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My favorite homemade enchilada sauce recipe is easy to make with pantry ingredients, it only requires about 5 minutes of prep time, and it tastes so flavorful and delicious.
My best tip for kicking your homemade enchiladas up a delicious notch?
Use this homemade enchilada sauce! ♡
This recipe for Southwestern-style red enchilada sauce has been the starring ingredient in my favorite enchilada recipe for years and years. And every time I bake up a batch of enchiladas for a gathering, friends always ask for the recipe.
By contrast to many Mexican-style enchilada sauces, this recipe does not include tomatoes but rather centers its flavor around a rich blend of seasonings that you likely already have in your pantry (chili powder, cumin, garlic and oregano). On its own, the sauce is naturally fairly mild, although you are welcome to amp up the heat if you’d like. And its deliciously warm, toasty, earthy flavors pair perfectly with any variety of enchilada recipes.
The good news too is that this recipe only takes about 5 minutes to prep, plus an additional 15-ish minutes to simmer on the stove. It’s naturally vegetarian, vegan and can also be made gluten-free if you’d like. It’s made entirely with pantry ingredients, and can be customized to be more spicy, smoky, tomato-y, or even creamy if you prefer. And I must say — it’s a million times better than the canned stuff!
Thousands of our readers have made and loved this recipe over the years. So if you have yet to give it a try, I say it’s time!
Homemade Enchilada Sauce Recipe | 1-Minute Video
Homemade Red Enchilada Sauce Ingredients:
To make this easy enchilada sauce recipe, you will need the following ingredients:
Oil and flour: These will form the roux to thicken the sauce. You’re welcome to use any type of neutral-flavored oil (or butter) that you prefer. And while I typically use all-purpose flour, you are welcome to sub in a 1-for-1 GF flour blend instead to make this recipe gluten-free.
Chili powder: For all of our international readers, please note that this recipe calls for American-style chili powder, which is actually a blend of various chilis and seasonings, including a typically small percentage of cayenne. (Most chili powders sold outside of the States are 100% cayenne, which will not work for this recipe.) I recommend investing in a good-quality brand of chili powder for this recipe, since it is the primary seasoning for this sauce. But keep in mind that chili powder blends vary from brand to brand, so it’s worth experimenting with a few to find the one that you love best!
Garlic powder, ground cumin, dried oregano: These are the other dried seasonings that we will use in the sauce. Feel free to increase the amount of any one of these once you have tasted the sauce, if you would like.
Veggie or chicken stock: I also recommend using some good-quality stock in this recipe, which will add a delicious depth of flavor to the sauce.
Fine sea salt: And finally, don’t forget to season the sauce! I typically add in about 1/2 teaspoon, but the amount needed will likely depend significantly on the brand and saltiness of the stock that you use.
How To Make Enchilada Sauce:
Here are the basic steps for how to make enchilada sauce (full instructions included in the recipe box below):
Cook the roux and spices: In a small saucepan, we’ll first cook the flour and oil together to form the roux, and then whisk in the spices to briefly toast them in the saucepan before adding in the stock.
Simmer: Gradually add in the stock while whisking the sauce, in order to blend in any lumps. Then bring the sauce to a simmer and let it cook (you want to maintain a low bubble) for 10-15 minutes, or until it has reduced to your desired thickness.
Season: Season with salt (or any extra seasonings that you might like to add) to taste.
Serve: Then serve it up in a pan of enchiladas or whatever recipe sounds good…and enjoy!
Possible Variations:
This recipe is quite flexible, so please feel free to tinker around with ingredient amounts and customize it however you prefer! For example, you could…
Make it gluten-free: You can either use an 1-for-1 gluten-free flour blend, in place of the AP flour. Or you can omit the flour and instead add a cornstarch slurry (equal parts cornstarch and cold water whisked together) to the sauce once it is simmering to thicken it.
Make it creamy: Whisk in 1/2 cup of heavy cream to turn this recipe into a delicious creamy enchilada sauce.
Make it spicier: Feel free to add in a pinch or two of cayenne to make this sauce even spicier. Or alternately, you can choose to use ancho chili powder in place of standard American chili powder, which has a smokier and slightly spicier flavor.
Make it milder: American chili powder should naturally be quite mild. But if you are wary of heat, feel free to start with 2 tablespoons (instead of 4 tablespoons) of chili powder in the recipe. Then once the sauce has simmered, give it a taste and feel free to add more if you would like.
Make it smokier: Feel free to swap some of the American chili powder for chipotle chili powder, if you would like this sauce to have a smoky chipotle kick. (Also note that chipotle powder is considerably spicier, so this version would pack more heat too.)
Add tomato sauce: If you would like to have a more tomato-y enchilada sauce, you are welcome to add a few tablespoons of tomato paste to the sauce.
Ways To Use Enchilada Sauce:
Here are a few of my favorite ways to use this easy enchilada sauce:
Casseroles: If you don’t feel like rolling up your enchiladas, try ‘stacking’ them into a casserole, such as this chicken enchilada casserole (one of our readers’ favorite recipes!).
