Copycat Recipe: Chipotle Mexican Grill’s Chipotle Honey Vinaigrette
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This copycat Chipotle honey vinaigrette is smoky, sweet, tangy, and just like the original—perfect for drizzling over salads, grilled meats, or whatever you’re craving.
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!
And if you’re a big Chipotle fan, you’ll also love my copycat Chipotle chicken, cilantro-lime rice and fresh corn salsa. Once you try it all together, you might not miss the takeout version at all.
“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: Adds the tangy kick that balances the sweetness of the honey and richness of the oil.
- Honey: A touch of sweetness goes a long way here—it rounds out the flavors and gives the vinaigrette some depth.
- Vegetable oil: The neutral base that ties it all together.
- Dried oregano & cumin: For that earthy, unmistakably Chipotle-style flavor.
- Chipotle peppers in adobo sauce: The key to that smoky heat—don’t skip them. You’ll find them in small cans in the Latin section of most grocery stores.
- Garlic: Adds a savory flavor without overpowering.
- Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements
How To Make Chipotle Honey Vinaigrette
Step 1: Combine all of the ingredients in a blender or small food processor.
Step 2: Blend. Pulse or blend until evenly combined. The vinaigrette 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.
Pro tip: Leftover chipotle peppers in adobo freeze beautifully. Spoon them into an ice cube tray (or drop tablespoon-sized portions onto a parchment-lined baking sheet), freeze until solid, then transfer to a freezer-safe container. You’ll be glad to have them on hand for next time.
More Salad Dressings You May Like
Chipotle Honey Vinaigrette
Ingredients
- 6 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 3 tablespoons honey
- ¾ cup vegetable oil
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- ⅛ teaspoon ground cumin
- 1½ teaspoons salt
- ½ teaspoon freshly 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
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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This is my new go-to dressing! I love it. Sometimes, if I want a little extra spice, I will add an additional pepper or two. Thank you, Jenn.
We should all try to remember that “hot” and “sweet” are very subjective terms, especially when we add the word “too” in front of either. That said, speaking for myself, this is VERY close to the original, but a bit too sweet for me. I used avocado oil and 2.5 peppers in adobo and ended up adding at least two more tablespoons of vinegar to cut through the honey and oil. I am excited to have this recipe, so thanks for your hard work!!
This was great and so easy to make.
Why is mine so spicy?! Did I add too much of the chipotle peppers and sauce? Totally on fire.
Hi Jenny, Did you use 2 peppers?
I love this vinaigrette!!! Thank you so much for sharing!
AMAZING!! Bursting with flavor!!!
I’ve never had Chipotle’s honey vinaigrette, but I found this recipe to be a bit unbalanced. Made as written, it was incredibly sweet for my taste. I added a good bit more vinegar to help balance out the sweetness, as well as an extra pepper for a bit more kick. Using it for a shrimp marinade as well as to put on a salad.
Super easy to make and full of flavor. Added it to a quinoa kale salad with flank steak and the chipotle dressing was to die for. It complimented the salad beautifully. Thank you, Jenn.
Today I made it the for second time and loved it again. Now what do I do with the open can of chipotle in adobo sauce that’s left over? Any ideas?
Glad you like the dressing! I like to freeze the chipotles in adobo for future use. I’d suggest looking online for easy ways to go about it.
Hello, how long will it last in the fridge unopened and when opened?
Hi Ilona, either way, it will last in the fridge for 4 – 5 days. Enjoy!
This recipe is a keeper! It tastes exactly like Chipotle’s salad dressing! So delicious. I used Avocado oil instead of vegetable oil. I also wanted a little more heat so I used 31/2 adobo peppers and approximately 1 tsp of adobo sauce. WOW!!! The flavor was amazing. Thank you for sharing.
I put my chipotles in adobo sauce in a sealed “Tupperware-type” container. They last a very long time in the fridge. Much like pickles.
Love this recipe, but had trouble with oil/vinegar separation, so I added one teaspoon of Dijon mustard and used my immersion blender to emulsify the mixture. I am happy to say it worked perfectly and did not change the flavor profile.