Adjust with salt and sugar to taste, and with a bit more water until you achieve your desired consistency. Strain if you’d like a thinner sauce, or use as-is. Those are very common and easy to find at your local grocery store, but have you ever thought about making the sauce at home yourself? Homemade adobo sauce is big on flavor and it’s quite easy to make at home. I like to keep some of it in my refrigerator for making all sorts of Mexican recipes or for quick and easy flavor building. I highly recommend making it yourself, as it will allow you to adjust the recipe to your personal tastes with different ingredients, which I discuss in the recipe tips and notes section. See below. It offers a smoky and slightly sweet flavor, with a spicy kick from the chilies, and quite versatile. You will find different variations of adobo sauce, depending on the region of Mexico and the personal preference of the cook. This is how I like to make mine. Let’s talk about how to make adobo sauce, shall we? Heat a large pan to medium heat and dry toast the dried peppers a couple minutes per side. They will become more pliable and slightly puff up. When you dry toast them in a skillet over medium heat or medium-high heat, it helps to release the oils from the pods for more flavor. Place the dried chiles in a large bowl and cover with very hot or boiling water. Soak them for 15 minutes, or until they become very soft and rehydrate. They could take 20 minutes to 30 minutes to get very soft. Transfer the softened peppers to a food processor, but reserve the soaking liquid. Add the tomato paste, cinnamon, cumin, oregano, sugar and salt. Cook for 1 minute, stirring, then stir in 1/2 cup water. Reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes. Makes about 6 cups of adobo sauce. Store in the refrigerator in an airtight container. It should last about a month this way. Boom! All set! Adobo sauce is pretty easy to make, isn’t it? I love this sauce. I keep versions of this in the refrigerator most times through the year so I can easily whip up flavorful recipes in a snap. So great to have around. Together they are a flavor combination power house. You can use other peppers, such as the chile de arbol for more heat or pasilla peppers, which are hugely popular for making moles and adobo sauces, or chipotle peppers for an extra smoky flavor. Guajillo peppers are the dried form of the mirasol pepper, which offer a sweet flavor and mild-medium heat. Ancho peppers are the dried form of the poblano pepper, offering a mild paprika flavor, with sweet to moderate heat. You can also use it to preserve chipotle chiles, which are smoked, dried jalapeno peppers. It’s just like making your own chipotles in adobo sauce. Big flavor! Use it to season meats for dishes like Carne Adovada, beef barbacoa, or use it as a sauce for dishes like chilaquiles rojos. There are so many ways to use adobo sauce! See my Mexican Recipes for even more ideas. That’s it, my friends. I hope you enjoy your new homemade adobo sauce. Such a great recipe. Let me know how you wind up using it. Feel free to spice it up! I like to freeze it in small batches in ice cube trays so I can use it anytime I’d like. This recipe is great for making Beef Barbacoa. Got any questions? Ask away! I’m happy to help. If you enjoy this recipe, I hope you’ll leave a comment with some STARS. Also, please share it on social media. Don’t forget to tag us at #ChiliPepperMadness. I’ll be sure to share! Thanks! — Mike H. NOTE: This recipe was updated on 5/15/23 to include new information, photos, and video, It was originally published on 1/24/20.
title: “Adobo Sauce” ShowToc: true date: “2024-11-09” author: “James Finger”
Sauces are the best way to add flavor to any dish! Try this adobo sauce, chipotle sauce, guacamole, avocado crema, roasted red pepper sauce, barbecue sauce, tzatziki and chimichurri.
HOW TO MAKE adobo sauce recipe VIDEo
Adobo Sauce Recipe Ingredients
The ingredients for this adobo sauce recipe may look a little intimidating at first glance, but that’s just because it’s packed with flavorful spices. If you don’t usually cook with whole spices or keep them stocked, you may substitute with ground instead. Let’s take a closer look at what you’ll need (full measurements in the recipe card at the bottom of the post):
The Whole Spices
The Sauce
In addition to the whole spices, the adobo sauce is made with whole ground chilies, onions, garlic, tomatoes and apple cider vinegar for its signature tanginess. I’ve provided more information on the dried chiles further down this post, but here’s an overview of these ingredients:
HOW TO MAKE adobo sauce
This is a very easy adobo sauce recipe and hard to mess up! Although there are a few extra steps you may not have tried before (like toasting the spices and using whole chilies), it’s SO worth the extra 5 minutes to use whole ingredients.
Step 1: Remove the Seeds from the Chiles
The seeds need to be removed from the chilies before using because the seeds contain most of the heat – if you leave them in, your mouth will be on fire and the adobo sauce will be inedible. The easiest way to remove the seeds is to cut the tops off of the chilies with kitchen shears. Next, cut the chilies along one edge and open them like a book to expose the seeds inside. Scrape out all of the seeds. Next, toast the chilies in a dry skillet for just a few minutes. Set aside until ready to use.
Step 2: Toast the Whole Spices
Dry toast the whole spices over medium heat until super fragrant. You can do this any time before making the recipe. Set aside until ready to use.
Step 3: Sauté the Aromatics
Heat some oil a large saucepan or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the onions and sauté until softened, then add the garlic and sauté for one minute. You’ll notice my onions are deeply golden because I sautéed them in the same pot I browned my chicken in. This adds additional complexity of flavor.