My favorite homemade enchilada sauce recipe is easy to make with pantry ingredients, it only requires about 5 minutes of prep time, and it tastes so flavorful and delicious.
Cook the roux and spices: Heat oil in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Add flour and cook for 1 minute, whisking constantly. Add in the chili powder, garlic powder, cumin and oregano and cook for 1 more minute, whisking constantly.
Simmer: Gradually pour in the stock, whisking constantly to combine until no lumps remain. Continue cooking until the sauce reaches a simmer. Then reduce heat to medium-low to maintain the simmer (the sauce should continue lightly bubbling) for about 10-15 minutes, uncovered, until the sauce has slightly thickened.
Season: Give the sauce a taste and season with salt, as needed. (I typically add 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt, but the saltiness of the sauce can vary depending on the brand of stock that you use.)
Serve: Use immediately in your favorite recipe and enjoy!
Chili powder (important note): The amount is correct. And as mentioned above, this recipe calls for traditional American chili powder, which is not cayenne. American chili powder is actually a blend of spices that are typically quite mild, whereas international chili powders are usually 100% cayenne (and very spicy). So if you live outside of the United States, please look specifically for an American-style chili powder blend.
Gluten-free option: Feel free to use a 1-to-1 all-purpose gluten-free flour blend in place of the all-purpose flour. Or alternately, you can thicken the sauce with a cornstarch slurry (equal parts cold water and cornstarch whisked together, then added to the sauce once it has reached a simmer).
Storage instructions: Let the sauce cool to room temperature. Then transfer it to a mason jar or food storage container and refrigerate for up to 5 days. Unfortunately this sauce separates a bit once it has frozen, so I don’t recommend freezing it.
Different chili powders have different colors. The one I used the day I photographed this happened to have been more red, but usually my sauce is a little more brown-ish.
Absolutely delicipus, I added some tomatoes from the garden and my homemade adobo sauce as well. Wondering if this can be pressure canned to preserve? I like to have stuff like this ready to go.
Hayley @ Gimme Some Oven —
Awesome Kate! We haven’t tried canning this ourselves, but you should be able to! :)
I LOVE the flavor of his sauce but for whatever reason it just does not thicken up like it is in the picture! It’s very thin. I cook it for longer every time also, any trouble shooting tips? I don’t want to give up on it!
Hayley @ Gimme Some Oven —
Thanks Brittany, we’re glad to hear that! Sometimes this sauce just takes a little longer to cook and reduce, to thicken. It also actually continues to thicken more after you take it off the heat. We hope this helps! :)
Thank you so much for posting this recipe. I hadn’t made homemade enchiladas in a while and was looking to brush up on the sauce recipe. I was so disappointed to see so many other recipes required tomatoes (which my Ma always said NOT to do). Thank you again! I’m using this with beef stock instead of chicken and on top of pork enchiladas! I’ll have pictures on my site of the outcome.
Hayley @ Gimme Some Oven —
You’re so welcome Tiffany, we hope you enjoy both the sauce and the enchiladas – definitely share some pics when you can! :)
We just use regular chili powder, which is very different from Ancho chili powder. We haven’t tried Ancho chili powder in this, but you could always experiment!
This sauce is amazing and so quick to make!! I have made it a few times now but am going to add it to my regular roster as I roast a chicken every few weeks and am always looking for something yummy to make with my chicken broth.
I have the used the sauce in enchiladas, baked beans and a spicy soup. Thank you for the recipe and your great blog!!
Hayley @ Gimme Some Oven —
Thanks Lindsey, we’re happy you like it! Thanks also for your sweet words about the blog, we’re glad you’re a fan! :)
Just tried this tonight! It is a delicious homemade enchilada sauce…but I’m pretty sure you forgot to mention the tomatoes? I followed your directions to a T and the sauce was brown, tasted very strongly of the spices and looked nothing like the picture. I added a small can of crushed tomatoes and now it is perfect. Just wanted to mention! Thank you for sharing this recipe. I had an actual can of enchillada sauce ready to go but I’m so happy I made yours instead! :)
Hayley @ Gimme Some Oven —
Thanks Carla, we’re happy you enjoyed it! That wasn’t a mistake regarding the tomatoes, our recipe isn’t mean to have any, but you can certainly add them like you did! :)
Do not add any salt! It was way too salty with the broth, my partner said it was brutal and pretty much ruined the dinner.
Hayley @ Gimme Some Oven —
We’re sorry to hear this was too salty Dominique! Did you make your own stock or use store-bought? If you make your own stock, you want to salt it pretty liberally (it helps preserve it so it will last longer), and then you generally don’t need to add much (if any) salt to your recipe, depending on what you’re using the stock for. Using a low/less sodium stock is one way to help cut back on the salt, and it’s good to season and taste as you go. We hope this helps!
This is the first red enchilada sauce I have seen that does not contain tomatoes or tomato sauce, paste, passata or any other form of tomato. Was it missed or is this recipe for real? Thanks.
