Description
Chipotles in Adobo Sauce are dried, smoked jalapeños simmered in a rich, tangy, and slightly sweet tomato-vinegar sauce with garlic and spices. This homemade version is deeply flavorful and perfect for adding smoky heat to chili, marinades, tacos, or sauces. With proper pressure canning, you can preserve chipotles in adobo for pantry storage all year round.
Ingredients
Scale
- 3 oz dried chipotle chiles (about 15–20 pods)
- 1/2 cup onion, finely chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 1/2 cups tomato puree
- 1 cup apple cider vinegar (5% acidity)
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon oregano (Mexican oregano preferred)
- 1 cup water (or more as needed)
Instructions
- Rinse the dried chipotle chiles to remove any dust or debris. Remove stems. Place them in a bowl and cover with hot water. Soak for 20–30 minutes until softened. Reserve the soaking liquid.
- In a saucepan over medium heat, sauté the chopped onion and garlic in olive oil until soft and fragrant (about 3–4 minutes).
- Add the tomato puree, apple cider vinegar, brown sugar, salt, cumin, oregano, and 1 cup of water. Stir to combine.
- Add the softened chipotles and about 1/4 to 1/2 cup of their soaking liquid. Simmer gently over low heat for 1 hour, stirring occasionally. Add more water as needed to maintain a thick but saucy consistency.
- Once the sauce is thickened and flavors melded, ladle the chipotles and sauce into sterilized half-pint or pint jars, leaving 1 inch of headspace.
- Process the jars in a pressure canner at 10 pounds pressure (adjust for altitude if needed) for 35 minutes (half-pints and pints).
- Let the pressure canner return to zero pressure naturally before removing the jars. Allow jars to cool undisturbed for 12–24 hours. Check seals, label, and store in a cool, dark place.
Notes
- This recipe must be pressure canned due to the low acidity of peppers. Do not attempt water bath canning.
- Use proper canning safety procedures, including sterilizing jars and using fresh lids.
- For a milder version, remove seeds from the chipotles after soaking.
- Use within 12 months for best quality. Refrigerate after opening.
- The adobo sauce can also be made and frozen in small containers instead of canning.
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hour
- Category: Preserves, Condiment
- Method: Simmering, Pressure Canning
- Cuisine: Mexican
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 tablespoon
- Calories: 15
- Sugar: 2g
- Sodium: 75mg
- Fat: 0.5g
- Saturated Fat: 0g
- Unsaturated Fat: 0.5g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 3g
- Fiber: 0.5g
- Protein: 0g
- Cholesterol: 0mg