This Vegan Chipotle Mayo is not only dairy-free, but incredibly easy to make! It’s creamy, subtly spicy, and pairs perfectly with tacos, burritos, Buddha bowls, and fries!
I love using cashews as the base for dairy-free sauces, whether it’s cashew nacho cheese, cilantro lime sauce, or classic ranch dressing. Whenever I need a sauce or dip that has a little kick, I like to make this vegan chipotle mayo. Not only is this vegan mayo easy to make, it’s customizable depending on your spice tolerance. I like to serve this mayo with vegan burrito bowls, fajitas, or baked sweet potato fries. Yum!
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Why this recipe works!
- Cashews are the perfect base for any creamy, dairy-free sauce. Soak your raw cashews in boiling water for a few minutes and they will transform into a creamy, rich sauce in minutes!
- To get the traditional tang that comes from mayo, you’ll add some lemon and/or lime juice to this mayo. Perfect balance of spicy and sour.
- This calls for sauce 7 pantry-staple ingredientsSo it’s a great spice to whip up when you’re in a pinch, but want some flavor.
- Thanks to lemon and lime juice and apple cider vinegar, this vegan chipotle mayo lasts quite a while in the fridge, making it a great condiment for your early week meal prep.
- This vegan mayo is super versatile and can Serve as a sauce, dip, or even a spread Onto the sandwich!
Materials
- Cashews – Raw cashews form the base of this sauce. I usually buy my cashews in bulk and store them in the fridge. Just make sure your cashews are raw and not roasted or seasoned in any way.
- Chipotle Chili in Adobe Sauce РThis is one of my favorite ingredients to add to taco meat or sauce and you should be able to find it at your local grocery store (look in the international aisle!) Smoked chipotle peppers and dried jalape̱os. The ones you get in a can are preserved in a delicious, spicy adobo sauce.
- Lemon and lemon juice – I like to use both lemon and lime juice in this recipe. Lemon juice helps make vegan mayo, and lime juice pairs perfectly with chipotle peppers. However, if you only have one on hand, use it!
- Apple cider vinegar – Again, adding a touch of apple cider vinegar helps create that classic mayo flavor and tang. You will need a little to make this chipotle mayo!
- Smoked paprika – I love the smokiness that smoked paprika adds to this sauce. If you don’t already have smoked paprika on hand, I highly recommend making it a pantry staple! Not only is it great for sauces, but it’s also great for making faux meats or meaty fillings because it adds that perfect smoky flavor.
See recipe card for full list of ingredients and quantities.
Substitutions and Alterations
spicy – The amount of chipotle pepper and adobe sauce you use is entirely up to you. I like to use 2 chipotle peppers and about 1 tablespoon of adobe sauce, but if you want it spicier, add more! For a lighter chipotle mayo, add less. Remember, you can always add more, but you can figure it out!
Sour – Using lemon juice, lime juice, and apple cider vinegar in one recipe may seem like too much of an indulgence, but I love the individual flavors of each in this vegan chipotle mayo. If you don’t have all three on hand, you can use a combination of whatever you have. But keep in mind that the quantity of sour ingredients should be about 3 tablespoons.
Consistency – If you want it to be more like a sauce, add more water (and possibly more salt). For a thicker chipotle mayo, use enough water to blend. I love my Vitamix blender because it has a tamper, which allows me to limit the amount of liquid I add.
How to Make Vegan Chipotle Mayo
Drain your soaked cashews. Then put all the ingredients in your blender, starting with less chipotle pepper if desired.
Blend until smooth. Taste and add more chipotle pepper and/or adobe sauce, lemon or lime juice, and salt as needed.
hints: Always start with less when it comes to chipotle pepper and water. You can always add more as needed to get the right spice level and consistency. I make this chipotle mayo super thick like sour cream when I serve it with tacos or burritos. For Buddha bowls where I want to drizzle the sauce all over my food, I dilute it.
storage
Thanks to plenty of acid from the lemon juice, lime juice, and apple cider vinegar, this sauce should last 1-2 weeks in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
It can even be frozen for 1-2 months. I once made a lot of this mayo before going on vacation, so I put it in my freezer. When I got back from my trip, I put it in the fridge overnight for a quick and easy flavor explosion!
My top tips
- If you’re serving this mayo to kids, omit the mayo and chipotle peppers all together. I know that defeats the purpose of making chipotle mayo, but this vegan mayo would still be delicious, even without the spice.
- This sauce thickens as it sits in the fridge, so whenever I need to serve it, I just stir some water into it until it reaches my desired consistency.
Recipe FAQs
Chipotle peppers are smoked and dried jalapeños. If you like to cook, you’ve probably used chipotle peppers in adobe sauce, which has a delicious, smoky flavor and quite a bit of spice.
No, traditional mayonnaise is not vegan because it contains egg yolks. Fortunately, there are plenty of vegan mayo options on the market, so you should be able to find vegan mayo at your local grocery store.
Yes, traditional chipotle mayo will contain eggs because traditional mayo contains egg yolks. However, this vegan chipotle mayo is really easy to make and egg-free!
Pair this chipotle mayo with:
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📖 Recipe
Vegan Chipotle Mayo
Made with a cashew base and flavored with chipotle peppers, this vegan cashew mayo is the perfect flavor-packed sauce!
Materials
- 1 the cup raw cashews Soak in boiling water for 15 minutes
- ½ the cup the water Plus more as needed
- 2 table spoon lemon juice
- 1 table spoon Lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon Apple cider vinegar
- ½ teaspoon Sea salt
- 2 Chipotle Chili in Adobe Sauce + 3-4 teaspoons of adobe sauce
instructions
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Soak your cashews in boiling water for about 15 minutes. If you own a high speed blender, you can skip this step. Drain and wash the cashews.
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Place all ingredients in your blender and blend until smooth. If you are worried about the spice level, start with less pepper. You can always add more!
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Taste and add more chipotle pepper for kick, salt for saltiness, lemon or lime juice for tang, and/or water for water.
Comment
– I usually find chipotle peppers in adobe sauce in the international aisle at the grocery store.
nutrition
Calories: 93kcalSugars: 6gProtein: 3gFat: 7gSaturated Fat: 1gPolyunsaturated Fats: 1gMonounsaturated fats: 4gSodium: 148mgPotassium: 113mgFiber: 1gSugar: 1gVitamin A: 1IUVitamin C: 2mgCalcium: 7mgIron: 1mg