Hayley @ Gimme Some Oven —
Hi Wendy, no, this was not an error. Our recipe doesn’t have any tomatoes/tomato sauce/paste, etc. :)
In markets, you can find red chile sauce which does not contain tomatoes. The stuff marked enchilada sauce always seems to include tomatoes.This red chile sauce is what I use on enchiladas. Some suggestions.
1) to thicken, you could add more flour. I thicken mine by adding a sofrito of carrots, celery and onion and then pureeing the sauce after it is cooked. If you use ground chile rather than chile powder, you will avoid the salt in the chile powder. If you can get ground chile, the mildest are ancho, California or New Mexico.
Thank you for sharing. The proof is in the sauce.:) I made this sauce and used in in a batch of enchiladas. My son made a big helping and, approximately five minutes later, came back with an empty plate and helped himself to another huge portion. When asked about it, he said it was good. When I told him I tried a new enchilada sauce recipe, he gave me a smile and a thumbs up as he descended the stairs back to his room. Awesome!! FYI…I used a mixture of chili powder that I bought from the spice shop and a brand that ran about $5 from the store resulting in a Very vibrant red coloring.
Hayley @ Gimme Some Oven —
You’re welcome Shana, we’re happy you and your son enjoyed the enchiladas (and the sauce)! :) Thanks for sharing!
Love this! Made a double batch of it but I like the taste of tomato in my enchilada sauce so I added a can of plain tomato sauce instead of 2 of the cups of chicken stock and it turned out awesome! Do you think I could can this to give away at Christmas?
Hayley @ Gimme Some Oven —
Thanks Emily, we’re glad you like it! While we haven’t tried canning this ourselves, if done the right way, we think it would be great! :)
Shouldn’t there be some kind of tomato base added, like sauce or paste? Doesn’t seem like the chili powder would make the sauce that read. Curious. Thank you.
Hayley @ Gimme Some Oven —
Hi Dawn, you could certainly add tomato sauce or paste if you like (plenty people have done that) – it’s just a preference thing, it’s totally up to you! Either way, we hope you enjoy it!
I made a double batch last week with half ancho chile powder and half guajillo chile powder, and used homemade broth, it was AWESOME. My husband immediately asked for me to make more once the first batch of enchiladas were gone! Thank you for the yummy recipe! By the way, it tastes like the red sauce from a highly rated restaurant in Santa Fe called, The Shed. You can get your enchiladas there “smothered” in the stuff. Kudos to you!
Hayley @ Gimme Some Oven —
Thanks for sharing with is Deanna, we’re happy you and your husband enjoyed this! And what a nice compliment! Cheers!
I have never made enchilada sauce before. I assumed there were tomatoes in the sauce but the recipe does not list any. Please confirm the recipe is correct. Thanks
Hayley @ Gimme Some Oven —
Hi Marilyn, this recipe is correct, it is not meant to have any tomatoes in the sauce. We hope you enjoy!
You are a lifesaver!!! Making my mother in law’s beef enchiladas for dinner and I completely forgot to get a can of red enchilada sauce. This is PERFECT!
Hayley @ Gimme Some Oven —
We’re so glad we could help Jessie, we hope you enjoy the sauce! :)
Love this Enchilada Sauce! I can’t say I’ve ever tried any store-bought, but I made this and it was great–tasted like what we get in good authentic Mexican and Tex-Mex restaurants here in Texas. I used the homemade chili powder I made from a recipe from Good Eats on the Food Network. I’d say the same thing about that–so simple to make and so much less expensive, I never buy chili powder anymore. So that really made this sauce excellent. Thanks!
Hayley @ Gimme Some Oven —
Thanks for sharing Tom, we’re happy to hear that! :)
I just love this sauce recipe :) I have made almost a duplicate one for many years. With so much success, that I am known in my family as the beat enchilada maker lol anyways, I just love the garlic in your recipe! It really makes my sauce even better! Thank you and just love your recipes :) I Just love love love cooking!
I use menudo chili seasoning. It has pretty much all the seasonings you need, however I like garlic so I add more garlic powder. I was a bit surprised with people asking about tomatoes. I’ve seen enchilada sauce made with them.
Hayley @ Gimme Some Oven —
Thanks for sharing Georgia, we hope you enjoy the sauce!
I came across this a few months ago. When I tried the recipe, the sauce came out very salty! I plan on trying again but I am not sure what I did wrong. Any advice?
Hayley @ Gimme Some Oven —
Hi Kimberly! That’s strange this came out so salty for you, we’re sorry to hear that! Since the recipe doesn’t call for much salt, the only thing we can think of is that maybe your stock was too salty. Did you use chicken stock? Sometimes the store-bought stuff can be pretty salty, so we’ll often use the kind with “less sodium.” We hope this helps!
I made this last night and loved it. I’d like to make it for a New Year’s Eve dinner party which means I’d make 5 x the sauce. Would you recommend doing it in small batches or just one big pot with 5 x all ingredients? I’m wondering if the oil and flour in the beginning will work with a big amount. Thanks!
