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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Omg I made this and it’s so bomb! Thank you. However I highly suggest using Rice Bran oil instead. That is the secret key ingredient to the taste identical to Chipolte. You can purchase this oil on Amazon
Do I use two cans of the chipotle peppers pictured? I see two in the recipe but I’m not totally clear. Thank you!
You just need two peppers from 1 can. Hope you enjoy the dressing!
Oh ok I see! Thank you!! Excited to make it today 🙂
I’ve never had Chipotle’s vinaigrette but I am a dedicated fan of this recipe. Been making it for a few years! It’s just so SO good. I’ve put it on lots of salads and I’ve even made a pasta salad with black beans, corn, avocado, I forget what other veg, Mexican cheese, and this dressing. Yum.
This dressing is SO good. I make a burrito bowl meat in my instant pot using chipotle peppers in adobo sauce and after that’s cooked I add them to this dressing. It’s tangy and sweet and rich but not too rich- it’s dressing perfection.
If this didn’t have 3/4 cup of vegetable oil I might just sit here and drink it with a straw! It’s SO GOOD!!! Better than Chipotle! I used it on a salad made with mixed greens, quinoa, red onion, black beans and spicy grilled shrimp and it was delicious! I look forward to mixing it with some slaw and using it for tacos!
This recipe nailed it and tastes just like the restaurant. Chipotle would always forget my dressing or not have any and I’ve had bad experiences lately with my orders. So glad I can make this at home and have made it several times now.
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!
I am OBSESSED with Chipotle’s dressing. This recipe is a bit thicker than Chipotle’s dressing. (When I’ve had dressing from Chipotle, the oil and other ingredients are clearly separated before shaking container) The flavor of this is AMAZING and I love it but I would not say it is a copycat of the Chipotle dressing as I do not feel like it tastes the same.
The nearest Chipotle to us is like a 30-minute drive. My husband came home with my salad from there today and you can imagine how upset I was to realize they had forgotten to put the dressing in the bag. It’s not like going back to get it was an option. Instead, made the quick drive to pick up the chipotles in adobo sauce from my local market and threw this together. I’ll be darned if this recipe isn’t spot on! Thanks for saving my lunch. 🙂
I guess they really did release their recipe. If you can crack the Mendocino Farms Chipotle Vinaigrette, it’d be a true testament to your skills!
Chipotles ‘knock-off’ Chipotle Vinnaigrette
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
2 1/2 Tbsp. honey
3 Tbsp. chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
1/2 Tbsp. salt
4 Tbsp. water
1/2 cup neutral oil (such as canola or vegetable)
1/2 tsp. ground black pepper
1/4 tsp. dried oregano
So close! Kudos!
Had to special order the chipotle pepper in Adobe sauce. Had salad dressing this evening. We were bit timid with only one chille, my boyfriend says he really trusts your balancing skills, so next time two go in. Such a different flavour profile than Italian and French vinegrettes we are used to making. Delicious, and certainly transforms the salad veg sitting around. Can see many creative uses for this new dressing. Thanks for bringing a wildly different and characterful dressing to our European sensibilities.
This is so good, I could drink it (but I won’t). Thank you for sharing!
Yum! I’ve made this twice. I cut down on the oil, as a personal preference, and that’s the only change. Going in for batch 3 right now. Thank you!
Delicious! I subbed the veg oil for olive because that’s what I had. Also used 2 scant tablespoonfuls of diced adobe chipotle. It’s amazing. I might do less oil and add some water as some of the comments suggested (to save calories!)
This is one of my and my sister’s go-to dressings when we do mason jar salads. Love Love Love. Thank you
I made this dressing the other day for a grilled chicken salad. It was delicious. I have never had the actual restaurant version, so I have nothing to compare it to, but I’m anxious to make this again. Super simple. Thank you.
Loved it! Will be making it again, and again and again! The only thing that I did differently was that I substituted agave for the honey (only because I didn’t have any honey) and it was still AMAZING!
