How to Make Enchilada Sauce
Enchilada sauce is so easy to make! This red enchilada sauce recipe comes together in ten minutes. I've tried all the other recipes and this is the best!
Updated by Kathryne Taylor on August 28, 2024
I’ve been working on my enchilada game lately, for both the cookbook and an upcoming enchilada recipe. There is an art to making great enchiladas, and the sauce is a key component.
I thought I’d share my tested and perfected enchilada sauce recipe today, in case you want to try it on your favorite enchilada recipe. It’s ready in under ten minutes, and I promise, it’s so tasty you won’t want to go back to the store-bought kind again.
When I developed my go-to sauce (first seen on my spinach artichoke enchiladas), I tried at least five of the top sauce recipes on Google, all with different ingredients and techniques.
I tried making sauce with tomato sauce, which tasted too raw and was kind of goopy. I tried making sauce with blended diced tomatoes, and it had the same issues. I tried sauce without any tomato ingredients, and it didn’t taste quite like the enchilada sauce I grew up eating, or the sauce at my favorite Mexican restaurants. I tried sauces made without any thickener (like flour or cornstarch), and they pooled at the bottom and turned my enchiladas into a soupy, texture-less casserole.
Finally, after some experimentation and cross-referencing with America’s Test Kitchen, I landed on the perfect enchilada sauce. Vegetable broth forms the base of the sauce, but it’s only added after you make a simple roux of flour and oil. You need a full three tablespoons of each to properly thicken the sauce. I tried making this sauce with a gluten-free flour blend and that worked great as well.
The Best Enchilada Sauce
Four reasons to love this recipe:
- This sauce is full of authentic Mexican flavor. It comes from a combination of dried spices, which are sautéed in oil to bring out their best, and umami-rich tomato paste.
- The cinnamon is optional since some people just don’t like it in savory applications, but just a pinch adds some lovely warmth and complexity.
- The final kicker is a tiny splash of vinegar, which really amps up the flavor.
- Unlike canned enchiladas sauces, this homemade sauce is free of unnecessary processed ingredients and MSG (that’s monosodium glutamate, which gives my mom migraines).
I love this sauce and I’m confident you will, too, since it’s gotten rave reviews on my spinach artichoke enchiladas and veggie black bean enchiladas.
Please let me know how this recipe turns out for you in the comments! Your feedback keeps me going.
Watch How to Make Enchilada Sauce
Homemade Enchilada Sauce
This homemade red enchilada sauce has authentic Mexican flavor! It’s so good and easy, you’ll never go back to store-bought sauce again. You can even make a double batch and freeze half of it for later. Recipe as written below yields about 2 cups (16 ounces) sauce.
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 3 tablespoons flour (whole wheat flour, all-purpose flour and gluten-free flour blends all work!)
- 1 tablespoon ground chili powder (scale back if you’re sensitive to spice or using particularly spicy chili powder)
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon dried oregano
- ¼ teaspoon salt, to taste
- Pinch of cinnamon (optional but recommended)
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 2 cups vegetable broth
- 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar or distilled white vinegar
- Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Instructions
- This sauce comes together quickly once you get started, so measure the dry ingredients (the flour, chili powder, cumin, garlic powder, oregano, salt and optional cinnamon) into a small bowl and place it near the stove. Place the tomato paste and broth near the stove as well.
- In a medium-sized pot over medium heat, warm the oil until it’s hot enough that a light sprinkle of the flour/spice mixture sizzles on contact. This might take a couple of minutes, so be patient and don’t step away from the stove!
- Once it’s ready, pour in the flour and spice mixture. While whisking constantly, cook until fragrant and slightly deepened in color, about 1 minute. Whisk the tomato paste into the mixture, then slowly pour in the broth while whisking constantly to remove any lumps.
- Raise heat to medium-high and bring the mixture to a simmer, then reduce heat as necessary to maintain a gentle simmer. Cook, whisking often, for about 5 to 7 minutes, until the sauce has thickened a bit and a spoon encounters some resistance as you stir it. (The sauce will thicken some more as it cools.)
