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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.
I have made this sauce so many times. It is literally THE BEST. My husband wants enchildas and says he feels spoiled by the home made enchilada sauce and will not use any other kind for any reason. He has me make this recipe often. Im so glad i found it. It’s so easy and delicious. I made it when i had family in town and they were super impressed!
I always double the recipe though. Just because we can freeze the extras and use it later & i like my enchiladas coated in sauce.
Hayley @ Gimme Some Oven —
Thanks so much for sharing Corina, we’re happy to hear you and your husband love this so much! :D
This sauce is AMAZING!!! I will never buy a can again, and it’s fast and easy! I made in second batch right away, makes about 2 cups when done so really need a double batch for pan of enchiladas, plus will be good on eggs. I used half Masa flour and half white flour, little hit of corn in the back ground.
Hayley @ Gimme Some Oven —
Thank you Leslie, we’re happy to hear you enjoyed it – thanks for sharing! :D
I made this last weekend and LOVED it! I have been trying to get away from canned foods so I always know what’s in my food. This sauce was absolutely delicious and so easy! Thanks for an amazing recipe. I doubled the batch & froze half.
Hayley @ Gimme Some Oven —
Thanks Danielle, we’re so happy you enjoyed it! :)
I have never heard of this without tomatoes so I decided to try to make this one since my recipe called for tomato paste and I only have crushed tomatoes. It is currently on the stove reducing so I can’t wait to make some yummy enchiladas!!! Thanks for the great recipe and I hope to be eating these tonight!!
Hayley @ Gimme Some Oven —
Awesome Alison, we hope you enjoy the sauce and the enchiladas – thanks for giving the recipes a try! :D
I tried to make this enchilada sauce and i don’t know if my powdered chillies were not so tasty but i did not like the taste. I end it up adding ketchup and very fine salsa to add more flavor.
Hayley @ Gimme Some Oven —
We’re sorry to hear you didn’t care for this Devchenka!
I followed Kerry’s recommendation of making a sofrito in the pan before you add the flour and blending the finished product. This sauce turned out heavenly!!!!! So delicious!!!! The perfect accompaniment to my sweet potato and black bean enchiladas I am serving for dinner!
Hayley @ Gimme Some Oven —
Thank you for sharing Adrienne, we’re so glad you enjoyed it! :)
Darn, that’s a nice encillada recipe. I tend to grind up some dried anchos, and passilas, and add them to the chili powder thing. And I use real garlic instead of the powdered variety. But still, a nice mixture of savory, cheese and aromatic greens. I really like that you use cumin. It’s one of those totally unrecognized but necessary taste treats in South American recipes.
Hi there, I am currently making this sauce to go with the stacked enchiladas tonight (yum!!). I doubled the sauce recipe and mine is very runny. I am letting it simmer covered so hoping that thickens it up. Any tips on how to thicken it? If it doesn’t thicken, do I need to start over? Thanks for your help!
Hayley @ Gimme Some Oven —
Hi Carra! We’ve found that sometimes we need to cook it for a little longer. But you could try and thicken it up also by making a cornstarch slurry (with a bit of the sauce). We hope that helps! :)
I made this tonight using arrowroot powder in place of the flour. The consistency was great and was the perfect sauce for my enchilada stuffed spaghetti squash. Thanks for a great recipe!
Hayley @ Gimme Some Oven —
We’re so glad you enjoyed this Leslie, thanks for sharing! It’s good to know the arrowroot powder works well in this! :)
I am so surprised that tomatoes or tomato sauce are not in this enchilada sauce. I am going to try this today. If you should see this today, perhaps you can tell me if you think canned chicken broth will work just as well as canned chicken stock?
Hayley @ Gimme Some Oven —
We hope you enjoy this Kaylynne! We always use chicken stock for this — it tends to have a fuller, richer flavor.
Hi, question about the Chili Power, I have a bag of Reshampatti Chili Power, is this Chili Powder? This stuff is sooooo hot! Thanks, Nancy
Hayley @ Gimme Some Oven —
Hi Nancy! We don’t think that’s the one you’d want to use for this. We recommend a chili powder blend. We alternate between Spice Islands or Simply Organic.
