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Homemade Chipotle Chillies in Adobo

Name: Homemade Chipotle Chillies in Adobo
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 45 min
Total time: 65 min
Cuisine: Mexican
Ingredients: 500 g Tomatoes maduros; 1 White onion; 1 tsp Salt; 100 g Chipotle chillies secos; 4 cloves Garlic; 60 ml Apple cider vinegar; 40 g Piloncillo (raw cane sugar) o azucar moreno; 1 tsp Oregano seco; 0.5 tsp Ground cumin; 0.5 tsp Black pepper

65 min (20 prep + 45 cook) Medium 8 servings Nacional

Edmond Bojalil

Recetas Mexas

Published: 19 Mar 2026 · Updated: 25 Mar 2026

Smoked chipotle chillies in homemade adobo sauce with tomato, spices and vinegar, an essential base of Mexican cooking.

About this recipe

Homemade chipotle chillies in adobo are a fundamental condiment in Mexican cuisine. Dried and smoked jalapeno chillies are simmered in a thick sauce of tomato, onion, garlic, spices and a touch of vinegar and piloncillo until an intensely flavourful, smoky and moderately spicy preparation is achieved. This homemade version far surpasses shop-bought varieties in depth of flavour. They are used to marinate meats, prepare salsas, enrich stews or simply as an accompaniment for tacos and tortas.

History & Origin

The chipotle is a ripe jalapeno chilli that has been dried and smoked, a preservation technique that Mesoamerican peoples developed thousands of years ago. The word chipotle comes from the Nahuatl chilpoctli: chil (chilli) and poctli (smoke). The Aztecs smoked chillies over mesquite wood for entire days to preserve them and concentrate their flavour. Adobo, on the other hand, is a Spanish heritage that originally referred to a vinegar and spice marinade for preserving meat. The fusion of both traditions created chipotles en adobo, a mestizo condiment combining pre-Hispanic smoking with European spices and techniques. Although today they are sold tinned worldwide, the homemade version allows control over the heat level and intensity of the adobo. Chihuahua and Veracruz produce the finest artisanal chipotles, smoked with selected woods that impart unique nuances. Contemporary chefs consider chipotle in adobo one of the most versatile ingredients in the Mexican larder.

Estimated cost

£6.80

Total cost

£0.85

Per serving

* Approximate prices based on UK supermarkets

Nutritional information per serving

Calories

1.5g

Protein

13g

Carbohydrates

Fat

Fibre

380mg

Sodium

* Approximate values. May vary depending on ingredients used.

Method

1
Soak the chipotle chillies dried in hot water for 20 minutes until it hidraten and ablanden.
💡 If you want less picante, remove the seeds and venas of the chillies before of remojar.
2
Roast the tomatoes, the onion cortada into quarters and the garlic in a sarten dry or comal (flat griddle) over high heat, dandoles vuelta, until they have spots negras on all sides.
3
Licua the tomatoes roasted, the onion and the garlic with a littlel water of remojo of the chillies until you get a sauce homogenea.
4
Strain the sauce in a medium pot and cook over medium heat for 10 minutes, stirring frecuentemente.
💡 Colar the sauce le da a texture mas thin and profesional to the adobo.
5
Anade the chipotle chillies drained, the vinegar, the piloncillo (raw cane sugar) grated, the oregano, the cumin, the pepper and the salt. Mix well.
6
Cook over low heat for 30-35 minutes, restirring occasionally, until the sauce espese and the flavours integren.
💡 La sauce should reducir until tener a consistency thick that covers the back of a spoon.
7
Leave to cool completely and guarda in frascos of cristal esterilizados. Refrigerate until 3 months.
💡 Cover the chillies with a layer of oil before of cerrar the frasco for mejor conservacion.