Tangy and well-balanced with hints of smoke and spice, this Quesadilla Sauce instantly elevates any quesadilla. Plus, the sauce is the perfect viscosity (thickness), beautifully coating anything that gets dipped in.
There's more or less the same copycat recipe for Taco Bell's Quesadilla Sauce floating around the internet across many platforms.
This is not that recipe. Those copycat recipes may have inspired this one, but in a decidedly different way.
Mostly, I wanted to create a Quesadilla Sauce recipe with fewer ingredients that still brought maximum flavor. After several recipe tests, I am happy to report that this 6-ingredient Quesadilla Dipping Sauce brings a tangy, smoky zip!
Plus the flavor profile is neutral enough (read: awesomely diverse to many flavor profiles) to make it pairable with nearly any type of quesadilla. Like this Grilled Chicken Quesadilla. Or this Chorizo and Caramelized Onion Quesadilla. Or this vegetarian-friendly Buffalo Chickpea Quesadilla. Or this Chipotle Chicken Quesadilla.
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Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Great Flavor Balance. This homemade quesadilla sauce is tangy and well-balanced, not too spicy, just a little heat and smoke shines through thanks to canned chipotle en adobo peppers and pickled jalapeno juice.
- It's Not Another Taco Bell Quesadilla Sauce Copycat. Not trying to throw shade here, but I wanted something different than a copycat. If you're also seeking a non-Taco Bell recipe, this is that recipe. Less ingredients without sacrificing bold flavor.
- Your Naked Quesadillas Want to Be Dipped in this Delicious Sauce. Plain cheese quesadilla? Just BEGGING to be dipped in this smoky quesadilla sauce. This sauce is agreeable enough to be paired with most kinds of quesadillas you can dream up, so whip this up in advance to dress up those naked quesadillas.
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Did you know? Kewpie Mayo is the Shiznit
I KNEW going into recipe development that I was going to use Kewpie mayo - because this self-professed mayo-hater actually kind of likes Kewpie. I recently became intrigued by Kewpie mayo. I say intrigued because I just don't love mayo, you know? But Kewpie is different!
Kewpie mayo is different from your average mayo in three very important ways. First, it's extra eggy, because only the egg yolks are used resulting in a super luxurious and rich product. Secondly, Kewpie uses a sophisticated blend of rice, red wine, apple cider, and distilled vinegars, which successfully cuts the richness. And third, it contains MSG, which imparts mad umami. Read more about the differences between Kewpie and regular mayo over at Tasting Table.
Note: I have heard and seen that some US versions of Kewpie don't contain MSG. If you're not an MSG fan, you have options! Just make sure to check the label. The Kewpie mayo I found at Costco contains MSG.
Ingredients
My goal was to keep the ingredients to a minimum, but bring the flavor, resulting in an easy quesadilla sauce recipe. I absolutely insist you use Kewpie mayo in this recipe if you can source it.
- Mayonnaise - You only need ½ cup for this recipe, but the important part to know here is you should use Kewpie mayo. Now if you're a food lover like me, you've likely already heard that Kewpie is the WORD. Other mayos can also be used here, but the results may be slightly different.
- Sour cream - I like full-fat sour cream here, but you could use a low-fat option. All you need is ½ cup for this recipe.
- Pickled jalapeno juice - I am one of those proud freaks who repurposes leftover juices or brines. The juice that pickled jalapenos comes in is liquid gold, IMHO. Just 2 tablespoons are all you need in this recipe to bring some much-welcome heat and vibrancy.
- Chipotle en adobo sauce - You just need 1 tablespoon of the sauce that chipotle en adobo peppers come in. Or you can also pulverize a whole pepper in your food processor - a great solution if you are unbothered by having a little texture in the resulting sauce.
- Garlic and onion powders - Some of my very favorite seasonings, garlic powder and onion powder bring amazing savoriness to this sauce.
*Makes approximately 1 cup.
A full ingredient list with exact amounts can be found in the recipe card below - keep scrolling!
Variations
This sauce is admittedly not very spicy as the recipe is written. But if you'd like to make it so, I recommend doing one of the following:
- Add another tablespoon of chipotle en adobo pepper sauce OR add ½ to 1 whole chipotle en adobo pepper (blended of course).
- Add a few dashes of your favorite hot sauce, like Cholula or classic Tabasco. However, use restraint as the more liquid you add, the looser the sauce will become.
- Add a pinch of cayenne pepper. A little goes a long way to adding some much needed heat.
By the way, if you love sauces with well-balanced heat, check out this Spicy Homemade Chimichurri Sauce or this Spicy Pico de Gallo.
How to Make Quesadilla Sauce - Directions
- Step 1: Combine all ingredients in a bowl.
- Step 2: Stir until well-combined.
- Step 3: Refrigerate for 24 hours before using for best results.
Top Tips for the BEST Quesadilla Sauce
... that's not a Taco Bell copycat sauce.
Tip 1. Refrigerate and rest before serving. This sauce improves SO MUCH over 24 hours that I insist you make it in advance if you can. If you can't wait, try to give yourself enough time so you can rest it at least 6 hours. It truly becomes a different sauce after it rests.
Tip 2. Avoid adding extra spices/seasonings. Dearest reader, if you're anything like me, you're already thinking about how to change this recipe. In my recipe testing I started off trying spices and seasonings like chipotle powder, chili powder, cumin, the usual suspects. What I found was I didn't like how raw tasting the seasonings were in the sauce, even after 24 hours. So I knew that avoiding those seasonings in this sauce was a must for me. But by all means add them if you think it'll suit your tastes better.
Recipe FAQs
Stored in the refrigerator in a lidded container, quesadilla dipping sauce lasts up to 10 days. For best results, make 24 hours before serving. Time makes the magic happen.
A squeeze of fresh lime juice right before serving is a great move! Even the tiniest splash of apple cider vinegar also wakes this sauce up.
As written, this recipe yields a dippable sauce that's not too thick so you can't drag your quesadilla through it, but it's also not too thin so the sauce slides right off. It's thin enough to have good dip-ability and coat-ability.
Should you want to thicken the sauce up, I would add in a little more sour cream. If you want to thin it out a bit, add in more jalapeno juice.
Related or Pairing
Try pairing this smoky quesadilla sauce with these!
If you tried this Quesadilla Dipping Sauce recipe (or any other recipe on Midwexican), please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it turned out in the 📝 comments below!
Quesadilla Dipping Sauce
Ingredients
- ½ cup Kewpie mayonnaise
- ½ cup sour cream
- 2 tablespoons pickled jalapeno juice
- 1 tablespoon chipotle en adobo sauce
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
Instructions
- Combine all ingredients in a bowl.
- Stir until well-combined.
- Refrigerate for 24 hours before using for best results.
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