Review: Chipotle's New Adobo Ranch Dip Spices Things Up In The Best Way Possible

Yahoo

17-06-2025

Chipotle has been a fresh and flavorful destination for fast casual diners over the last three decades. Over that span of time, the chain has seemed to nail down all the necessary ingredients required to make the perfect burrito, bowl, salad, taco, and quesadilla. Yet, that hasn't stopped the test kitchen at HQ from trying something new. And 2025 has already seen the introduction of a protein sure to sweeten-up any meal, with its Honey Chicken, and now as summer is just about to heat up, Chipotle is heating things up even further, but in a cool way with its new Adobo Ranch dip.
Ranch dressing, which amazingly was indeed invented by a cowboy on a ranch, is a wildly popular condiment in America, and is poured on everything from salads to chicken wings and even pizza. If it works so well on all those all-American vittles, then why not on top of the beloved Mexican-inspired entrees one can order up at Chipotle ... but with a twist of heat?
Food Republic was lucky enough to catch a sneak peek taste test of the new Adobo Ranch, and dipped, poured, and spread it all over an array of Chipotle menu items. So, is this new sauce something you should be hip to, or totally skip? Saddle up dear readers, as the truth can now be told in this chew and review.
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Adobo Ranch is a new, chilled dipping sauce being introduced by Chipotle in the summer of 2025. It's the newest dip to grace the menu since the launch of Queso Blanco, which replaced the previous queso in 2020, and still remains on menus today. Ranch is a popular condiment in America, and Chipotle is jumping in on the trend. It describes its new product as "a smoky, spicy twist on America's beloved dipping sauce." When not put directly into an entree, it is placed in the standard plastic portion cup that houses Chipotle's regular sized guacamole, queso, or any topping asked for on the side.
In a press release, Chris Brandt, president and chief brand officer noted, "Ranch has become a cultural phenomenon, especially among Gen Z, who are finding creative ways to enjoy it beyond the traditional salad." He added, "Our new Adobo Ranch taps into this passion, giving fans a craveworthy way to customize their Chipotle order with a completely new flavor." Nevielle Panthaky, vice president of culinary at Chipotle, recommends ordering up a Quesadilla or tortilla chips to best taste the new Adobo Ranch.
Adobo Ranch dipping sauce is a limited time offering that will be available, while supplies last, at participating Chipotle locations in the United States and Canada. It will join the menu on Tuesday, June 17, and anyone who is a Chipotle Rewards member can score a free dose of it on launch day. For those who aren't, and on every other day it's available, it costs $.75. Price and availability may vary per location, and may possibly be higher when ordered for delivery.
Adobo Ranch can be ordered at an additional cost atop any entree, like a burrito, salad, bowl, taco, with a bag of chips, or as an a la carte side. The dip can be found under the Chips & Dips and Single Sides submenu. Order it in-store, through the usual make line, or if available, at the drive-thru Chipot-lanes. Like anything on Chipotle's menu, it can be ordered in advance for in-store dining-in, pick-up, or delivery via the chain's app or website. Both allow the option to order digital exclusives like quesadillas and lifestyle bowls.
Adobe Ranch dip is made up of the following disclosed ingredients: adobo​, sour cream, salt​, dehydrated garlic​, dehydrated onion​, black pepper​, parsley, and citrus juice. With the inclusion of sour cream, it contains the allergen milk.
A single serving of the Adobo Ranch is 60 grams. It nets a dipper 110 calories, 9 grams of fat, 6 grams of saturated fat, 35 milligrams of cholesterol, 460 milligrams of sodium, 4 grams of carbohydrates, 2 grams of total sugars, and 2 grams of protein. It also contains 10 milligrams of calcium, .3 of iron, 60 milligrams of potassium, and 1 milligram of vitamin C.
In the ubiquitous Chipotle plastic cup, laid a peachy-orange substance, swimming with what seemed like an endless array of green, black, and red seasoned flecks. This sight was my introduction with the chain's new Adobo Ranch dip. I popped off the top lid, and about ⅔ of the cup filled with this new concoction. I placed a spoon and stirred it around to gauge its consistency. It was more creamy than runny, but was still fluid in its movement.
