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.
As a gluten-free chef, I wanted to leave a comment for others using GF flour. A few weeks ago I decided to try making home made enchiladas. I did some Googling and thought this sauce recipe had a nice combo of spices and ingredients, so I made it as directed. I use Namaste Perfect Flour Blend because I’ve found it produces the closest texture to wheat flour for sauces, stews, soups, gravies, etc, and the sauce doesn’t get miserably thin if you save and reheat it. But the amount in the recipe was far too much for that brand of GF flour – it ended up lumpy and way too thick so I had to use a hand mixer to get rid of the lumps and add extra broth to thin it. Of course I also had to add a bit more tomato paste and a pinch of spices to bring the flavour back up as well. Otherwise, a great sauce. I’ve since made it again but ended up cutting back on the amount of flour – I used 2 tbsp instead of 3 – and used a little trick my Mum taught me for lump-free sauces. Instead of making a roux with the spices/GF flour, set the 2 tbsp of flour aside in a small jar and proceed as directed with just the spices and tomato paste. Then add about half the broth and stir until the paste is fully incorporated into the sauce. Don’t let it boil, just heat it enough to get the tomato paste in there. Take off the heat and then add some of the remaining cool broth to the jar of flour (making sure to shake the jar to break up the lumps in the flour before adding liquid) and then shake the crap out of it! Put the sauce back on the heat, add any remaining broth that you didn’t put in the jar, and then stir in the flour/broth mixture BEFORE it comes to a boil and then stir until boiling. Voila, you will have a perfect, lump-free sauce! Even though I know making a roux is supposed to impart some sort of nutty flavour to the flour (IF you’re using wheat), personally, I’ve never noticed a difference in flavour profile using this technique. Also, having taste-tested this sauce throughout the process, I would recommend using both the cinnamon and the apple cider vinegar, it really does make a difference. I also added adobo sauce the second time based on a review and the website owner’s comments – it adds a really nice smoky flavour, would definitely recommend!
Thank you for the thorough notes! I’m sure these will be super helpful for other GF readers.
I gathered all my ingredients as suggested and found the sauce so easy to make. I’ve never made homemade enchilada sauce. I used it in an enchilada “lasagna” and it was so good. Thanks for the recipe.❤️
You’re welcome, Julia! I’m intrigued by that enchilada “lasagna.”
This Sauce is perfect. I use lime juice instead of vinegar and that gives it all it needs.
Great!
Excited to try! How long does this last in the fridge, if I want to make a big batch? Does it freeze?
This will last probably 3-4 days in an airtight container in the fridge, and I know for a fact that it freezes beautifully!
I’m just coming across this recepie and I’m so glad I did! It’s amazing and you’re absolutely right, I will never go back to store bought enchilada sauce again. I used potato starch instead of flour and it worked great.
Thank you for your yummy creation and for sharing with others :)
Great! Good to hear the potato starch worked out, Maria.
Your veggie/black bean enchiladas are one of my favorite recipes to make, but I have not tackled this sauce yet. I was curious, can this be made in a big batch and frozen in smaller containers? Thanks!!
Absolutely! I’ve had several readers tell me that this works beautifully.
I made a double batch. My enchiladas are in the oven and I am currently eating the remaining sauce with a soup spoon because it is SO DELICIOUS! Thanks so much for putting in the effort to perfect this wonderful recipe.
You’re welcome, Megan!
Ywhat kind of Vegtable Broth are you referring to in your homemade enchilada sauce recipe
Hi, Kristy! Any type of low-sodium vegetable broth would work well here.
Absolutely THE BEST enchilada sauce I’ve ever had…. Recipe is PERFECT! Thank you for sharing it. It’s a new staple in my household.
Can you make it up ahead of time? Or just before use?
Made this with a couple weeks cuz if what I had on hand, used can of stewed tomatoes in place of paste and broth and blended sauce with stick blender. Was out of chili powder so i used chili hot sauce. Top notch!! Thank you.
