This homemade chipotle paste is smoky, punchy and so, so useful. Made from dried chipotle chillies (smoked red jalapeños), it takes minutes: toast, soak, blend. Use it for marinades, stews, tacos, burgers, and a quick chipotle sauce for anything that needs a bit of attitude. Or character.
Estimated reading time: 10 minutes
What is Chipotle Paste?
Chipotle paste is a blended chilli condiment made from chipotle peppers (smoked, dried, red jalapeños) with seasonings such as garlic, salt, a little sweetener, and an acid like lime juice or vinegar. Think of it as a concentrated flavour base: smoky chilli heat with a rounded, savoury edge.
If you like your food smoky and slightly spicy, you need homemade chipotle paste in your fridge. This chipotle paste recipe is built around dried chipotle peppers (chipotle chillies) – smoked jalapeños – plus a handful of pantry ingredients that turn them into a thick, deeply flavoured Mexican chilli paste. You’ll also see chipotle chillies labelled as chipotle chiles, especially in US recipes – same ingredient, same smoky magic.
Chipotle paste is sometimes loosely called chipotle sauce, but here we’re making a savoury, smoky chilli paste that works both as a cooking ingredient and a condiment. You control the heat, the tang, and the overall flavour. Think of it as a smoky chilli paste you can cook with, then turn into a quick chipotle sauce whenever you fancy.
Some people use “chipotle sauce” to mean a creamy, mayo-based condiment. That’s a different thing. This homemade chipotle paste is a concentrated paste you can cook with, or stir into other ingredients to make a chipotle sauce when you want one.
What are Chipotle Chillies (Chiles)?
Chipotle isn’t a separate chilli variety; it’s a method. Jalapeños are ripened and then smoke-dried to preserve them and concentrate their flavour. It’s a traditional preservation approach in Mesoamerica, and the word chipotle comes from a Nahuatl term meaning “smoked chilli”.
You’ll find chipotles sold in a few common forms: dried whole chipotle peppers (what we use here), chipotle powder or flakes, and chipotles in adobo (canned chipotles in a tangy, seasoned sauce).
Pronounced chi-poht-lay, with the first syllable being very short.
Chipotle Morita vs Chipotle Meco
If your dried chipotle peppers don’t look like the last batch you bought, you’re not imagining it.
Chipotle morita is usually darker, fruitier, and a little less aggressively smoky.
Chipotle meco is paler, smoked longer, drier, and often more intensely smoky and earthy.
Either works for this chipotle paste recipe. Morita tends to read fruity-smoky; meco reads campfire-smoky.
Homemade Chipotle Paste Recipe
This recipe is simple and repeatable:
- Dry toast the dried chipotle peppers briefly to wake them up
- Soak them in very hot water to soften
- Blend everything into a smooth chipotle paste
- Optional: cook it briefly in a little oil to deepen flavour, then finish with balsamic vinegar for extra roundness
That optional cooking step is not fussy nonsense. It takes the harsh edge off the garlic and dried chilli and makes the paste taste more cohesive.
Edit May 2022
In addition to the dried chipotle peppers, I now add 1-2 chipotles in adobo plus a little of the adobo sauce, a pinch of cumin, and finish with a little balsamic vinegar.
It’s a small tweak with a big payoff: more depth, a touch more tang, and a softer, rounder finish without turning this into something sweet.
Ingredients
These are the key ingredients, plus what each one brings to your homemade chipotle paste:
Dried chipotle chillies (smoked jalapeños) – smoky chilli flavour and medium heat; the backbone of the paste.
Ancho chilli (optional) – adds a gentle sweetness and a raisiny depth that makes the chipotle taste richer.
Chipotles in adobo (optional but recommended) – tang, seasoning, and extra savoury depth.
Chilli de arbol (optional) – for more heat without changing the smoky flavour.
Garlic – savoury backbone and body.
Lime juice – acidity and brightness (and it helps the paste keep well).
Sugar – balances smoke and bitterness, rounds out the chilli heat.
Salt – makes everything taste alive.
Cumin (pinch) – a natural partner to smoky chillies.
Balsamic vinegar (optional finish) – adds depth and a subtle tang-sweet roundness.
Buying tip for dried chipotle peppers: choose whole pods that still have a bit of pliability (not brittle dust), and avoid anything that smells burnt or stale.
