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.
Best enchilada sauce with all the ingredients you listed it does bring out the taste.
Awesome Sauce! thank you. I made this yesterday for my enchilada bake. I didn’t have tomato paste so I used Rotel and that worked too. I will definitely make this again.
You’re welcome, Deanna! I’m glad you enjoyed it. Thank you for your review.
My go-to enchilada sauce! Thanks for sharing!
You’re welcome, Beth! I’m happy you enjoyed it.
This sauce is delicious! I used it on some sweet potato, black bean, and kale enchiladas. The only change I made was leaving out the garlic powder, since garlic sometimes upset my stomach. I’m sure it would have been a tasty addition, though!
This enchilada sauce is so good that I could just drink it! :) I’ve made it with both veggie and chicken stock, but it is supremely better with veggie stock. I’m a native Texan living in California and this sauce hits all the right Tex-Mex flavor notes for me. I’m never buying canned sauce or using any other recipe again. Thanks!
Thank you so much for the recipe. I was making enchiladas and realized I didn’t have any sauce. This was delicious, better than the can sauce. I will definitely make it again!
Absolutely loved this sauce. So quick and simple to make. Highly recommend!
Great to hear, Alexa!
Lovely sauce, thank you! It is much nicer to make your own. I added a bit of smoked paprika. :)
Thank you Kate (and Cookie!) for this awesome recipe! I’ve never made my own enchilada sauce, and this was not only incredibly simple, but I had everything on hand and it tasted phenomenal. I have a bad habit of assuming that any recipe that calls for tomato paste requires a full 6 oz can, so I added all 6 ounces before realizing it only needed 2 tbsp — it was still delicious and not too tomato-y! I have yet to find one bad recipe on your site or in your cookbook, and I am so grateful to you for providing easy vegetarian recipes.
Oh no! I’m happy you were still able to enjoy it, Alyssa.
Delicious and authentic! Thank you for the delicious recipe. I love the spice level, as I grew up eating spicy food. This is my second time making it.
Thank you for sharing!
This recipe totally misses the mark. It is extremely bland and has way too much oil to make it healthy. I want to see if my comments make it on as I should have been leary of all the 5 stars. Wasted a lot of ingredients.
Hi Adele, I’m sorry you didn’t love this one. I know others readers have. Sometimes if seasonings aren’t fresh, they aren’t as flavorful and can impact the results.
I love this sauce! I’ve made it numerous times and tastes wonderful each time. I have changed the taste a wee bit just for a change and have added a bit more tomato paste and/or cinnamon but normally, I make it exactly as directed above. DELICIOUS!
I’m happy to hear that! Thank you for sharing, Carol.
I absolutely loved this enchilada sauce.I wanted to try my hand at cooking enchiladas but needed a sauce something more flavorful than my mom’s recipe. When she seen I was making enchiladas she gave me a look like how dare you make them without my sauce. But in the end she loved them as did my whole family. As we say in my family “winner winner tofu dinner”. Glad I found you.
If I don’t have tomato paste can I use tomato sauce? I know the paste is much thicker so I’m not sure what adjustments I would need to make.
Hi, I recommend it as is, but I believe others have tried it. I would see what they have tried, but I can’t guarantee the results.
DEVINE PERFECTION.
Thank you, Alyssa!
It was delicious!
I didn’t have vegetable broth or tomato paste so I used 2 cups of water and half cup cup of tomato sauce and a sprinkle of onion powder instead.
Wonderful sauce recipe. I added my own spices as I have allergies to certain peppers and chili powders. I filled the tortillas with cheddar and leftover BBQ steak that I shaved and they were to die for! Thank you the wonderful recipe.
Made this recipe tonight exactly as written. Super easy and tastes great. Next time, I’ll use a bit less salt. Loved the cinnamon! Thank you!
