• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • About
  • Browse Recipes
  • Resources
  • subscribe
  • Navigation Menu: Social Icons

    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • YouTube
Life Currents
Home » Chipotle Vinaigrette Dressing

Chipotle Vinaigrette Dressing

September 18, 2014 by Debi 40 Comments

  • Share
Jump to Recipe

This post may contain affiliate links. If you make a purchase through links on our site, we may earn a commission.

This Chipotle Vinaigrette Dressing packs a spicy kick for your yummy salad! It has a great Mexican flavor that you’ll love!

Chipotle Vinaigrette Dressing | Life Currents

We appreciate your support

Please let me know if you have any questions about this recipe. I read all the comments myself and I try to help as soon as I can. I have readers from all levels of comfort and experience in the kitchen on my site, and I’ve tried to answer some of your questions already in the post. But if I’ve missed anything, please feel free to leave a comment and ask.

Spice level

If you’re worried about the heat level in this Mexican-style vinaigrette dressing, start with 1/2 teaspoon chipotle paste and work your way up to 2 teaspoons. You can always add in heat, but you can never take it out!

Homemade Dressing

I’m happy to say that we don’t rely on bottled salad dressings anymore in our house. We pretty much only eat homemade dressings. My husband would say that his favorite, and the one he always asks for is my Sweet and Soy Dressing. But, recently I’ve been experimenting with some different flavored ones. Like this Chipotle Vinaigrette Dressing. Easy to make, and super flavorful!

I like that I know exactly what’s in my dressings (have you ever read the labels on some bottles of dressings!). I make a batch, and keep it in a little Mason jar in the fridge. That way, whenever I want a salad, I have a yummy homemade dressing at the ready. Oh, just be sure to write on the lid what’s inside the jar! Trust me on this one, you don’t want to mistake teriyaki sauce for Chipotle Vinaigrette Dressing!

Oaxacan Mole Sauce inspiration

I fashioned this Chipotle Vinaigrette Dressing after Oaxacan Mole Sauce. Oh, and since I live in Southern California, Mole Sauce is super common, but in case you aren’t familiar with it, Mole is a Mexican Sauce that combines chiles, cocoa, and nuts. It’s typically thick, red, and flavorful, but there are many variations. My vinaigrette takes the flavors of Mole and turns them into a lovely dressing.

Chipotle Paste

I love keeping this chipotle paste around. I always have some in my freezer so I can use it at a moment’s notice. Just defrost a little in the microwave, and I’m all set.

Kitchen Tip!

One other thing of note, and also a kitchen tip for you, is how I’ve written the recipe.

The dry ingredients are at the top of the recipe, with the liquid ingredients coming afterwards.

I like to measure the dry stuff first so I can use the same set of measuring spoons through the whole recipe. That way, you keep your spoons clean with the dry stuff, the paste comes next because it makes a mess of the spoon, but the liquid stuff is poured in, so no cross contamination of the ingredients in their jars. I try to do this with most recipes.

a jar of dressing with a spoon and some of the dressing is spooned out.

Want to use this dressing on a fun salad?

Try making my Spicy Lentil and Sweet Potato Salad.

salad with grapes on a plate.

Let’s keep in touch

If you like seeing my recipes subscribe via email in the upper right.
Or, connect with me on your favorite social media channel for recipes, photos, & much more:
Pinterest, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and Twitter!
And find my shop on Amazon for recommendations on cool tools

If you try this recipe,
please come back & leave a comment below letting us know how it goes.
Share a picture & tag @lifecurrents on Instagram.
Or you can upload a “tried it” photo (I would love to see)
via the pin.

Chipotle Vinaigrette Dressing Recipe

Chipotle Vinaigrette Dressing

Debi
This Chipotle Vinaigrette packs a spicy kick for your yummy salad! It has a great Mexican flavor that you'll love!
4.75 from 4 votes
Print Recipe Pin Recipe Rate this Recipe
Prevent your screen from going to sleep.
Prep Time 5 minutes mins
Total Time 5 minutes mins
Course Salad, Sauce
Cuisine American, Mexican
Servings 6 servings
Calories 93 kcal

Ingredients
  

  • 1 1/2 teaspoons unsweetened cocoa
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 4 tablespoons red wine vinegar
  • 2 teaspoons chipotle paste
  • 4 tablespoons olive oil
  • 2 teaspoons maple syrup

Instructions
 

  • Combine all ingredients in a jar with a tight-fitting lid. Shake to combine. Store any unused dressing in the fridge.

Nutrition

Calories: 93kcalCarbohydrates: 2gProtein: 1gFat: 9gSaturated Fat: 1gSodium: 32mgPotassium: 19mgFiber: 1gSugar: 1gVitamin A: 4IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 7mgIron: 1mg

Nutritional information is based on third-party calculations, and should be considered estimates. Actual nutritional content will vary based on brands used, measuring methods, portion sizes, and more.