- Remove from heat, then whisk in the vinegar and season to taste with a generous amount of freshly ground black pepper. Add more salt, if necessary (I usually add another pinch or two). Go forth and make enchiladas!
Notes
Enchilada sauce recipe adapted from my spinach artichoke enchiladas.
Storage suggestions: Extra enchilada sauce will keep well in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Or, freeze it for up to 3 months. Let it cool to room temperature before transferring to a wide-mouth mason jar, leaving some room at the top for expansion (don’t screw on the lid completely until the mixture is fully frozen), or a freezer bag (remove excess air before sealing).
Make it gluten free: Just use gluten-free all-purpose flour blend. I tried with Bob’s Red Mill brand and it worked great.
Make it tomato free: You can omit the tomato paste. You might want to up the spices a bit. The sauce won’t taste quite like the enchilada sauce you might buy at the store, but it will still be good!
Change it up: The chili powder, cumin and garlic powder are essential here, but feel free to change up the other spices to suit your preferences.
If you love this sauce: Check out more of my Mexican recipes here!
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice. See our full nutrition disclosure here.
This is a delicious sauce and quick to make, with a great texture and simple ingredients! I made black bean and spinach enchiladas, topped with avocado before serving, and my family loved this sauce. I plan to double the recipe next time.
Yes, that’s what I was thinking.. double the recipe. I tell people you can make your own enchilada sauce. They are always surprised but say they are going to try it.
Delicious enchilada sauce! I let it simmer a bit longer and it brought out the flavors ever more! I will never use store bought again. Your recipe was so quick and easy and had the perfect amount of spice for my kids. My entire family loved it!
Was looking forward to making this sauce for some time now. Just used it this past weekend as the cooking sauce for stuffed bell peppers in the crockpot — it was wonderful! We’ve been looking for a while for a good enchilada sauce, and now the search is over. Thank you for this simple and delicious recipe!
Incidentally, the sauce left over after the stuffed peppers were cooked in it, was delicious in its own right. Hubby loved it on his breakfast eggs and potatoes.
I have made this sauce twice and my family and I love it. It is easy and by far the best enchilada sauce. I will never purchase store bought again. This would be good almost as a mole sauce, add chicken and serve over rice. Thanks again, Stefani in California
You’re welcome, Stefani! I’m glad this homemade version won you over.
Do you have any other suggestions for what I could use instead of Tomato Paste?
Hi there! Do you have any canned tomatoes? You might be able to blend them to make a thick purée. I haven’t tried, though, and am not sure on the amounts to suggest.
I blended canned diced tomatoes and it actually turned out perfect!! Thank you!
Amazing! I am also never buying canned sauce again, this recipe was amazing and so simple to make. Mixed in some diced chicken, sautéed onions, corn and black beans and served over fried polenta. I thought I’d died and gone to enchilada sauce heaven!
I used an 8oz can of tomato sauce and it turned out fantastic!
This was my first time to make enchiladas sauce. I did not realize it had a gravy base. This was quick and easy and delicious. Not too spicy.
I love this recipe! I’ve made it four times already and altered it with whatever I had on hand and it came out great every time.
Amazing recipe. We used garlic better than bouillon instead of chicken stock, worked wonderfully.
I use Beef and Chicken flavors of Better than Bouillon. I did not realize they made garlic. Thank you for the info!
This is hands-down the best recipe. I was too scatterbrained to remember all the proper measurements for my recipe. “Hey Google” got me here and all the ingredients looked right (chili powder- check, flour- check, pinch of cinnamon- this is a girl who knows her Mexican food!) Make a roux- you bet. The apple-cider vinegar threw me, but I tried it anyway. Honestly, this is better than my recipe. I use chicken stock because that’s my pantry staple. I also use a pinch of chipotle chili powder. This is now the sauce my family demands which is what led me to your blog. Finding that you’re also vegetarian with a cookbook is an added bonus! I have a close friend who is vegetarian, and I am always trying to find recipes to cook when she comes for dinner. Amazon is delivering it May 7th I can’t wait – and it will be plenty of time for me to practice new creations before it’s my turn to host dinner.
