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, gluten-free.Video. Serve this with our Fish Tacos with Cilantro Lime Slaw.
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 and something fantastically delicious! Use it as a taco sauce, over burrito bowls, tacos, burgers, or with almost any Mexican-inspired recipe!
The best thing is that this Chipotle Mayo 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 frequently comes in handy around here. It’s the best-tasting taco sauce, ever!
This and our Yum Yum Sauce just seem to make everything better so we always try to have at least one on hand.
How to make ChiPotLe mayo | 30-sec video
Ingredients in Chipotle Mayo
- Mayonnaise – You can use store-bought mayo, homemade mayo or our vegan mayo
- Lime juice– fresh lime is best!
- Chipotle (either dried ground chipotle powder or canned chipotle in Adobo Sauce-best!)
- Salt and spices (chili powder and smoked paprika)
How to make Chipotle Mayo?
- Combine the ingredients in a bowl and whisk away!
- Taste, adjust heat and lime to your liking!
- Keeps 7-10 days in the fridge.
Simply stir the ingredients together. You can make it spicy, or you can keep it mild. Your choice!
Just whisk it up….and it’s done!
Taste, add more chipotle, or keep it mild.
What to use Chipotle Mayo with:
- Quick Fish Tacos
- Mexican Style Oaxacan Bowls
- Baja Fish Taco Bowls
- Tlayludas
- Chipotle Portobello Tacos
- Amazing Black Bean Burgers (in under 30 mins!)
- Crispy Jackfruit Tacos
Variations:
This Chipotle Mayo is one we use in our catering business. At home, I make a healthier vegan version (with silken tofu– see notes in recipe) and keep it in a squirt bottle ready to drizzle lightly over tacos, burgers, fish,corn on the cob, nachos, enchiladas, pretty much anything that needs a burst of flavor.
If you are vegan, make this with Veganaise or silken tofu. A flavor booster for sure!
If you would like to keep the Chipotle Mayo for longer than a week, substitue a little vinegar for the lime juice, which will help preserve.
How easy is that?
On the homefront: I’ve been meaning to tell you a little story, but until now the words have not come. It’s why I picked this quote. I trust that those of you who need to hear this story will find it, and those who don’t can 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 all her 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 and volatile, tearing her down emotionally, but he 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 purely 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 listened to her soul’s wish- and chose the path of self-love and healing. This did not mean she stopped loving 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 first marriage.
I just wanted to share this with you because I know that marriage can be one of the hardest things we experience in this life. I once read somewhere, “Relationships are hard. Marriage is hard. Divorce is hard. Choose your hard.” 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. And chances are, any step that you take towards self-love and self-healing will teach your children (and perhaps partner) 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 souls, make healthy, unsettling choices, and take courageous action. This is not an 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. If my mother could do this, at 80, so can we, if need be. And it is never too late.
Ok, enjoy the recipe for Chipotle Mayo! Share what you think in the comments below. 🙂
xoxo
More from Feasting At Home
Chipotle Mayo (Mexican Secret Sauce)
- Prep Time: 5 mins
- Total Time: 5 minutes
- Yield: ½ cup
- Category: Condiment
- Method: whisk
- Cuisine: Mexican
- Diet: Gluten Free
Description
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.
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup mayo (or use sour cream, vegan mayo “Veganaise” – or make with silken tofu, see notes below)
- 1 tablespoon water
- 1 –2 teaspoons lime juice (to taste)
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/8– 1/4 teaspoon ground chipotle powder – you can also use one chipotle pepper from a can (blending it with the mayo in a blender) or just stir in 1-3 teaspoons of the smoky adobo sauce from the can. Start conservatively, adding more to taste. I prefer the Adobo Sauce!
Instructions
- 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.)
- Taste, adjust salt, heat, and spices to taste. (I like mine slightly salty, and slightly spicy).
- Store in a small jar in the fridge, or in a squirt bottle for easy use.
- Keeps up to 2 weeks.
Notes
VEGAN VERSION: If making a vegan version with silken tofu– replace the mayo with ½ of 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 – half of a 12.5 ounce package.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 2 teaspoons
- Calories: 64
- Sugar: 0.1 g
- Sodium: 103.6 mg
- Fat: 6.9 g
- Saturated Fat: 1.1 g
- Carbohydrates: 0.3 g
- Fiber: 0.1 g
- Protein: 0.1 g
- Cholesterol: 3.9 mg
Thank you for sharing your beautiful story of your mother. Indeed a wonderful lesson for us all.
Also your food is so beautiful, and recipes so perfectly thought out, that I return to your blog almost daily.
Thanks Carla. xoxo
Omg so I came for a recipe, left with a life lesson and some seriously pulled heart strings. Thank you so much for both.