While touch doesn't really come into play for a dip, my fingers were struck by how coolly chilled it was, sitting in that plastic cup. Next I leaned in for a whiff, and it had a beautiful, rich smell, as if taco seasoning had been dumped into a ranch dip. The cold temperature of the dip helped to intensify its alluring aroma.
Tasting it by itself, the Adobo Ranch revealed itself in a sort of three-tiered wave of delivery. In its opening salvo, again, the cold temperature made itself known, adding a perky chill to the mouth. Next, the texture of the seasoning flakes mixed in, added a bit of coarseness to contrast the smoothness of the sour cream, as well as add a savory pep to the overall flavor. Then the adobo spice kicked in at the end, adding a poppy zest that my mouth was rapidly entranced by. The spice was initially potent, but not overly pushy, and as it casually eased its grip, it allowed my mouth a moment to recover, and get ready to enjoy it all over again.
Let's now examine how Adobo Ranch works with many familiar Chipotle favorites. Tortilla chips obviously work well as a dipping tool. The room temperature triangles allowed the coolness of the Adobo Ranch to remain cool, and the lime and salt were a nice additive to the already arresting flavor profile of the ranch. For the two entrees I had at my eating disposal, the Adobo Ranch worked wonders in different ways. The Quesadilla is an even better dipper than the chips are, with its crisp and crunchy shell, and warmth meeting the dip's cold one to make a fun exchange of temperatures. Inside my burrito, it worked well against all the ingredients, including the lettuce and fajita veggies. With that in mind, although I didn't have a Chipotle salad or bowl on hand, I can already tell Adobo Ranch will be a go to dressing for those. See you later Honey Vinaigrette.
The ranch is also a flavor enhancer to its sister sides Guacamole and Queso Blanco. Mix a healthy dollop Ranch into the guac, and now you have an even better one, with a flaming bite. Same is true with the queso, where a few dabs gives the missing punch it's always needed, creating an ambrosia-like paste that I will now happily smother on anything.
With my Quesadilla, there was a side portion of loose corn niblets, and I stirred the Adobo Ranch in with the corn. The corn pieces were now easier to scoop up with a spoon, and the resulting taste was an elote-like street corn that Chipotle could easily sell as a potential side item.
Chipotle is a fast casual chain that has long been overloaded in rich and flavorful toppings. It's almost hard to imagine that any flavors are actually missing from the metal tins that reside along the make line. Now that Adobo Ranch is saddling up for a limited time, slinging a wickedly cool heat, it's actually hard to imagine how we all were able to eat at Chipotle without it. Whether you use Adobo Ranch as a dip, or as a sauce to smother or fill an entree with, it will instantly make whatever you're eating taste more amazing. Its zest is truly the best. Also, at a mere $.75, it's a no-brainer add-on.
I'm already worried that time is moving too fast and this limited time only offering has its days numbered. I want this to always be a part of my Chipotle order going forward, and I am confident that you, my fellow eaters, will agree. The chain will have no choice but to make Adobo Ranch a permanent spoonful sight on the make line. And from there? Why not bottle it up, and sell them in stores to rival Popeyes and Chick-fil-A's own retail ranches? I'm also hoping for more cooled dips, dressings, and sides being whipped up in Chipotle's test kitchen, and then being tested, uh, in my own mouth.
In advance of Adobo Ranch's nationwide launch, the fine folks over at Chipotle sent over a handful of dip cups, as well as other menu items to test its bona fides on and with. The food arrived warm, and the Adobo Ranch, chilled. Everything was eaten shortly after it arrived, starting with the dip itself, and then with the other food items, in no particular order.
The taste test was conducted by myself, and with one other eater, who joined in on the yum. While the opinion of my dining companion was noted (they found it spiced-up far more than I did), ultimately, this chew and review is based on my own tastes, past experiences with Chipotle, and present experience with Adobo Ranch.
The criteria used to draw my final conclusion on Adobo Ranch included taste, texture, aroma, appearance, value, Chipotle-ness, ranchocity, overall lovability, and likelihood I would order it again. The simple answer is — yes! I even used the leftover dip I had on the eggs I made for breakfast the next morning. The result? My smile was as wide as the one on the top image that headlines this article.
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