I do have one question – I am allergic to cashews, mangos and pistachios. What is a good substitution for those in your recipes?
Hey Christine! Thank you so much for your thoughtful note. I’m delighted that you found my website and cookbook—hope you really love the book! To answer your questions, cashews are a tricky substitute, especially when they are used to make dairy-free recipes creamy (if they’re used as a nutty accent, you could likely use any other nut that makes sense). Sometimes macadamias will work. For mangos, try peaches or any other member of the stone fruit family. For pistachios, maybe pepitas (green pumpkin seeds) or any other nut that you enjoy. Typically, the pistachios in my recipes are just accents, so you could skip them if you’d rather. Hope these help!
Th limited ingredients due to the recent state of groceries. I was able to make a huge batch and a tray of enchiladas that will last for days. I will totally makes this again. Delicious.
Really good! I doubled it, went a little heavier on the garlic and added cayenne. I really dont like the canned red sauce so this is a lot closer to restaurant quality
This is a great base recipe! Love the addition of ACV. I thought it needed a bit more kick when I made it so I added a bit more chicken stock, 2 minced chipotles in adobo, a big pinch of red pepper flakes, a bit more cumin, fresh garlic, and simmered it for 30 minutes. Came out awesome. It is more spicy for those who like the extra little heat.
We LOVED this sauce! We tweaked it by adding a small can of chipotle in adobo after following all steps in your recipe – then using immersion blender. My husband like things kicked up a few notches heat wise. It was so amazing – this is a keeper & we will never go back to jarred sauce. Thank you so much for an easy, delicious go to!
I am the designated bad cook in my family-I’ve never killed anyone, but I’ve caused enormous suffering.
Due to the current situation, running out for enchilada sauce was a no-go. Drat. Then I found your recipe. And I made it (using V-8 instead of tomato paste and vegetable broth) and it turned out GREAT!!
Thanks so much for your recipe and your approachable style.
Best enchilada sauce I have ever made!
I am still in awe of just how delicious this sauce is… and so simple there’s no reason for anyone to ever buy canned! I make a lot of Mexican meals but rarely anything requiring enchilada sauce, so I don’t usually keep it on hand. Now I don’t need to, I ALWAYS have the ingredients for this recipe on hand. Not to mention it’s vastly superior to canned.
Thanks for sharing!!!
Kate,
I tried your enchilada sauce last night for some veggie/black bean/soy curls enchiladas. I have tried too many enchilada sauces and yours is the ABSOLUTE best ever! I will search no more! Thank you for taking the time to perfect this! This was the first time I tried one of your recipes – where have I been?! I used a cashew ‘cheese’ sauce also but your sauce was what took it over the top! Can’t wait to try many more of you recipes. Thank you!!
Hooray! I’m glad you are here now and love this recipe. I appreciate your review. Be sure to let me know what you think of other recipes as you try them.
Tried your recipe yesterday – yum! I had some leftover corn tortillas in the fridge like it was meant to be. Next time I will have fresher chili powder so it will have even more flavor. I didn’t have the courage to try the cinnamon but will next time. Never used cumin before, glad to find a use for it! Thanks for the awesome recipe.
This is sooooo good! I received lots of compliments on this.
Thank you for letting me know this has been a hit for you, Gayla.
You could have scrolled to the recipe like I did, and there’s always a nicer way to say you don’t like something than using profanities, IMO. I’ll be making this sauce tonight.
Love your enchilada sauce and you refried beans. The family is hooked. Now I make both in large batches and freeze for during the week…I will never use store bought on either again
I have now made this recipe about a dozen times and I have never left a comment, but I decided to this time. Everyone I mean everyone loves your sauce I no longer buy any can sauces, yours is so much better. Thank you :)
This is fantastic! I ran out of canned stuff and searched for enchilada sauce recipes. Yours was one of the first on the list, the only one I looked at actually. :) I had almost everything on hand. No chili powder, but I used a Red Chili Seasoning Blend from Tia Rita’s of New Mexico (Red chili, garlic, onion, cornmeal, paprika, red bell pepper, oregano, lemon powder, and cayenne pepper. )
I also used wheat flour and the cinnamon. ACV too! Very easy to make. If I can get plain chili powder soon, I’ll try the original recipe with that.
