Copycat Recipe: Chipotle Mexican Grill’s Chipotle Honey Vinaigrette
This post may contain affiliate links. Read my full disclosure policy.
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.
Add a Comment
This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.
I am a fan, Jenn!
I’ve been living in Australia for almost 10 years (I’m originally from the Bay Area in California) and I’ve been finding myself using your website a lot recently. All of your recipes I’ve tried have totally hit the spot for all my “American” food cravings (THANK YOU). Funny enough, I have only been to a Chipotle once and did not have this dressing but when I saw your recipe I had to make it, as it’s got those beautifully smoky chilies in it. I’m not a huge fan of sweet dressings, I prefer more of an acidic flavor, so I halved the honey and threw in an extra tablespoon vinegar for good measure. Wow!!! This is DELICIOUS!! It can be hard to get chipotles here in Melbourne but I’m seeing them more and more. I will make sure to stock up next time I see them so I will always have the ingredients for this. Thank you again for making me that little bit less homesick and thank you for sharing your treasures with us!!
It came out perfect. I like mines with a little more heat so I added an additional pepper. Its was so simple to make. It goes perfect with my homemade southwest salads. This recipe is a keeper!.
Can I sub out the vegetable oil for olive oil or similar?
Hi Rainee, I prefer vegetable oil for this dressing as it’s more neutral tasting than olive oil, but a number of readers have used olive oil and have been happy with the results. Hope you enjoy!
IM OBSESSED! Made some yesterday and I had so much salad I used it all. Had to make more tonight and have steak salad for dinner. I seriously can’t get enough!!!!!
THIS IS AMAZING!! It tastes exactly like chipotle’s vinaigrette, and it’s so simple to make! Wow!
Tried it, loved it! Used it on a salad with romaine, pork carnitas, seasoned rice and beans and grilled peppers, onion and garlic.
This recipe is 5 star worthy! I love Chipotle’s dressing – will not eat my bowl or salad without it. I made this and now I’ll never have to go without it again! I also used Grapeseed oil instead of the vegetable. The oil’s flavor was undetectable and the dressing tasted great! Thank you so much for sharing this. It’s delicious and will remain in my rotation of recipes for years to come!
absolutely perfect! only used one pepper and used grapeseed oil. could not taste the oil and the heat was perfect on my fresh green salad! thanks for sharing the recipe!
Made this last night for a homemade salad bowl with chicken, black beans, corn and cheddar cheese. I tossed iceberg and white cabbage that I shredded fine in the food processor in this dressing and added the other ingredients right in top. Wife loved it! Would make again, thanks!
I loveeeeeddddd this recipe! The step by step instructions, the pictures, the taste. I went to a chipotle that was out of dressing and was determined to eat my chicken bowl WITH chipotles dressing. It was very inexpensive and fast. No prepping necessary. I’d give this recipe 6 stars if I could. Thanks so much!