Hayley @ Gimme Some Oven —
Thanks Darren, we’re so happy you enjoyed it! Hmmmm, that’s quite a big batch! We’d recommend doing it in smaller batches – maybe just do two separate big post with 2 1/2 x the ingredients? We hope this helps! :)
I really want to use this as a substitute in a recipe that calls for a can of hot enchilada sauce, but i noticed you said this is pretty mild. Do you have any tips to make it hotter?
I really want to use this recipe as a substitute for canned enchilada sauce in a recipe I have that calls for hot enchilada sauce. I noticed you said that you consider this more mild. Do you have any tips on how I could make this a little more spicy? My boyfriend and I like heat in our food.
Hayley @ Gimme Some Oven —
Hi Leanne! You could definitely add some chipotle pepper in adobo, more chili powder, and/or cayenne pepper. We’d recommend just adding any of those ingredients to taste, until you achieve the spiciness you’d like. We hope this helps and that you two enjoy! :)
I like making a casserole (olé?) with layers of corn tortillas, enchilada sauce, sweet potato slices, onions and cheese. Kind of an enchilada stack, but I call it sweet potato chilaquiles. Looking forward to trying it with home made sauce :)
Hayley @ Gimme Some Oven —
That sounds wonderful Stephen! We hope you enjoy the sauce!
I made this recipe once before and found that I would like to make it a tad bit more sweet and savory, as this recipe is a little smoky (no criticism of the recipe- it was a huge hit! I’m a Texan and made this for Canadians who devoured the enchiladas and loved it). Do you think adding some tomato sauce/paste might help? Or perhaps some sugar? Any tips on getting it a little bit more savory and sweet to balance out the smoky-ness?
Thanks so much!
Anna D.
Hayley @ Gimme Some Oven —
Hi Anna! We’re happy you enjoy this, and we think to make it sweeter you could definitely add some tomato sauce/paste and/or a little sugar. You could also add more garlic powder and some onion powder as well. Just play around with those ingredients to taste, and hopefully you will achieve the sweet and savory balance you want! :)
This sauce really is amazing, I made enchiladas last night for me and my fiancee and we both loved it.. I didn’t change from the recipe above, it certainly doesn’t need tomatoes adding as I’ve seen suggested in comments below, but I guess that’s a matter of preference..
Hayley @ Gimme Some Oven —
Thanks for sharing Karl, we’re so happy you and your fiancé enjoyed this! :)
I just made the sauce and it smells divine :) it’s in the fridge for a few hours until I make enchiladas. My mom is gluten free, & we were out of gluten free flour so instead I used 1 tbsp cornstarch. It looked smooth when it was done simmering and I think it should work just fine. And I’m very confident it will be tasty due to the smell alone!
Hayley @ Gimme Some Oven —
Thanks for sharing Karyn, we hope you and your mom enjoy both the sauce and the enchiladas! :)
Hi there, this looks great! Any idea if I can sub olive oil for the vegetable/canola?
Hayley @ Gimme Some Oven —
Thanks Erin, we hope you enjoy it! That should be fine, we just prefer vegetable/canola oil because they’re more neutral in taste, and we feel that’s ideal in this recipe.
This sauce is a great find! I’ve made it several times and my usual recipe is to first double it, then add it to crock pot with cubed pork tenderloin and make carne adovada! My 13 year old requests this a lot. It will be our New Year’s Eve dinner tonight with cilantro, avocado, refried beans, sour cream and tortillas. We’re just back from New Mexico and their chile powder I’ve found is the absolute BEST. I got hot and extra hot. Lots of personality! Thanks for sharing this recipe!!!
Hayley @ Gimme Some Oven —
Thanks Gretchen, we’re so happy you and your family love it! And we’re jealous of your trip to New Mexico, we beat the chile powder is unbeatable! :)
I made it last night.WOW. every one loved it. I reduce cheese. Also made Vegetarian. Made stock at home by boiling green peas, carrot and leaks. yummy. Thank you for posting recipes.
oh I also made enchilada sauce. good creations.
Hayley @ Gimme Some Oven —
Thanks for sharing Vina, we’re so happy the sauce and enchiladas were a hit (and homemade stock is the best – yours sounds wonderful)! :D
I’ve just made this for the “I don’t know how many-th” time…I will never buy store bought sauce again. The spices it uses are common fare in my cabinet – we make our own taco seasoning too. So glad i found this on Pinterest, THANK YOU for the recipe :) One note for folks worried about spice – my aunt’s recipe for enchilada casserole combined a large can of enchilada sauce with a can of mushroom soup. She’s from the midwest, this resembles a casserole, and thus it REQUIRES a can of cream of XXXXX soup. That said, the mushroom soup adds a very agreeable flavor and tames the sauce down a good bit. I grew up eating this casserole a few times a year – it was a staple in my mothers schedule of recipes. So…if your readers batch of sauce is a bit on the spicier side, I’d suggest going this route…it’s really tasty.
Hayley @ Gimme Some Oven —
Thanks for your sweet words Jason, we’re thrilled that you love this! :)
I’ve made this sauce and your delicious enchilada recipe tons of times (I’m trying the enchilada soup recipe tomorrow, can’t wait!) but I’m curious as to whether or not the sauce freezes well. I make it so often that it’d be convenient to make a few bigger batches, freeze them and thaw when needed.