For serious reasons, I cannot eat spicy food with heat. My husband doesn’t care for spicy food. Still, we like Mexican food. I have tried many so called “mild” canned versions of enchilada sauce and they were two spicy for us. I tried your recipe yesterday and adjusted the spice to our taste. So quick and easy, plus we always have these ingredients in our pantry. My chicken casserole was delicious! We are hooked on this recipe! THANK YOU so much! If you are on Keto or Paleo, you can use any kind of flour that thickens.
I’m so glad you both can have my recipe! You’re welcome and I appreciate your review Irene.
We tried this recipe for the first time and loved it. Thanks
Wonderful! Thank you for your review, Rob.
Sooo.. stumbled upon this receipe three days ago and the sauce is just to die for! I thought that it was so thoughtful of her to try all these different ingredients and noticed how she went on and on about finding the perfect ingredients etc. Well… you know when someone is lying, they tend to elaborate a considerable amount more than normal… this exact recipe is posted tbsp for tbsp on preppy kitchen com. Feeling that this site should be called cookie and fake. His has been on his site for ages. Way longer than hers on this new site. Smh some peoples kids these days! They dont even have to learn the dewy decibel system anymore or learn about plagiarism apparently.
Hi Kay, I’m sorry you feel that way. I put a lot of time and effort into my recipes. I started this blog in 2010 and have been creating recipes for over 10 years now. I can ensure you I did not copy or reference this recipe. I source any inspiration or adaptions when I use other sources. I did briefly look at the recipe just now. Although there are similarities, it’s not the same recipe.
I make this recipe frequently but I did make a few modifications. I use a small onion and fresh garlic with a small can of fire-roasted tomatoes. I also add a half teaspoon of cinnamon rather than a pinch. I let it boil for about 15 minutes and use the immersion blender. It is delicious and makes enough for two batches of enchiladas. It is also really good over beans and rice.
This simple recipe is able to extract amazing, authentic flavor. I have made it a few times and incorporated it in different ways to different dishes. I get complimented on it every time. I love that I am not relying on canned sauces. Thank you, Kate!
Still licking my lips after polishing off a delicious plate of enchiladas. Thank you so much for a recipe that I will come back to again and again. Delicious!!
Love this recipe, have made it several times. The sauce is so good, I could just eat it by the spoonful. Much better than the canned stuff. Thanks, it’s a keeper.
I went to make my dish that calls for enchilada sauce. I normally have some in my cupboard. 1/2 way through, I realized I didn’t have a can. I made your recipe, and I am here to tell you, I will NEVER buy canned sauce again. This is amazing and it complimented my dish. Thank you.
You’re welcome, Marybeth! Thank you for your review.
I went to make my dish that calls for enchilada sauce. I normally have some in my cupboard. 1/2 way through, I realized I didn’t have a can. I made your recipe, and I am here to tell you, I will NEVER buy canned sauce again. This is amazing and it complimented my dish. Thank you.
I’ll add one tidbit. For a second dish if enchiladas I added some chipotle peppers in adobo sauce and 3 tbsp of sour cream to pour over enchiladas. Delicious.
Thank you for sharing! I’m happy you loved it.
can’t wait to try, but I think I will replace regular flour with almond flour… hope that works ! :)
Hi, I don’t think almond flour will work the same. Sorry!
I make this with the veggie bean enchiladas every 5 minutes now. Its sooooooo good. Best enchilada sauce ever. Thank you.
Used this recipe to make enchiladas sauce. Addes more spices and a bit of sugar to meet an Indian palate. Turned out extremely well. Entire family is now a fan of this recipe!!
Amazing sauce! I’ve been looking and have tried a few that were good but not amazing. Only modification I made was adding 2 Chipotle in Adobo peppers while simmering. I removed them when I reached the slight heat level I wanted. It added a smokiness too. Thanks for the recipe!
Thank you, Mona! I’m glad you loved it and got creative with it.
