Copycat Chipotle Honey Vinaigrette Recipe (Made In Less Than 5 Minutes)

This copycat Chipotle honey vinaigrette recipe is loaded with flavor. It combines olive oil, vinegar, honey, savory adobo sauce, and the perfect balance of spices to make a richly flavorful salad dressing that tastes exactly like the one from the restaurant. Oh, and best of all, this easy honey vinaigrette salad dressing recipe comes together in just 1 minute!

The Best Chipotle Honey Vinaigrette

You guys know I'm a bit obsessed with Chipotle Mexican Grill at the moment, and I have to say their honey vinaigrette may very well be one of my all-time favorite salad dressings.

I mean, it's hard to beat a simple salad dressing that's perfectly balanced with sweet honey, savory adobo, and tangy vinegar. And I just love how it pairs perfectly with basically any kind of salad.

So, since I've been doing a bunch of copycat Chipotle recipes lately, you know I had to make their famous small batch honey vinaigrette dressing.  And, well, I know I'm a bit biased, but I really do think this homemade version turned out perfectly! It just has the same delicious balance of sweet, smokey, and savory flavors that the actual one from the restaurant has, and it couldn't be easier to make at home.

Seriously, from start to finish, this easy salad dressing recipe takes less than 5 minutes! To make it, you basically just add all the ingredients to a jar and shake it up. Yup, it's that easy!

Oh, by the way, if you're looking for a really tasty salad to drizzle this honey vinaigrette dressing all over, this Southwest chicken salad is always a great choice.  

Ingredients

One of my favorite things about this copycat Chipotle honey vinaigrette recipe is that it's made entirely with kitchen/pantry staples. In fact, I'm willing to bet you have most - if not all - of the ingredients you'll need to make it on hand already!

Anyway, here's everything you'll need to make the dressing:

• ¾ cup olive oil or rice bran oil
• ¼ cup red wine vinegar
• 2 tbsp honey
• ½ tbsp adobo sauce
• ½ tbsp water
• ½ tsp garlic powder
• ½ tsp cumin powder
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• Salt and pepper, to taste

Pretty simple stuff, eh?

By the way, you can use a lot of these same ingredients to make these candied carrots, this honey walnut shrimp recipe, and this honey sesame chicken recipe. So, if you've got some of them left over after making this salad dressing, consider putting them to good use and making one of those recipes next.

Ingredient Substitutions And Suggestions

Now, I always make this Chipotle honey vinaigrette recipe with the ingredients listed above because I think it tastes most like the restaurants that way. However, you can definitely tweak this recipe to make it your own.

So, with that said, I'll go over a few recommendations below.

Experiment With Add Ons

This Chipotle vinaigrette recipe tastes just like the real deal, but if you want to add additional flavors to it, then I recommend adding some chopped-up chipotle peppers, spicy chili peppers, or a little squeeze of fresh lime juice. Also, if you want a spicy flavor to the vinaigrette, you can just replace the honey with hot honey.

Swap The Oil

If you are running low on olive oil - or rice bran oil - then you can really use any neutral-flavored oil you want. I've tried this recipe with avocado oil and grapeseed oil, and both times it turned out really good.

Serve Over Roasted Veggies

As for serving the dressing, you can honestly use this Chipotle vinaigrette on anything you want, and it's sure to taste delicious. With that said though, one of my favorite ways to use this salad dressing is to drizzle it over roasted veggies. I've tried roasted sweet potatoes, roasted zucchini, and even roasted red peppers, and it always makes the veggies turn out so, so delicious. Plus, all of those roasted veggies would make a great addition to any salad - or burrito bowl - you're making.

How To Make Chipotle Honey Vinaigrette

Now it's time to make this copycat Chipotle honey vinaigrette recipe!

And, as I mentioned, it really couldn't be any easier to make.

Anyway, let's stop wasting time and make this dressing, shall we?!

Step 1: Combine Dressing Ingredients

First things first, you'll want to take out a large jar that you can seal with a lid. I usually use a mason jar, but an airtight container will work just as well. 

Next, add the olive oil, red wine vinegar, honey, adobo sauce, water, and all of the spices to the jar - or container - and seal it with the lid. Just make sure that the lid is tightly secured, then, from there, you can shake it up until it combines with all of the dressing ingredients. 

By the way, if you want, you can also use a food processor to mix the ingredients. Just combine all ingredients in the food processor except the oil. Then, while the motor is running on its lowest setting, drizzle the olive oil in and mix until it has emulsified.

Step 2: Serve

Once your Chipotle vinaigrette is fully emulsified, you can serve it with your favorite salad, salad bowl, burrito bowl, or anything else that you want!

Oh, and if you're not planning to use the dressing right away, then you can store it in the fridge, but remember to give it another good shake before serving.

Enjoy.

How To Store Chipotle Honey Vinaigrette

This copycat recipe for Chipotles honey vinaigrette makes about 8 servings, with 2 tablespoons being a serving. So, it should be plenty for a big family dinner or to have on hand for the week. Also, since it takes just a few minutes to make, you could easily whip up a second batch in no time at all if needed.

Now, if you do happen to end up with some leftover dressing, you can just store it in the fridge in the same mason jar - or airtight container - you made it in. Stored this way, your leftover dressing should last up to 2 weeks. Just make sure to give it a good shake before you use the dressing since it will separate in the fridge. 

Wrapping It Up

Well, that's how to make the ever-famous Chipotle vinaigrette dressing from scratch! 

Honestly, I really think this recipe is just as good - dare I say better - than Chipotle's version. I don't know if it's the balance of flavors or the fact that it comes together in just a couple of minutes, I just know this is an all-time favorite salad dressing in the Cunningham household.

Anyway, I hope you enjoy this copycat Chipotle vinaigrette dressing as much as I/we do.

As always, if you give it a try, leave a comment below and let us know how it went!

More Chipotle Copycat Recipes

If you're looking for even more easy copycat Chipotle recipes that are just as delicious as this Chipotle vinaigrette, then we've got you covered!

Here are some reader favorites:

• Chipotle barbacoa
• Chipotle chicken
• Chipotle steak
• Chipotle carnitas
• Chipotle guac

Also, don't forget to check out our Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok pages for even more tasty tastiness. We post new recipes on them every single day.

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