Hayley @ Gimme Some Oven —
Thanks Shelby, we’re happy you’re a fan! And yes, this freezes great! :)
Thanks so much for the recipe!! You’re right, I will never buy canned sauce again. I just made a double batch of this for some enchiladas and it is delicious!! I highly recommend using El Mexicano California Molida (chili powder). It’s found in the Mexican spice section along with the dried chilies. I think it has the best flavor and makes this sauce even better. One packet is exactly 4 tablespoons, just enough for one batch. Thanks again!!
Hayley @ Gimme Some Oven —
You’re so welcome Cheryl, we’re happy to hear you enjoyed it so much! Also, we really appreciate your chili powder recommendation, that’s great to know, and we’ll have to keep lookout for it! :)
I am seriously DROOLING looking at all your pictures! Especially today, it’s been bitterly cold & snowy where I live in Canada, and I can just see and feel how spicy Mexican food warms from the inside out! Great-looking recipes, and I love that you made them look and sound very easy, thank you! :)
Hayley @ Gimme Some Oven —
Thanks for your sweet words Erin, we hope you stay warm and that you enjoy the sauce/enchiladas! :D
Hmmm, we haven’t tried that Jean, so we really can’t say. If you’re trying to avoid gluten, we would suggest using a gluten-free all purpose blend before we would use coconut, since it’s so different from regular flour. We hope this helps, let us know what you end up trying!
I was really excited to make this sauce last night instead of using store bought red sauce… But unfortunately it turned out unbearably salty! I followed the recipe exactly so I’m not sure what happened, but it was so salty it was inedible. I really want to try making this again. Any tips to lessen the saltiness of it?
Hayley @ Gimme Some Oven —
Hi Greta, oh no, we’re sorry to hear that! That’s really strange though, as we’ve never had that problem. What kind of chicken stock did you use? When using store-bought, we tend to opt for the kind with “less sodium,” as a lot of regular brands can be pretty salty. That’s the only thing we can think of though! :/
Thank you for all your wonderful recipes! Your site is a go-to for me and my family these days! Would you recommend freezing the leftover sauce? I’d like to make extra so my husband could attempt some recipes with the sauce on his own?! Or would it not freeze very well?!
Hayley @ Gimme Some Oven —
You’re very welcome Madi, we’re so happy to hear you and your family are fans! And yes, you can definitely freeze this sauce. :)
Thanks so much for this awesome sauce. I will never buy can enchilada sauce again.
I did try a few of the other cooks suggestions. To mine I added one chicken with tomato bullion cube to my homemade chicken stock. It just didnt give it enough tomato flavor so I went ahead and added a small can of tomato sauce and since i had already added the chicken stock a table spoon of tomato paste to help thicken it. I also increases the garlic, cumin & oregano. I added 1/8th tsp of sugar for a little sweetening . We also like ours with a tad more kick so added a pinch of cayenne pepper. We loved it!! Thanks again for putting it out there..
Hayley @ Gimme Some Oven —
You’re so welcome Laura, we’re glad you like it, and we think all of your tweaks sound perfect! :D
How to get the red color so strong ? it looks like been added tomatoes . Or is it from the chilly powder ?
Thanks
Different chili powders have different colors. The one I used the day I photographed this happened to have been more red, but usually my sauce is a little more brown-ish.
Absolutely delicipus, I added some tomatoes from the garden and my homemade adobo sauce as well. Wondering if this can be pressure canned to preserve? I like to have stuff like this ready to go.
Awesome Kate! We haven’t tried canning this ourselves, but you should be able to! :)
Can you substitute beef stock for the chicken? We tend to stick more to beef in our fam.
Yes, we think that should work just fine. We hope you and your family enjoy! :)
Whoa! I had no idea the sauce would be THIS simple. It looks so easy!
Thanks Jackie, we hope you enjoy!
I LOVE the flavor of his sauce but for whatever reason it just does not thicken up like it is in the picture! It’s very thin. I cook it for longer every time also, any trouble shooting tips? I don’t want to give up on it!
Thanks Brittany, we’re glad to hear that! Sometimes this sauce just takes a little longer to cook and reduce, to thicken. It also actually continues to thicken more after you take it off the heat. We hope this helps! :)
How long will this sauce last in the fridge?
Probably up to two weeks Mo, but you can also freeze it. We hope you enjoy!
Thank you so much for posting this recipe. I hadn’t made homemade enchiladas in a while and was looking to brush up on the sauce recipe. I was so disappointed to see so many other recipes required tomatoes (which my Ma always said NOT to do). Thank you again! I’m using this with beef stock instead of chicken and on top of pork enchiladas! I’ll have pictures on my site of the outcome.
You’re so welcome Tiffany, we hope you enjoy both the sauce and the enchiladas – definitely share some pics when you can! :)
I added some dark chocolate to the sauce and it gave the flavor a little more depth
This sauce is delicious! Does it matter if I use a broth instead of a stock?