Ok Thanks for this sauce! I tried it and it is so good! I love your site and so glad I stumbled upon it! I am what my doctor like to call a forced Vegetarian. I do like meat but I am a gastric bypass patient and can not process it anymore (kind of like being lactose intolerant except to meat lol And just skimming through your recipes I know this will be a big part of my life now! The spinach enchiladas are on the menu for tomorrow night!
Wow….I never leave comments but I have to on this recipe. Easy to make and so delicious. I added a tsp. of paprika and I used Tabasco spicy salt. So very yummy.
Yum! Sounds extra-spicy and delicious, Dawn.
Sounds delicious! Is this a recipe that is shelf stable and could be used for canning?
This one is not shelf stable, no. It’s best kept in the fridge and used within a few days of making it, or freezing in smaller portions.
This sauce is delicious! I made it without tomato paste and it came out wonderfully! Thank you!
Great! Happy you enjoyed it, Tessa. Thanks for commenting!
Delicious and fairly easy
Perfect!
I made this yesterday for a crock pot chicken enchilada recipe. Followed the recipe with no changes, was perfect! Easily doubled, this is a keeper, thanks!
Great! I’m so glad.
I made this as written with the exception of chicken stock. It was totally bland and inauthentic tasting. I’ll stick with the budget bytes recipe in the future.
I usually love the canned enchilada sauce, I made this because I was out of sauce. Turns out it’s the best enchilada sauce I’ve tasted. Family was crazy for it. Its fast and easy. I’ll never buy canned sauce again.
Thanks!
Delicious recipe! I just made this using water I saved from soaking dried chiles and added some home made vegetable stock paste. Yum!
This sauce was so delicious! I used apple cider vinegar – did not add the optional cinnamon – and we all loved it! I will be making this on a regular basis, and next time I’ll freeze some!
Great recipie. I doubled it which turn out great. But when it says pinch of cinnamon only use a pinch. I used like four pinches which was two pinches too much.
Great recipe, delicious, one suggestion:
LISTEN TO HER ABOUT SCALING BACK SPICE.
I fed this to my husband and brother who have been cursing my name from the toilet for the last two days… they described it as an Intestinal Armageddon
Hello Kate!
I have been searching for a great enchilada recipe and have tried many. Several of them had me using dried chilies I had to venture to a Mexican market across town to buy. Others had me charring my own home grown tomatoes and required me to use some advanced skills in the kitchen that left me thinking, good enchiladas can’t possibly be this difficult?
All of them left me wanting something that tasted similar to my mom’s enchiladas but more flavorful. When I saw this recipe started with a roux similar to my mom’s but kicked up with some spices and vinegar (what!) I just had to try.
These were exactly what I have been searching for and I was so proud to serve them to my family tonight. They loved them. And I love that they loved them.
5 stars. I have tried many homemade enchilada sauce recipes. This was my favorite in flavor, and in preparation. It wasn’t too labor intensive, and my whole family loved it. I think I’ll make a big batch and freeze in portions to have handy for quick dinners.
Great basic enchilada sauce recipe. I substituted some ‘over-mature’ garden tomatoes for 1/2 the tomato paste, ground all spices and onion together then used a stick blender to finish and strained all into a thick, smooth sauce. Needed only a bit of salt and cider vinegar to make a perfect, smooth sauce.
Do you have a verde sauce using tomatillos?
Hi Joe, so glad you enjoyed the enchilada sauce! I don’t have a verde enchilada sauce, but I think my salsa verde might work well on enchiladas.
First you say this recipe is without MSG, then you mention the umami in the tomatoes. Don’t you realize they are the same thing? Sure, your mom doesn’t get headaches from tomatoes, but that is because MSG intolerance is entirely psychosomatic. As for the recipe, I like it.
Jan, I do recognize the connection. Yet, my mom doesn’t get migraines from tomatoes and she does get migraines from MSG. Case in point, she got a migraine on July 4th and we realized after the fact that the pretzels served at the party had MSG on them. Maybe someday we’ll decipher why people respond to glutamate differently depending on its form. I try not to respond defensively to blog comments, but I don’t appreciate your tone here in regard to my mother’s very real and chronic pain. I am glad, however, that you enjoyed the recipe.
