15 Earthy and Smoky Recipes Featuring Chipotle Peppers

Do you love adding spicy flavor to all your meals? Maybe you’re the type that can’t have lunch or dinner without a generous drizzle of Sriracha or your favorite hot sauce. If that sounds like you, then you need chipotle peppers in your life. When we’re talking peppers that will set your taste buds on fire, there are two that are almost always part of the discussion: jalapeño and chipotle. While jalapeños have a bright and crisp hotness, chipotle peppers have a little more depth. They have a deep, earthy, smoky flavor that is punctuated by hotness.

Chipotle peppers have a bold flavor, so even if you’re a hot pepper enthusiast, be wary of how much you add because it can easily overpower your meal. If you’re not sure how to use chipotle, don’t worry — we have plenty of recipes for you. You can mix chipotle into a condiment, as in these Black Soybean Sliders With Chipotle Avocado Lime Sauce or let it be the dominant flavor, like in this Spinach and Bean Chipotle Casserole. There’s a lot more that this little pepper can do — just check out these 15 recipes featuring the smoky, earthy, spicy flavors of chipotle!

1. Chipotle Vegetable Stuffed Avocado 

What better way to eat your veggies than with this Chipotle Vegetable Stuffed Avocado? Celery, bell pepper, and cucumber are tossed with crunchy sunflower seeds, fresh parsley, and green onion, then mixed with a spicy mayonnaise made from cashews and stuffed in an avocado. The creaminess of the avocado and the crispness of the fresh vegetables and sunflower seeds provide an amazing contrast to the spicy chipotle mayonnaise.

2. Smoky White Bean and Roasted Yellow Pepper Hummus

Love smoky, spicy flavors? You need to make this Smoky White Bean and Roasted Yellow Pepper Hummus. Made from white beans blended with roasted bell peppers spiced up with chipotle pepper in adobo, chipotle powder, and plenty of garlic, this dip is richly smoky, spicy, and creamy — but, there’s no oil added!

3. Chipotle Cauliflower Penne

Chipotle peppers, roasted cauliflower, garlic, lemon, and capers… this Chipotle Cauliflower Penne is so flavorful, you won’t even miss the cheese! Simple and easy to throw together, this pasta dish is a great midweek dinner that is easily packed for lunch the next day. Quick, wholesome, and flavorful – sounds like a winner to us!

4. Creamy Chipotle Tomato Soup With Avocado 

This Creamy Chipotle Tomato Soup is smoky, spicy, and savory. Almonds make it creamy while chipotle pepper brings the heat. The spiciness can be adjusted by adding more or less of the chile pepper. Serve this soup with sliced avocado and baked tortilla chips.

5. Sticky Chipotle Cauliflower Wings

These Sticky Chipotle Cauliflower Wings are almost too good to be true. They taste super indulgent, but considering the bulk of the snack is cauliflower, they’re actually relatively light. Enjoy the savory-sweet kick of these “wings” with some creamy vegan blue cheese or yogurt dip.

6. Eggplant Fries With Chipotle Aioli

These Eggplant Fries With Chipotle Aioli are delicious enough to cause friends and family to fight over who gets the last fry. And the chipotle aioli? It’s lick-the-bowl worthy. Together these components make the perfect snack or side dish. Make a lot — for the sake of world peace.

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7. Chipotle Aquafaba Cheese 

Did you ever think you could make vegan cheese without nuts or seeds? Well, this Chipotle Aquafaba Cheese is a real game changer. Made from aquafaba, the fancy name for the liquid from a can of chickpeas, agar agar, and non-dairy yogurt, the flavor is dark, deep, spicy, and cheesy. It even melts, if you give it enough time and moist heat, so it’s the perfect topping for veggie burgers!

8. Quesadillas With Cashew Mozzarella and Chipotle Cream

Stop everything and make these Quesadillas With Cashew Mozzarella and Chipotle Cream. They’re melty, gooey, stretchy, spicy, and best of all? They take just 20 minutes to prepare, including the made from scratch cashew mozzarella! Feel like celebrating yet? You will when you taste these!

9. Crispy Chipotle Tofu Bites

We’ll warn you up front, you will absolutely fall in love with these golden Crispy Chipotle Tofu Bites! Tofu is cubed then coated in gluten-free crackers spiced with chipotle powder — hello, perfect game day snack! One of the best things about them, other than the taste, is that they’re super quick and easy to make. You may find yourself making these often.

10. Potato Fritter Sliders With Chipotle Aioli 

These Potato Fritter Sliders With Chipotle Aioli are a fun version of Pav Vada, a traditional Indian street food. The sliders have a spicy potato filling that’s fried in a chickpea flour batter and sandwiched between bread with a bold chipotle aioli.

11. Maple Chipotle Meatball Grinders

These Maple Chipotle Meatball Grinders are sweet, savory, and a bit spicy. They have green onions, maple syrup, and Chipotle chilis – a fusion of Asian and Mexican flavors. You can opt to make homemade meatballs for these grinders, or use pre-made ones if you want to speed up the whole process!

12. Portobello Tostadas With Chipotle Cream

These Portobello Tostadas With Chipotle Cream couldn’t be more delicious! Portobello mushrooms, avocado, creamy refried beans, and cashew-chipotle cream all together on a crispy tortilla? What could possibly be better?

13. Roasted Chickpeas With Chipotle and Lime 

These Roasted Chickpeas With Chipotle and Lime are a tasty little snack that are really easy to make. They are a healthy replacement for chips or other savory snacks and have lots of fiber and protein. And, you can adjust the amount of chipotle to your preference. This recipe makes enough for one to two servings, so if you are making it for a crowd, you will need to double or triple the recipe …because they will disappear fast!

14. Chipotle Black Bean Stuffed Yams

These Chipotle Black Bean Stuffed Yams are loaded with Mexican-inspired flavors! The best thing about this recipe is that it comes together quickly, so they are perfect for a busy day. Pop the yams in the oven while you make the topping and you’ll have the perfect, filling meal in no time!

15. Chipotle Hummus and Fajita Veggie Taco Bowls 

You could get a perfectly delicious veggie taco bowl from your neighborhood Mexican restaurant, or you could make this Chipotle Hummus and Fajita Veggie Taco Bowls. How amazing does that sound! Plus, it’s way easier to make than you think. No excuses – you have to make this!

Love hot and spicy recipes? Then check out our vegan hot pepper recipes page!

Lead image source: Sticky Chipotle Cauliflower Wings