Thanks Kelsey, we’re glad you like it! And nope, either one is completely fine! :)
ancho chilli?
We just use regular chili powder, which is very different from Ancho chili powder. We haven’t tried Ancho chili powder in this, but you could always experiment!
For best results use Gebhardt’s Chili Powder.
Thanks for sharing this with us Lisa!
This sauce is amazing and so quick to make!! I have made it a few times now but am going to add it to my regular roster as I roast a chicken every few weeks and am always looking for something yummy to make with my chicken broth.
I have the used the sauce in enchiladas, baked beans and a spicy soup. Thank you for the recipe and your great blog!!
Thanks Lindsey, we’re happy you like it! Thanks also for your sweet words about the blog, we’re glad you’re a fan! :)
Could you specify what kind of Chile powder? Like McCormick in the pack or chili powder in the bottle?
Like pure chili powder in the little spice jar/bottle. :)
Just tried this tonight! It is a delicious homemade enchilada sauce…but I’m pretty sure you forgot to mention the tomatoes? I followed your directions to a T and the sauce was brown, tasted very strongly of the spices and looked nothing like the picture. I added a small can of crushed tomatoes and now it is perfect. Just wanted to mention! Thank you for sharing this recipe. I had an actual can of enchillada sauce ready to go but I’m so happy I made yours instead! :)
Thanks Carla, we’re happy you enjoyed it! That wasn’t a mistake regarding the tomatoes, our recipe isn’t mean to have any, but you can certainly add them like you did! :)
Do not add any salt! It was way too salty with the broth, my partner said it was brutal and pretty much ruined the dinner.
We’re sorry to hear this was too salty Dominique! Did you make your own stock or use store-bought? If you make your own stock, you want to salt it pretty liberally (it helps preserve it so it will last longer), and then you generally don’t need to add much (if any) salt to your recipe, depending on what you’re using the stock for. Using a low/less sodium stock is one way to help cut back on the salt, and it’s good to season and taste as you go. We hope this helps!
This is the first red enchilada sauce I have seen that does not contain tomatoes or tomato sauce, paste, passata or any other form of tomato. Was it missed or is this recipe for real? Thanks.
Hi Wendy, no, this was not an error. Our recipe doesn’t have any tomatoes/tomato sauce/paste, etc. :)
Also, wondering how you pronounce 492th. My mind refused to compute that one.
No tomatoes. Now I am really intrigued. Will give it a try! Thanks.
In markets, you can find red chile sauce which does not contain tomatoes. The stuff marked enchilada sauce always seems to include tomatoes.This red chile sauce is what I use on enchiladas. Some suggestions.
1) to thicken, you could add more flour. I thicken mine by adding a sofrito of carrots, celery and onion and then pureeing the sauce after it is cooked. If you use ground chile rather than chile powder, you will avoid the salt in the chile powder. If you can get ground chile, the mildest are ancho, California or New Mexico.
Thanks for sharing your tips with us Kerry!
Thank you for sharing. The proof is in the sauce.:) I made this sauce and used in in a batch of enchiladas. My son made a big helping and, approximately five minutes later, came back with an empty plate and helped himself to another huge portion. When asked about it, he said it was good. When I told him I tried a new enchilada sauce recipe, he gave me a smile and a thumbs up as he descended the stairs back to his room. Awesome!! FYI…I used a mixture of chili powder that I bought from the spice shop and a brand that ran about $5 from the store resulting in a Very vibrant red coloring.
You’re welcome Shana, we’re happy you and your son enjoyed the enchiladas (and the sauce)! :) Thanks for sharing!
Love this! Made a double batch of it but I like the taste of tomato in my enchilada sauce so I added a can of plain tomato sauce instead of 2 of the cups of chicken stock and it turned out awesome! Do you think I could can this to give away at Christmas?
Thanks Emily, we’re glad you like it! While we haven’t tried canning this ourselves, if done the right way, we think it would be great! :)
Shouldn’t there be some kind of tomato base added, like sauce or paste? Doesn’t seem like the chili powder would make the sauce that read. Curious. Thank you.
Hi Dawn, you could certainly add tomato sauce or paste if you like (plenty people have done that) – it’s just a preference thing, it’s totally up to you! Either way, we hope you enjoy it!
When you say chili powder, do you mean just ground chili’s or do you mean the chili powder that includes cumin, oregano, etc.?
Hi Linda, it’s a blend.
Also, for the chili powder, is there a kind that you recommend?
Hi Linda, the brands we like Spice Islands or Simply Organics. We hope you enjoy!
I made a double batch last week with half ancho chile powder and half guajillo chile powder, and used homemade broth, it was AWESOME. My husband immediately asked for me to make more once the first batch of enchiladas were gone! Thank you for the yummy recipe! By the way, it tastes like the red sauce from a highly rated restaurant in Santa Fe called, The Shed. You can get your enchiladas there “smothered” in the stuff. Kudos to you!
Thanks for sharing with is Deanna, we’re happy you and your husband enjoyed this! And what a nice compliment! Cheers!
