If chipotles are the solution to life's problems then consider keeping some of this Chipotle Hot Sauce in the fridge.
It's got that addictive smoky flavor bursting out of the bottle and you'll only need a few drops at a time to liven up your latest meal.
There are seven chipotles in a single bottle of this hot sauce (yes, seven!) so please keep in mind that it is ultra fiery -- if you want a milder batch you can dial back on the chipotles.
How To Make Chipotle Hot Sauce
Sure, you could start with some dried Morita chiles, but canned chipotles in adobo are much more convenient (and common) so we'll be using those.
If you're new to chipotles in adobo here's what they look like out of the can:
These are smoked jalapenos resting in a tangy adobo sauce and you'll get 6-8 chipotles in each can. Are chipotles spicy?
Occasionally you'll come across larger sizes, but these smaller 7 oz. cans are the most common in traditional supermarkets so I usually buy a few at a time.
I'm in the habit of scraping out most of the seeds as they tend to harden over time.
So we'll do that with seven of these chipotles (seven!) and add them to a blender along with:
1/4 small onion
1 garlic clove
1/3 cup white vinegar
1/3 cup water
juice of 1/2 orange
3/4 teaspoon Mexican oregano
1/4 teaspoon cumin
pinch of salt
I usually saute the onion and garlic in some oil before adding it to the blender. And note that this was a larger onion so I only used about 2/3 of the onion in the photo below:
Once everything is in the blender (or food processor) give it a good whirl.
It'll need at least 30 seconds to liquefy everything so if it still seems chunky then give it a bit more time.
Once it's combined you'll have the perfect opportunity to take a taste for sweetness. And heat!
You're already getting some sweetness from the orange and the cooked onion, but you can always add a bit more if you want -- 1/4 teaspoon of sugar would be a good starting point. I don't have much of a sweet tooth so I did not add any additional sugar to this batch.
You can also taste test for heat. If you started with less chipotles for a milder batch then simply add 1-2 more chipotles if you want more heat.
If all went according to plan you should have a single cup of chipotle fireball hot sauce. Nice! It's got a big, bold flavor and it will fit perfectly into a standard sized 5 oz. hot sauce bottle.
You can reuse older bottles or you can get new ones for about a buck each at Amazon.
It also has a slighter thicker consistency than traditional hot sauces and this will help it cling to food more readily.
You can use this Chipotle Hot Sauce anywhere you would use your favorite hot sauce: tacos, eggs, and definitely potatoes!
Store it in the fridge where it will keep for about a month. (Note: instructions below are not meant for long term canning or preserving.)
Okay, start saving those old hot sauce bottles as it will remind you to make your own! This Chipotle Hot Sauce is a real treat and it's my default option lately, but we also have recipes for Habanero Hot Sauce and Jalapeno Hot Sauce if you want to do some experimenting.
Buen Provecho.
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Chipotle Hot Sauce
Ingredients
- 7-8 chipotles in adobo
- 1/4 small onion
- 1 garlic clove
- juice of 1/2 orange
- 1/3 cup white vinegar
- 1/3 cup water
- pinch of salt
- 3/4 teaspoon Mexican oregano
- 1/4 teaspoon cumin
- 1/4 teaspoon sugar (optional)
- olive oil
Instructions
- Peel and roughly chop 1/4 small onion. Saute the onion in some oil along with a peeled, roughly chopped garlic clove. Giving it 5-7 minutes over medium heat will sweeten up the onion and bring out some additional flavors.
- De-stem and de-seed 7-8 chipotles in adobo. I usually cut off the stems and then make a slit lengthwise on the chipotles, then peeling them open and discarding the inner veins and seeds. It's not crucial to get rid of all the seeds but I usually discard most of them.
- Add the chipotles to a blender or food processor along with the onion-garlic mixture and 1/3 cup white vinegar, 1/3 cup water, the juice of 1/2 orange, a pinch of salt, 1/4 teaspoon cumin, and 3/4 teaspoon Mexican oregano. Blend until completely liquefied.
- Take a taste for sweetness. You can optionally add 1/4 teaspoon of sugar at this point (or more) but I did not add any additional sweetness to this batch. If you started with less chipotles you can always add more at this point if you want additional heat.
- Pour hot sauce into a 5 oz. bottle (I find it easiest to use a small funnel). Store in the fridge where it will keep for about a month.
Notes
Got fresh tomatillos in the house? Our latest post shows all the recipes you can make with tomatillos.
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Kirsty
I used a can of the chipotles, it’s very spicy. What can I do to take the heat out a bit? Also do you need to cook it down at all? I’ve seen a few that tell you to heat up the sauce but I’m not sure. It’s my first try after the smoked one we love is now unavailable! Any tips on making a more Smokey flavour?
Patrick
Hey Kirsty! Hmmmm making it less spicy is a tough one as chipotles are the starting point for this recipe and they are already little fireballs. You could use less chipotles but this will also make it less potent and less smoky.
