Chipotle Mayo

A low FODMAP chipotle mayo of mayonnaise, garlic-infused olive oil, tomato paste, ground chipotle, smoked paprika, maple syrup, and lime.

Prep 10 min

Cook 1 min

Serves 12

Gluten-freeDairy-freeVegetarian

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup (170g) plain mayonnaise (read the label; use one built from oil, egg, vinegar or lemon, and salt, with no onion or garlic powder)
• 1 tbsp garlic-infused olive oil
• 2 tbsp (30g) tomato paste (about 1/2 teaspoon per serving)
• 2 tsp ground chipotle chili powder (100% chipotle, no added onion or garlic powder), start with 1 tsp if you want it milder
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• 1 tsp maple syrup
• 1 tbsp fresh lime juice (about half a lime)
• 1/2 tsp fine salt, or to taste
• Optional: pinch of ground cumin

Instructions

Build the smoky base

1. In a small bowl, stir together the tomato paste, ground chipotle, smoked paprika, maple syrup, and cumin if using. Work it into a smooth, thick paste.
2. Add the garlic-infused olive oil and stir it in. Letting the spices sit in the oil for a minute rounds out the heat and stands in for the flavor of canned chipotle in adobo without the onion and garlic those cans carry.

Fold in the mayo

1. Add the mayonnaise and lime juice to the bowl. Whisk until the color is even terracotta and no streaks of paste remain.
2. Taste and adjust. Add more lime for tang, more chipotle for heat, or a pinch of salt to sharpen. Remember the heat climbs as it rests.

Rest and serve

1. Cover and chill for at least 20 minutes so the flavors meld and the color deepens.
2. Spread it on burgers, dip sweet potato fries, or thin it with a little extra lime juice for a drizzle.

Tips & Substitutions

• Skip the canned chipotle in adobo. Standard cans list onion and garlic near the top of the ingredients, which puts them off the table. Ground chipotle plus tomato paste and smoked paprika gives you the same smoky depth.
• Watch the mayo label. Some mayonnaise blends slip in garlic or onion powder. Choose one made from oil, egg, an acid, and salt.
• Control the heat. Start with 1 teaspoon of ground chipotle and build up by the quarter teaspoon. The burn intensifies over the first few hours in the fridge.
• Make it vegan. Swap in a plant-based mayo with no onion or garlic listed. The rest of the recipe is already dairy-free.
• Tomato paste per serving. Two tablespoons across 12 servings is about 1/2 teaspoon each, well under the 2-tablespoon low FODMAP serve. Look up tomato paste in the FODMAP Foods app to see how its rating changes with portion size.
• No maple syrup on hand? A pinch of white or cane sugar balances the acidity just as well. Leave out honey and agave.

Why This Works

• Garlic flavor from oil, not bulb. Fructans, the FODMAPs in garlic, do not dissolve into oil, so garlic-infused olive oil carries garlic flavor without garlic pieces.
• Ground chipotle is just smoked chili. Pure chipotle powder is dried, smoked jalapeno and nothing else, and the amount per serving is small. Blended "chili powders" often hide onion and garlic.
• Tomato paste adds body. About 1/2 teaspoon per serving gives adobo-style depth at a low FODMAP amount.
• Mayo is naturally low-FODMAP. A basic mayonnaise of oil, egg, and vinegar has no FODMAP-heavy ingredients, so the base needs no special swaps.

Storage

Keep the mayo in an airtight jar in the fridge for up to 4 days (garlic-infused oil made at home keeps 4 days), or match your mayonnaise's use-by date, whichever comes first. The flavor deepens after a few hours, so making it ahead helps. Do not freeze it, since mayonnaise separates and turns grainy once thawed. Give it a quick stir before each use.