Hi Kate, Is there any way to freeze this so I can use for future batches? Do you think worth freezing in ice cube trays? I make enchiladas a lot but largely because I can pull them together quickly but hate the store bought sauces. Excited to try this.
Yes! I’ve heard it freezes well. The ice cube tray method would work. Or let it cool and freeze it in a quart-sized freezer bag, air squeezed out, frozen flat. Defrost in the fridge overnight.
Made your enchilada sauce. Loved it. I substituted with chicken broth only because we like it. Thank you.
Welcome, Marguerite! And thank you!
Best enchilada sauce and so easy to make. Thanks.
Welcome, Jean!
Made this sauce. Turned out soooo good!
Great, Onsat! Thanks for your review!
OMG. This was so bland. I worked another 15 min to bring it anywhere near Mexican. Chili powder was new cumin was new si no old spices. Finally added Tabasco another 1T of chili powder and
am now waiting for final result. Don’t try this!
Hi Beth, I’m sorry to hear that you didn’t love the enchilada sauce. Is there any chance you forgot to add the salt? Chili powders vary in spice level, so if you really want to amp up the spicy factor, try adding some cayenne pepper.
I admit I’m not a huge fan of enchilada sauce, so I appreciate being able to make my own with items I have on hand.
In my second attempt to make yours I doubled the chili powder and added a teaspoon of sugar! Tasty.
It is nice to make things on your own, for sure! Thank you for providing feedback, Natalie! If you wouldn’t mind, a star review would be great :)
This sauce made the meal! I was able to make it GF. Thank you for posting this.
You are welcome! Thank you for letting me know how it worked GF. It is helpful! I appreciate your star review :)
I’ve been craving enchiladas ever since I stopped eating corn and dairy and gluten. It was my first time making a “roux” and it was pretty easy. This recipe was great and it had awesome flavor. I browned my oil and flour in low a while longer. Overall i found it to be rich and sweet and savory but it needed more spice so i added about another teaspoon of chili powder as well as some Asian Chile’s. I paired this with a leftover coconut chicken crockpot recipe which was great because I was able to purpose this so easily and satisfy my craving. Side note being the coconut and chicken literally made me think I was eating cheese when paired with this great sauce.
The sauce was very tasty, but it didn’t thicken as much as I expected even though I simmered it for 7 minutes. I did add the cinnamon and it really gave it a Mexican kick. Overall very good; I will probably make it again.
Lea, I am glad you liked it! Thank you for the review! For the thickness, did it thicken more as it cools? Was there any flour residual left at the bottom of the pan? I have had experience, depending on flour type, if you don’t keep whisking occasionally as it cooks some flour can settle.
This is so delicious! I am making chicken enchilada soup in my Instant Pot and had forgotten the enchilada sauce at the grocery. I will always make this recipe from now on! Thank you.
Hi there!
Just tried out your enchilada sauce last night. It was yummy :) I just tweaked it a tiny bit by adding more of the spices and also cayenne pepper. I also added a little extra water because I made it thick somehow haha
I posted and tagged you on my IG and FB.
I have been such a slacker on getting going on my site but have several of your recipes bookmarked to try!
:)
I had previously made enchilada sauce the more traditional way using dried chiles, with bitter, less than stellar results (and a lot of mess and work). So I was happy to try your recipe, but had to restrain myself from adding diced onion and substituting fresh garlic. “Just try it once as written,” I told myself, “it’s looks so easy!” So I mostly did follow the recipe — used half ancho chile powder and half standard (bulk spice at Whole Foods). Couldn’t resist adding a canned chipotle chile and some of the adobo sauce it was packed in. Decreased just slightly the amount of tomato paste to compensate. Because of the whole chile, had to use my hand blender to puree the sauce at the end. The sauce came out really well, was just the right combination of chile flavor, not tomato dominant and not at all bitter! Yay! I didn’t miss the onion or fresh garlic either. It was pretty spicy, but in a good way, probably because of the chipotle chile and ancho powder. Thanks for this fantastic, wholesome and easy recipe, I know I will be making it again and again!!