Keyword chipotle, salad dressing, vinaigrette
Tried this recipe?Mention @LifeCurrents or tag #LifeCurrents!
  • Share

Filed Under: Sauces, Condiments, & Preserves Tagged With: chipotle, cocoa powder, cumin, dressing, Food, gluten-free, healthy, maple syrup, Mexican, olive oil, recipe, red wine vinegar, salad, sauce, vegan, vegetarian, vinegar

You May Also Like

square crop of a healthy Asian tuna bowl with chopsticks on the right.
Asian Tuna Bowl
square crop of pink colored beet hummus with slices of lemon garnish in a white bowl with crackers and pita chips around.
Beet Hummus
square crop of cookies piled up on a white plate.
M&M’s Cookies
about debi

ABOUT DEBI

Hello! I’m Debi, the girl behind Life Currents where I write about mainly healthy vegetarian dishes. My husband eats meat, so occasionally I share some of his dishes as well. And, I’ll share tasty treats and projects that we do. Read more...

Previous Post: « Bourbon Fig & Apple Sauce
Next Post: White Bean Gratin Casserole »

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Patty Haxton Anderson

    September 18, 2014 at 10:18 am

    This is cool because it is reminiscent of a Mexican mole with the addition of cocoa! Brilliant.

  2. Masshole Mommy

    September 18, 2014 at 10:24 am

    That sounds ridiculously delicious. I would love to drown my salad in some of that.

  3. KC Kahn the Kitchen Chopper

    September 18, 2014 at 2:59 pm

    I love the “mexican chocolate” thing going on in your chipotle dressing. Pinning and stumbling and probably other sharing as well! 😉 this. You know how I love “stepping away from the bottle”!

  4. Michelle F.

    September 18, 2014 at 3:07 pm

    That looks really good. I just discovered that I love chipotle.

  5. gussiedupcf

    September 18, 2014 at 11:32 pm

    Wow!! That looks so delicious!! I think I will need to try it!!

  6. Stephen S.

    September 19, 2014 at 1:14 am

    Great post. Looks cool and delicious since this is homemade dressing. Can’t wait to create one.

  7. Liz Mays

    September 19, 2014 at 4:20 am

    Now that is a super tasty creation. What a nice change of pace from the regular!

  8. Choclette

    September 19, 2014 at 6:53 am

    A dressing with cocoa, that’s got to be one for me. it sounds delicious. I don’t think it’s ever occurred to me to buy a salad dressing.

  9. Kristin

    September 19, 2014 at 8:38 am

    You had me at Chipotle! I’m always looking for new salad dressing ideas!

  10. Crystal @ Simply Playful Fare

    September 19, 2014 at 10:30 am

    What a great idea! This looks delicious! I LOVE Mole!

  11. Travel Blogger

    September 19, 2014 at 3:12 pm

    Oh this looks good! I’ve never tried to make my own salad dressing before.

  12. Debi Gerhart

    September 19, 2014 at 4:17 pm

    I never thought to make a chipotle vinaigrette before. I have never tried one with chipotle before

  13. katrinagehman

    September 19, 2014 at 4:54 pm

    looks like a great dressing. i will have to try it.

  14. Debra

    September 19, 2014 at 5:08 pm

    I love chipotle! I will have try this!

  15. Alyssa C

    September 19, 2014 at 5:13 pm

    That looks like a delicious dressing! I must try this

  16. wstreetstory

    September 22, 2014 at 1:07 pm

    I need to try this! And I would have never guessed cocoa to be the first ingredient…..but anything with cocoa is fine by me!

  17. Katie

    September 22, 2014 at 1:09 pm

    Yum! Sweet and savory. I wouldn’t have guessed one of the ingredients was cocoa!

  18. sdaigneault2

    September 22, 2014 at 2:01 pm

    I have been looking for a new dressing, thanks for sharing, Sounds good.

  19. lovenerdmaggie

    September 22, 2014 at 3:57 pm

    I wonder if I could get my husband to eat salads if I offered him this! Sounds delicious!

  20. Jodie@Jodies Kitchen

    September 22, 2014 at 5:01 pm

    This sounds fantastic. I like the tip you gave about using the measuring spoons. I also do that.

Newer Comments »
4.75 from 4 votes (4 ratings without comment)

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Primary Sidebar

Hi! I’m Debi, the girl behind Life Currents, where I write about mainly healthy vegetarian dishes with some great desserts and other goodies mixed in! Read More >>>

Most Popular Recipes

square crop of a stack of chocolate chip cookies with one to the right with a bite taken out of it.
a collage of 4 high protein dessert images.
square crop of a slice of blueberry cake with a fork.
square crop looking down into a baking dish filled with pepper jelly topped cheese dip with crackers on the right.
square crop looking down on a small white bowl filled with ranch and surrounded by vegetables and a lemon wedge.
5 puff pastry tarts sprinkled with powdered sugar on a white plate with some lemon tree leaves and flowers around.
a Chocolate Cream Cheese Cupcakes with a bite missing so you can see the filling.
square crop of an image of cakes that are cut into triangles.
a white bowl filled with rice pudding that's topped witha s prinkle of cinnamon and there's a spoon in the pudding.

Footer

SEEN ON

as seen on

This month’s featured recipes: Bourbon Banana Bread, Crab & shallot Frittata, Brown Sugar Oatmeal Lace Cookies, and Flourless Chocolate Pecan Cookies.

Want to tip me? You can Buy Me a Coffee! And thanks!

© 2026 lifecurrentsblog.com. All rights reserved. Find my Privacy Policy Here.

  • Pinterest
  • Facebook
  • Flipboard
  • Mix
  • Threads
  • X
  • Email

Rate This Recipe

Your vote:




A rating is required
A name is required
An email is required

Recipe Ratings without Comment

Something went wrong. Please try again.