Chipotle Mayo (aka Mexican Secret Sauce)

How to make Chipotle Mayo ( aka Mexican Secret Sauce) – a fast and easy 5 minute sauce that everyone should know about, to give meals a huge BURST of flavor! Vegan adaptable, GF! 

Your self love is a medicine for the earth.  ~ Yung Pueblo

This vegan-adaptable, Chipotle Mayo – or Mexican Secret Sauce- is probably not a huge secret anymore … but to some, it may be the difference between a dish that is bland and unexciting to something fantastically delicious!  Use it as taco sauce, over burrito bowls, or with most any Mexican- inspired recipes!

And the best thing is, it only takes FIVE  minutes to make, and I’m pretty sure you already have the simple ingredients on hand. It keeps in the fridge for weeks and comes in handy quite frequently around here. The best tasting taco sauce, ever!

Watch how easy it is to make Chipotle Mayo! 

This chipotle sauce is one we use in our catering business. At home, I make a healthier vegan version (see notes in recipe) and keep it in a squirt bottle ready to drizzle lightly over tacos, fish, corn on the cob, nachos, enchiladas, and even over Brian’s fish sticks – adding a burst of flavor!  The latest use though, is over these Quick Fish Tacos or the Mexican Style Oaxacan Bowls,  Tlayludas  or these super yummy Chipotle Portobello Tacos which you simply must try!

If you are vegan, make this with  Veganaise or silken tofu. A flavor booster for sure!

On the home front: I’ve been meaning to tell you a story, but until now the words have not come. It’s why I picked this quote. I trust that those of you need to hear this story will find it, and those who don’t will simply skip to the recipe.

When my mother, Lea, turned 80, she left my father.

He had gone on his yearly month-long trip to Egypt, and with the help of her good friend, she packed up her all belongings and moved out of the house where I grew up, where she had lived for 35 years. Imagine how difficult this would be at any age, and then imagine it at the age of 80.

When he returned she was gone. They were married for 42 years.

My father, like all of us, had his good qualities and his flaws. He could treat her terribly, become angry, volatile,  tearing her down emotionally, but could also be very loving in his own way. Which made leaving him very difficult.  A complicated man, heavily influenced by his culture. He could not see any areas for improvement within himself, and would not even consider “working on the marriage” with her. She stayed with him out of duty, guilt, religion and out of “what would people think?”. 

Growing up, I found myself wishing desperately she would leave him, because I could see how the stress of being in that relationship took a toll on her, not just emotionally, but physically. She was constantly on edge, stressed, sad, isolated. She began to have serious heart problems. It wasn’t until she was 80, that she had the strength and courage to leave.

And then she lived 3 more years…

Believe me when I tell you, even though the rest of her time here was short, they were the happiest, most incredible, three years of her life!  She was free and light and bubbling with joy!

Effervescent. I had never witnessed this before!  She completely transformed. All her worry lines faded. It was like a huge weight was lifted. Her heart became light, and love just poured out of her entire being. Truly remarkable.

Looking back, I believe her lesson in this life was to experience love fully, and specifically, to experience self-love.  She had always put everyone else first, serving others in her beautiful faithful way -as a nurse, midwife (in Nigeria), faithful friend, nurturing mother, sister, and wife.  But a day came when she chose the path of self-love and healing. This did not mean she didn’t love my father. It just meant she couldn’t be married to him for one more day.

Such a beautiful lesson to give her only daughter, who at the time was also struggling in her marriage.

I just wanted to share this with you, because I know that marriage can be one of the hardest things. Sometimes the lesson is not always  “making our bed and lying in it”,  and being miserable for the rest of our days. If a partner is willing to work on marriage then by all means, work on it!  But if a partner is unwilling to work on it, you don’t have to continue down the same dead-end road until your dying days. You don’t have to sacrifice yourself. And chances are, any step that you take towards self-love and self-healing will teach your children to do the same. It was the most precious gift she gave me.

Sometimes the lesson is learning to love ourselves enough to take care of our soul, make healthy, unsettling choices, and take courageous action. This is not the easy road, change always feels so much scarier than living with unhappiness.  But I just wanted to share that a different path is indeed possible. And that if my mother could do this, at 80, so can we all. And that it is never too late.

Back to the recipe -simply stir the ingredients together. You can make it spicy, or you can keep it mild. Your choice!

Use mayo or keep it vegan with vegan mayo or silken tofu!

Just whisk it up….and it’s done!

How easy is that?

Give this Chipotle Mayo a whirl!  Also…. try this vegan Cilantro-Jalapeno Sauce– a green version of this!

And for more flavor-boosting sauces to elevate your dishes…. go here!

I also love this Fermented Hot Sauce….so easy and tasty!

Related: 20 recipes that celebrate Cinco de Mayo! 

Chipotle Mayo-Mexican Secret Sauce

★★★★★

4.8 from 22 reviews

Vegan -Adaptable Chipotle Mayo- a smoky spicy zesty Mexican Secret Sauce for tacos, tosadas, enchilada’s or most any mexican food. Can be made vegan with Veganaise or use Silken Tofu ( see notes).  Gluten Free.

• Author: Sylvia Fountaine | Feasting at Home Blog
• Prep Time: 5 mins
• Total Time: 5 mins
• Yield: ½ cup 1x
• Category: Condiment
• Method: whisk
• Cuisine: Mexican

Scale 1x2x3x

Ingredients

1. ½ cup mayo ( or use sour cream, vegan mayo “Veganaise” – or make with silken tofu, see notes below)
2. 1 tablespoon water
3. 1 –2 teaspoons lime juice ( to taste)
4. ⅛ teaspoon salt, more to taste
5. ½ teaspoon chili powder
6. 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
7. ⅛– ¼ teaspoon chipotle powder – you can also use one canned chipotle pepper (blending it with the mayo in a blender) or just stir in a teaspoon or two of the spicy smoky adobo sauce from the can. Start conservatively, adding more to taste.

Instructions

1. If making with mayo or Veganaise, place all ingredients in a small bowl. Be conservative with the chipotle ( you can always add more).  Whisk until smooth with a fork or tiny whisk. ( See notes below if making with silken tofu.)
2. Taste, adjust heat, adding more if you like.
3. Store in a small jar in the fridge, or in a squirt bottle for easy use. Keeps up to 3 weeks.

Notes

If making a vegan version with silken tofu– replace the mayo with ½ a package silken tofu ( about 6 ounces or 165 grams), leave out the water and add 2 tablespoons olive oil. Increase salt to ½-¾ teaspoon, add ¼ teaspoon sugar and 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar (in addition to the lime) and place all in a food processor, blending until smooth and creamy. Use a canned chipotle pepper ( or half of one!) or  just a teaspoon or two of the adobo sauce from the can, for the best flavor. Adjust salt, heat and lime.

I use Mori-Nu Organic Silken Tofu– Firm or Extra Firm Tofu – ½ of a 12.5 ounce package.  

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