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 an awesome recipe. SO quick and easy and so delicious. The texture and the addition of cinnamon reminds me of mole sauce. It definitely took my enchiladas to the next level. Thank you!
Great! I am happy you think so, Graham. Thank you for trying it!
It looks to me, taste the best, because of the ingredients,I will try that with flat bread, made out of newly built flat bread making machine, may be first in world, G.geeganage. gunageeganage @gmail.com thanks
Thanks!
What a delicious enchilada sauce! Thanks so much, Kate!
I am happy you liked it, Brittany!
Your right don’t use can stuff anymore after making this the First time!!!!!!
Thank you
Right! Thank you, Ron.
This recipe is wonderful! It comes together quick and nicely! The flavor is very authentic! My family loves my homemade chicken enchiladas now!
I’m making this with your Black Bean Enchiladas for Christmas Eve and don’t want to mess it up. Did you use canned tomato paste or the double concentrated kind in a tube??
Hi Lisa, I used canned!
this turned out amazing ! my first time making enchiladas from scratch and everyone loved them, thanks to this amazing sauce recipe!!! thank you so much
I’m happy they turned out so well and were a hit! Thank you, Jamila for your review.
Absolutely delicious!! Best recipe ever, will never go back to store bought. My family devours my enchiladas with this sauce :) Thank you for this recipe!
Great! Love hearing that. Thanks, Christine for your star review.
* putting hand on chest *
I hereby solemnly swear I will never, ever buy Store bought enchilada sauce again. I made this for enchiladas tonight and I am blown away! It came out incredible. I always have these ingredients on hand, and The tinny taste from store-bought sauce is gloriously absent.
Thank you for this recipe!
Your neighbor in Topeka.
PS- my Boston Cattle Dog, Ruby, says hello.
Ha. This is just the best! Thank you for your comment and review :)
I have made this x2 and its so bland and terrible
Hi Jenny, I am sorry to hear that. What did you think was missing? Or, did you not find it spicy enough?
Thank you so much for your enchilada sauce recipe! I thought it was absolutely delicious! I have tried two other enchilada sauces, but this recipe will be my Go To from now on. The only thing that I had to do different was make my own instant vegetable broth because I had none on hand. But this one was amazing! Thank you again, Happy new year to you and your family!
It’s so good! I’m happy this will be a go-to for you. Thanks, Eileen for your comment.
I made this recipe tonight with some substitutions due to not having olive oil, vegetable broth or tomato paste. Which I just used canola oil, beef broth and simmered down tomato sauce to make paste. Added some extra chili powder when added the pepper and vinegar at the end. Hubby said the sauce was the best he ever had! He lived in TX for some years and had quite a bit of authentic Mexican food; this beat that! I was excited since this was my first time EVER making enchiladas! This will be my go-to sauce for future enchiladas!
Thanks for sharing your approach, Rebecca! Glad it’s a favorite now. :)
This looks like a wonderful recipe and I’m excited to try it. One question. I’m allergic to garlic and onions. Any suggestions on a substitute for the garlic? I’m probably just going to omit it, but thought I would see if you (or anyone else) has any suggestions first. Thanks!
Hey Mykie, I think your best bet would be just to omit the garlic. Hope you love it!
I thought you’d like to know I made it sans garlic and also had to substitute water for the chicken broth (I was out of my onion and garlic free homemade broth) and it still turned out absolutely amazing on the chicken enchiladas we made the other night. Thanks so much! I can’t tell you how much we’ve missed red enchilada sauce!
I just made this it was so good! Thank you
Barb
You’re welcome!
Hi, Kate, and ear scratches for Cookie’s ears. Kate, I have made your enchilada sauce several times now and, as ever, it is deliciouo. I am from Texas and have tasted many. And I hope Emeril Lagasse and Ree Drummond won’t hold it against me, but your’s … oh, it’s the one, for our tastes anyway. Thank you for all of your hard work. Have a great day.
Kara
Thanks so much! I appreciate the review, Kara.
Great sauce recipe. It’s was great for my first attempt at chicken enchiladas. I used the chipotle chili powder.
I’m so happy to hear that! Thanks, Pam.
I would think its missing something maybe cayenne pepper I added extra of everything, I don’t like things too spicy but both times it turned out very bland
I’m sorry to hear that. Possibly try using a spicier chili powder? Even though you don’t like things spicy, it might provide a little more flavor. Also ensure your spices aren’t old. That can impact the taste. Hope this helps!
These enchiladas are great but the real gem in this recipe is the enchilada sauce. It is the best ever! I use it for enchiladas (not just vegetarian ones) and it takes my huevos rancheros to a place they have never been. I love it!
