Raspberry Chipotle Sauce

Can you tell we love sauces and dressings over here? Coming at you with another bomb sauce recipe today!

In my house, we are big sauce guys. There’s something about a delicious sauce or dressing for me that just really brings a dish together. In my opinion, the best sauces bring cohesiveness, added nutritional value and ultimate satisfaction. 

This raspberry chipotle sauce was born because I was following a recipe that called for a storebought raspberry chipotle sauce, like Fischer & Wieser. After going to 3 stores and still not finding it, I decided to make my own after seeing fresh raspberries on sale. 

BOY am I glad I did that little experiment. It turned out AMAZING, so naturally I knew it had to be shared. 

Ingredients for this Raspberry Chipotle Sauce:

• Olive oil
• Jalapeños. If you like a bit of heat, I recommend keeping in the seeds. If you prefer a milder flavor, you can seed only 1 of them or seed both.
• Fresh garlic
• Adobo sauce. I always keep an embarrassing amount of canned chipotles in adobo in my pantry. They are so versatile and pack a ton of flavor. Once I open a can, I transfer the contents to a mason jar and keep in the fridge. It lasts for a solid month. For this recipe, you are going to scoop out some of the adobo sauce from the can, and leave the chipotle peppers.
• Raspberries. I have experimented with using both fresh and frozen, and am happy to tell you that you can use either! If using frozen, just omit the added water in this recipe.
• Apple cider vinegar
• Water
• Kosher salt
• Brown sugar
• White sugar

How to make Raspberry Chipotle Sauce:

1. Heat oil in a skillet over medium heat. Once shimmering, add jalapeños and cook for about 5 minutes or until softened.
2. Drop heat to low. Add garlic and adobo sauce and let cook for about 2 minutes.
3. Stir raspberries in. Let cook until they are broken down and releasing their juices. This will take about 10 minutes. You can break them up a bit with a spatula if you want, or just let them break down naturally on their own.
4. Once the berries are broken down and releasing their juices, add the vinegar, sugars, salt, and water (if using fresh raspberries).
5. Let cook over low heat until reduced by about half. You want a gentle simmer the whole time. This will take around 30 minutes or so.
6. Remove from heat and let cool for a few minutes. Pour into a food processor or blender. Puree for about 30 seconds. 
7. Pour sauce into a bowl and let come to room temperature.

Print Recipe

5 from 1 vote

Raspberry Chipotle Sauce

Lower sugar alternative with TONS of flavor. Great compliment to chicken, pork, salmon & more

Total Time1 hr

Course: Side Dish

Cuisine: American

Keyword: raspberry chipotle sauce

Servings: 8

Calories: 90kcal

Author: Kelly Wagner, MS, RD, LDN

Equipment

• skillet
• food processor

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 2 jalapeños with seeds*, minced
• 2 cloves garlic minced
• 4 teaspoons adobo sauce from can of chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
• 12 oz raspberries
• 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
• 1/4 cup water if using fresh berries*
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 2 tbsp brown sugar
• 1/4 cup white sugar

Instructions

• Heat oil in a skillet over medium heat. Once shimmering, add jalapeños and cook for about 5 minutes or until softened.
• Drop heat to low. Add garlic and adobo sauce and let cook for about 2 minutes.
• Stir raspberries in. Let cook until they are broken down and releasing their juices. This will take about 10 minutes. You can break them up a bit with a spatula if you want, or just let them break down naturally on their own.
• Once the berries are broken down and releasing their juices, add the vinegar, sugars, salt, and water (if using fresh raspberries).
• Let cook over low heat until reduced by about half. You want a gentle simmer the whole time. This will take around 30 minutes or so.
• Remove from heat and let cool for a few minutes. Pour into a food processor or blender. Puree for about 30 seconds.
• Pour sauce into a bowl and let come to room temperature.

Notes

*If you prefer a milder sauce, you can deseed 1 or both of the jalapeños 

*If using frozen raspberries, omit the water

Storage: This sauce keeps in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks. Can also be frozen for up to 3 months. Thaw in refrigerator before using.

FAQ:

Can I use frozen raspberries? 

YES! I would recommend omitting the ¼ cup of water, as the frozen berries bring more water content than fresh. The flavor is on point, comparable to the version with fresh raspberries. What a win, right?

Is this a low sugar sauce?

Compared to a storebought raspberry chipotle sauce, this recipe has about half the amount of sugar you find in a storebought version. I did experiment with reducing the sugar even further, but it was a bust. It lacked flavor. Of course, this may vary with the ripeness level of your raspberries. Tasting the sauce periodically as it’s cooking is a good way to see if you’re liking how it’s progressing.

How do you store this sauce?

Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks. It can also be frozen for up to 3 months. Just move it to the refrigerator to thaw before using.

How can I use this sauce?

• As a marinade for pork or chicken. I have marinated and then grilled pork tenderloin with this sauce, and it is amazing. 
• Use to spread over salmon or steak
• Use as a sandwich spread, particularly good pairing with a turkey sandwich
• On crackers with a bit of ricotta cheese or cream cheese

If you give this recipe a try, we’d LOVE to hear what you think! Leave us a comment and rating below :) 

If you are also a big sauce guy, check out some of our other sauce/dressing recipes!

• Greek Yogurt Garlic Aioli
• Blueberry Chia Jam
• Basil + Spinach Healthy Pesto
• Easy Homemade Cilantro Lime Dressing