Homemade Enchilada Sauce takes less than ten minutes to make and tastes so much better than the canned stuff. The fresh blend of spices in this sauce really pop and give this sauce that authentic depth of flavor. In addition to chicken enchiladas and beef enchiladas you can use this sauce in Mexican lasagna, burritos, casseroles and Enchilada Soup.
Why this recipe works!
- This flavor packed homemade red enchilada sauce is quick and easy to prepare completing in less than than 10 minutes.
- Many of the ingredients are common pantry staples that you may already have on hand. So with a little luck you may be able to avoid a trip to the store.
- This homemade sauce tastes so much better than canned sauce. You will be so glad that you spared the time to make it. Use it on two of our favorite recipes, beef enchilada casserole or chicken enchilada casserole.
- With only wholesome ingredients and real spices in this recipe you can feel good about what you are eating and feeding your family.
How to make Authentic Enchilada Sauce
Start by combining the chili powder, cumin, garlic powder, oregano, onion powder, ground cayenne pepper, salt, and cinnamon in a small bowl. Give it a little whisk to combine it all and set it aside for a few minutes. Next whisk the tomato paste with about 1/2 cup of the chicken broth or vegetable broth. Go ahead and set that aside for a few minutes too.
Now heat the olive oil or vegetable oil in a saucepan over medium low heat. Next whisk in the flour cooking for a couple of minutes. This process is known as making a roux. Now whisk in the spices cooking for 1 minute. Whisk constantly so it does not burn. Now slowly add the your chicken broth whisking constantly so there are no lumps. Finally whisk in the tomato paste/chicken broth mixture and simmer for about 5 minutes stirring and whisking frequently.
Recipe notes and helpful tips for enchilada sauce
- Use the freshest spices you can get your hands on. Maybe there is a fresh spice shop close by.
- This is a recipe that you really can’t walk away from for very long. You must whisk frequently so the sauce is lump free and stir frequently so the sauce does not thicken and burn on the inside lower corners of the pot.
- If the enchilada sauce becomes too thick simply add a little more chicken broth or vegetable broth and whisk to thin it out to your desired consistency.
- If you want to kick the flavor up a couple of notches substitute chipotle chili powder for the regular chili powder.
- Store the sauce in an airtight container in the fridge for up to five days.
- To freeze simply cool to room temperature and pour into freezer bags. You can use plastic storage containers but they will stain the plastic. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight.
More Tex-Mex recipes you will love
Authentic Enchilada Sauce Recipe
This Enchilada Sauce recipe is bursting with authentic Mexican flavors and takes less than ten minutes to prepare right on your stovetop with ingredients that you may already have on hand.
- Prep Time: 2 minutes
- Cook Time: 8 minutes
- Total Time: 10 minutes
- Yield: 2 cups
- Category: sauce
- Method: stovetop
- Cuisine: Mexican
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons ground chili powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 2 cups low sodium chicken broth or vegetable broth
- 3 tablespoons olive oil or canola oil
- 3 tablespoons all purpose flour
Instructions
- In a small bowl whisk together the chili powder, cumin, garlic powder, oregano, onion powder, cayenne pepper, salt, and cinnamon in a small bowl; set aside for a few minutes. Whisk the tomato paste with 1/2 cup of the chicken broth; set aside for a few minutes.
- Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium low heat. Whisk in the flour cooking for 1 1/2-2 minutes. Whisk in the spices cooking for 1 minute. Whisk constantly so it does not burn. Slowly add the chicken broth whisking constantly so there are no lumps. Whisk in the tomato paste/chicken broth mixture. Simmer for 5 minutes stirring and whisking frequently.
Notes
- Use the freshest spices you can get your hands on. Maybe there is a fresh spice shop close by.
- This is a recipe that you really can’t walk away from for very long. You must whisk frequently so the sauce is lump free and stir frequently so the sauce does not thicken and burn on the inside lower corners of the pot.
- If the enchilada sauce becomes to thick simply add a little more chicken broth and whisk to thin it out.
- Store the sauce in an airtight container in the fridge for up to five days.
