Whole, Diced or Crushed? The Best Chipotle Peppers in Adobo Sauce

A small can of chipotles in adobo is one of the hardest-working things in a Mexican pantry. Inside are smoke-dried red jalapeños, soft from simmering in a tangy sauce of tomato, vinegar, garlic and spices. One chile and a spoon of that sauce give smoke and heat to chicken tinga, a pot of beans, a salsa, a marinade or a bowl of mayonnaise, and even restaurant kitchens that make everything else from scratch keep a few cans on the shelf.

The cans look alike, but they are not. The sauce can be thin or thick, sweet or sharp; some brands pack whole chiles, others dice or crush them; sodium varies, and so does the size of the can. This guide compares seven chipotles in adobo worth buying, explains how to choose between them, and shows how to store what is left so none of it goes to waste.

Julia’s earns a commission on purchases made through links on this page, at no cost to you. Recommendations are based on what a working Mexican kitchen looks for in canned chipotles, the makers’ own Amazon listings and product pages, and retailer nutrition panels where the maker publishes none, which we note.

Quick verdict: which chipotles in adobo to buy

The rest of this page explains why, and which can suits the way you cook with chipotle.

Five cans of chipotles at a glance

Our five standout picks side by side, one for each kind of cook, with the pepper form, size and sauce each maker or listing states. All seven are reviewed in full below.

Product images from Amazon. Ingredients and sodium are as the label or listing states them, and serving sizes differ between brands; check the can before you buy.

Our picks for the best chipotle peppers in adobo sauce

These seven cover the choices most cooks face: a standard can of whole chiles, a sweeter adobo, a multipack, a large can, diced and crushed chiles for quick cooking, and a sauce with herbs. For each we give the ingredients and sodium as the label or listing states them, the form of the chiles, and how to use and store them.

How to choose chipotles in adobo

Five things separate one can from another. The chiles themselves are much the same; the sauce, the form and the size are where the choice lies.

1. Heat

A chipotle is a ripe red jalapeño that has been smoke-dried, so it carries roughly a jalapeño’s heat, as our guide to what a chipotle pepper is explains. No brand here gives a heat rating. What changes is how much of that heat reaches the dish: whole chiles let you add one at a time, while diced and crushed chiles spread it evenly. The sauce is milder than the chiles, as La Costeña’s listing notes, so a spoon of adobo alone gives smoke with little burn.

2. Sauce thickness and sweetness

Look at the first few ingredients. Tomato puree or paste near the top, as in San Marcos, means a thick adobo you can spoon out on its own. Water first and a “broth” description, as with Embasa, means a looser sauce that blends easily. Sugar or brown sugar, as in La Costeña, rounds the sauce for glazes and tinga. Our guide to adobo explains what the sauce is and where it comes from.

3. Whole, diced or crushed

• Whole chiles are the most flexible: slice, mince, blend or stuff them.
• Diced chiles save chopping and suit cremas, dips and quick sauces.
• Crushed chiles work like a paste for soups, rice, beans and ground meat.

4. Can size

Most recipes use one to three chiles and a spoon or two of sauce, so a 7-ounce can covers several dishes. Buy a 28-ounce can or a multipack only if you cook with chipotle every week or plan to freeze portions.

5. Sodium and ingredients

Sodium figures here run from 140 to 330 mg per serving, but brands measure servings differently, by tablespoons or by pieces, so compare like with like. If you avoid soy, corn or added sugar, read the label: several of these sauces use soybean, corn or canola oil, and most add sugar.

How to store leftover chipotles in adobo

Almost every can ends half used. Leftovers keep well if you move them quickly.

• In the fridge. Once a can is opened, the USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service says unused portions should go into a clean container in the refrigerator, not stay in the can. A small glass jar with a lid works well. America’s Test Kitchen says chipotles in adobo keep for about two weeks in the refrigerator.
• In the freezer. For longer storage, America’s Test Kitchen recommends pureeing the chiles with their sauce, freezing teaspoon-size portions on a plate lined with plastic wrap, then peeling them off and storing them in a zipper-lock freezer bag. It says they keep for up to two months frozen; thaw before using. If you prefer whole chiles, freeze them one at a time on a tray with a little sauce, then bag them.
• Label it. Write the date on the jar or bag.

How we picked these seven cans

We started from what a Mexican kitchen asks of canned chipotles: properly smoked chiles, an adobo with real tomato and vinegar in it, a size that fits how often you cook with them, and a label you can read. We then looked only at chipotles in adobo sold on Amazon in the United States and in stock when we checked, and confirmed each one’s ingredients and claims on the brand’s own Amazon listing, the maker’s product page or specification sheet, or retailer label panels (Food Lion, Giant, H-E-B, Stop & Shop, ShopRite and others) where the listing gives none, saying in each review which. Where we found no figure, we wrote “not stated”. We chose seven to cover whole, diced and crushed chiles, thick and thin sauces, single cans, a large can and multipacks. Goya’s chipotles were out of stock or nearly so in every size when we checked, and La Costeña’s 12-ounce can was out of stock, so they are not listed. We have not cooked with every can here, and we do not describe how they taste beyond what the makers and their ingredients state.

Chipotle in adobo questions, answered

Which brand of chipotle peppers in adobo is best?

For most kitchens, San Marcos: whole chiles in a thick tomato and vinegar adobo, from a Mexican chile brand, in a 7.5-ounce can. La Costeña is the pick if you want a sweeter sauce.

Are chipotles in adobo very hot?

The chiles carry about the heat of a jalapeño; the sauce is milder. Start with one chile and a spoonful of sauce in a dish for four, taste, and add more.

Can you freeze chipotle peppers in adobo?

Yes. America’s Test Kitchen recommends pureeing them, freezing teaspoon portions and storing them in a freezer bag for up to two months.

How long do opened chipotles in adobo last in the fridge?

America’s Test Kitchen gives about two weeks once moved to a clean, covered container. Freeze anything you will not use in that time.

What can I use instead of chipotles in adobo?

Ground chipotle powder plus a little tomato paste and vinegar gives a similar smoky, tangy effect. Smoked paprika adds smoke without much heat.

Our final pick for the chipotle shelf

Buy San Marcos if you want one can of whole chipotles that does everything. Choose La Costeña for a sweeter adobo, Embasa or Herdez if you want a case, La Morena’s big can for parties and freezer stock, and Roland or San Marcos crushed if you want to skip the chopping. Whatever you buy, use one chile at a time, and freeze what you do not need this week.

Chipotles are one can in a well-stocked cupboard. Our guide to Mexican pantry staples covers the dried chiles, masa harina and spices that go with them.

Related guide: Chipotle in adobo substitute.

And if you would rather someone else made the tinga tonight, see the menu or call to order.