1-First Step: Gather and Measure Your Ingredients Before you begin, assemble all your ingredients on the counter. Open your can of chipotles in adobo sauce carefully the sauce can splatter. Using a fork, remove three whole chipotle peppers and transfer them to your food processor. Be sure to scoop along with them some of the thick, dark adobo sauce from the can this is where much of the concentrated smoky flavor lives. Measure out your ½ cup of full-fat sour cream and ¼ cup mayonnaise, adding both to the processor bowl.

2-Second Step: Add the Seasonings Measure out your ½ teaspoon of vinegar and pour it over the creamy base ingredients. If you prefer using citric acid powder as an alternative, use approximately ¼ teaspoon and dissolve it in a teaspoon of water first. Add the ½ teaspoon of onion powder and ½ teaspoon of garlic powder directly into the mixture. These dried seasonings blend more smoothly than fresh alternatives and distribute their flavor evenly throughout the sauce.

3-Third Step: Blend Until Smooth Secure the lid on your food processor and blend for 30 to 45 seconds. You want the mixture to become completely smooth with no visible chunks of chipotle remaining. Stop halfway through to scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula to ensure everything incorporates evenly. The finished sauce should have a pale orange-pink color with a uniform, creamy consistency.

4-Fourth Step: Taste and Adjust After blending, give your sauce a taste test. If you’re a heat enthusiast, consider adding a tiny pinch of cayenne powder less than ⅛ teaspoon to kick up the spice level. Remember that the sauce will develop more flavor as it sits in the refrigerator, so don’t overdo the seasonings. If the sauce tastes too acidic, add a tiny bit more sour cream to balance it out.

5-Final Step: Serve or Store Transfer your finished sauce to a serving bowl if using immediately, or spoon it into an airtight container for storage. This sauce pairs beautifully with sandwiches, wraps, vegetables, or chips. For a complete meal idea, try drizzling it over your favorite proteins or using it as a dipping sauce for roasted vegetables.