Copycat Recipe: Chipotle Mexican Grill’s Chipotle Honey Vinaigrette
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This chipotle honey vinaigrette tastes just like the original.
I love Chipotle’s chipotle honey vinaigrette so I came up with this copycat version by fiddling around with the ingredients listed on the Chipotle website. It tastes almost identical to the original. Toss it with romaine lettuce, beans, corn, avocado, grilled meats — or all of the above! By the way, if you’re a big Chipotle fan, you’ll love this Chipotle-inspired cilantro-lime rice.
“DELISH!!! Exactly the same as the restaurant. I’ve made it at least 6 times…always have it in my fridge. It’s good on everything!”
What You’ll Need To Make Chipotle Honey Vinaigrette
- Red Wine Vinegar: Provides acidity and tanginess, balancing the sweetness of the honey and the richness of the oil.
- Honey: Adds sweetness and depth of flavor, enhancing the overall taste of the vinaigrette.
- Vegetable Oil: Helps create a smooth and emulsified texture, ensuring the vinaigrette coats ingredients evenly.
- Dried Oregano: Infuses herbal notes to the dressing’s flavor profile.
- Salt and Pepper: Enhance flavor and season the vinaigrette.
- Chipotle Peppers in Adobo Sauce: Bring smoky heat and complexity, replicating the signature flavor of Chipotle’s vinaigrette. You can find them in the Latin section of most supermarkets.
- Garlic: Provides aromatic depth and savory undertones.
- Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements
How To Make Chipotle Honey Vinaigrette
Simply combine all of the ingredients in a blender or mini food processor.
And process until smooth. Enjoy!
Frequently Asked Questions
Sure! It will keep nicely for up to 5 days stored in an airtight container in the fridge. Just give it a good shake before using to recombine any separated ingredients.
Yes, you can definitely freeze leftover chipotle peppers in adobo. Portion them into small amounts, freeze in ice cube trays, transfer to a freezer-safe container once solid, and thaw as needed for future use. If you don’t have an ice cube tray, simply spread the chipotle peppers and adobo sauce in tablespoon-sized portions on a baking sheet lined with parchment, freeze until solid, then transfer to a freezer-safe container for storage.
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Chipotle Honey Vinaigrette
This chipotle honey vinaigrette tastes just like the original.
Ingredients
- 6 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 3 tablespoons honey
- ¾ cup vegetable oil
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- 1½ teaspoons salt
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 2 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
- 2 small garlic cloves, roughly chopped
Instructions
- Combine all of the ingredients in a blender or mini food processor and process until smooth. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary. Serve immediately or store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Nutrition Information
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- Serving size: 2 tablespoons
- Calories: 173
- Fat: 17 g
- Saturated fat: 1 g
- Carbohydrates: 6 g
- Sugar: 6 g
- Fiber: 0g
- Protein: 0g
- Sodium: 172 mg
- Cholesterol: 4 mg
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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I’ve made this recipe several times now. First time I made it as written. It was amazing. Lately because I don’t have the chipotles on hand I’ve been using chili powder and a little ketchup or tomato paste, and I’ve also been using olive oil for the health benefits. Thank you so much for posting this recipe.
I made this recipe with all the same ingredients and it just didn’t taste the same to me as Chipotle. It tastes way too vinegary. It just seems like it’s missing something. Any advice?
Hi Lily, Hmmm, this is not a very sharp dressing. Did you add all the oil and honey?
My husband and I LOVE this recipe. We sub olive oil and noticed that it congeals when placed in the fridge. Is there any reason it cannot be stored at room temp?
Hi Stephanie, Room temp is fine 🙂
Chipotle uses rice bran oil in everything which is the distinct taste that most people are missing from this recipe. And also the cumin. Other than that it’s great. I used rice bran oil not and the cumin and it is perfect.
How much cumin did you use?
A teaspoonful. I stored it on the counter not in the fridge.
How longdoes this keep in the fridge?
Hi Al, I would say about a week.
Canned chipotle pepper in adobo can be frozen. Freeze the extras – 2 peppers / ice cube tray and then next time you want to make the dressing – toss in a cube!!!
Fabulous recipe.
Wondering if Olive Oil would be a good substitution for Vegetable Oil?? Thanks
Hi Hope, I prefer vegetable or a neutral tasting oil for this dressing; olive oil might be too strong.
I used olive oil and it tasted great!
This dressing is absolutely delicious! I am trying to make our dressing for salads and stay away from store bought. This is great on thinly sliced spinach and cabbage salad with leftover BBQ’d chicken!
This dressing was delicious! I love Chipotle’s dressing and was excited to try it. From the minute I smelled it while blending my mouth started watering. I have made it multiple times with no substitutions. I used it with the black bean and corn salad on the website and have also used it for my regular salads at work. It is fantastic!