I love this recipe and have been using it for a while, I am in the UK and there is no way I would put more than a teaspoon of my favourite chilli powder (Natco) in the mix. The sauce would be far too hot it would blow your head off. Luckily on my first batch I only put a small amount in and tasted it and realised I didn’t need any more.
I usually make a big batch and freeze it.
Thanks : )
Hayley @ Gimme Some Oven —
Thanks for sharing with us Jonny! We’re happy to hear you enjoy the recipe! :)
This was so easy and came out perfect! I included a link to the recipe as part of my 30 Before 30 project, to cook 300 Pinterest recipes in a year and a half. Thank you so much for all your tasty recipes!
Hayley @ Gimme Some Oven —
Thanks for sharing Jaime — we’re so happy you enjoyed it! :D
I think Australia has hotter chilli powder than in the US! It was a little spicier than I would have liked. I’m going to try again with less chilli powder. It was really yummy behind all the heat!!
Hayley @ Gimme Some Oven —
That’s good to know! We’re sorry it was so spicy, but we’re happy you still enjoyed it! :)
I have lived in San Diego 25+ years where really good Mexican food is available. Unfortunately I had to relocate to North Carolina for a while and so I have been hoping to find some really good Mexican food recipes online as my cravings for the food have escalated. Sadly this sauce, for me, misses the mark by a mile. It tastes like canned enchilada sauce. It is more like Tex Mex, which makes sense as it comes from your New Mexico friend. Another thing, enchiladas are made with corn tortillas, not flour. It’s easy and fairly tasty, but not what I am looking for.
Hayley @ Gimme Some Oven —
Hi Billie. We appreciate your honesty and your feedback, and we’re sorry to hear you didn’t care for the sauce. We are aware authentic enchiladas are traditionally made with corn tortillas, we just used flour as a personal preference. We hope you can find a different enchilada sauce recipe that you enjoy!
I made this sauce for the first time last night! I made a double batch and have a bunch left over. Could I freeze the remaining sauce? Thanks for the recipe it was wonderful!
Hayley @ Gimme Some Oven —
That’s awesome Kayla, we’re so glad you enjoyed it! And yes, you can definitely freeze the remaining sauce!
This is the BEST enchilada sauce ever!!! I don’t buy store bought anymore because this is so easy and quick to make. And I always make a double batch so I can freeze some!! I use Penzey’s chili powder!! Amazing every time!!!
This was my first time making homemade enchilada sauce. As my husband said, it was “outstanding!” Wayyy better than canned. I’m making this from now on.
I tried making this a year or so ago using what is sold in Australia as chilli powder and it was unusable. It was blow your head off hot. But I love your other recipes so I did a little research and discovered that the closest thing to American chilli powder in the Australian market is Masterfoods Chilli Con Carne recipe base. The packet only contains 3 tbsp of powder but it seems a little hotter than the American version. It works great!
Hayley @ Gimme Some Oven —
Thank you for sharing this info with us Jac — this is good to know, and will be helpful to other Aussies! We’re glad you were able to find something that works. Thanks for giving the recipe a try! :)
Hi, I am making the chicken enchiladas tonight for my boyfriend and I! We love spicy food and want the enchiladas to be on the spicier side. Would you recommend that I use more than the 4 tablespoons of the chili powder? Thank you for these recipes, we are so excited to indulge in this yummy food tonight! :)
Hayley @ Gimme Some Oven —
Hi Jade! We wouldn’t recommend you use more than 4 TBS of chili powder, as that’s still a good amount of heat. We hope you guys enjoy! :D
I can’t wait to try this, sounds delicious! As someone who has family in New Mexico and lived there briefly I would try this website for chile powder.
https://www.chileaddictstore.com/cas_shop/detail.asp?dept%5Fid=100&pf%5Fid=1003
There red chile makes the best enchilada sauce…..when I was living on the East Coadt family members used to ship it too me, but now you can get it online!
Hayley @ Gimme Some Oven —
Thank you for sharing with us Jennifer! We’ll have to check it out! :)
I made this sauce yesterday using chili powder and it turned out more of a brownish color than red. What did I do wrong?
Hayley @ Gimme Some Oven —
Hi Teri! No worries, you didn’t do anything wrong! Some chili powders are a little more red, while others are more brown. The day Ali shot those pics, it was super bright outside, and the lighting in the photo made the sauce look more red. Sometimes wen she’s made it it’s turned out more brown. As long as it tastes good, we wouldn’t fret much about the color (though you can always add some tomato sauce or paste to it, if you want more of a red color).