I have never made enchilada sauce before. I assumed there were tomatoes in the sauce but the recipe does not list any. Please confirm the recipe is correct. Thanks
Hi Marilyn, this recipe is correct, it is not meant to have any tomatoes in the sauce. We hope you enjoy!
You are a lifesaver!!! Making my mother in law’s beef enchiladas for dinner and I completely forgot to get a can of red enchilada sauce. This is PERFECT!
We’re so glad we could help Jessie, we hope you enjoy the sauce! :)
Love this Enchilada Sauce! I can’t say I’ve ever tried any store-bought, but I made this and it was great–tasted like what we get in good authentic Mexican and Tex-Mex restaurants here in Texas. I used the homemade chili powder I made from a recipe from Good Eats on the Food Network. I’d say the same thing about that–so simple to make and so much less expensive, I never buy chili powder anymore. So that really made this sauce excellent. Thanks!
Thanks for sharing Tom, we’re happy to hear that! :)
I just love this sauce recipe :) I have made almost a duplicate one for many years. With so much success, that I am known in my family as the beat enchilada maker lol anyways, I just love the garlic in your recipe! It really makes my sauce even better! Thank you and just love your recipes :) I Just love love love cooking!
Thanks Stacey, we’re so happy to hear that! :)
I use menudo chili seasoning. It has pretty much all the seasonings you need, however I like garlic so I add more garlic powder. I was a bit surprised with people asking about tomatoes. I’ve seen enchilada sauce made with them.
Thanks for sharing Georgia, we hope you enjoy the sauce!
I came across this a few months ago. When I tried the recipe, the sauce came out very salty! I plan on trying again but I am not sure what I did wrong. Any advice?
Hi Kimberly! That’s strange this came out so salty for you, we’re sorry to hear that! Since the recipe doesn’t call for much salt, the only thing we can think of is that maybe your stock was too salty. Did you use chicken stock? Sometimes the store-bought stuff can be pretty salty, so we’ll often use the kind with “less sodium.” We hope this helps!
I made this last night and loved it. I’d like to make it for a New Year’s Eve dinner party which means I’d make 5 x the sauce. Would you recommend doing it in small batches or just one big pot with 5 x all ingredients? I’m wondering if the oil and flour in the beginning will work with a big amount. Thanks!
Thanks Darren, we’re so happy you enjoyed it! Hmmmm, that’s quite a big batch! We’d recommend doing it in smaller batches – maybe just do two separate big post with 2 1/2 x the ingredients? We hope this helps! :)
I really want to use this as a substitute in a recipe that calls for a can of hot enchilada sauce, but i noticed you said this is pretty mild. Do you have any tips to make it hotter?
I really want to use this recipe as a substitute for canned enchilada sauce in a recipe I have that calls for hot enchilada sauce. I noticed you said that you consider this more mild. Do you have any tips on how I could make this a little more spicy? My boyfriend and I like heat in our food.
Hi Leanne! You could definitely add some chipotle pepper in adobo, more chili powder, and/or cayenne pepper. We’d recommend just adding any of those ingredients to taste, until you achieve the spiciness you’d like. We hope this helps and that you two enjoy! :)
I like making a casserole (olé?) with layers of corn tortillas, enchilada sauce, sweet potato slices, onions and cheese. Kind of an enchilada stack, but I call it sweet potato chilaquiles. Looking forward to trying it with home made sauce :)
That sounds wonderful Stephen! We hope you enjoy the sauce!
Hello,
I made this recipe once before and found that I would like to make it a tad bit more sweet and savory, as this recipe is a little smoky (no criticism of the recipe- it was a huge hit! I’m a Texan and made this for Canadians who devoured the enchiladas and loved it). Do you think adding some tomato sauce/paste might help? Or perhaps some sugar? Any tips on getting it a little bit more savory and sweet to balance out the smoky-ness?
Thanks so much!
Anna D.
Hi Anna! We’re happy you enjoy this, and we think to make it sweeter you could definitely add some tomato sauce/paste and/or a little sugar. You could also add more garlic powder and some onion powder as well. Just play around with those ingredients to taste, and hopefully you will achieve the sweet and savory balance you want! :)
This sauce really is amazing, I made enchiladas last night for me and my fiancee and we both loved it.. I didn’t change from the recipe above, it certainly doesn’t need tomatoes adding as I’ve seen suggested in comments below, but I guess that’s a matter of preference..
Thanks for sharing Karl, we’re so happy you and your fiancé enjoyed this! :)
I just made the sauce and it smells divine :) it’s in the fridge for a few hours until I make enchiladas. My mom is gluten free, & we were out of gluten free flour so instead I used 1 tbsp cornstarch. It looked smooth when it was done simmering and I think it should work just fine. And I’m very confident it will be tasty due to the smell alone!
Thanks for sharing Karyn, we hope you and your mom enjoy both the sauce and the enchiladas! :)
Hi there, this looks great! Any idea if I can sub olive oil for the vegetable/canola?
Thanks Erin, we hope you enjoy it! That should be fine, we just prefer vegetable/canola oil because they’re more neutral in taste, and we feel that’s ideal in this recipe.