This is the best enchilada sauce! My husband loves it. I substituted chicken stock for the vegetable broth and it’s amazing!!! Thank you so much for sharing :)
In my husband’s words, your enchilada sauce recipe tastes authentic. I was working through some leftovers to make some kind of baked wrap (Mexican style), but did not have a sauce on hand. Thinking I’d make something tomato-based, when I came across your version. I had always assumed tomatoes topped the list of ingredients for enchilada sauce, LOL. We did have everything in the ingredient list (staples), except the vegetable broth, for which I substituted chicken stock. Delicious – thank you once again.
I’m delighted you both loved it! Thank you for sharing, Hannah.
This tastes exactly like the sauce we get from good Mexican restaurants. The people who don’t think it tastes like enchilada sauce are probably thinking of canned. This is much better.
Thank you, Ariana! I’m delighted you loved it.
Wow, first time I’ve ever made my own sauce and I’ll never go back to canned. Thank you!!!!
You’re welcome, William! Thank you for your review.
Really love this recipe although I use sunflower oil instead of olive. Thank you!
This recipe is AMAZING. Rave reviews from my crew. I tasted it so many times with disbelief as to how good it was that I was glad there was some left to pour over my enchiladas.
I’m glad you loved it!
Good recipe
Thank you!
I want to make this tonight but I only have chicken stock on hand. Will that work?
Sorry for my delay! Yes, I believe others have tried that and didn’t mind the results.
easy and delish. I doubled recipe, did not have paste so used sauce and forgot the vinegar. didn’t seem to matter! yum.
I have bad reflux so have to avoid tomatoes. I made this sauce without the tomato paste and it was exceptional!!!! I’m also in the southwest and this sauce holds up to those I’ve had in restaurants out here. Excellent recipe that I’ll use for chicken and veggie recipes in the future! TBH I could just drink the sauce haha.
That’s great to hear, DM! I appreciate you taking the time to review.
I just made this and it is fantastic! I love it when I google a recipe and your website pops up. Because I know what I am about to create will taste awesome. Thanks Kate.
This recipe saved me one day when I started enchiladas but was out of canned sauce. It’s safe to say I’ll never go back. This is more cost-effective and way, way tastier than the canned stuff. We love it! Definitely follow the advice to have everything ready and next to the stove. The spices can overcook and turn dark fast if you aren’t watching the pan and moving quickly.
Hooray! Thank you for sharing, Katie. I’m happy you loved it.
I discovered this enchilada sauce because I got the Love Real Food cookbook last year when I found myself working from home and deciding I’d finally learn how to cook (only took me until my late 30s). I can’t tell you how much I love this sauce! Even as a new cook, it has turned out wonderfully every time I make it, which has easily been 8 times… (My husband’s favorite meal is the sweet potato enchiladas from the book, so we eat it pretty frequently)
I love that, Jamie! Thank you for purchasing my book and leaving a review. Never too late to learn something!
I’ve made this sauce five or six times now, and the result is always spectacular. Thanks for the great recipe!
Love this recipe! This is my second time making it and it turned out perfectly again. Pay close attention to the cooking instructions and to your pot and heat and it’ll be perfect.
My first time using this recipe, I did it exactly as written (except substituting in chicken broth) and it was great, but a tad too flavorful/aromatic for our preferences.
The second time, I did slightly less chili (cooking for kids), a tiny pinch of cinnamon, and added an additional tablespoon of tomato paste. It turned out great – perfect consistency and a milder flavor.
Just made this for the family.
Simple, quick, and better than most restaurants, much less store bought.
Thanks for sharing!
Substitute chilli powder for paprika.
…1 tbsp of chilli powder is pretty spicy & some might find paprika milder
This recipe was delicious and easy to make. It had no lumps.
WOW! You nailed this sauce perfectly. I am a new convert to the ease and simplicity of your recipe. We have an old family traditional recipe that’s been used for about five generations, but I LOVE having such a wonderful and delicious alternate that, quite frankly, will likely be used more than the old one. It’s THAT good! Muy bueno, Catalina ♡