Step 4: Stew the Chilies
Add the toasted spices, deseeded chilies, tomatoes, apple cider vinegar, dried oregano, smoked paprika, dried thyme and bay leaves. Add 3 cups of the water or broth. Bring to a simmer for 10-15 minutes, until the peppers are very soft, stirring occasionally.
Step 5: Blend the sauce
Transfer the mixture to a high-powered blender and puree until smooth.
Want to make it spicier? Add an additional 1 chili de arbol for super spicy adobo sauce. Want to make it tangier? Add up to 2 tablespoons additional apple cider vinegar ½ tablespoon at a time. Want to make it thinner? Add additional water or broth until it reaches your desired consistency. Want to make it more flavorful? This adobo sauce recipe is plenty flavorful so if your sauce tastes like it’s missing something, it’s probably heat or salt. Add cayenne or salt to taste. Want to mix up the flavors? Use a different ratio of chiles. Try increasing the chilies de arbol and reducing the guajillo chilies for a shift in flavor.
Chicken Adobado (Mexican Chicken Adobo): Season 3 pounds bone-in chicken thighs with 1 teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon pepper. Sear the chicken then pour the sauce over top. Cover, and bake at 350 degrees for 25-35 minutes or until cooked to 175 degrees F. You can enjoy the chicken with rice or shred and use in tacos, burritos, quesadillas, flautas, etc. outlined below. Beef Adovada: Cut 3 pounds boneless chuck roast into 4-inch pieces then season with 2 teaspoons kosher salt and ½ teaspoon pepper. Sear the beef on all sides then pour the sauce over top along with 3 cups beef broth. Cover and bake at 300 degrees for 3 hours or until fall apart tender. Shred the beef and use it in tacos, burritos, etc. Stew: Serve shredded adobado chicken or beef adovada as a stew with rice and warmed tortillas on the side with chopped onions, cilantro and freshly squeezed lime. Mexican Inspired Soups: Add spicy adobo sauce to any of your favorite soups like Crockpot Chili, Chile Colorado, Taco Soup, Chicken Enchilada Soup, Chicken Tortilla Soup, Pozole, etc. for an instant punch of flavor. Adobo Enchiladas: Use it in chicken or beef enchiladas, or enchilada casserole instead of your favorite enchiladas sauce. Enchilada Sauce Substitute: Swap it for enchilada sauce in any recipe such as Beef Barbacoa, Chipotle Pork, Fajita Pasta, Taco Pasta, Mexican Chicken and Rice, etc. Dressings: Mix some smoky adobo sauce into your favorite dressing like cilantro ranch or simply with some mayonnaise and sour cream to create a dressing or sauce. Crema: Stir a couple tablespoons into Greek yogurt, sour cream and/or mayonnaise (or even guacamole!) to create a subtly smoky crema for veggies, fries, pita bread, taquitos, flautas, fries, grilled chicken, grilled shrimp, pork, etc. or to drizzle over tacos, fajitas, burritos, etc. Spread: Stir a couple tablespoons into mayonnaise to create a spread for sandwiches, burgers, wraps, paninis, etc. Rice: Stir some spicy adobo sauce into plain rice or rice with shrimp, chicken or beef. Beans: Stir some smoky adobo sauces into beans for a meaty, smoky, earthy depth. Marinade: Mix some adobo sauce with olive oil and use as a marinade for chicken, beef or pork. Breakfast foods: Drizzle it over chorizo eggs, chilaquiles, breakfast tacos, breakfast taquitos, breakfast enchiladas, huevos rancheros, migas, etc., or spice up traditional breakfast foods like scrambled eggs, omelettes, frittatas, quiche, etc. Chicken or Beef Birria Tacos: Adobo Sauce is the sauce used in both chicken and beef birria tacos! Stew the meat in the sauce until fall apart tender, then remove and shred. To make the tacos, heat 1 tablespoon vegetable oil in a nonstick skillet or cast-iron skillet over medium heat. Working with one tortilla at a time, dip it into the top of the sauce and cook for 1-2 minutes until the bottom is golden. Flip the tortilla over and immediately cover the entire surface with shredded Oaxaca cheese. Cover, and cook until the cheese is mostly melted. Uncover and top half of the cheese with shredded meat. Cook until the bottom is lightly charred then fold the tortilla over in half to form a taco. See my Beef Birria Tacos for exactly how to make them. Adobo Quesadillas: Layer a burrito size tortilla with cheese and chicken adobado or beef adovada and grill until golden, cheesy perfection. Top with guacamole, sour cream, chopped lettuce, hot sauce, etc. Flautas or Taquitos: Roll shredded chicken adobado or beef adovada in corn (taquitos) or flour (flautas) tortillas along with cheese and beans if desired. To pan fry, heat 1 cup vegetable oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until 325 degrees F. Once hot, add 2-4 flautas/taquitos seam side down in oil. Fry, turning as needed until golden brown on all sides, 3 to 4 minutes, adjusting burner as necessary to maintain oil temperature so they don’t fry too quickly. To bake, place taquitos/flautas on a wire rack placed on a baking sheet sprayed with nonstick cooking spray. Brush the taquitos/flautas with olive oil and bake for 15-20 minutes or until golden. Broil for extra crispiness.
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