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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I love the Chipotle dressing so was searching for a recipe and found yours. I have made it about 4 times and it’s amazing and really very on point! So uniquely delicious and better than anything in the stores! Thank you!
I just made this 20 minutes ago. It is not an EXACT REPLICATE – but sooo dang good, and (maybe) even a little bit tastier! I used a bullet blender to blend everything in 5 seconds max, and I like the creamy consistency (as opposed to the more liquid-like original). I also feel a little healthier eating it, and I’m glad I have so much left over to use during the week.
This is SO delicious. I will often use the adobo sauce as a replacement for the chipotle peppers so that it doesn’t go to waste (or half & half). People ask for the recipe all the time when I’ve served it to them.
To make it vegan, can we substitute agave for honey, and if so, would it be the same quantity?
Hi Dessi, A few readers have commented that they’ve used agave in place of the honey and have been happy with the results. I suspect you’d use an equal amount. Hope you enjoy!
I love this recipe! Tastes just like the real thing! I had a hard time getting the honey to blend in with everything else in the food processor, so I put it all in a sauce pan and heated it up to dissolve the honey for it to blend in. It was AMAZING!! I made Chipotle marinated grilled chicken breasts to go with it for a salad. Definitely a keeper!
I have never had a salad from Chipotle, but this salad dressing is FANTASTIC. My goal is to find great homemade salad dressing. This tastes better than any bottled dressing I have EVER had.
Followed directions exactly except I used 1/2 cup of vegetable oil because that’s all I had on hand, and 1/2 tablespoon of salt (trying to watch my sodium intake, although I couldn’t see anyone needing more) I also added a heaping tablespoon of the adobo sauce. It was like a concentrated version and was absolutely delicious; prefer it over the chipotle version. So happy to come across this recipe, I love their salads but the dressing is what puts it over the top. They only give you one that’s half the amount they used to put in it, and with delivery sometimes they don’t put any. Now I don’t have to worry about that anymore.
I made this ahead of time for a cookout we’re hosting tomorrow, and I cannot wait to serve it to our guests! It’s SO good! Definitely saving this recipe.
This recipe surprised me. Better than I expected.
Amazing recipe! Exactly like in chipotle!