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Vegan Chipotle Aioli, vegan recipe

Vegan Chipotle Aioli

A smoky, creamy vegan chipotle aioli built on soaked cashews instead of mayo, with a simple pepper-by-pepper heat dial and a no-soak shortcut if you don't want to wait.
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Prep Time 10 minutes
Total Time 10 minutes
Servings: 10 servings
Course: Sauce
Cuisine: Mexican
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Chipotle aioli base
  • 1 cup raw cashews soaked in boiling water for at least 30 minutes, then drained
  • 3/4 cup unsweetened plain plant milk almond or soy works well
  • 2 to 3 chipotle peppers in adobo from a can, more or fewer to taste
  • 1 tablespoon adobo sauce from the same can
  • 2 tablespoons lemon juice freshly squeezed
  • 1 small garlic clove about 1 teaspoon minced
  • 1 teaspoon maple syrup
  • 3/4 teaspoon fine salt
  • 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast optional, adds a savory depth
Optional for richness
  • 1 to 2 tablespoons olive oil streamed in for a glossier sauce
  • 1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika for extra smoke
  • lime juice a squeeze to finish, in place of some lemon

Method
 

  1. Put the raw cashews in a bowl and cover them with boiling water by about an inch. Let them sit for at least 30 minutes, or up to an hour, then drain and rinse them under cold water.
  2. Add the drained cashews to a high-speed blender with the plant milk, chipotle peppers, adobo sauce, lemon juice, garlic, maple syrup, salt, and nutritional yeast if using. Blend on high for a full 60 seconds, scraping down the sides once or twice, until the sauce is completely smooth.
  3. Taste and adjust. Add another chipotle pepper or more adobo for heat, more lemon for tang, a little maple syrup if it tastes sharp, or more salt if the smoke feels flat, then blend again for a few seconds.
  4. For a richer, glossier sauce, keep the blender running on low and slowly stream in 1 to 2 tablespoons of olive oil until it disappears into the sauce.
  5. Scrape the aioli into a jar or airtight container and chill it for at least 15 minutes, which thickens it and lets the flavors settle. Stir it before serving.

Notes

The chipotle peppers carry both the smoke and the heat, while the adobo sauce leans smoky and tangy, so you can add sauce freely and save the whole peppers for when you want more burn. Cashews give the thickest, most neutral base, but if you don't have time to soak them, 1 cup of vegan mayonnaise in place of the cashews and plant milk makes a faster, tangier version. Don't skip the full blend time, because under-blended cashews are the only thing that really ruins the texture.