As a daily (sometimes two times a day) visitor to Chipotle – the only cheap/decent food place around my campus, I have grown pretty attached to their vinaigrette. This recipe is spot on! It tastes a little stronger than Chipotle’s since it in a smaller batch but it’s still delicious (and super easy to make too). Thanks so much for sharing!
Great recipe! Rather than use red wine vinegar I used 6 Tablespoons apple cider vinegar and 1.5 teaspoons of granulated sugar. I also used Mexican Oregano, double the amount of what is called for in the recipe above and salted to taste. Turned out fantastic and the family said it was better than the original.
Greatly appreciate this recipe base!
Do you have other uses for the chipotle peppers in the can? I always buy ingredients for recipes and then throw away the rest because I have no use for them. How long will they last once the can is opened? Also, can you substitute parsley for cilantro in recipes? Not a fan of the taste!
You can freeze the left over chipotle peppers and sauce.
I love Chipotle’s house dressing so when I saw this I HAD to try it. I made it in under ten minutes and it is delicious! I look forward to eating a salad at lunch now! I put it over avocado, pasta, etc. I can’t stop eating it! LOL!
This recipe is as close as being at Chipotle
This salad dressing tastes amazing!! I was looking for a copycat version of Chipotle’s salad dressing, and this is extremely close! It’s so good! My family and I thank you! 🙂
What is the nutritional value of this fabulous dressing?
Hi Linda, The nutritional data has been posted underneath the recipe. Hope that helps!
Thank you. I didn’t see it. I had only viewed the copy I was printing.
5 stars this was amazing . satisfied my soul
I was asked to bring a salad to a Mexican themed New Year’s Eve party tonight and stumbled across your blog and this recipe. I had all ingredients on had so I just whipped it up and WOW is it yummy! It’s only 10:00 in the morning and I can’t wait until I can have a salad for lunch! Thank you so much for sharing and you’ve got a new fan!
Love love love this recipe! My husband and I live almost 2 hours from the closest chipotle and this salad dressing is spot on. I def will be using this! Yummy !
Hi. How long will this dressing last in the refrigerator?
Just found your website from the Huffpost article and I love it.
Thanks!
Hi Michele, Thank you and welcome to the site! The dressing keeps well for about a week.
Ha! I imagine it WOULD keep about a week in the fridge..if it had even the slightest chance of lasting that long without being devoured! Not the case in my household! Excellent dressing!
Although not exactly the same as Chipotle’s dressing, it’s pretty darn close. I used olive oil instead of vegetable oil. Also I found I had to use as much honey as recommended to get the right balance of flavors. Great recipe! Thanks for uncracking the code 🙂
Your recipes are most DELICIOUS and easy to read and prepare. I love getting e-mails from you to see what you have come up with! I especially love the Honey Chipotle Dressing. Scrumptious!
This salad dressing will make picky salad eaters do a happy dance. The flavors are soooo good. I get so tired of boring regular salads. This makes nutrition fun! I love to add it to corn, greens, peppers, onions, and cilantro. It also gives a good flavor boost to rice for taco night!
I fell in love recently with Chipotle salad vinaigrette. I noticed that they don’t give a lot of it in the containers so i had to figure out the recipe to make. I did use all of the ingredients except for oregano because i didn’t have anymore. However i used thyme and it came out excellent. Even better than Chipotle. I actually used a little more than recipe called for just because i wanted to taste perfect. Chipotle flavor with a honey taste.
Copy cat chipotle dressing. This dressing is simply terrific. I don’t like too much salt on or in my food and I did not think this dressing was salty in the least. I think it tastes better than the one at the food chain! I did use one chile pepper and used one garlic clove, but other than that I followed it to a “tee.” Yummy.
Made it exactly the first time and it was close so the second time I used only 1/2 cup oil, I let the food processor chop the garlic, and a little more chipotle to cancel out a bit of the sweetness. Perfect! Thanks for posting!
I have a question for the chipole pepper adobo sauce is that 2 cans tbsp or tsp
Hi Grace, It’s two whole peppers from the can.
Pretty much spot on. Compliments to the chef! The ingredients are common and I keep most of this on hand so whipping up a batch is a cinch. Nice work Jenn.
Thank you, Michael! So glad you enjoyed the dressing.
I’m not going to try and compare this to the original, but just say that I made the best salad I ever ate in my life….I am not kidding. I made this dressing exactly as written. Black beans from a can cooked with half an onion, 2 cloves garlic, oregano, and sauted in 8 oz of chicken broth until dry. Added in cooked corn off the cob (I live in Ohio where this is a delicacy right now). Chop some romaine, mix in some Mexican cheese blended shredded cheese, dice an avocado, mix in the corn and black beans, and add the dressing. AMAZING!!!! I marinated some chicken with adobo rub, and some of the leftover sauce from the can of adobe chiles…cooked it in a skillet and then cooled and diced it. Amazing flavor on the chicken by itself, but add it to the salad and go crazy. I can’t wait for left overs tomorrow!!!
