Sauce Up Chipotle Garlic Chip Review

This post contains affiliate links. I may earn a small commission if you buy through them — at no extra cost to you. My scores are never influenced by this.

Sauce Up Chipotle Garlic Chip Review

This Sauce Up Chipotle Garlic Chip review covers the smokier half of the Garlic Chip duo. Sauce Up NYC already has a full lineup on the site — the Original Chili Crisp, the Extra Spicy, the White Truffle, and a Salsa Macha that earned EXCELLENT. The Garlic Chip line is newer, and this Chipotle variant is the one I wanted to get to first because it sits in interesting territory — the label says “chili sauce,” the ingredient list says salsa macha, and the jar looks like garlic granola.

Same 6-ounce format, same NYC branding, same clean-label positioning. Morita and guajillo chilies, sunflower seeds, peanuts, honey, and cumin rounding out the bottom of the list. That cumin is doing more work than its position suggests.

Quick Facts

Serving size is one tablespoon at 90 calories. I like that — it’s a realistic amount. You’re not pretending you’re only using a teaspoon of this. One gram of added sugar, which tracks with the honey and coconut palm sugar in the ingredient list.

Ingredient Quality

Grapeseed oil leads, then fried garlic chips and fried shallots — so the “Garlic Chip” name earns its spot. Sunflower seeds and peanuts come next, giving this jar its body and crunch. Honey is fifth on the list, which explains the sticky, granola-like consistency.

The chili base is morita and guajillo — two named dried chilies with distinct profiles. Morita is a type of chipotle, smaller and smokier than the more common meco variety. Guajillo adds a mild, slightly fruity warmth. Both are traditional salsa macha ingredients, which is why this jar feels more macha than crisp despite the label calling it a chili sauce.

Then you get Himalayan pink salt, organic coconut palm sugar, white sesame seed, soy sauce powder, and cumin at the very end. That cumin placement is worth noting — it’s dead last on the ingredient list, but it’s the first thing I taste. Either cumin is doing serious heavy lifting at a small dose, or the ingredients above it aren’t asserting themselves enough. In this case, I think it’s the former. Cumin is potent, and even a small amount can steer the entire flavor profile.

The soy sauce powder alongside the Himalayan pink salt means this jar is pulling sodium from two directions. That becomes a factor.

Aroma

Smells like chipotle. That’s it — and I mean that as a compliment. No mystery, no confusion. You open the jar and get a clean, smoky chili smell that matches exactly what the label says. The morita is doing its job here.

Appearance and Settlement

This jar is packed. Crispy bits visible all the way to the top — the oil doesn’t sit on top in a separate layer. It moves through the bits instead. That’s an excellent settlement ratio by any standard. The problem is you can barely dig into it. There’s no room for a fork test because it’s filled to the brim with stuff. Hard to complain about too much product in the jar, but it does make the first few servings an excavation project.

Texture and Crunch

This looks like garlic granola. Same as the Original Garlic Chip — the honey binds everything into thick, sticky clusters. Huge bits and seeds throughout. Good crunch across the board, and the pieces hold their texture even after stirring.

It’s thick to pull around because of the honey. The bits stick together, which means you’re getting a dense, loaded forkful every time. Not delicate. Not a drizzle product. This is a scoop-and-drop condiment.

Sauce Up Chipotle Garlic Chip Flavor

Cumin hits first. Right away. Then the salt — and there’s a lot of salt. The double sodium source (soy sauce powder plus Himalayan pink salt) makes itself known immediately. It’s not subtle.

After the cumin-salt wave, there’s a bitter garlic note that comes through initially, but it milds out. The chili flavor arrives in the aftertaste — a smoky, salty chili presence that takes over once the garlic bitterness fades. That transition does a good job balancing out.

Here’s where mixing matters: the oil layer at the bottom is sweeter than the dry bits on top. If you just eat off the surface, you’re getting cumin and salt without the sugar and oil to balance it. Mix it up properly and the full picture comes together — sweeter oil tempers the salt, honey rounds the edges, and the chipotle settles into the background where it belongs.

It’s a whole-jar product, but only when you actually mix it. The layers disagree when separated. The top is too salty and dry on its own. The bottom is too sweet and oily on its own. Together, they work. Sauce Up put a “shake / mix well before serving” note on the label, and they’re not wrong — this jar needs it more than most.

Compared to the Original Garlic Chip

This is better than the Sauce Up Original. The chipotle and cumin give it a direction the Original doesn’t have — there’s an actual flavor identity here instead of a generic garlic-and-oil base. The morita and guajillo chilies add smokiness that the Original’s red chilies can’t match. Same granola texture, same honey binding, but more going on in the flavor department.

Heat

Mild. A light burn on the tongue that doesn’t go anywhere. Not medium — definitely not medium. The morita and guajillo bring flavor, not fire. No spice indicator on the label, which is honest. If you’re shopping for heat, this isn’t the jar.

Use Cases

Tacos. Avocado toast — for sure. The cumin-chipotle profile leans Mexican, so anything in that direction is a natural fit. I’d put this on breakfast burritos, black beans, or grilled chicken where you want smokiness without heat. The salt level actually works in its favor on bland foods that need seasoning — avocado toast is the perfect example.

Versatility and Packaging

At $2.50 per ounce, it’s in line with the rest of the Sauce Up lineup. Standard 6-ounce jar. The packed-to-the-brim fill is generous — no air, no wasted space. Spoon access is tight for the first few servings because of how dense it is, but that’s a volume issue, not a design flaw. The jar works fine once you’ve made some room.

Use case range is narrower than the Sauce Up Salsa Macha, which goes on just about everything. The cumin-chipotle profile points this toward Mexican-adjacent foods specifically. Not a problem, but it’s worth knowing before you buy — this isn’t a universal condiment.

Final Verdict: GOOD

The Sauce Up Chipotle Garlic Chip is better than the Original. The morita and guajillo chilies give it real character, the cumin provides direction, and the garlic-granola texture is as satisfying as ever. But the salt level — pulled from both soy sauce powder and Himalayan pink salt — is a persistent caveat. It’s the kind of thing you notice by the third forkful and can’t un-notice after that.

If the sodium came down even slightly, this would push toward GREAT. As it stands, it’s a good jar with a clear identity and one thing holding it back. Worth buying if you want a smoky, crunchy condiment for tacos and toast — just know you’re getting a salty one.

Tier: GOOD

Buy Sauce Up Chipotle Garlic Chip on Amazon