My family loved it nontheless and requested it again. Looks like my go-to enchilada sauce from now on.
Thank you so much for sharing!
You are embarrassing yourself. Wonderful recipe!
I really liked it, too!
Wow!!! Decided to try making enchiladas for the first time, put our grocery list together, did the pick up, only to find the store was out of enchilada sauce! Being excited to make ‘homemade enchiladas’ I panicked, did a quick google search and came across your recipe. We could not have been more happy the store was out of ‘canned sauce!’ The recipe was easy, we doubled it, split the chili powder for half, and did half with chipotle powder. It was finished, tasted it and was like, oh this is not very good, off tasting! My wife and I both had that, ‘we have too much invested to turn back now look.’ So we put it all together, cooked our enchiladas on my smoker, ate them, and unbelievably delicious!!! The sauce made it, what was once an oh no, ended being an oh yes!!! My wife is an enchilada snob, and she loved them!!! Thank you for such a great recipe!!! Everyone needs to try this! Can’t wait to check out your other recipes!
Wonderful to hear, Chad! I’m glad this recipe came in handy for you. Thank you for sharing and for your review! Be sure to let me know what you think of the other recipes as you try them.
Just made this and it is so delicious! 1st time making it as can’t find enchilada sauce in our shops in UK. Thank you for this recipe!!
I have eaten a LOT of mexican food in my life, and this is BY FAR the best enchilada sauce I have EVER had. I made one minor substitution because I don’t keep garlic powder in my kitchen. I instead added 1 small clove minced fresh garlic to the oil, cooking for 30 seconds before adding the flour. I tell you, I’m in love!!
This was perfect! So much better than canned enchilada sauce which has no flavor nor the right consistency. And the best part was it was so simple to make and quick. I’m sad I never attempted to make my own before. This will be my go-to recipe!
Wow, that’s amazingly rude. It’s not anyones fault that you’re a terrible cook.
You could at least try not being a terrible human, too.
I didn’t know how easy this could be. It was so good I will never use the can sauce again. It is so easy I am going to make extra and freeze.
This was super -easy and totally delicious!
It’s a great recipe….I’ve used it twice and the vinegar really adds to the flavor
Don’t waste your time. I had to do a lot to fix this recipe. I honestly was very disappointed with the proportions and will turn to another recipe in the future.
I wonder do you talk to service people like this too. I tweaked this recipe too and found it simple and delicious. Class is about how we treat others.
You go, girl!! Recipe snobs boor me, and if ya can’t be helpful and respectful, then don’t comment. Alex could have been helpful by stating how he changed it, but he had to be a jerk and totally obnoxious. I’d hate to have to be around someone like him…a huge downer! I love how you put him in his place and with total class, too!
This recipe is great! I like my sauce a little thinner but that’s my personal taste. I would recommend doubling it since you will want to drown your enchiladas in this tasty sauce. Do you think this would work with tamales and tamale pie?
Have a great day!
Dianna
Thumbs up Victoria!!
Made this for my family’s favorite enchiladas when we couldn’t find any of the canned, I’m so glad I did. I will never buy canned again. Very easy to make, doesn’t take long, most of the ingredients are on hand and it has THE best flavor. Thank you for our new favorite!
Taste so much better than store bought . My husband Loved it and is he ever picky!
So pleased to have tried! Its in my book now( it is a keeper) I did not have chili powder and substituted with serrano chili seeds! I did not use vinegar. Made a great lunch. Already made another batch to FREEZE. Thank again for sharing.
I’ve made this sauce three times in the past two weeks. It is delicious and so easy to make. My daughter who is usually a picky eater even loved it. I will definitely never use store bought sauce! Can the recipe be doubled?
Hi Rebecca! Glad to hear it! Yes, I believe you can double the recipe with no issues (it freezes well if you end up with extra).