Made this sauce last night! My kids loved it, but all agreed that we could add a little more chili powder for some extra heat next time. It was fast and easy and delicious! I like the idea of putting in some adobe.
Thank you, Ainsley for your comment! Got to love some more spice! Let me know next time you make it with extra spice and what you think. :)
Never been a fan of enchilada sauce and never have commented on a recipe. However, I have an amazing Mexican casserole recipe which calls for enchilada sauce, but due to my attitude towards it, I left it off. However, this time I decided last minute to include it, but naturally did not have the sauce on hand. This recipe looked interesting so I made a small batch. :) Mistake. It is amazing! I will be making more to complete my casserole! I hesitantly used the cinnamon and vinegar. Yummy!! My only change up was to increase all the spices, including the cinnamon and use chicken stock. Sure changed my attitude on enchilada sauce!
Hooray! So happy this recipe was able to change your attitude towards it :) Thanks so much for your review and comment.
Outstanding recipe. I made a double batch to be used in a 9×13 dish of enchiladas. I used all chipotle power which made it a little too spicy for my husband. Will use a 50/50 blend of chili and chipotle powder. I used pinto beans, quinoa flavored with Spanish spices, sauteed onions, black olives, cheddar cheese and sauce for the middle of the enchiladas. This is easy to make and so delicious. Thank you for your kitchen work and for sharing!
You are welcome, Lynne! Thank you for your feedback and review.
This enchilada sauce was easy to assemble and turned out great. One I will use again. Thanks for sharing
Wow I’m in shock! Totally yummy, totally fast. I made this with a baby on my hip :) So yummy that I couldn’t wait for dinner to finish so I heated up some plain tortillas and reserved some sauce out to dip them in as an appetizer!
I would say that is a win! And way to multitask with a baby in toe :) If you would want to leave a star review since you liked it so much, I would appreciate it. Thank you, Jenni!
I made this enchilada sauce and it will now be a staple to keep. It is great on eggs, over fried potatoes and so much more. My original use was in making a “Mexican Pizza” using whole wheat tortillas. The flavor was amazing. Thank you for this great recipe! It is a keeper.
Fantastic! Thank you, Mary for your feedback and review. I really appreciate it!
Really sad that I didn’t like this sauce. I used it in a chicken enchilada lasagna and it had a weird flavor. Maybe my taste buds are not sophisticated enough.
I am sorry you are disappointed with the sauce, Cheryl. I try to keep recipes as close to their authentic nature and approachable for most cooks. Was there anything in particular that didn’t seem to work for your or just the overall taste?
This is the best enchilada sauce I’ve ever had. I can never go back to store-bought just like Kate said. Thank you so much!
So happy to hear it, Kelli! Thanks for your review.
Can I make this and keep it overnight before reheating the next evening?
I usually use mine right away, but you can give it a try! It should work well. Let me know how it works for you!
Tried this using coconut flower (we are strict keto) and it’s a little grainy but awesome!
I upped all the spices except the chili powder (we don’t handle heat).
I recommend doubling the recipe or even tripling it! It barely made enough for 3 shredded chicken breasts, so I will make more and freeze left overs!
I am glad it worked with your adjustments! Yes, coconut flour will adjust the texture but happy it still worked well for you. Thank you, Melissa!
Great recipe. I use for chicken enchilada soup! Picky family members have repeadly asked for it! Again & again… and again! We LOVE it!
I have recipe “5” stars. Not “2” it’s awesome
Thank you, Kelly!
It turned out great. I didn’t have oregano so I substituted an Italian mix. Family loved it. I will use this recipe again.
Great! I love to hear that, Melissa. Pleasing the whole family can be hard. I appreciate the review!