Here's an easy recipe to make some chipotles in adobo at home -- super easy and they are loaded with flavor!
Recipe by Mexican Please on March 6, 2019
Prep time: PT45M
Cook time: PT15M
Total time: PT60M
Rating
4.1 stars (74 reviews)
Ingredients
18-20 dried Chipotle Morita chiles
1/2 onion
2 garlic cloves
1 Roma tomato
1/2 teaspoon brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon Mexican oregano
1/4 teaspoon cumin
3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
3/4 cup water (or soaking liquid)
1 teaspoon salt
freshly cracked black pepper
olive oil
Steps
Wipe off any dusty crevasses on the Moritas using a wet towel. Roast the Moritas in a 400F oven for 1-2 minutes. Add the Moritas to a mixing bowl and cover them with the hottest tap water you've got. Let the chiles reconstitute for 20-30 minutes.
Note: when the chiles are done reconstituting take a taste of the soaking liquid. If you like the flavor of it you can use it for the adobo sauce. If you don't like it or if it tastes bitter to you then you can use water for the adobo sauce.
Roast the Roma tomato in the oven (400F) for 20-30 minutes or until you need it.
Once the chiles have reconstituted, we'll use 6-7 of them for the adobo sauce. De-stem and de-seed the chiles and add them to a blender of food processor along with the roasted tomato, the 1/2 onion (set aside a small chunk of it), 1 peeled garlic clove, 1/2 teaspoon brown sugar, and 1/2 cup water (or soaking liquid). Combine well.
Finely dice the leftover chunk of onion and saute it in some oil over medium heat until it softens. Then add: 1 minced garlic clove, 1/2 teaspoon Mexican oregano, 1/4 teaspoon cumin, 1 teaspoon salt, and some freshly cracked black pepper.
Saute briefly and then add the chipotle puree from the blender, 3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar, 1/4 cup water (or soaking liquid), and the remaining drained chiles. Combine well and simmer for 10-15 minutes or until it has reduced down to your preferred consistency.
Take a final taste for seasoning, adding more salt, sugar, or spices if you want.
Store in a pint-sized Mason jar in the fridge where the chipotles will keep for weeks if not longer.
Nutitrion
Serving Size: 1 serving
Calories: 59 kcal
Carbohydrates: 12 g
Protein: 1 g
Sodium: 305 mg
Sugar: 7 g
Reviews
April Weaver on 2026-04-06 (5 stars): Do you have to use onion I’m allergic
Maggie Weddle on 2026-01-29 (5 stars): This is fantastic! I look forward to exploring through your website & trying lots of your recipes! Thanks!
Darcy on 2025-06-18 (5 stars): Hi , just had to comment this recipe is just awesome. Many thanks !
jerrys on 2024-06-04 (4 stars): Hello from Germany. I came across your post after choking on the price of EUR 4 per can of Chipotle chilis in adobo sauce that go for about $1 in the USA and decided to try and make this myself. I see that you give the figure of about 20 chilis for your recipe but the dried chipolte chilis that I can find here vary significantly by size. Can you indicate by weight (grams or ounces) how much your 20 chilis might weigh?
Joy on 2023-10-01 (5 stars): I grind in a food processor and put them in ice cube trays, freeze and put in a zip lock freezer bag. My cubes are tbsp of Chipotle in adobo each. Use them in Chile, sloppy joes, etc. Yum
Michael on 2023-07-09 (5 stars): Amazing! My wife asks me to make this time and again because the store bought is just not as tasty. Thank you!
dave on 2023-06-07 (5 stars): looks good i have peppers growing now will use your recipe to make chipotle then i make small meat balls for appetizers use a slow cooker add meatballs bbq sauce apple cider vinegar garlic onion powder and the chipotles with sauce they are called donkey balls because of the kick
Mike on 2022-12-24 (5 stars): Turned out amazing. Cooked chipotles on a Comal instead of oven. Didn’t have a tomato so I used tomato paste and to my surprise wound up with thicker, darker looking adobo which was fabulous. Will make again. Recommend the tomato paste!
