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
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
- ⅛ teaspoon ground cumin
- 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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We loved this salad dressing as expected. Had it on traditional salad 2 nights then tonight I didn’t really have a plan, but I had salmon and this dressing, so I made your seared salmon (which my daughter eats like a snickers bar) and threw together what I had on hand to be tossed with the remainder of the dressing (a Roma tomato seeded and diced, scallion, white and black beans, sweet corn, orange bell pepper. My daughter kept saying the corn and bean salad was her favorite, but she also ate 3/4 lbs of the salmon too. We love your actual corn and black bean salad with chipotle and honey, but this was wonderful as we didn’t have avocado or cilantro and we didn’t have to measure anything but still got a wonderfully flavorful result. I try to always have one of your dressings prepared in the fridge because we will eat salads/fresh vegetables even thru the (New England) winter if we do, can’t believe we are only just now trying this dressing. Thank you again for all your recipes.
This is so good you could drink it!! I used olive oil instead of vegetable oil and a bit more honey. So so so good!!!
I finally tried this recipe out and absolutely loved it. I’m not a fan of garlic (I know I’m in the minority) and think I’ll just omit it next time. I did add one more chipotle pepper than called for in recipe and spice level was spot on providing some kick without it being too spicy. So easy to make and soooo good! This one is a keeper.
Can you recommend a sub for honey? I can’t wait to try!
A few readers have commented that they’ve used agave and maple syrup in place of the honey and have been happy with the results.
Hi Jenn, Had a question about blending this dressings ingredients. Sometimes it comes together nicely, it’s very smooth and silky. Other times it separates. Any tips on getting that smooth silky consistency?
I’m a big fan of all your recipes!
Thanks so much! Tammie
Hi Tammie, so glad you liked the recipes! Are you always using the same method to blend the dressing (i.e. always a blender or always a food processor)? If so, do you always buy the same brands of ingredients? If not, I suspect that may be the culprit behind the varying consistency you get.
I didn’t have many of the ingredients so I subbed a lot and it still turned out so close to the original. I added cumin, cayenne pepper, chili crisp trader Joe’s powder, a dash of some candied jalapeno vinegar, and some minced onion. I also didn’t have veg oil so I used olive.. I’ll be damned, it tastes almost just like Chipotle’s. I’m intrigued to try when I have all the ingredients. But seems like red wine vinegar + honey + garlic + certain spices will get you there anyways! I made a salad with it and it was AMAZING
I’ve been obsessed with the dressing from Chipotle & they NEVER give you anything close to enough. This is spot on!! I followed as instructed, and based on reviews, pureed the chipotles in abodo first, then measured 1 TB per pepper called for, & added 1/4 tsp cumin. Fantastic! It makes quite a bit too. A little goes a long way. Thanks for sharing!!
Would you ever use this as a steak or chicken marinade? I’m looking for new marinade recipes ☺️
That would be fine, but because the vinegar is acidic, I’d stick with dark meat chicken (it will make white meat tough). Hope you enjoy it!
Hi Jenn,
Just made your Chipotle dressing and its perfect. I changed one thing. I always use equal parts vinegar and oil. In this case I used 6 tablespoons of red wine vinegar and 6 tablespoons of vegetable oil.
Thank you,
Earlene
A few great additions:
Juice of 1 lime
2 teaspoons of cumin
Double the oregano
This gives the dressing a more earthy and bright flavor, which balances the sweetness of the honey.