Sorry ladies, this recipe is not the same. I purchase everything to make this dressing prior to seeing this recipe online. I first made my own version per the ingredients listed on Chipotle.com and it didn’t come close. I tried this recipe and it was to salty. It came somewhat close to the original but not close enough. Evidently Chipotle lists most of the ingredients but not all on their website due to copyright issues. I will however use this recipe in the future but use less salt. Thanks for sharing!
The main differance is they have pre-packaged adobe paste and use sunflower oil or soybean oil. I think the adobe paste is essentially the same as canned chipotle peppers and garlic (some minor seasonings aswell since the chicken marinades in it overnight). So it world be wise to try those oils with this spec setup. Other than that, the recipe is surprisingly spot on.
To the thread poster, your pallet or general culinary knowledge is superb!
Chipotle doesn’t give much dressing and I am in love with it so I had to find out how to make something very similar and came across this recipe. I think I like this more than the original. It’s very delicious. I just made another double batch. Thank you for the recipe!
This is amazing!!! I like it better than Chipotle’s vinaigrette. Thanks for saving me the drive across town, and the money I’d spend buying a salad from them.
I picked up the ingredients this weekend to make this but forgot the fresh garlic. can you substitute with garlic powder?
Curious why vegetable oil instead of olive oil?
Hi Berit, I did test this recipe with olive oil as well but found the flavor too overwhelming. I much preferred a mild-tasting oil.
This is a great dressing!! I like to go a with one chipotle pepper with a little of the juice from the can. I like it spicy, but not too spicy.
This is my new favorite salad. It is a perfect blend of flavors. The dressing seems a bit spicy when you taste it but it calms down once it is mixed in with the veggies and beans. The dressing is perfect! I wanted to use up the chilies so I made an extra batch and used it for fish tacos! Fabulous. And also excellent with chicken breasts! It is super easy to make and adds a southwest flavor to any dish. Also a little bit goes a long way!!
I have been keeping this dressing in my refrigerator ever since I first made it (about 2 months ago). It is delicious and has become my “go-to” salad dressing.
This is a wonderful dressing! I made it exactly as stated in the recipe, but next time I might try adding another chipotle pepper since my family likes food HOT! We used the dressing in a salad with grilled chicken, greens, corn, scallions, avocado, and black beans. Superb! My picky son only eats salad with 2 different types of dressings, and this is one of them. Jen, thanks for helping my son become a salad eater.
Your Copycat Chipotle Vinaigrette recipe was amazing! My husband was so impressed that it tasted so similar to the actual salad dressing. This recipe will now be a family staple. Thank you!
AMAZING! Tastes just like the original! Thanks for the recipe!
This dressing is amazing!! It tastes even better than the original. I made it tonight and flipped when I tasted it. The only change I made was using olive oil in place of vegetable oil. Thank you so much for the recipe! I will be putting this on everything!
Love Love Love it…thank you so much
Oh I love this salad dressing! It is good right away but even better 24 hours later. Thank you!
This dressing is amazing! I made the most delicious salad for dinner: romaine, black beans, fresh corn, avocado and grilled chicken. I can’t wait to make it again – thanks for an awesome recipe!
OMG, I just made this recipe and it is Ssooooooooo good! Thank you thank you!
Side note: I also looked up the ingredients on the chipotle website so I added just a little bit of cumin, but I’m not sure how much it changed the taste.
Wow! I used thid delicious dressing on the cole slaw for fish tacos. Best ever!!!
I am 100% in love with this dressing.
Yippee! I’ve been searching the web to see if someone had figured it out……and my favorite recipe site/blog has it! YOU! There is nothing you can’t do! I LOVE all of your recipes. Thanks.
Thanks so much, Erin! I hope you like the dressing — I have been putting it on everything 🙂
Thanks, Erin. Let me know how it compares 🙂
Do you drain the peppers or add all of the sauce?
Hi Wendy, Just the peppers; don’t worry if there is some sauce clinging to them but don’t add any additional sauce from the can. Hope that helps!
This looks great… but how spicy is it? I usually use a chipotle chili to flavor an entire roast or batch of black beans, so I’m surprised to see two in this recipe! I don’t mind the spice, but my kids can only handle a small amount.
Hi Monica, It’s spicy but not super spicy; my 10-year-old loves it. But if you’re concerned, definitely start with one pepper and add the second if necessary 🙂
omg this was soooo good. Used 2.5 tbsp honey and was still plenty sweet for me. Next time I think I’ll put more peppers because it was surprisingly mild.