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
Ingredient notes:
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.
Making changes to a recipe can result in recipe failure. Any substitutions listed are simple changes that I believe will work in this recipe, but results are not guaranteed.
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.
More dairy free salad recipes: Kale caesar salad / Chicken cobb salad / Sweet and spicy cucumber salad / Strawberry poppy seed salad / Kale shredded Brussels sprouts salad
Frequently asked questions
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.
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!
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
Chipotle Salad Dressing
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.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Like this? Leave a comment below!
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.