- To freeze simply cool to room temperature and pour into freezer bags. You can use plastic storage containers but they will stain the plastic. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight.
Keywords: how to make enchilada sauce, homemade enchilada sauce, what is enchilada sauce
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Emman Damian
This homemade Enchilada Sauce is so delicious. It tasted so much better than canned and added so much flavor to my beef enchiladas.
★★★★★
Archana Singh
Nice! I love to make sauces. And, this recipe will come in very handy. Thanks for sharing.
Neely
Oh I love this! I’m dying to learn how to make enchiladas!
Marie Phillips
This is almost the same as my favorite recipe! Plus I didn’t realize I can freeze it–even better!!! Thanks for sharing!
★★★★★
Bill
Nice! I love making sauces like this because I can experiment with trying new flavors in different dishes.
★★★★★
Freya
I love homemade enchilada sauce, I find that bought is really lacking in flavour! Your recipe really packs the perfect flavour punch!
★★★★★
Christiana
This sauce is really tasty and easy to make 😋, It tastes so much better than canned.
★★★★★
Allyssa
This sauce is so delicious and really flavorful, thanks a bunch for sharing this amazing recipe! Will surely have this again, Highly recommended!
★★★★★
Lisalia
Canned enchilada sauce is waaaay too salty for our family’s liking. This sauce was perfect and made our enchiladas taste muy bueno!!
★★★★★
Betsy
My enchiladas are happy and so am I! This sauce is perfect! So much flavor! So delicious! My new go-to!
★★★★★
Natasha
This sauce is definitely so much better than storebought! We enjoyed it and this is definitely going to be our new favorite.
★★★★★
Jessica Burgess
I had never made enchiladas before so this sauce recipe came in so handy, thank you!
★★★★★
Katie
This is a go-to for us each week. So delicious every time, and everyone loves it. We love it with beef or chicken!
★★★★★
Natalie
Yum! I am always looking for enchilada sauce recipes & I think I have found it! Making some enchiladas this weekend, so this is on the menu!
★★★★★
Katie
This is our go-to almost weekly! We love it with both chicken and beef.
★★★★★
Lily
This was the best enchilada sauce, I love how easy it was to make, the best thing to prep and have in the fridge.
★★★★★
Sara Welch
This was such a quick and easy recipe that delivers flavor to the max! Easily, my new favorite sauce for enchiladas!
★★★★★
Krystle
1000 times better than store-bought. I used it in your Mexican Lasagna and it was amazing.
★★★★★
Courtney
Loved this! My new go-to sauce, thank you for this recipe!
★★★★★
Venessa
This recipe sounds and looks great! I never knew how simple it was to make until now. I will definitely give it a try when I make my beef enchiladas! I will never buy canned sauce again! Thanks for sharing this great recipe!
Lubna
This is new to me. Looks and sounds extremely yum. Will definitely try this.
★★★★★
Krissy Allori
I had no idea enchilada sauce could be so easy to make! I put some on my eggs for a spicy breakfast!
★★★★★
Aimee Mars
We make enchiladas all the time!! I love the idea of making my own sauce too so I can’t wait to try this recipe. How long does it last if you store it in the freezer?
★★★★★
Michelle
Yes! Just made this enchilada sauce last night and it was amazing! I’ve been looking for a homemade sauce for a while so thanks for sharing the recipe.
★★★★★
Jessica
Never wasting my money on store-bought again!!
★★★★★
Ginny
Fantastic! The spices really make this sauce. I used to always buy my enchilada sauce but this is thick and rich and really adds to my homemade enchiladas.
★★★★★
Jen Rose
This is so fresh and delicious. I will never buy store bought again!
★★★★★
Beth Pierce
Thanks so much Jen! So glad that you liked it!!
katerina @ diethood.com
This Enchilada Sauce was amazing! Everyone enjoyed it!
★★★★★
Michelle
Such a delicious recipe! I used to always buy enchilada sauce, but homemade is 100 times better!
★★★★★
Luke Ratford
You can’t beat finding a great homemade sauce and this enchilada sauce recipe is fantastic, our family loved it 🙂
Thanks for sharing!!
