This easy Mole Sauce Recipe is such a great addition to your favorite meals! We love Chicken Mole, and learning how to make this homemade red mole sauce has made all the difference for our best Mexican recipe!
What’s in This Easy Mole Recipe?
If you’re a Mexican food lover, you’re going to love this mole poblano! This easy mole recipe creates the most flavorful sauce that will make your taste buds dance!
- Oil: Olive oil helps give the sauce body, texture, and flavor.
- Onion + Garlic: These veggies create a flavorful base for the sauce.
- Chipotle Peppers: Add a kick of heat to this tasty mole sauce.
- Adobo Sauce: Full of rich flavors, adobo sauce adds a spicy, earthy, tangy, sweet, and smoky element to the sauce.
- Diced Tomatoes with Green Chiles: The tomatoes and chiles add bright flavor and freshness to balance everything out.
- Peanut Butter: We recommend using smooth peanut butter for this recipe for optimal texture.
- Broth: Chicken broth will help thin out the sauce and give it a more savory flavor.
- Spices: A combination of chili powder and cinnamon really elevates this sauce to the next level.
- Chocolate: Make sure you use unsweetened chocolate, as sweetened will make the sauce overly sweet.
Variations to try
Want to make a slightly different type of mole sauce? No problem! This recipe is simple to customize to your liking. For a more traditional mole sauce, you can use Mexican chocolate instead of unsweetened chocolate.
You can also fry some dried chiles in oil instead of using the canned option for a spicier mole sauce. Authentic mole sauce also incorporates dried fruit like raisins. So, don’t be afraid to play around with the flavors! There is a lot you can do with this tasty sauce.
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How to Store
Mole sauce is so easy to store and save for later. Simply place the sauce in an airtight container or glass jar and store it in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.
How to Freeze
To freeze easy mole sauce, place it into an airtight, freezer-safe container in the freezer for up to 2 months.
Notes from the Test Kitchen
Not sure which kind of chocolate to use? We recommend using Mexican chocolate for a more authentic mole sauce. If you can get your hands on some, it’s easy enough to make from scratch! Otherwise, any unsweetened chocolate will do just the trick!
Top Reader Review
“This was so INCREDIBLY DELICIOUS!!! Thank you so much!! And yes super EASY compared to other Mole Recipes!” – Mindy
Easy Mole Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 onion chopped
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 chipotle pepper in adobo sauce chopped
- 2 teaspoons adobo sauce from the chipotle pepper can
- 14.5 ounces diced tomatoes with green chiles 1 can
- 4 tablespoons creamy peanut butter
- 2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
- 2 teaspoons chili powder
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon coarse sea salt
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 2 ounces unsweetened chocolate
Equipment
- Food Processor (a blender also works)
Instructions
- Place a pot over medium heat and add the oil.2 tablespoons olive oil
- Add the onion and garlic, stirring often, for 5 minutes until softened and fragrant.1 onion, 3 cloves garlic
- Add the chipotle pepper, adobo sauce, and tomatoes with green chiles. Stir to combine. Reduce to a simmer and allow to cook for 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally.1 chipotle pepper in adobo sauce, 2 teaspoons adobo sauce, 14.5 ounces diced tomatoes with green chiles
- Carefully pour the mixture into a food processor.
- Add the peanut butter, chicken broth, chili powder, cinnamon, salt and pepper. Blend until well combined.4 tablespoons creamy peanut butter, 2 cups low-sodium chicken broth, 2 teaspoons chili powder, ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon, 1 teaspoon coarse sea salt, 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
- Return the mixture to the pot over medium heat. Cook to reduce for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Add the chocolate and stir until melted.2 ounces unsweetened chocolate
Notes
How to Make – Step by Step
Sauté the Onion and Garlic: Place a pot over medium heat and add 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Add 1 chopped onion and 3 minced cloves of garlic, stirring often, for 5 minutes until softened and fragrant.
Add the Peppers and Tomatoes: Add 1 chipotle pepper, 2 teaspoons of adobo sauce, and 14.5 ounces (1 can) of diced tomatoes with green chiles. Stir to combine. Reduce to a simmer and allow to cook for 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Blend the Sauce: Carefully pour the mixture into a food processor. Add 4 tablespoons of creamy peanut butter, 2 cups of chicken broth, 2 teaspoons of chili powder, ½ teaspoon of cinnamon, 1 teaspoon of salt, and 1 teaspoon of ground black pepper. Blend until well combined.
Reduce the Sauce: Return the mixture to the pot over medium heat. Cook to reduce for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add 2 ounces of unsweetened chocolate and stir until melted.
Not all types of mole contain chocolate, but this particular recipe does, and we think it really makes a difference in the final taste.
Mole is a sauce that combines rich, earthy, and smoky flavors that can vary depending on where you have it. However, although the flavors can sometimes be different, the sauce’s texture should generally be thick rather than runny.
A bitter mole sauce can be the result of too much char on the ingredients. To prevent the bitter taste, leave some of the seeds in chipotle peppers. You could also add some more spice at the end and adjust the heat level to your liking.
Mole is often served with chicken. Especially the traditional Mexican dish called pollo en mole. It is also commonly served with enmoladas, an enchilada prepared with mole instead of salsa.
Oh my gosh this was so flavorful. Will make again and again!
Oh yay!!
Just made this mole sauce and it is absolutely delicious! Thank you for sharing the recipe!
Of course! I’m so glad you loved it
Perfect addition to my Cinco de Mayo menu!
Thanks Suzy, I agree!
I love how easy this is and right in time for Cinco de Mayo, too! I’ll have to give this a try!
It’s SO GOOD
Awesome! Thank you for sharing this! We eat a lot of Mexican food & this would be perfect with so many dishes! I am so excited to try it!
Hope you love it!!
Hi! Do you use regular chili powder, like you use in american chili recipes?
Yes! Any regular chili powder will work!
I’m allergic to peanuts can I use almond butter ?
I haven’t tried that, but you can give it a shot!
This was so INCREDIBLY DELICIOUS!!! Thank you so much!! And yes super EASY compared to other Mole’ Recipe’s!
Thanks for stopping by, Mindy!
This is a delicious and easy Mole sauce. To mellow out the flavor of the. Chipotle, I added 2 tablespoons of honey and it balanced out the heat perfectly! Thank you for sharing this recipe!!
Thanks for stopping by, Gina!