. Just use a spoon to scoop and drizzle as needed.
Pro Tip: You can also store your taco salad dressing in a squeeze bottle for easy pouring and less mess!
What goes great with taco salad dressing?
Taco salad dressing tastes amazing with pretty much anything that has a fiesta styled vibe. If you can put it on a taco, you can put it in a salad and pour some dressing over the top. You may even find that this dressing goes great poured over tacos!
More delicious dressing recipes
- Homemade Thousand Island Dressing
- Dairy Free Ranch Dressing
- Caesar Salad Dressing
- Ginger Dressing
- Avocado Cilantro Dressing
Great salad recipes
- Kale Chicken Caesar Salad
- Chicken Cobb Salad
- Sweet and Spicy Cucumber Salad
- Strawberry Poppy Seed Salad
- Kale Shredded Brussel Sprouts Salad
Ingredients
- 6 tablespoons lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons honey (or vegan honey alternative)
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 1 – 2 chipotle peppers
- 1/2 – 1 tablespoon of adobo sauce
- 2 garlic cloves
- 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
Instructions
- Combine ingredients in the bowl of a food processor or blender. Process until smooth.
- Use immediately or transfer to an air tight container to refrigerate until ready to use.
I am making this and one other dressing for a taco salad bar for 80 people. Will this be enough or should I double it?
I would actually triple or quadruple it, just to be safe. One batch will definitely not be enough. I hope that helps!
Do u use the peppers that r in the adobo sauce?
Yes. I use 1 – 2 peppers, depending on how spicy I want it to be, and I also use the listed amount of sauce.
I can’t wait to try this recipe 🙂 I’m assuming the recipe makes enough dressing to fit into a 6 ounce mason jar?
It actually makes about a cup! I just used the smaller jar for photos because we had already eaten some of the dressing!
Could this be canned?
Just made…and this dressing on my salad was amazing. My go-to used to be a tahini based dressing. I found out I am allergic to sesame seeds which tahini is made of so… I have found my new go-to Dressing. It gives me a spicy French dressing w/bacon vibes. Definitely worth a try BTW I used canned chipotle in adobe sauce.
What kind of adobo should I use for this dressing
You want to use the adobo sauce from a can of chipotles in adobo sauce.
I found this last minute as I was making a taco salad and everyone who had it loved it! Has such a good yummy smoky flavor. Added just a bit of sour cream to make it a bit creamier. Thank you!!
This is the best dressing! Can I freeze it?
I’ve never tried freezing this dressing, it goes to fast in our house. If you try it let me know please!
How long does this last if refrigerated?
I recommend storing in the fridge for up to 4 days. It will taste its best during that time.
Yummy for a taco salad made with a little bit of this and that…. only had limes on hand and it was perfect! Thank you
This was great!
I used it in a Mexican inspired salad of shredded cabbage, lettuce, grilled chicken, avocado, cilantro and fried tortilla strips in lieu of croutons. It was exactly what the salad needed.
This is the only kind of taco salad dressing I ever eat! Delish!
This was the best salad dressing I’ve ever had in my life!! Can’t believe I didn’t make it sooner!