Method
- Dry toast the dried chipotle peppers
Heat a dry pan over medium heat and toast the dried chipotle peppers for 1-2 minutes, turning them so they don’t scorch. You want aroma, not bitterness. - Soak
Place the toasted chipotle chillies in a bowl and cover with very hot water. Soak for 15-20 minutes until softened. Drain, reserving a little soaking liquid in case you need it for blending. - Blend
Add the softened chipotle peppers to a blender with garlic, lime juice, sugar, salt, and any optional ingredients you’re using (ancho, chilli de arbol, chipotles in adobo and a little adobo sauce, cumin). Blend until smooth. Add a spoonful or two of reserved soaking water if needed to get the blender moving. - Optional: Cook and finish
Warm a small amount of olive oil in a pan, add the paste, and cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring, just until it darkens slightly and smells more rounded. Take off the heat and stir in a little balsamic vinegar to finish, if using.
How to Use Chipotle Paste
This is where chipotle paste earns its keep.
- Use it as a marinade for chicken, lamb, pork, seafood, tofu, or cauliflower (roast, grill, BBQ).
- Stir it into chilli con carne, bean stews, lentils, and tomato-based soups for smoky depth.
- Mix it into shredded chicken or pulled pork for tacos and wraps, or stir into beans.
- Spread it thinly in sandwiches and burgers.
- Stir a spoonful into mayonnaise, yoghurt, sour cream, or crème fraîche for an instant creamy chipotle sauce.
- Toss potatoes, sweet potatoes, squash, carrots, or cauliflower with it before roasting.
- Stir a little into rice cooking liquid for smoky rice.
- Swirl it into hummus or bean dip for a smoky chilli lift.
How to Store Leftovers
Store your chipotle paste in a clean jar in the fridge. It will keep about 1 week.
To extend fridge life to roughly 2 weeks, smooth the paste level and cover the surface with a thin layer of neutral oil (about 1 cm). This reduces air contact.
Yes, you can freeze chipotle paste. Portion into ice cube trays and freeze, then transfer the cubes to a freezer bag. This is the easiest way to grab “one spoonful” whenever you need it.
Variations and Substitutions
No whole dried chipotle peppers? Use chipotle powder or chipotle flakes. Blend straight in; don’t toast powder/flakes because they burn fast. Add water a little at a time until you get a paste.
Want it hotter? Add chilli de arbol, or leave some seeds in the blended chillies.
Want it tangier? Add more lime juice or a touch more adobo sauce.
Want it sweeter/rounder? Add a little more sugar, or lean more heavily on ancho.
Want it creamy (chipotle sauce)? Stir a spoonful of this chipotle paste into mayonnaise, yoghurt, sour cream, or crème fraîche.
Canning/Preserving the Paste
- Stick with this recipe and use the pressure canning method. Preserved this way, your paste will last a good 2 years.
- Or you can add the juice of 2 more limes (a total of 3) to this recipe to further increase the acid level, and give it a water bath. Increasing the acid level in the chipotle paste is in keeping with food safety advice on the canning of low acid level foods like chillies and onions. The lime juice does add a tang to the recipe, but let’s face it, lime juice makes so many recipes taste better! If you are increasing this recipe, be sure to increase the amount of lime juice proportionately too.
Recipes using Chipotle Paste
Canning/Preserving the Paste
- Stick with this recipe and use the pressure canning method. Preserved this way, your paste will last a good 2 years.
- Or you can add the juice of 2 more limes (a total of 3) to this recipe to further increase the acid level, and give it a water bath. Increasing the acid level in the chipotle paste is in keeping with food safety advice on the canning of low acid level foods like chillies and onions. The lime juice does add a tang to the recipe, but let’s face it, lime juice makes so many recipes taste better! If you are increasing this recipe, be sure to increase the amount of lime juice proportionately too.
And guess what? It makes the perfect gift for a foodie friend.
Speaking of gifts, I want to tell you about this company and special gifts that friends of mine do.
A homemade gift like today’s chipotle gift is a great way form of expression. But what I also like to do is add some unique small items and pack them into a gift box with this hot sauce. Your foodie friends will be over the moon, trust me!
One of my favourites are these small Custom Enamel Pins. You can even add elements of this chipotle paste or other food elements to the pins, like the name and and best before date. These enamel pins take your homemade gift to the next level!
I’ve made a few for friends that say “chipotle lover” and “hot stuff”!