Thanks so much, Grant!
We’ve made this a couple of times and it is delicious! Really easy, too, and I like that it works with either vegetable or chicken stock. Thank you!
You’re welcome, Amy! Thank you for your star review.
Delicious! I almost didn’t add the cinnamon, but decided to just go for it. So glad i did! This will be in our regular rotation. Thank you!
I’m happy you did! It makes all the difference. Thank you, Becky for sharing. I appreciate the review!
I made this with chicken broth, and it turned out really well. Thanks!
You’re welcome, Kristen! Thanks for the review.
You are right! I will never buy enchilada sauce in a can ever again
My daughter loves this sauce like she loves my cooking and me….. Forever ❤️ Thank you for Sharing this recipe. Like my mom’s recipes, it will be shared with love! Like you too I’ll be making a mess in my kitchen today haha
I know, right?! You’re very welcome. I’m happy it is just a hit with you and your family. Thanks for the review!
You are my hero! I’m a transplanted Californian living permanently in Zürich, Switzerland and getting my hands on enchilada sauce (green or red) is no easy feat. I came across your recipe and even made your veggie enchiladas to accompany the sauce and both were outta this world! Both were very easy to make and so delicious. Thank you!!
You’re so sweet, Stephanie! What a fun adventure. Thank you, for sharing.
This was amazing and so easy, thank you! My husband and boys loved it. I will be making my own enchilada sauce from now on.
You’re welcome!
We made this last night for turkey and chorizo enchiladas. I’m amazed by how tasty and texturally perfect it is, especially considering how quickly and easily it comes together. I don’t ever leave comments, but when my (very picky) boyfriend started listing the 100 ways he plans to use his new favorite sauce, I had to come back. Great job!
That’s great! Thank you, Larisa for sharing. I love he has 100 ways to use it. :) I appreciate the review!
We made this and it turned out great! Based on ingredients we had available we substituted out the tomato paste and veg stock for a cup of slightly watered down chicken stock and a cup of tomato sauce. We also skipped adding salt. Would hands down make again.
Thanks, Alissa for sharing!
Very good and crazy easy. The only changes I made were to use roasted garlic powder, because that’s what I had, and chipotle powder instead of chili powder, because I like it. Baked homemade bean and cheese enchiladas in it and it was delicious.
Thank you, Liorah!
Hi Kate. This is an outstanding recipe that was easy to follow and produced great results. The pinch of cinnamon takes it to another level of goodness. Thank you!
You’re welcome! I agree, the cinnamon does something special. Thank you, for the review.
Thanks so much for this great recipe! Store-bought is always so salty & runny…this is a great addition to my cookbook of favorite recipes!!!
You’re welcome! It’s a keeper for sure.
Yum!! Tastes so good! Love the mild sweetness that the cinnamon brings to it! Will definitely be using this recipe again!! Goodbye canned echilada sauce!
I love that. Yes, the mild sweetness is wonderful. Thank you, Sara for sharing and for your review.
This sauce is amazing!! I accidentally added too much cinnamon but it still came out great. I was surprised that with the cinnamon, it still didn’t taste cinnamon-y. Definitely can smell it though. Absolutely will make again. Thank you!!!
Glad you still liked it even with the extra cinnamon! Thank you, Anita for sharing.
Hi,
We made your enchilada sauce recipe as written, and it was GREAT! Thanks :)
I’m glad you liked it! One of those recipes nice to have in your pocket. Thank you, for sharing and for your review!
This sauce is so freaking delicious. I love enchiladas and I never realized how easy the sauce is to make. I will definitely be making this again. Thank you.
Well, thank you! I love that you like it so much, Nelmary. I appreciate the review!
I looked at all the recipes out there and choice yours due to the addition of cinnamon. In the end after following the recipe I felt it needed additional seasoning. Added more oregano, smoked paprika, cayenne pepper, cinnamon and cumin. Also a teaspoon of sugar. The additions made it quite good.
I’m glad you were able to amp it up for your tastes. Thank you, Mary Jo for the review!
I love this sauce, however, once I add the flour/spice mixture to the oil, it immediately goes wrong. It seems like there’s not enough oil. I keep mixing it and I add in the other ingredients and it’s so lumpy. Please help.
Hi Laura, I’m sorry you’re having trouble. I’m not sure what’s going on here, but you should be able to whisk out any lumps as you add the first few splashes of broth. Hope that helps.
