Quick Red Adobo Sauce Recipe - Zestful Kitchen

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This quick and easy homemade adobo sauce recipe is silky smooth, slightly spicy and incredibly versatile. I like to whip up a batch and keep it in my fridge for quick dinners anytime including tacos, enchiladas, soups and more.

I especially love to use this homemade adobo sauce to make my Chicken Barbacoa. It’s made by slathering a whole chicken with this smoky adobo sauce then slowly roasting/braising it in the oven for a couple of hours. And since the chicken takes a while to cook, I wanted to develop an adobo recipe that had incredible depth of flavor but didn’t add to the overall cook time of the barbacoa.

Dried ancho, guajillo and/or pasilla chiles are traditionally used to make this sauce. However, I’ve found many American home cooks find dried chiles to be intimidating.

So for a quick, easy and less intimidating method, I use dried ancho chili powder instead of whole chiles. The chili powder cuts out the process of toasting and rehydrating the dried chiles while still delivering bold flavor.

It’s important to use dried ancho chili powder as it’s just that—dried and powdered ancho chiles. No added spices or seasonings (which are found in regular chili powder).

You can find ancho chili powder in the spice aisle of most grocery stores. It can also be found at Mexican markets, specialty spice stores and online.

Once hydrated and blended with traditional adobo sauce ingredients, the dried powder takes on a lovely velvety texture.

What is Adobo Sauce?

Adobo sauce is a dark red chile sauce made from ground dried chiles, dried herbs and vinegar. It’s earthy, spicy and bold in flavor.

Adobo sauce is used as a condiment as well as a marinade in Mexican and Spanish cuisine.

You likely know and have experienced adobo sauce through canned chipotle peppers in adobo. I love them and use them regularly to make my Vegetarian Chili and Smoky Tempeh Tacos.

As delicious as the canned product is, homemade adobo sauce just can’t be beat (especially when it’s this easy).

Ingredient Notes

Here are a few important notes to consider when making this recipe. The full ingredient list, with measurements can be found in the recipe card below.

• Ancho Chile Powder: Make sure you seek out ancho chili powder. Not Regular chili powder. Look for it in the spice aisle, or order online.
• Garlic: Fresh cloves of garlic are essential for this recipe! You’ll need 8 cloves, so grab a whole head of garlic.
• Vinegar: Every great adobo sauce is a bit tangy—you can use apple cider vinegar or distilled white vinegar.
• Dried Herbs and Spices: You’ll need dried Mexican oregano (though marjoram is a good substitute and regular oregano can be using in a pinch). You will also need ground cumin, ground cinnamon, black pepper and kosher salt.

How to Make Adobo Sauce

Here is a brief rundown of how to make the recipe (the full recipe can be found in the recipe card below).

1. Add water and garlic cloves to a small saucepan and bring to a boil.

TIP: Using ancho chili powder instead of dried whole chiles cuts down on the total cook time of this recipe by quite a bit.

2. Add ancho chili powder, vinegar, salt, oregano, cumin, cinnamon and black pepper to a blender.
3. Add water and garlic to a blender.
4. Blend until smooth.

How to Use Adobo Sauce

This easy adobo sauce is incredibly versatile and can be used in an array of recipes.

• Chicken Barbacoa—I LOVE this recipe. Perfect for tacos, rice bowls, nachos, etc.
• Swap out the shredded Mexican beef in favor of shredded chicken toss with adobo sauce to make these enchiladas.
• Carne Adovada, such a special recipe! Chunks of pork slowly braised in a thick chile sauce.
• Toss it with some shredded chicken or pork and use as taco or burrito filling.
• Stir a spoonful into Albóndigas Soup or Mexican Chicken Soup.
• Use as a marinade for fish, shrimp, chicken and pork. It’s also great brushed over different cuts of steak before or after grilling.
• Mix with ground pork to make homemade chorizo sausage.
• Mix with olive oil, lime juice and a splash of honey for a simple vinaigrette.
• Stir a spoonful into rice as it cooks.
• Drizzled over crispy potatoes.

Storage Tips

• Store homemade adobo sauce in a glass, airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 months.
• To make the adobo sauce last even longer, freeze sauce in ice cube trays until solid then transfer to a large zipper-lock bag. Homemade adobo sauce will last up to 6 months in the freezer.

FAQs

What is Mexican Oregano?

Mexican oregano has a very different flavor than mediterranean oregano. “Regular” or mediterranean oregano has a slight minty undertone whereas Mexican oregano is more earthy and cirtusy. Marjoram is a closer substitute for Mexican oregano than “regular” oregano is.I get Mexican oregano at my local Mexican market, but you can also find it on Amazon. Then again, if all you have is “regular” oregano, go ahead and use that. It certainly won’t make or break this recipe.

Do I have to use ancho chili powder?

You can absolutely use whole dried ancho chiles instead of ancho chili powder for this homemade adobo sauce. Instead of the powder, use 4 medium to large dried ancho chiles. Remove their stems and seeds then transfer to a dry skillet. Toast the chiles over medium heat until slightly softened, pliable and very aromatic.Transfer the toasted chiles to a cutting board and let rest until they’re cool enough to handle. Tear chiles into 1-inch pieces and transfer to the blender with spices, vinegar, hot water and garlic. Blend the sauce as directed in the recipe.

Quick Adobo Sauce

RATE Print Recipe Favorite Pin 4.34 from 12 votes Prep Time 5 minutes minsCook Time 5 minutes minsTotal Time 10 minutes minsYield 1 ⅓ cups Category Sauce/DipCuisine MexicanAuthor Lauren Grant

Description

Smoky, spicy and earthy, homemade adobo sauce is a must-have condiment and sauce for homemade Mexican cuisine. 

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Ingredients

• ▢ 8 large cloves garlic
• ▢ ½ cup ancho chile powder
• ▢ 3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar or distilled white vinegar
• ▢ 1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt
• ▢ 1 teaspoon dried Mexican oregano, marjoram or regular oregano
• ▢ ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ▢ ½ teaspoon ground cumin
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper

Instructions

• Add garlic and 1 ¼ cups water to a small saucepan; bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Meanwhile, add ancho chile powder, vinegar, salt, oregano, cinnamon, cumin and black pepper to a high-powered blender or food processor.
• Add hot water and garlic to blender, secure lid and blend on high until completely smooth, about 1 minute. 

Equipment

blender

Notes

Adobo sauce will last a couple of months stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

Nutrition

View Nutrition Info Serving: 1tablespoonCalories: 2kcalCarbohydrates: 0.5gSodium: 175mg Like this? Leave a comment below!I love hearing from you and I want to hear how it went with this recipe! Leave a comment and rating below, then share on social media @zestfulkitchen and #zestfulkitchen!

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This post was most recently updated on January 14th to be more streamlined, clear and concise.

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