When it comes to condiments, I am a bit of a purist. I like to make my own mayonnaise and ketchup, as well as sauces like Nashville Hot Sauce (so good on chicken!). And it doesn’t stop at chipotle ketchup.
There’s nothing that compares to freshly made ingredients that either stand-alone or are incorporated into other recipes.
Why This is the Best Chipotle Ketchup Recipe
From elevating meatloaf, chili, and eggs to transforming your potatoes and grilled cheese, this sauce could become your next regular recipe in your repertoire. If you like spicy sauces, this will satiate your appetite and make you the star at the next cookout or just in your own kitchen.
- No extra ingredients – The main incentive to making your own ketchup is that there are no ingredients like high fructose corn syrup or unnecessary preservatives. When you make it, you know everything going into it.
- Make it your own – This recipe is simple because it only requires three ingredients. However, it’s super easy to doctor up with a clove garlic here or a teaspoon ground cumin there to take it to the next level.
- No cook – No need to worry about a simmer or boil step, simply stir and you have the perfect smoky ketchup to use on fried chicken, burritos or whatever you can think of.
Chipotle Ketchup Sauce
Spicy ketchup with chipotles is one of those applause-worthy condiments that takes an ordinary ingredient and elevates it with such little work. Just a little adobo here, and some chipotles too, and all of a sudden you have a standard turned stage-worthy with the wee help of a processor or mixer.
What is Chipotle Ketchup?
Ketchup on its own can be a little lackluster. The sweet tomato with just a touch of vinegar isn’t always very interesting outside of garnering the attention of the littles.
Chipotle ketchup brings a mix of tangy sweetness to the table. The puree of the chipotle peppers and adobo sauce with the ketchup creates a marriage of flavors that can kick up the heat on any dish you might typically make with ketchup.
You can get spicy ketchups at the store or make one from just hot sauce and chili powder, but making your own is so easy and even more satisfying.
You can control the spice and make all the variations you need to fit your recipe! There’s really no reason to buy it when it’s so simple to make at home.
Ingredients
This recipe really just elevates traditional ketchup. So you only need three simple ingredients!
- Ketchup– when it comes to ketchup, you can choose your favorite brand. Whether it’s Heinz, French’s, Del Monte, a store bought brand, or the somewhat newly available Whataburger brand, any will work well in this recipe. If you want to really bring your freshness game, make your own homemade ketchup.
- Chipotle peppers– while you could use canned or jarred chipotle peppers if they’re available at your store, I prefer the flavor of fresh peppers. When you’re looking for quality chipotle peppers, make sure to find those that are whole and somewhat tough but with a bit of flexibility as well. You’ll like have extra, so I encourage you to whip them in our creamy chipotle sauce recipe.
- Adobo sauce– made from dried chile peppers, this sauce is thick and velvety and adds an earthiness to any dish.
How to Make Chipotle Ketchup
Making this homemade chipotle ketchup is as easy as one, two, three!
- Add ingredients to food processor. Add the ketchup, chipotle peppers, and adobo sauce to the bowl of a small food processor.
- Blend until smooth. Blend the ingredients until completely combined.
- Enjoy! Serve or store immediately.
How To Use Chipotle Ketchup
The possibilities are endless for how you can use this spicy ketchup. Of course you can dip your french fries or sweet potato fries in it or use it to top a burger or hot dog. But what else can you do with the spicy concoction?
First off, you can start your day right by smothering some scrambled (or fried) eggs with it, or use it as a dipping sauce for your home fries, hash browns, or twice baked breakfast potatoes. You can also pack a flavor punch in your morning breakfast burrito.
At lunchtime, sub out your tomato soup for this sauce as a dip for grilled cheese (or you can make a great grilled cheese stick appetizer, too, once again subbing the soup for the sauce).
Speaking of appetizers, chipotle ketchup is also a perfect dip for potato skins or a blooming onion. Any kind of fritters, like corn, cauliflower, or squash are delectable dipped in this, and soft pretzels are delightful, too.
Any recipe that you might make that calls for ketchup can be elevated with the spiciness of this rendition. Think: stuffed meatloaf. And don’t sleep on adding it to a simple chili for game day.
Variations
There are plenty of ways you can make this spicy chipotle ketchup your own.
- Mayo– make another spicy dipping sauce by combining chipotle ketchup with mayonnaise. You can use your favorite store bought brand of mayo or you can make your own super easy blender mayonnaise.
- Other spicy ingredients- if you can never get enough heat, you can kick it up by adding other peppers like a jalapeño pepper (check out this Scoville scale for some ideas) black pepper, or even chipotle paste.
- Jalapeño juice– to add a little tang and heat, add just a bit of juice from a jar of sliced jalapeños.
- Herbs and spices– experiment with this ketchup by adding other herbs and spices that you enjoy like garlic, onion powder, a teaspoon ground cinnamon, or even smoked paprika.
- Sweeten it up– if you need a sweet sauce, try adding a bit of honey or brown sugar for a fantastic sweet/spicy combination of flavors.
- Smoky chipotle ketchup – To take the smoky factor up a notch, try adding a little liquid smoke.
Storage and Freezing
You can easily store or freeze any leftover chipotle ketchup.
How to Store Chipotle Ketchup
Store any leftover chipotle ketchup in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a week.
Can I Freeze Chipotle Ketchup?
I would recommend freezing this ketchup in small amounts. Using an ice cube tray is a great hack for this. That way you can thaw a little at a time.
More Dipping Sauces
There’s nothing that elevates a meal quite like a good dipping sauce. Here are some of our favorites.
Spicy Aioli Recipe
Beer BBQ Sauce Recipe
Birria Consome (Birria Sauce)
Chipotle Ketchup Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup ketchup
- 2 chipotle peppers
- 1 tablespoon adobo sauce
Instructions
- Place the ketchup, chipotle peppers and adobo sauce in a small food processor and blend until fairly smooth. Mixture might not be totally smooth and that is fine.
- If you’ve tried this recipe, come back and let us know how it was in the comments or star ratings.
Nutrition
So easy yet so delicious! Perfect summertime dip…this will be great for all our barbecues and cookouts. Love it!
My family is going to love this! Thank you for this amazing recipe.
We love this spicy ketchup! So easy and perfect on fries or a burger. Yummy recipe!
This Chipotle Ketchup is a tasty upgrade to regular ol’ ketchup! We love it on burgers.
Yum! My two favorite sauces combined. It’s got a bit of heat and sweetness. Perfect!