✔ Updated · new copycat recipe with step photos
This copycat Taco Bell chipotle sauce is the smoky, creamy orange sauce from the Quesarito, and it takes 5 minutes with a whisk. One chipotle pepper in adobo does almost all the work.
How Do You Make Taco Bell Chipotle Sauce? (Quick Answer)
Whisk 1/2 cup mayonnaise, 2 tablespoons sour cream, 1 finely minced chipotle in adobo, 1 tablespoon adobo sauce, 2 teaspoons lime juice, 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika, 1/4 teaspoon each garlic powder, onion powder and sugar, and a pinch of salt. Thin with a teaspoon or two of water and chill for 30 minutes.
At a glance
The one tip that matters: Let it chill for 30 minutes before you taste it for heat. The chipotle gets smokier and a little hotter as it sits.
Why You'll Love This Chipotle Sauce
- No cooking one bowl, one whisk, five minutes.
- Pantry ingredients a can of chipotles in adobo keeps for weeks and makes several batches.
- You control the heat seeds in for spicy, seeds out for mild.
- Squeeze bottle ready thin enough to drizzle in neat Taco Bell lines.
- Goes on everything burritos, tacos, nachos, eggs and fries.
What Is Taco Bell Creamy Chipotle Sauce?
It's Taco Bell's creamy, pale orange sauce with a smoky chipotle flavor and a gentle kick. It goes inside the Quesarito, and a lot of fans add it to burritos and quesadillas as an extra. Taco Bell also sells a bottled version in grocery stores.
My test for any copycat is simple: does it taste like the original, can a home cook make it reliably, and is there a shortcut? This one passes all three, and the shortcut is the can of chipotles in adobo. It brings smoke, heat and color in one spoonful.
Ingredient Notes
Exact amounts are in the recipe card below.
- Mayonnaise: the creamy base. Full-fat gives the best body.
- Sour cream: a little tang, standing in for the buttermilk in the bottled sauce.
- Chipotle in adobo: smoked, dried jalapeños in a tangy red sauce. Find small cans in the Mexican aisle.
- Smoked paprika: deepens the smoke and the orange color.
- Garlic powder, onion powder, sugar and salt: the background seasoning that makes it taste like a fast-food sauce, not a homemade dip.
- Lime juice: fresh is brighter than bottled.
Step-by-Step Photos
Here's how it comes together. Exact amounts, times and temperatures are in the recipe card below.
Tips for Success
- Mince it to a paste. Big chipotle pieces give you random hot bites. A fine paste spreads the smoke evenly, which is what makes the restaurant sauce so smooth.
- Use full-fat mayonnaise. Light mayo turns thin and a little sweet once the lime goes in.
- Freeze the rest of the can. Spoon the leftover chipotles in adobo into an ice cube tray, one pepper per cube, then bag them. Next batch is a cube away.
- Thin it with water, not more lime. Extra lime makes it sour before it makes it pourable.
- Make it milder for kids. Skip the minced pepper and use 1 1/2 tablespoons of adobo sauce only. You keep the smoky color and lose most of the heat.
- My Austin habit. Late-night Taco Bell runs were a thing in my Austin years, and I always asked for extra chipotle sauce. Now I keep a squeeze bottle of this in the fridge door all week.
Taco Bell Chipotle Sauce
12
tablespoons5
minutes70
kcal35
minutesA copycat version of Taco Bell Creamy Chipotle Sauce: mayonnaise and a little sour cream blended with a minced chipotle in adobo, lime juice, smoked paprika, garlic and onion powder. Makes about 3/4 cup.
Ingredients
1/2 cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons sour cream
1 chipotle pepper in adobo sauce, finely minced
1 tablespoon adobo sauce from the can
2 teaspoons fresh lime juice
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon sugar
1 pinch fine salt
1 to 2 teaspoons water, to thin
Directions
- Lift 1 chipotle out of the can, scrape out most of the seeds if you want it milder, and mince it into a fine paste with a knife.
- Add the mayonnaise, sour cream, minced chipotle, adobo sauce, lime juice, smoked paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, sugar and salt to a small bowl.
- Whisk until smooth and evenly orange, then whisk in water a teaspoon at a time until the sauce drizzles off the whisk in a ribbon.
- Taste and adjust: more adobo for heat, more lime for tang. Cover and chill for 30 minutes so the smoky flavor blooms.
- Spoon into a squeeze bottle or small jar and drizzle over burritos, quesadillas, tacos or nachos.
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Storage
Keep the sauce covered in the fridge for up to 1 week. It thickens a little when cold, so shake or stir in a few drops of water before drizzling. I don't freeze it, because mayonnaise-based sauces split when they thaw.
What to Serve It With
This is the sauce that makes my copycat Taco Bell Quesarito taste right. It's also great on a Taco Bell quesadilla, drizzled over a homemade Mexican Pizza or spooned onto an Enchirito. For dessert, finish the night with a bowl of cinnamon twists.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Taco Bell chipotle sauce made of?
The bottled Taco Bell Creamy Chipotle Sauce sold in stores lists buttermilk, chipotle chili pepper, garlic and onion among its ingredients. At home, mayonnaise and a little sour cream give the same creamy, tangy base, and a chipotle in adobo brings the smoke.
Is Taco Bell chipotle sauce spicy?
It's mild to medium. It's more smoky than hot. Leave the chipotle seeds in if you want more heat.
What Taco Bell items use chipotle sauce?
It's the creamy sauce inside the Quesarito, and you can add it as an extra sauce to most of the menu. Menus vary by location, so check the app for yours.
How long does homemade chipotle sauce last?
Up to 1 week in a covered jar or squeeze bottle in the fridge. Stir or shake it before using.
Can I make it without mayonnaise?
Yes. Use 1/2 cup sour cream or plain Greek yogurt plus 1 tablespoon olive oil. It's tangier and a little thinner, but still very good.
Is this the same as Taco Bell spicy ranch or creamy jalapeño sauce?
No. Spicy ranch is a ranch-based sauce, and creamy jalapeño sauce is the one in the quesadilla. This is the smoky chipotle one.