Hi! I stumbled onto your site yesterday while looking for vegetarian meal ideas, as I am slowly transitioning over to a more plant-based diet. I made your enchilada sauce to go with the black bean veggie enchiladas and WOW!!!!! Even my carnivore-refuses-to-even-try vegan son LOVED the sauce. He scooped it from the bottom of the dish to put on the plain white rice he cooked up. I only wish I had made more of the sauce as everyone loved it and wanted more of it. I can’t wait to try more of your recipes. Thank you!!!
I’m happy you stumbled, Melissa! Those are great ones to come across. I’m glad it was all a hit! Thanks for your review.
Enjoyed this! Was my first time making enchiladas and decided to make the sauce. Halved the chili powder because my mom doesn’t like things too spicy and it came out perfect! Really loved it! Made a perfect amount for 8 enchiladas with a pound of beef.
This recipe was so good! Wayyy better than store bought sauce. I used it on mexican pizzas and it was a hit. My husband hates the store bought sauces for having too much salt and being overpowering. This one was perfect. I didn’t have tomato paste so i used tomato sauce and it worked just fine.
This was SO GOOD! Tastes authentic. I’ve tried many sauces, and I’ve never been impressed, but this one went into my recipe book!!!
Just a couple of comments about the recipe. If you use veggie stock from a cube (as I did) – don’t add the salt. Just correct the seasoning at the end. Here in France I can’t get those nice packages of stock that are available in the US – boullion cubes are all that it is available.
I found that the flavor popped much more by adding 1/4 teaspoon of sugar and I cooked it for about 20 minutes while I prepared my enchiladas. I had this with some Beluga lentils I fixed using Mexican spices, avocado and cheddar cheese for the filling. The small lentils, if cooked just to before they get mushy, are reminiscent of a ground beef texture. I also made my own corn tortillas and the combination was wonderful. Thanks for the great recipe!
Just made this and loved it so I made a second batch right after to freeze for later!
Great to hear, Shan. Thank you for sharing.
Interested in trying this, but I don’t have olive oil. I do have canola, coconut, and sesame, though. Will any of those work as a substitute, or would it mess up the recipe? Thanks!
Hi Ash! I don’t like to use canola oil, but it is the most neutral for flavor profile in what you have listed. Otherwise, I usually recommend coconut oil as a good alternative, but it can taste more coconut-like.
Wow, super easy to make, super delicious. I can’t believe how the flavours of all spices blend together! I can use this sauce in my burritos too :). I am always looking for vegetarian sauce recipe to go with burritos and this is one of the best I have found!! I will make big batch and store it in the freezer! Can’t wait to try out your other recipes. Thank you so much for sharing.
This was so easy and delicious that it will be my new go-to. I didn’t have any garlic powder so I had to use fresh, and my apple cider vinegar has honey in it which added a touch of sweetness. My family loved this on our veggie enchiladas. Thank you so much for sharing!
This is absolutely delicious!!! I subbed chicken broth for the veggie broth – it’s what I had on hand. Even added the pinch of cinnamon. It tasted great before the teaspoon of cider vinegar, but that teaspoon of cider vinegar makes it out of this world yummy. This is five stars all the way for taste, easy, simple on hand ingredients. I will never use that nasty canned stuff again, or any of the other recipes I’ve tried in the past. This is it – perfection.
Opps I forgot to rate with the stars with my earlier comment. It’s a five star all the way.
Thank you, Carol!
Wow!! Hope you’re back on your meds!!
Love this simple recipe lots of flavor, all the spices made the house smell like my grandmothers kitchen! I added the cinnamon balances the flavors. I have to be careful with apple cider vinegar in my experience it ends up ruining the recipe. I always want to give it a try I only did half a tsp & still was not very happy with it, as I was whisking the sauce I was tasting it and was perfectly fine without it. Definitely will make again thank you so much for sharing I highly recommend.
Thank you for sharing! I’m glad it reminded you of such a sweet memory. :)
Just made this because the grocery store was out of enchilada sauce (haha!). It is super yummy I can tell. Enchiladas is a staple in my household so making the sauce from scratch makes it that much better! Thanks for this life saver =)