Creamy homemade vegan Chipotle Lime Dressing might just be your new favorite condiment! Spread it on sandwiches instead of mayonnaise, drizzle on tacos as a sauce, and pour it on salads as a dressing. It makes a great vegetable dip, too! This easy recipe is vegan and gluten-free.
Chipotle Mayonnaise
I’m a big fan of chipotle mayo. There are a few different vegan brands on the market, and I love them all. But, let’s face it – they’re mostly oil. I don’t follow an oil-free diet, but I can’t justify eating that much oil in one sitting.
Homemade Chipotle Lime Dressing
I like to make my own creamy chipotle mayo-like dressing using cashews, lime juice, garlic, and chipotles. As long as you remember to soak your cashews, this dressing comes together almost as quickly as opening a jar of pre-made mayo.
This creamy vegan Chipotle Lime Dressing is cashew-based. While it does contain fat, it’s healthy fat and not empty calories like you’ll find in oil-based mayonnaise. Cashews contain fiber, vitamin E, vitamin K, and vitamin B6, as well as copper, phosphorus, zinc, magnesium, iron, selenium, and other nutrients.
What You Need
- Raw cashews
- Lime juice
- Water
- Garlic
- Can of chipotles in adobo sauce
- Sea salt
See the recipe card for exact amounts.
How to Make Chipotle Lime Dressing
It couldn’t be easier to make this recipe! You just throw all of the ingredients into a blend and mix until it’s smooth! I like to use my Blendtec‘s Twister Jar, which I find works best with cashew-based sauces, to mix this recipe.
Recipe Notes
Make sure your cashews aren't roasted or salted, and you should soak them for a couple of hours before you make the dressing. Some say that it's not necessary to soak your nuts if you have a high speed blender, but I do anyway, to help them blender easier.
The heat can be adjusted in this recipe. If you’re sensitive to heat, cut back on the amount of adobe sauce you use. If you love spiciness, add a little more than the teaspoon I suggest here.
Storing Your Chipotle Lime Dressing
This dressing will last for about a week in the fridge.
It freezes well, so make a double batch and store some in the freezer for the next time you have a hankering for creamy, spicy goodness. It will last in the freezer for up to 6 months. Stir it well after defrosting. It may thicken a little, but you can just stir in a little water until it reaches your desired consistency.
Serving Your Chipotle Lime Dressing
I like to use this Chipotle Lime Dressing on tacos as well as taco salads. It’s great on sandwiches, and it’s a perfect dip for cut veggies.
Creamy Vegan Chipotle Lime Dressing
Ingredients
- ½ cup raw cashews
- 2 ½ tablespoons lime juice
- 3 tablespoons water
- 1 clove garlic
- 1 chipotle from a can of chipotles in adobo sauce
- 1 teaspoon adobo sauce from a can of chipotles in adobo sauce
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
Instructions
- Mix all of the dressing ingredients together in a high-speed blender and mix until smooth. If the mixture seems to thick, add a little more water, a teaspoon at a time. Keep in mind that it will thicken in the refrigerator. If you like super spicy dressing, add more adobo sauce.
Serve Your Chipotle Lime Dressing With:
Other Dressing Recipes You Might Enjoy Include:
Kristie
Sounds amazing, looking forward to trying!
Dianne
Thank you, Kristie!
Alix Markin
This was amazing! I was in a rush so I only soaked the cashews for an hour, but it was delicious despite the small cashew chunks. I will be adding this to my list of vegan salad dressings I make regularly. Thank you!
Dianne
I'm so glad you enjoyed it, Alix!
Dyanna
How long does the chipotle dressing this last in the refrigerator? Its amazing.
Dianne
Hi, Dyanna! I'm glad you're enjoying it! It will last for about a week in the fridge. It freezes really well, so if you don't think you'll finish it, you can freeze it and thaw it out later. It might be a little thick from the freezer - just add a little more water if it is.
Laura
Tasty dressing! Might be the lighting your using but mine came out darker. Thank you for the recipe.
Dianne
I'm so glad you enjoyed it, Laura!
Shannon
I have a lot of roasted cashews - any idea what would happen if I used them instead?
Dianne
You can use them, but they might not blend as easily. They'll change the flavor a bit, too.
Shannon
Thank you! I look forward to trying this.
Dianne
I hope you enjoy it!
Carole
Trying to lighten up Taco Tuesday and this was a great solution. Kept all the veg and beans in my bowl and was able to use this instead of cheese and sour cream. Great flavor! Will use the rest on a salad later in the week.
Dianne
I'm so glad you enjoyed it, Carole!
Joyce
I just saw this today on Facebook. Just need to run to the store for the chipotle peppers. Just wondering how you think it would be using sunflower seeds. I can do either, or both. Thanks. I know we’re going to love it.
Dianne
I've never made it with sunflower seeds, so I don't know how it will turn out, but it's been my experience that they don't blend up as creamy as cashews do.