Thanks Tess!
Thank you for sharing the story. Being free to be happy is priceless and can erase so many years of sadness. I don’t usually read the stories before a recipe, I simply skip to the recipe. I am glad I did today. We are going to put this sauce on Impossible burgers with tomato, lettuce and scallions. I can’t wait!
Thank you again!
I don’t about the recipe if I get all these in ingredients India but I love your mother and you
Awwww, thanks!
Great recipe! easy to make. Thank you!
The recipe itself is easy to follow and quick to do. However, the finished product, if you follow the ingredients to the letter, is quite bland. I found that if you double the ingredients for the chili powder, salt, paprika, and chipotle powder, it tastes much better.
Thanks Craig. I will add to recipe notes.
Great tasting, but Craig nails it! I doubled them even before I read his comment. Used it on a quiche this morning for breakfast…love very spicy food, morning, noon, and night. Thanks for this.
…and I left the water as well, it sounded a bit too watery, but with the ingredients doubled, it was very good!
Excellent sauce! I used it on fish tacos and my kids couldn’t get enough. Favourite new sandwich sauce!
I made it exactly as the recipe is written.
Thanks!
My mother’s story is so similar. The relationship had never been ‘good’ but was worsening with age. She seriously was going to leave when she was late -70s, had even contacted a lawyer. The next closest (sadly, best?) thing was that he became ill and died. She had 4-5 years of “freedom” before she passed away too. The difference in her was remarkable.
Thanks so much for sharing this.
Hello Sylvia,
I am a huge fan of your website/blog and love so many of your recipes. Today looking at one of your recipes I came across the story about your Mother leaving your Father and just had to tell you what a beautiful inspiring story it is. Thank You for sharing!
Sincerely,
Carrie Benedetto
Thanks Carrie!
Jesus, lady! Just get to the recipe!
There is a “skip to the recipe” button at the top. 🙂
I came here for your recipe and left with a beautiful, strong story and fantastic words of wisdom!
Awww I’m so glad this found you!
Tasty but don’t think the water is necessary because it turned out way too liquid! Added more mayonnaise to try thicken it and it’s a bit better now 🙂
I stumbled on your blog while searching for recipes with chipotle peppers. I moved to Brazil and find it difficult to cook things I love because while I live in a city of neraly 500,000 it is difficult to find imported foods or spices. We live close to a farmer’s market that opens every Saturday so I’m going to try to find sime things, specifically mexican peppers.
With all that being said I loved the story about your mom. As I said I moved to Brazil to marry the man I love and did so even with all of the negative comments. It seems these days no one wants you to be happy unless you live by their expectations . Thank you for sharing. I am almost 45 and raised my 19 year old son. Now it’s time to do something for myself.
All the spices and other elements complement each other so well making this dish one of our favorites anytime if the year!! Thanks for sharing! Bon appetit!
Great to hear, thanks Blayze!
Thank you for this! All the other recipes require chipotle peppers, but I don’t have time for that. I have to make this quickly before I go to work. I have all these ingredients on hand!
I make this weekly, for months now. I use veganmayo but I also have tried it with silken tofu, not my fav but was still good! I use chipotle chilies in a can. So yum! Fantastic taste! Highly recommend!
It is a simple sauce but delicious one, my family loved it
Great to hear!
As I sat here in my office, eating my stress away (looking up recipes), I came across your mother’s story. I’m currently struggling in my marriage and after 9 years of misery, I’m finally considering divorce. I’ve been feeling scared to move on with my life. I needed that. Thank you for sharing.
I’m sorry it’s been hard…I’m glad you found the story.
the best.
Thank you so much for that beautiful anecdote about your mother, it was so heartwarming! I don’t know if was all the genuine emotion I exhibited or what, but something about that story transformed me into a Michelin star chef by the time I actually found the ingredients list. Thank you!
Loved the story, your mom’s bravery is remarkable! Never have heard of anything quite like this. So wonderful for her to live out 3 years in total bliss. As for the idiot that said story no needed. They aren’t needed on this website or anywhere else with their negativity. So sad, some people.
Thanks Karen.
I’ve been making this for ages, but I just use Veganaise, Chipotles in Adobo (diced) and some lime. I put it on eveything!
I like it that way too!
I made this with silken tofu and it was great. Everyone loved it. I also enjoy the fact that you use silken tofu instead cashews.
I love this. I was craving a meaty salad full of black beans and corn, and this dressing made it perfect ?
I think God works in mysterious ways, who would have thought my search for a recipe would lead me to your mom’ story, your story. But it is just what I needed to hear, so thank you for the beautiful reminder about self love.
You are so welcome, glad you found it. xoxo