This sauce is a great find! I’ve made it several times and my usual recipe is to first double it, then add it to crock pot with cubed pork tenderloin and make carne adovada! My 13 year old requests this a lot. It will be our New Year’s Eve dinner tonight with cilantro, avocado, refried beans, sour cream and tortillas. We’re just back from New Mexico and their chile powder I’ve found is the absolute BEST. I got hot and extra hot. Lots of personality! Thanks for sharing this recipe!!!
Thanks Gretchen, we’re so happy you and your family love it! And we’re jealous of your trip to New Mexico, we beat the chile powder is unbeatable! :)
I made it last night.WOW. every one loved it. I reduce cheese. Also made Vegetarian. Made stock at home by boiling green peas, carrot and leaks. yummy. Thank you for posting recipes.
oh I also made enchilada sauce. good creations.
Thanks for sharing Vina, we’re so happy the sauce and enchiladas were a hit (and homemade stock is the best – yours sounds wonderful)! :D
I’ve just made this for the “I don’t know how many-th” time…I will never buy store bought sauce again. The spices it uses are common fare in my cabinet – we make our own taco seasoning too. So glad i found this on Pinterest, THANK YOU for the recipe :) One note for folks worried about spice – my aunt’s recipe for enchilada casserole combined a large can of enchilada sauce with a can of mushroom soup. She’s from the midwest, this resembles a casserole, and thus it REQUIRES a can of cream of XXXXX soup. That said, the mushroom soup adds a very agreeable flavor and tames the sauce down a good bit. I grew up eating this casserole a few times a year – it was a staple in my mothers schedule of recipes. So…if your readers batch of sauce is a bit on the spicier side, I’d suggest going this route…it’s really tasty.
Thanks for your sweet words Jason, we’re thrilled that you love this! :)
I’ve made this sauce and your delicious enchilada recipe tons of times (I’m trying the enchilada soup recipe tomorrow, can’t wait!) but I’m curious as to whether or not the sauce freezes well. I make it so often that it’d be convenient to make a few bigger batches, freeze them and thaw when needed.
Thanks Shelby, we’re happy you’re a fan! And yes, this freezes great! :)
Thanks so much for the recipe!! You’re right, I will never buy canned sauce again. I just made a double batch of this for some enchiladas and it is delicious!! I highly recommend using El Mexicano California Molida (chili powder). It’s found in the Mexican spice section along with the dried chilies. I think it has the best flavor and makes this sauce even better. One packet is exactly 4 tablespoons, just enough for one batch. Thanks again!!
You’re so welcome Cheryl, we’re happy to hear you enjoyed it so much! Also, we really appreciate your chili powder recommendation, that’s great to know, and we’ll have to keep lookout for it! :)
I am seriously DROOLING looking at all your pictures! Especially today, it’s been bitterly cold & snowy where I live in Canada, and I can just see and feel how spicy Mexican food warms from the inside out! Great-looking recipes, and I love that you made them look and sound very easy, thank you! :)
Thanks for your sweet words Erin, we hope you stay warm and that you enjoy the sauce/enchiladas! :D
I made this last night. I doubled the recipe and it came out absolutely delicious. This one is definitely a keeper.
Thanks Chris, we’re happy you enjoyed it! :)
Can you sub coconut flour for the flour?
Hmmm, we haven’t tried that Jean, so we really can’t say. If you’re trying to avoid gluten, we would suggest using a gluten-free all purpose blend before we would use coconut, since it’s so different from regular flour. We hope this helps, let us know what you end up trying!
I was really excited to make this sauce last night instead of using store bought red sauce… But unfortunately it turned out unbearably salty! I followed the recipe exactly so I’m not sure what happened, but it was so salty it was inedible. I really want to try making this again. Any tips to lessen the saltiness of it?
Hi Greta, oh no, we’re sorry to hear that! That’s really strange though, as we’ve never had that problem. What kind of chicken stock did you use? When using store-bought, we tend to opt for the kind with “less sodium,” as a lot of regular brands can be pretty salty. That’s the only thing we can think of though! :/
Thank you for all your wonderful recipes! Your site is a go-to for me and my family these days! Would you recommend freezing the leftover sauce? I’d like to make extra so my husband could attempt some recipes with the sauce on his own?! Or would it not freeze very well?!
You’re very welcome Madi, we’re so happy to hear you and your family are fans! And yes, you can definitely freeze this sauce. :)
Thanks so much for this awesome sauce. I will never buy can enchilada sauce again.
I did try a few of the other cooks suggestions. To mine I added one chicken with tomato bullion cube to my homemade chicken stock. It just didnt give it enough tomato flavor so I went ahead and added a small can of tomato sauce and since i had already added the chicken stock a table spoon of tomato paste to help thicken it. I also increases the garlic, cumin & oregano. I added 1/8th tsp of sugar for a little sweetening . We also like ours with a tad more kick so added a pinch of cayenne pepper. We loved it!! Thanks again for putting it out there..
You’re so welcome Laura, we’re glad you like it, and we think all of your tweaks sound perfect! :D