Mexican adobo sauce is an all-purpose marinade made from dried chiles, spices, and vinegar. It's full of rich, spicy, tangy, and smoky flavors. Time to elevate all of your favorite dishes by adding this staple sauce to your arsenal!
Table of Contents
📖 About
If you're looking for a true jack-of-all-trades marinade, adobo should be at the top of your list. From seasoning jackfruit and tofu to chickpeas and beans, you'll be wondering how it took you so long to make a homemade version.
What is Mexican adobo sauce?
Adobo is a cooking method of marinating or stewing meat or fish in a brine mixture of vinegar, spices, and sometimes soy sauce.
The word adobo actually comes from the Spanish verb "adobar," which means "to marinate."
In Mexico, adobo is a sauce made from a mixture of chiles, spices, and vinegar. It's a spicy, smoky, and tangy masterpiece!
The most popular adobo preparation you're probably familiar with is chipotle peppers in adobo. But as we mentioned, it's also very common to serve as a marinade on different meats.
With so many variations of adobo that span across the globe, there isn't really one "right" way of making it. The only thing that should be included is vinegar!
In Mexico, you may see different types of chiles used, other spices, no tomato, lots of tomatoes — you get the picture.
But at its core, adobo is a delicious sauce you can smother on anything!
Is adobo sauce vegan?
Mexican adobo sauce is 100% vegan and vegetarian-friendly. It's also gluten-free. Although adobo sauce is a popular marinade for meat, it can be used on absolutely anything from rice, beans, and chickpeas to jackfruit, TVP, tofu, and tempeh.
History
The first written reference to adobo was made by a Spaniard in 1613 — Pedro de San Buenaventura. However, the concept of adobo has long been used in other regions of the world too including the Philippines and Portugal.
Filipinos have been utilizing adobo as a means of preserving food for centuries. In fact, many Filipinos consider adobo to be their national dish.
During the colonial era, the Spanish discovered indigenous communities in the Philippines were practicing a similar method of food preservation with vinegar and spices.
Wherever it was first invented, one thing is for sure... There is a big difference between Filipino and Mexican adobo, but both serve a purpose within each culture and cuisine.
Besides, they both taste great!
Serving
Mexican adobo sauce serves as the base for many Mexican dishes like birria or chorizo (both plant-based of course).
It also goes well in tamales, in soups like pozole, or smothered on top of enchiladas.
Honestly, we use adobo almost daily! We often add it to chickpeas or tofu and make tacos out of it.
Adobo is the one sauce to rule them all. If you eat anything special with adobo, let us know in the comments!
🍲 Ingredients
For a complete ingredient list and step-by-step guide, scroll down to our recipe card.
- Dried chiles: In this adobo sauce, we use a mixture of guajillo, pasilla, and ancho chiles. We personally think this combination tastes the best, but you can use others like cascabel, New Mexico, or even paprika (as is a common Portuguese and Spanish practice).
- Onion, garlic: Sauté the onion and garlic to open up the flavors and give a rustic taste.
- Cumin: For an earthy, hearty, and nutty element. We are big fans of cumin!
- Mexican oregano: To add notes of lemon, citrus, and hints of licorice. Just don't mistake Mexican oregano for Mediterranean oregano!
- Vinegar: The number one necessity in adobo is vinegar. You can use white, apple cider, coconut, or cane vinegar — all will work.
- Salt, pepper: to bring out the other flavors of this sauce.
- Olive oil: To sauté the onion and garlic. You can also water-fry them for an oil-free version.
🔪 Instructions
If you have questions about Mexican adobo sauce, don't forget to check out our FAQ section at the bottom of this post.
Step 1: Stem and seed the chiles, and toast them for a few seconds in a skillet (this will help release their flavors). Then, rehydrate them in a pot or bowl of hot water.
Step 2: In the meantime, sauté the onions, garlic, and spices for a few minutes. Then, transfer the mixture to a blender with vinegar, water, and rehydrated chiles. Blend on high until the mixture is nice and smooth.
Note: If you want more of a paste, only use half the water. If you'd prefer your adobo to be saucier, use the full amount of water or extra vinegar.
Step 3: Transfer the blended adobo to a jar or container for storage, or use it immediately as a marinade for foods like tofu, tempeh, jackfruit, chickpeas, etc. Happy eating!
🌡️ Storage
Once you taste this Mexican adobo sauce, you'll want to have it on hand at all times! Good thing we have easy-to-follow storage instructions to make your life easier.