Omg. I have never had Chipotle vinaigrette, so I too have nothing to compare it to, but this DRESSING IS THE BOMB!!! so delicious. I could drink it by the spoon. We served over sliced chipotle copycat air fryer chicken breast and cilantro lime rice with sautéed peppers and onions. I am now thinking what else I can put the leftovers on. I have some nice tomatoes and fresh mozzarella. I’m thinking I’ll use it on that instead of my usual balsamic glaze. Thank you
Where did you get the chicken & rice recipes??
Hi Cheree, Brenda may weigh in too but just wanted to let you know I have a rice recipe that tastes pretty similar to Chipotle’s if you want to check it out.
This dressing is incredibly delicious! Thanks, Jenn for another hit. I made chicken enchiladas and made a salad of corn & black beans as a side dish with this dressing. Everyone couldn’t get enough of it. Have made it two weeks in a row!
I only have chipotle adobo paste – how much of that should I use in place of the two peppers?
Hi Nichole, I’ve never used chipotle adobo paste, but I’d guesstimate you’ll need about 1 tablespoon for each pepper. The dressing may taste a little different, but should still be good. 🙂
My daughter had me make this and I had no idea of what it was supposed to taste like. I added some to my salad and now I’m crazy about it!! I love the flavors and the little kick. I have this in my recipe book to share.
Thank you
What’s a healthy oil substitution?
Hi Lori, You can use grapeseed or avocado oil. Enjoy!
Hi Jenn! I used two canned chipotle peppers and the dressing was really spicy! Are some canned chipotles hotter/milder than others?
Thanks!!
Hi Jill, I don’t know if there’s variation in the heat depending on the brand of chipotle peppers you use, but there’s definitely variation in size so it could be that you used two larger peppers, which would have made the dressing spicier. Regardless, if you make this again, feel free use only 1 pepper to reduce the heat.
Fantastic dressing! Flavorful and spicy, but not too spicy. An often requested favorite of both my husband and son.
I’m so glad I found this recipe! The first time I tried it, I thought it was pretty decent but still missing something. I went to chipotles site and looked at the ingredient list. The one thing this recipe is missing compared to the original that makes a HUGE difference is cumin. I added a tsp of cumin and now it’s absolutely perfect!
Soooo good. I often crave the dressing from Chipotle and this was such a good recipe. And easy to make. I just added a pinch of pepper flakes to kick up the heat. I just discovered this recipe 2 weeks ago and I’ve already made it twice!
This turned out great! I have made it more than once and besides the spiciness (depends on actual peppers you get), it is consistent and has a similar flavor to the restaurant.
Let me state that I really dislike the taste of oil, so I made one change: I replaced the oil with 3/4c water and 3/4tbsp corn starch. This maintained the flavor similar to the restaurant, but removed the mouth coating left by the oil. I have had no problem with the dressing sticking to the salad when using this method.
Great vinegarette recipe. Next time I will use a little less vinegar and a tiny bit more honey. To cut calories I thinned with a little water and it turned out great. I will definitely make this again.
Amazing, like your other recipes!!
Hi Jenn! I can’t wait to try this recipe, but need some guidance. I puréed a can of chipotle in adobo to keep in my frig (for adding to sauces,eggs,etc.) Any thoughts on how much I could use in place of the whole chipotle peppers? Thanks so much!
Hi Kathy, this is a guesstimate, but I’d estimate that you could use about 2 teaspoons in place of each pepper. Hope that helps and that you enjoy the dressing!
Hi Kathy, I’m guessing about 1 tablespoon per pepper. Hope you enjoy!
I’m trying to lose weight but LOVE this dressing. Can you recommend a substitute for oil that might work or an oil/water ratio that could? Thanks!
Hi Jessica, I’ve never tried it, but you could try using 1/2 cup of oil and 1/4 cup of water. Keep in mind that it may impact the texture of the dressing a bit. I’d love to hear how it turns out if you try it with this tweak!
Absolute Brilliance! Thanks for a great recipe.
I don’t know if I’m doing something wrong, but I’ve tried this recipe twice with the exact measurements and ingredients and it is nothing like chipotles honey vinaigrette at the restaurant. HELP
Hi Melody, That’s really strange! Are you using a good-quality vinegar?
