Creamy Vegan Chipotle Sauce

This deliciously rich sauce can be used on grain bowls, roasted veggies, or burritos. Try it on a vegan burrito bowl with salsa brown rice, a black bean burrito bowl, or a tofu burrito bowl. For more vegan dressings for Buddha bowls, check out this list for oil-free vegan salad dressings.

I use cashews as the base in most creamy sauces for a dairy-free option, like in my vegan honey mustard, cilantro cashew dressing, cashew lime crema, and cashew dijon dressing.  They're neutral in flavor and become soft and creamy when soaked and pureed with a liquid. 

The other reason is that I’m not a fan of mayo. I haven’t found a store-bought vegan mayonnaise that I like and I’m not a fan of making one sauce in order to make another sauce.  Hence the delightful little cashew! 

If you can’t have cashews or just prefer not to, substitute with vegan mayo and skip adding the water to the vegan chipotle sauce recipe. For a tahini-based sauce, try smoky tahini dressing; it's not spicy, but it will give you a smoky-flavored sauce.

Ingredient notes and substitutions

Please see the recipe card below for the complete list of ingredients and exact measurements.

Cashews - Use unsalted raw cashews for this vegan version.  In a pinch, roasted unsalted cashews should work fine.  Either soak them overnight or in hot water for 15-20 minutes.  The cashews can be substituted with ½ cup of vegan mayo, just skip adding the water to the recipe.

Chipotle Peppers in Adobo Sauce - The spiciness of the chipotle peppers is the main flavor driver for this condiment. They can be found canned in the Mexican food aisle in your grocery store or ordered online.  The recipe calls for one pepper, but for a spicier sauce add more to taste depending on the size of the pepper and your spice tolerance. 

Lemon Juice - Use freshly squeezed lemon juice, it can be substituted with fresh lime juice.  If you want to substitute with apple cider vinegar, start with only one tablespoon, then taste and add more if needed.

Maple syrup - A touch of sweetness to balance the heat in this easy chipotle sauce.  This can be substituted with agave syrup or left out if you prefer.

Seasonings - For extra flavor, we add garlic powder, ground cumin, and smoked paprika for an even smokier flavor.  The garlic powder can be substituted with a fresh clove of garlic.  

Substitutions

• Chipotle powder doesn’t give the same flavor as chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, but in a pinch, it can be used.  Add it to taste.
• To substitute the cashews and water for vegan mayonnaise, start with ½ cup mayo and adjust if needed.  Don't add the water in the recipe if using mayo instead of cashews.

Tips for leftover chipotle peppers

Leftover chipotle peppers in adobo sauce can be frozen.  I portion off leftovers into ice cube trays to freeze for later.  Place 1 or 2 chipotle peppers and a little of the sauce into each cube then freeze.  Once frozen, pop the cubes out and place them in freezer safe bag or container. 

Thaw before using.  Just an FYI, sometimes the sauce from chipotle peppers in adobo sauce may stain plastic containers.

Soaking cashews

For this creamy chipotle sauce recipe, the cashews can be soaked overnight in enough water to cover them or try the boiling water method.  Simply boil enough water to cover the cashews, then pour the hot water over them in a heat-proof container.  I tend to use a coffee mug and let them soak for 15 to 20 minutes. 

How to make a vegan chipotle sauce

Either soak your cashews overnight or use the quick soaking method.  Even with a high-speed blender I still soak my cashews (if I remember to) to ensure a creamy sauce.  Sometimes the quick soak method won’t create as creamy of a sauce compared to the overnight process.  If you don’t have a high-speed blender it may not be as creamy if you don’t soak overnight.

Add everything to a blender and puree until smooth.  Taste and adjust to suit your preferences.  Prefer it hotter?  Add a scoop of the adobo sauce for a little more heat or add another chipotle pepper for even more heat.  Add more water if you prefer a thinner consistency. 

Serving suggestions

The smoky vegan chipotle mayo recipe can be used in a variety of ways to add a boost of flavor to your meal.

• A dip for refried bean taquitos or burritos
• A sauce for tacos using lentil walnut taco meat
• Add it to a vegan taco bowl or vegan burrito bowl
• Use it as a salad dressing
• Top grain bowls with it, and try it with black beans, rice (or potatoes), greens, and more fresh or cooked vegetables.  Or for more vegan recipes try it on a chickpea vegetable rice bowl, vegan southwest sweet potato bowl, or roasted sweet potato nourish bowl.
• Use it as a sandwich spread or a condiment for veggie burgers
• Drizzle in on roasted vegetables 
• Oil-free roasted potatoes 
• French fries or sweet potato fries
• For a super easy meal add the homemade sauce to baked potatoes

Storage

Store leftover sauce in an airtight container in the refrigerator for about a week.  Cashew sauces tend to thicken after chilling in the fridge, so stir in a little water to thin them out when ready to use. 

Related recipes

• Vegan avocado lime crema

I hope you enjoy this spicy dairy-free sauce! If you like the recipe, feel free to rate it and leave a comment.