Fridge
Keep your adobo sauce in airtight glass containers to best preserve the taste and eliminate other flavors seeping into it. If stored correctly, adobo will last about 7-10 days in the fridge.
Freezer
Adobo sauce freezes extremely well as long as it's stored in freezer-safe bags or containers. Freezing it in ice cube trays is a handy way of portioning your adobo. You can thaw 1-2 cubes at a time, or however much you need!
Whether it's in a container, bag, or ice cube tray, it should last at least 6 months in the freezer.
💭 Tips & variations
We'd like to share some tips and variations we learned while experimenting with this Mexican adobo sauce:
- Add more spice. Turn the heat up by using arbol or piquin chiles.
- Change the peppers. Experiment with different flavors by adding morita or chipotle meco chiles.
- No dried peppers, no problem. If you don't have dried chiles, replace them with paprika or powdered chiles instead.
- Use different herbs. Some other typical herbs and spices include anise, allspice, cinnamon, etc. Include your favorites!
- Double the batch. You'll definitely wish you made more once you taste your frist bite. We always double the recipe!
- Roast the vegetables. For a smokier, more charred flavor, try roasting the vegetables.
🍴 Tasting notes
Adobo is just one of those sauces you'll never get tired of. It's:
- Spicy
- Bold
- Tangy
- Rich
- Flavorful
If you try this adobo sauce, please rate it and leave us a comment below! Want to stay up-to-date with new recipes? Subscribe to our newsletter or connect with Broke Bank Vegan on social media. Happy eating!
📋 Recipe
Mexican Adobo Sauce
Equipment
- Kitchen shears
- Skillet
- Bowl or pot
- Blender
Ingredients
- 3 ancho chiles ($0.15)
- 4 guajillo chiles ($0.16)
- 2 pasilla chiles ($0.08)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil ($0.11)
- ¼ medium white onion, roughly chopped ($0.06)
- 4 cloves garlic, roughly chopped ($0.16)
- ½ teaspoon cumin ($0.01)
- ½ teaspoon Mexican oregano ($0.01)
- 1 teaspoon black peppercorns ($0.01)
- ½ teaspoon salt, then to taste ($0.01)
- ½ cup vinegar, white or apple cider ($0.20)
- ¼-½ cup water ($0.01)
Instructions
- First, stem and seed the dried chiles. Toast them for 30 seconds or so in a skillet over medium (this will help release their flavors). Add them to a pot or bowl of just-boiled water, cover, and let rehydrate for 15 minutes.
- In the meantime, heat olive oil in a skillet over medium. Sauté the onions for 3-4 minutes until translucent. Add in the garlic and cook for another 1-2 minutes. Lastly, mix in the spices to open the flavors up.
- Transfer the onion mixture to a blender or food processor with vinegar, ¼ cup water, and rehydrated chiles. Blend on high until the mixture is smooth, stopping to scrape down the sides a few times.
- If you need the final ¼ cup of water, add it in until you achieve a smooth, sauce-like consistency. Transfer to a jar or container for storage. Happy eating!
Notes
- A few tablespoons of tomato paste makes a delicious addition to adobo.
- Use any combination of spices you prefer. Some common ones include cinnamon, cloves, Mexican oregano, cumin, bay leaves, allspice, etc.
- If the adobo is too spicy or bitter for your liking, add in brown sugar 1-2 teaspoons at a time.
- If you don’t have access to dried Mexican chiles, replace each one with ~1 tablespoon of paprika.
- We calculate nutritional information for our recipes with Cronometer.
- Recipe cost calculations are based on ingredients local to us and may vary from recipe-to-recipe.
- All prices are in USD.
Nutrition
♻️ Similar recipes
For more versatile sauces, try out some of these recipes:
- Salsa ranchera for a smoky red salsa that will liven up any bland or boring dish.
- Mole poblano to try your hand at making one of the most popular and unique Mexican sauces.
- Green enchilada sauce for a tangy, tomatillo-based salsa that brings the heat with a hint of smokiness.
- Chamoy for a sweet, tangy, spicy, and salty sauce that pairs with fruit, drinks, and more!
💬 FAQ
Mexican adobo sauce is primarily made from chiles, herbs, spices, and vinegar.
Mexican adobo sauce usually has an earthy flavor with hints of smoke, a little tang, and slight spice.
Yes, adobo sauce is suitable for vegans and vegetarians.
There is no soy sauce in this Mexican adobo, so it's gluten-free. If you're trying other adobo recipes (like Filippino versions), confirm there is no gluten.
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