Cream Cheese Chipotle Dip with Hot Honey Jalapeños
A thick, smoky barbecue dip made with cream cheese, mayonnaise, chipotle in adobo, hot honey and pickled jalapeños. It’s rich enough for ribs and beef skewers, but just as good with grilled corn, chips and warm flatbreads at a casual cookout.
Ingredients
- 200 g cream cheese softened
- 60 g Hellmann’s mayonnaise
- 2 chipotle chillies in adobo finely chopped
- 1 tbsp adobo sauce from the tin
- 1 tbsp hot honey plus 1 tsp for finishing
- 2 tbsp finely chopped pickled jalapeños
- 1 tbsp lime juice
- 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
- ½ tsp smoked paprika Pimentón
- ¼ tsp Maldon sea salt crushed
- ¼ tsp black pepper
Optional finish
- extra chopped pickled jalapeños
- drizzle of hot honey
- pinch of smoked paprika
Instructions
Soften the cream cheese
- Take the cream cheese out of the fridge 20 to 30 minutes before you start. Softer cream cheese mixes more easily and gives a smoother finished dip.
Beat the creamy base
- Add the cream cheese and Hellmann’s mayonnaise to a bowl. Beat with a spoon, whisk or hand mixer until smooth and fully combined.
Add the smoky ingredients
- Stir in the chopped chipotle chillies, adobo sauce, smoked paprika, Worcestershire sauce and lime juice. Mix until the colour is even and the chipotle is distributed right through the dip.
Fold in the jalapeños
- Add the chopped pickled jalapeños, Maldon sea salt and black pepper. Stir gently so the dip keeps a little texture.
Sweeten the finish
- Mix in 1 tablespoon of hot honey. Taste the dip and adjust with a little more lime juice or a tiny extra splash of adobo sauce if needed.
Chill and serve
- Chill for 20 to 30 minutes for the best texture. Spoon into a bowl, then finish with the extra teaspoon of hot honey, a few more jalapeños and a light dusting of smoked paprika.
Notes
Cream cheese is the backbone here, so I use full-fat if I can. It gives the dip that dense, smooth texture that makes it feel proper and scoopable. Hellmann’s mayonnaise loosens it just enough and adds a more familiar savoury richness than Kewpie would. Kewpie is lovely, but in this particular dip I want a cleaner mayo flavour so the chipotle stays in charge.
Chipotle in adobo gives you more than heat. It brings smoke, sweetness and a dark chilli depth that works beautifully with barbecue food. Pickled jalapeños are there for brightness and crunch, not brute force. I don’t skip the Worcestershire sauce either. It adds a savoury back note that helps the dip taste rounded rather than just spicy and creamy.
Nutrition
Calories: 178kcalCarbohydrates: 5.4gProtein: 3.1gFat: 16.1gSaturated Fat: 8.2gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1.2gMonounsaturated Fat: 4.7gCholesterol: 35mgSodium: 392mgPotassium: 98mgFiber: 0.6gSugar: 4.2gVitamin A: 645IUCalcium: 54mgIron: 0.5mg
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