Homemade chipotle aioli sauce is the smoky, creamy topping you need to add some heat and flavor to tacos, burgers, chicken, and sandwiches! This easy recipe uses a mayo base and canned adobo sauce to achieve maximum flavor with minimum effort — no special tools required!

Chipotle aioli sauce in a small black bowl with a whisk.

Adding a flavorful, creamy sauce can take tacos or sandwiches from a mere collection of ingredients to a unified, flavorful dish. I developed this chipotle aioli sauce recipe to go with my flank steak tacos and it’s really the key to the whole thing!

Labeled ingredient shot for chipotle aioli.

What is in chipotle aioli?

Mayo: I use Hellmann’s real mayonnaise as the base for this chipotle aioli sauce.
Garlic clove and kosher salt: The next layer of flavor, which we mash together into a smooth garlic paste.
Lime juice: Instead of the lemon juice I use in my cheater’s garlic aioli, I use freshly squeezed lime juice to complement the chipotle flavor and brighten up the sauce. It’s so good!!
Olive oil: Since traditional aioli is made from garlic and olive oil (not mayo) I like to add a little olive oil for flavor. It brings in some of that traditional aioli flavor without the difficult and time consuming work of forming a stable emulsion of oil and garlic.
Adobo sauce: The sauce that surrounds the peppers in a can of chipotles in adobo sauce is one of my favorite shortcuts to get to Flavortown! If you plan to use this aioli in a squeeze bottle, be sure to strain the adobo sauce through a fine mesh sieve to remove any bits of chipotle pepper, or it might get stuck when you try to squeeze it out.
Chipotle powder: The other ingredient that gives this aioli that smoky chipotle flavor and heat. It’s spicier than chile powder but not as hot as cayenne pepper.

How to make chipotle aioli

I use a couple shortcuts — ready-made mayo and canned adobo sauce — to add a bold, smoky flavor and a creamy texture with minimum effort. The one thing I recommend is making a homemade garlic paste to add that punch of fresh garlicy flavor!

Make a garlic paste. Mash together minced garlic and kosher salt with the side of a knife until a smooth paste forms (images 1-3).

Step by step images showing making garlic paste with the side of a knife.

Mix all ingredients together. Add garlic paste to mayo, along with strained adobo sauce (image 4), fresh lime juice (image 5), olive oil, and chipotle powder. Start with a little chipotle powder and add more to taste. Mix well (image 6).

Left, straining adobo sauce through a sieve. Center, squeezing fresh lime juice. Right, mixing aioli ingredients with a whisk.

Overhead view of sauce in a black bowl on a wooden board.

Tips & Tricks

No chipotle powder? Chipotle powder is spicier than chile powder but not as hot as cayenne. If you can't find chipotle powder, sub chile powder and then add cayenne to your desired level of heat.
Save your adobo sauce! Adobo sauce is a great smoky chipotle flavor bomb you can use in anything from burger sauce to blackened shrimp chipotle macaroni and cheese. Freeze the rest in 1 teaspoon amounts in an ice cube tray.
Thick or thin? This chipotle aioli sauce starts out on the thin side due to the lime juice, adobo sauce, and olive oil. The thinner sauce is perfect for a squeeze bottle, where a thicker one may be better as a dip or spread. For a thicker sauce, you can reduce the amount of olive oil or simply refrigerate the aioli for a while. When you refrigerate it, the olive oil solidifies, thickening the sauce. Sauce too thick from being in the fridge? Add additional olive oil before serving to thin the aioli out again.

Black bowl of chipotle sauce on a wooden board with lime wedges.

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Aioli sauce in a black bowl on a wooden board.

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Chipotle Aioli Sauce Recipe

Print Recipe

Course: Condiment

Yield: 6 2-tbsp servings

Calories: 151kcal

Author: Caroline Lindsey

Prep Time:5

Total Time:5

Ingredients

▢ 1 clove garlic minced
▢ ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
▢ ½ cup mayonnaise
▢ 1 tablespoon lime juice freshly squeezed
▢ 1 teaspoon adobo sauce from a can of chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
▢ 1 tablespoon olive oil
▢ ¼ - ½ teaspoon chipotle powder

Instructions

Mash together minced garlic and kosher salt with the side of a knife until a smooth paste forms (see photos in post).
1 clove garlic, ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
In a medium bowl, add mayo, garlic paste, lime juice, adobo sauce, and olive oil and mix well to combine. Add ¼ teaspoon of chipotle powder, taste, and add more to taste.
½ cup mayonnaise, 1 tablespoon lime juice, 1 teaspoon adobo sauce, ¼ - ½ teaspoon chipotle powder, 1 tablespoon olive oil
Refrigerate for 30 minutes to meld flavors. Enjoy on tacos! If desired, add to a squeeze bottle for easy drizzling.

Notes

Substitutions: If you don't have chipotle powder, use chile powder in its place. Add cayenne pepper to desired level of heat.

Save the adobo sauce: Freeze the remaining adobo sauce in 1 teaspoon amounts to use in other recipes!

Thicker or thinner: For a thicker sauce, reduce or omit the olive oil or refrigerate the aioli for a while to solidify the olive oil. To thin out the sauce again before serving (for easier squeezing in a squeeze bottle, for example), add a little additional olive oil until the desired consistency is reached.

To use in a squeeze bottle: Pass adobo sauce through a fine mesh sieve first to remove any chunks that may get stuck in a squeeze bottle.

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Nutrition

Chipotle Aioli Sauce Recipe

What is in chipotle aioli?

How to make chipotle aioli

Tips & Tricks

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