Amazing!!!! I used grape seed oil in place of vegetable oil. The color was lighter (almost looked creamier) than chipotle’s but tastes almost identical. I will do do maybe 2 1/2 TBS of honey next time – was a tad too sweet. I ended up adding a spoonful of the adobo sauce too. Will be making over and over. Thank you!!!!
I just ate the best Chipotle I’ve ever had because of this vinaigrette. My son and I both prefer this to the Chipotle original. I followed others’ advice and did 1 t salt, and I also added 1 instead of 2 peppers since it is easier to add than remove heat. When I make it again I will use 2 peppers. Being out of vinaigrette is becoming more the norm than the exception at our local C, and this saved dinner last night. Thanks for posting this, Jenn.
What’s the shelf life if I wanted to make a bigger batch and keep some on hand? Thank you!
Hi Hannah, it will last nicely in the fridge for up to 5 days. 🙂
It’s not a bad sauce just no where near or better than the original. Disappointed honestly.
As many have said before me, I think this is better than the original. It’s spicer, which I love and super simple to make.
A tip if any one is interested – once I open the can of peppers, I portion out 2 peppers each to small sandwich bags, then I pop those bags into a freezer ziplock bag along with a copy of the recipe. That way, I can just pull out a baggie at a time as needed. AND I have the recipe right there in case I need a refresher on the ingredients and amounts.
Wonderful recipe! I did not have chiles in adobo so I used a small can of green chilis and chili powder to taste. Will try with the adobo when I have that on hand. Thanks so much!
I’ve made this ever since I found the recipe.. definitely delicious
Making pork bbq and I need a dressing for coleslaw. Would this work? Haven’t had Chipotle’s
Hi Lynn, Have you seen this coleslaw recipe? I think it would go perfectly with pulled pork!
Oh I am soooooooo happy I found this recipe. It’s perfect. I only added 1 teaspoon like a few reviews mentioned and I used sunflower oil. Thank you so much for creating this.
I was super skeptical and figured this would mostly taste like the dressing you get at Chipotle and turns out, it tastes exactly like it. I subbed olive oil for the vegetable oil as I’ve been reading a lot lately on cheap, processed oils caused a lot of inflammation and not being super healthy. Turned out amazing, and enough to last me at least a week or 2. Thank you for the recipe!
This is amazing! Came out PERFECT!
Hello, I decided to try this recipe…I just have one issue…it came out too thick. The taste was about the same but the consistency was thicker than Chipotles. How can I make it thinner?
Hi Michelle, You can add a little water (just a bit at a time) until you get it to the consistency you want. Hope that helps and that you enjoy!
I wanted to make my own chipotle salad bowl at home but it’s just not the same without the dressing. Enter this recipe to the rescue. Sooooo good! And it was super easy to make. I only used a teaspoon of salt.
We don’t have Chipotle here in Ireland so I can’t compare it. However, it’s super delicious, I made mine slightly spicy as I could only get chopped chipotle peppers in sauce, so bit off with my guessing.
Thank you so much. I love this dressing at Chipotle and now I can put it on all my salads (and more) at home!!!!!
We were having taco salad tonight and I gave this recipe a try since I had all of the ingredients on hand. I used avocado oil and cut the salt to 1 teaspoon. It is delicious, so close to the real deal! I would probably make 1/2 the recipe next time, meanwhile I will be putting it on everything this week to use up what I made.
Not exactly like Chipolte…..BETTER!!!
Taste exactly like chipotle dressing thanks so much my chipotle is always out of it
I’m sorry to be rude but I bought all the ingredients and feel others coming behind me should know this is NOTHING like the chipotle dressing it is WAY too spicy.
Hi Rachel, in case you aren’t used to cooking with chipotle chiles in adobo sauce, it’s always best to add a little bit at a time. For various recipes, sometimes I need to add more than what a recipe calls for, while other times I need to add less than what’s in the recipe. To me, it also seems like the heat in the chiles varies a bit from can to can. It could be that you still won’t like this as much as Chipotle’s dressing, but it is awfully good!
I used everything but the oil, I subbed the oil for vegetable however mine came out tasting too much like chipotles and it made it hard to eat. Maybe I did something wrong?
Hi Thao, you mentioned you used vegetable in place of the oil. Can you clarify what you mean by vegetable? And are you saying that was too spicy?