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A jar of homemade adobo sauce with a spoon resting inside and garlic cloves and dried chipotles on the side.
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4.88 / 8 votes

Adobo Sauce

Adobo sauce is best known for being the sweetly earthy sauce that bathes canned chipotle peppers. It's an authentic and ridiculously versatile Mexican staple that's easy to DIY. Here's how to make it at home.
Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time15 minutes
Total Time30 minutes
Course: Condiments
Cuisine: Mexican
Servings: 20 tablespoons | 1 1/4 cups
Calories: 19

Ingredients

  • Scant 1/2 cup (2 oz) ancho chile powder*
  • 1 1/4 cups water
  • 8 garlic cloves, peeled
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon, preferably Mexican canela
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
  • 1/8 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano, preferably Mexican
  • 3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
US - Metric

Instructions

  • Scoop the chile powder into a blender or small food processor. In a medium saucepan, bring the water to a boil. Pour the hot water over the chile powder, loosely cover the blender or secure the top of the processor, and pulse to create a smooth slurry. Let cool.
  • If you prefer a straightforward and quick adobo, toss the peeled garlic cloves in a microwavable bowl, add enough water to cover, and microwave on 100% for 1 minute. Drain.
    If you prefer a sweeter, toastier flavor to your adobo, toss the garlic cloves, still in their papery skins, in a dry skillet and place over medium heat, turning them regularly until they turn soft and blotchy black, about 15 minutes. Let cool and then remove and discard the papery skins.
  • Toss the garlic in the blender along with the cinnamon, pepper, cumin, oregano, vinegar, and salt and process until a smooth purée forms. If necessary, stir in some water, a splash at a time, until the adobo is the consistency of barbecue sauce.
  • Scoop the adobo into a pint jar, screw on the lid, and store in the refrigerator for up to a couple months.

Notes

  1. Storage--The sauce can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 months or frozen for up to 6 months. If you're freezing the sauce, divvy it into smaller portions so that you can thaw only what you need for a recipe. Ice cube trays work well for this.
  2. Dietary--This recipe is suitable for vegan, gluten-free, and dairy-free diets.

Nutrition

Serving: 1portion | Calories: 19kcal | Carbohydrates: 3g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 0.1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 0.2g | Sodium: 273mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 0.5g