★★★★★
Beth Pierce
The pleasure is all mine! 😉
Kathryn
I am going to double this recipe because I can always use fresh homemade enchilada sauce. Can’t wait to make my cheese enchiladas with this recipe. Thank you!
★★★★★
Beth Pierce
My pleasure Kathryn! I hope you enjoy it!!
Shadi Hasanzadenemati
Just tried this recipe and my family loved it. Thank you so much!
★★★★★
Dawn Azure
This recipe is very similar to mine. EXCEPT, I don’t add cinnamon and I do add a spoonful of peanut butter. Try it!
Naiby
You’re totally right about making your homemade sauces, especially when they’re so easy to make. I’ll certainly try doing it with a vegetable broth and I using a thickener like corn starch will do the trick.
★★★★★
Jacqueline Meldrum
That sauce sounds tasty. It’s totally different from mine which is more tomato and paprika based. I’m intrigued!
★★★★★
rika
I was going to order a can of enchilada sauce today! I think I am going to make this recipe instead. it looks easy to make!
★★★★★
Marlynn
Love this enchilada sauce! So easy to make, and it’s perfect for your beef enchilada casserole.
★★★★★
Alison
This is a great recipe for homemade enchilada sauce! It’s super simple. I just switched out the chicken broth for vegetable broth to make it vegan! Yum!
★★★★★
Beth Pierce
I would use half if you really want to make it mild however I find cumin very mild, sweet and kind of smoky.
Diana Reis
This is so simple and delicious. It has just the right amount of spice. Thank you
Emily
Didn’t realize enchilada sauce was this easy. I need to make it from scratch more often.
★★★★★
Cathleen
You can’t find enchilada sauce anywhere in Canada, so I always have to make it from scratch. This looks so perfect, thank you so much for the recipe!!
★★★★★
Shelley
How wonderful to be able to make my own in less than 10 minutes – who needs canned stuff?!?!
★★★★★
Katie
My mouth is watering! Can’t wait to try this one.
★★★★★
Cathy
Can I make enchiladas ahead of time then put in oven thank you
Beth Pierce
They tend to get soggy if made in advance.
Shoesie
This recipe turned out really well and was super easy. I didn’t want to go to the store to buy canned enchilada sauce and I wanted to use the last of my smoked Thanksgiving turkey. The turkey enchiladas turned out great.
★★★★
Beth Pierce
That is awesome Shoesie! So glad that you liked it. We love it too!
Shelley
Why use the store-bought, canned stuff when you can make a fresher-tasting version in less than ten minutes?!? Great ideas for using this in Mexican lasagna, burritos, casseroles and Enchilada Soup, too!
★★★★★
Beth Sachs
Now this looks like a great recipe to have up your sleeve! Thanks for sharing it.
★★★★★
Lily
This enchilada sauce is so easy to make! I live abroad and it’s been so hard finding enchilada sauce, so this easy recipe is such a hit in my home!
★★★★★
Beth Pierce
Thanks Lily! Enjoy!!
Jess
I never realized how easy it is to make homemade enchilada sauce. Will never buy it again!
★★★★★
Jen
I love how easy it is to adjust the spiciness to your liking. Definitely going to use your advice and freeze the leftovers to use later.
★★★★★
Toni Dash
Such an easy and amazing sauce recipe!! Thanks for this!
★★★★★
kerri @ comfortfoodideas.com
homemade sauce is hands down always better than store bought. nothing like this enchilada sauce!
★★★★★
katerina @ diethood.com
This sauce looks incredible! I bket it tastes amazing!
★★★★★
Sandi
This was a huge hit in our house last night.
★★★★★
Catalina
I use a lot Enchilada Sauce in my kitchen. This one sounds so easy to make!
★★★★★
Erin | Dinners,Dishes and Dessert
This Enchilada Sauce couldn’t look any more perfect!
★★★★★
Dorothy Reinhold
Never had a great recipe to go buy so I usually buy the canned sauce. I can’t wait to whip up a batch of this!!