Chipotle Paste FAQs
Chipotle paste is made from chipotle peppers (smoked dried jalapeños) blended with seasonings such as garlic, salt, and a little sweetener, plus an acid like lime juice or vinegar. Some versions include chipotles in adobo for extra tang and depth.
No. Chipotles in adobo are whole chipotle peppers packed in a seasoned adobo sauce. Chipotle paste is blended and usually smoother and more concentrated. You can add chipotles in adobo (and a little of the sauce) to boost flavour in homemade chipotle paste.
Chipotle is usually medium heat. It’s made from jalapeños, but the main feature is smokiness rather than pure burn. Heat varies by batch and whether you’re using morita or meco chipotles.
In the fridge, homemade chipotle paste keeps about 1 week. You can stretch it to roughly 2 weeks by covering the surface with a thin layer of neutral oil. For longer storage, freeze it.
Yes. Freeze it in a small container with minimal air space, or portion into ice cube trays so you can thaw small amounts as needed.
Yes. Chipotle powder or flakes can replace whole dried chipotle peppers. Don’t toast powder/flakes (they burn quickly). Blend directly with the other ingredients, then adjust liquid, salt, and acidity to taste.
Morita is usually darker and fruitier with gentler smokiness. Meco is paler, smoked longer, drier, and often more intensely smoky and earthy. Both work well for chipotle paste; they just give slightly different character.
Make this once and you’ll wonder why you ever bothered buying chipotle paste in the first place. You’ll start finding excuses to use it.
Keep a jar in the fridge, freeze a batch in cubes, and you’ve basically given yourself a smoky chilli shortcut that makes weeknight cooking taste like you planned ahead.
Ok then, shall we get our aprons on?
If you like the recipe, don’t forget to leave me a comment and that all important, 5-star rating! Thank you!
And if you make the recipe, share it on any platform and tag me @azlinbloor.
Lin xx
Homemade Chipotle Paste
Ingredients
- 20 chipotle chillies
- 2 anchos optional
- 2 chipotles in adobo plus a little of the adobo optional
- 2-3 chilli de arbol if you want it a little hotter, optional
- 2 cloves garlic
- juice of 1 lime
- 1 Tbsp sugar
- ½ tsp salt
- pinch of ground cumin
- water as needed
For Cooking the Chipotle Paste
- 1 Tbsp EV olive oil
- ½ tsp balsamic vinegar
Instructions
- Dry roast the chillies for a couple of minutes on medium heat, being careful not to let them burn. They might puff up slightly. Cut the stalk end off and shake the seeds out, if you like.
- When they are cool enough to handle, cut the chillies with scissors and soak in hot water for about 20 minutes.
- Drain the chillies and give them a quick rinse, discarding the seeds if you like.
- Place everything in a chopper and blend to a fine paste, with just enough water to make into a paste.
- You can stop here, this is a delicious chipotle paste, as it is. If so, store in a small sterilised jar in the fridge and it will last a couple of weeks.Or you can go on and do that final step, cooking it for 5 minutes, and adding a little balsamic vinegar. This deepens the flavour.
Cooking the Chipotle Paste
- Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a small saucepan or deep frying pan over medium heat. Add the chipotle paste without the balsamic vinegar and cook for 5 minutes, stirring.
- Add the balsamic vinegar, stir and take off the heat.
- Store in a sterilised jar, in the fridge.
Hi I’m really excited about making this recipe but wasn’t sure if it was a dried bayleaf or fresh please
Hi Bell, I don’t use bay leaf in chipotle paste. Did you mean a different recipe?
Thanks Lin, just made a huge batch over the weekend from home smoked chipotles. It’s just wow, made some scrambled eggs for breakfast and folded it in, man, I wish I’d made more! I see you’ve got the adobo chipotles in there now. I’m making that this weekend as mentioned on Insta, after that another batch of this chipotle paste with the chipotles in adobo!
I just wanted to say thanks for this recipe and all those ideas for using it. I’ve made every single recipe you’ve suggested more than once. They were all big hits.
I’m so pleased to hear that, Kat. And it’s my pleasure.
Just about to try making this my homegrown, cold smoked dried Carolina chillies. I’ll let you know how it turns out. Hot I imagine.
I look forward to it!
Will surely use this again! Very tasty and easy to make! Thanks for sharing!
OMG! this homemade chipotle paste is delicious. I will love some as your foodie friend! 😀 Since I will not be able to source chipotle chillies will go with some chipotle flakes and regular chillies.