And most likely the other recipes you've been checking out are heating up the sauce to make it shelf safe or do long term preserving with it. I'm happy just keeping this sauce in the fridge for a month or so, and I don't really do any long term preserving with it. Cheers.
Christina
Love the ease of this recipe..so quick to make! I forgot to take the seeds out so it came out a little "chewy". I'm too lazy to strain it lol. The flavor is spectacular so the chew is worth it. Thanks for the recipe!
Patrick
Ahh good to hear, I'm so glad you tried out this recipe Christina! Cheers.
Rebel
I have made this similar except for orange juice vinegar and sugar I use apple cider vinegar with citrus and ginger and a spoon of honey.
Dana
Is there a specific reason that you wouldn't can this? It seems it would be at the appropriate acidity level for canning with the vinegar.
Patrick
Hi Dana! Yeah you're right, the acidity probably does make it a good candidate for canning, but I haven't tried any long term preserving with my hot sauce recipes so I never feel good about giving it an official thumbs up. Cheers.
Marcello Pecchenino
Sorry, I trememn ber from before you had a Hot sauce recipe & I just remembered it, Chipotle Hot Sauce. I emailed you before I remembered, sorry
But I know a guy here that makes hot sauce, and he says if you don't use it you need to store it in the Fridge with the cap loose or it will explode! Right now in our Taqueria we are using the Big Bottles of Tapatio Hot sauce But here it is Expensive, and our customers use a lot of it ! But the Cans of Chipotle Adobo Sauce from Mexico here is pretty reasonable.
So I was thinking if there was a way to stretch it and make a lot of hot sauce that would help solve our problem.
Do you know how to prevent this the Hot sauce from exploding ? Someone told me you have to ferment it for a couple weeks. I don't think "Sodium Metabisulfite" a food preservative that I use when I make wine would work ? But it does prevent Fermentation in wine making ? What do you think ?
Regards
Marcello ~
Patrick
Hey Marcello! Hmmm I think he might be talking about fermentation in general and the gases that it generates, but I don't do any fermentation with the hot sauces on my site, I just use the chiles, vinegar, and spices to create the flavor. Cheers.
Evan
If there any any sugars, it will ferment naturally. Yeast is present everywhere. ☺️ Nice to know, isn’t it??
I’m speaking as a homebrewer here - yeast is what turns sweet malt water into beer.
Since there’s orange juice in here, it will definitely ferment. Even something as unsweetened as carrots will ferment. Basically, if it rots, it also ferments.
Sodium metabisulfite will kill yeast, yes; but I’ve never heard of that as a food additive. I think it’s because most companies pasteurize. If you boil the hot sauce and then immediately can it, you’ll probably be fine. That’s basically what canning is. But don’t take my word for it - I’m just an amateur chef with home brewing experience.
Asher
Thanks for the recipe :). I came here after finishing up a bottle of Yucateco's chipotle sauce (excellent by the way, think of a more flavorful, spicier A1 sauce and a bit runnier - but I think I'll stick to this recipe now).
I added a little fish sauce, MSG, and 1/4 tsp of cinnamon which rounded out the flavor nicely 🙂 - it's quite possible that adobo peppers and/or the Yucateco sauce also have cinnamon. For the next batch, I think I'll add the water at the end, progressively, so I can control the consistency better.
Patrick
Thanks Asher! Super helpful to hear your adjustments. Cheers.
Paul Burke
Great simple Recipe. My first go at hot sauce. A friend gave me a can of chipoltes with one missing! I had to find a way to use them some how. I did not have any oranges so used some orange marmalade, orangey and sweet so that worked well. I used a little corriander, a bit of "freshening" up. I did not have Mexican Oregano. I will go in search it sounds like a good herb to have in stock.
Thanks for easy and simple guide.
Patrick
Ahh good to know, thanks much for your note Paul!
Mrs. Alaska
Thank you for "walking me through" what to do with the dried chipotles I bought.
Your recipe is delicious. The taste and texture of my efforts were a bit different from canned chipotle in adobe sauce. Not as glossy a sauce. The peppers have a more leathery scent. Neither is bad - just different. It was terrific with hamburger based tacos tonight. I look forward to seeing how it may change over a few days of melding flavors. I really loved the addition of the orange. That added something special. It will be great with beans.
Patrick
Thanks Mrs. Alaska I'm so glad this one is a keeper for you! Cheers.
Fraser
I plan on making this! I happen to have a few dried moritas, how would I incorporate those into the sauce?
Patrick
Hi Fraser, yeah you could use some of those too. I would probably reconstitute them before blending them up, as seen here:
How to reconstitute dried chiles
Cheers.
Bill
Looks and sounds Great! I’ll be making some today!
Patrick
Thanks Bill, I hope it treats you well!