Tried it for the first time tonight. Very good and thank you for the recipe! I added the cinnamon; next time, I won’t. Also found the broth had enough salt without adding more. Used red wine vinegar instead of cider or distilled. Came out spicy, as I like. Would adjust the chili powder depending on how spicy the enchilada filling is.
You’re very welcome, Phil! Thanks for sharing.
Thank you, Kate!
I didn’t have a can of sauce, so I tried this version. Oh, my! I will never go back! It was delicious and easy-peasy.
I didn’t have any stock, so I made broth with beef bullion cubes, and I didn’t have garlic powder, so I substituted garlic salt and omitted the salt. Raves from the family.
Sounds like your substitutions worked out very well! I appreciate the star review.
This was awesome. I added some smoked paprika and used lime juice instead of vinegar and LOVED IT! This recipe is saved, thank you!!
I’m glad you loved it! Sounds like a nice variation, Katie. I appreciate the comment and review.
I just had my first serving of enchiladas made with this sauce and I had to leave a review. O.M.G! A-Mazing! This might be the best thing I’ve made from a cooking site so far. I followed your recipe except I used chicken stock (I am only semi-vegetarian for health reasons). Thank you!
This worked out really well for us. I cut the oil just a bit (maybe 1/2 to 1 tbsp) and added a little more tomato paste to taste. I filled six corn tortillas with chik’n sautéed with 1/2 orange bell pepper and some fresh chard leaves from our garden, topped with the sauce and cheese, then with shredded cabbage and avocado once cooked. Really delicious dinner. Chili seasoning does vary quite a lot so, be sure to look at your ingredients and more or less to taste. Also adding room temperature liquids to a roux, and whisking vigorously, will help to ensure no lumps. Thanks for another delicious recipe Kate! I hadn’t made enchiladas in a while, and this was really great.
Perfect… almost, try corn flour. It complements the corn tortillas.
This recipe was so easy to make. My nother only knows how to make enchilada sauce with meat so I wanted to give this a go. It’s absolutely delicious. I left out the cinnamon and the vinegar but it was still great. Thank you for this!
Yay! I’m glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for the kind comment and review!
I made this today and found it extraordinarily bland. I think the predominant taste was the flour. I added what seemed like an unreasonable amount of additional salt, as well as some more vinegar, but that didn’t really help. Not really sure what went wrong for me.
Amazing enchilada sauce!! My husband and two young kiddos (ages 1 and 3) LOVED this!! The cinnamon is perfect. Thank you so much for your efforts and for sharing! I will be making this frequently!!
Hi, Christina! I’m so glad you all enjoyed it. Thank you for your star review!
I made this sauce tonight…. the best enchiladas we ever had, mine were with tofu and my husband’s with chicken… he said it was better than any Mexican restaurant!
Thanks for working hard to perfect it so others can enjoy it!!
So delicious!!
Thank YOU, Tracey! Happy you both enjoyed it.
I, too, found the taste a bit bland (and I had a fresh container of chile and Mexican oregano), but I added more cumin, chile, salt, a touch more vinegar, and 1/2 tsp adobo sauce from a can of chipotle. That appealed more to my Tex-Mex tastes. I plan to use this over enchilada stuffed green peppers tonight. Thank you so much for sharing your recipes. I would never have tried to make my own if yours had not seem so friendly. :) Adapting and modifying to taste is nothing compared to coming up with a new recipe! Thanks again!!!
Just made this enchilada sauce tonight and it was amazing!! Super easy to make and a wonderful alternative to a premade sauce with who knows what ingredients.
I’m happy you thought so, Nancy! It’s nice to make something homemade and be so easy, and tasty. Thanks for the review.
The first and only enchilada sauce I will make! It was perfect. Thanks for sharing your delicious recipe!
Love that, Jessica! You’re welcome.
This enchilada sauce is amazeballs! It was a hit! My mom has always made her own sauce based on her mother’s recipe (and she is tough to impress)… and she loved this one.
Amazeballs! That’s a new one, but I will take it. Thanks for the review.
The sauce seems way too thick. I am going to Add a bit of red wine to make it runnier.
I’m sorry you feel that way! I would recommend adding a dash of broth instead to make it more of the consistency you are after. The red wine will change the flavor. Hope this helps!
I make your recipes all the time and they’re always amazing, but THIS. This one really is life-altering. I made enchiladas with it and every bite elicited a grunt of joy (there was a lot of grunting at our table last night). I’m just sorry I didn’t double the recipe and freeze some, but I definitely will next time.
I’d love a recipe for green enchilada sauce too, if you’re so inclined!
Life altering?! That’s big. :) I’m happy you liked it so much!
Yep, as in mine will now be a life with many more enchiladas in it. :)