I made this and loved it!!! I have little ones so cooking with chili powder wasn’t happening. I instead used a few splashes of the Tabasco “smoked chipotle”sauce and it gave it just the right amount of spice. I actually made two batches and in the second batch I added a small can of tomato paste (8oz). Turns out the family preferred that one. Thanks so much for the stellar recipe!
Hayley @ Gimme Some Oven —
Thanks for sharing Jaime! We’re go glad you enjoyed it! :)
I was thinking of using premade enchilada sauce seasoning (such as https://www.savoryspiceshop.com/spice-blends/canyon-road-red-enchilada-seasoning.html) and then combining it with the oil, cornstarch and broth specified in your recipe. Do you think that would work? How much of the seasoning should I put in?
Thanks for putting up this recipe! This looks much better than the canned sauce in the store!
Hayley @ Gimme Some Oven —
Hi Debra! Hmmm, that’s hard to say since we’ve never tried that before. We think it’s worth a try, but we might suggest cutting the recipe down just to make sure it works. We would try doing this to taste. Definitely let us know how it turns out if you give it a try!
Hands down, THE best enchiladas I’ve ever eaten. Thanks MJ for making them and gimmesomeoven for publishing such a heavenly recipe. Incredibly delicious!
Hayley @ Gimme Some Oven —
Thank you Aaron — we’re so glad you enjoyed the sauce and the enchiladas! :)
I have been trying to get my husband away from the packaged sauces. I kept telling him that we have all the spices in the cupboard. So, one night, went searching for enchilada sauce and found this recipe. He LOVED it (I did, too!) The first time I made it, after making enchiladas, I had about half left which I froze. Was just like fresh when we thawed it and used it. I normally don’t have stock in the house so I used chicken bouillon & that worked. Today I cooked chicken breasts in the oven, shredded them and put them in the slow cooker with a batch of sauce I made today (this time with turkey stock I made last month). Thanks for a great recipe that is easy and great tasting!!
Hayley @ Gimme Some Oven —
Thanks for sharing with us Bonnie! We’re so glad you and your husband enjoyed this! :D
This is the second time I have used this receipe it is totally awesome, I actually had to search to find it again. I have saved it this time though. I like it hot so I add a teaspoon of cayenne pepper, that’s just me though.
Hayley @ Gimme Some Oven —
Thanks for sharing Bob — we’re so glad you enjoy it! :)
Ok, so a few things:
First, i definitely have the chili powder that makes the sauce brown, not red, which was a little off putting for me, but that obviously has nothing to do with you guys! second, i followed the recipe exactly (I’ve been over it a dozen times!) and it just tastes grainy, and a little burned. like the time it took (for me, less than a minute) for the flour and oil to combine was too much. Where did I go wrong? I added extra broth because it tasted so off. I can’t say that I’m an expert in enchilada sauce, but i did grow up in SoCal on some pretty good mexican food, so I was kind of surprised. I’m certain that it was me who got it wrong, but i can for the life of me figure out what!
I almost didn’t even continue with the enchiladas, but i decided to go ahead and see if the whole thing together tastes better. i made myself a little mini enchilada and it was pretty good, but i only added a little sauce. so we will see!
note: I am not a natural cook.
Hayley @ Gimme Some Oven —
Hi Liisa! Different chili powders have different colors, but that shouldn’t affect the taste. Depending on your stove, it’s possible that your burner was just really hot and might have burned the flour/oil roux. We would recommend you whisk the roux constantly so that it doesn’t burn, and then follow the rest of the recipe as directed. Some brands of chili powder might also taste a little more charred, so you could also try experimenting with a different brand. We’ve found that nicer-quality brands really do taste better. We hope this is helpful!
OMG! I made your red enchilada sauce along with the stacked chicken enchiladas and my oh my what
a hit!! Totally loved it, the sauce is so tasty and so easy. Since I love the taste of cumin, I added a half teaspoon instead of a quarter! A keeper, glad I came across your website!
Hayley @ Gimme Some Oven —
We’re so glad you enjoyed the sauce and the enchiladas Velma! Thanks for giving the recipes a try, and for taking the time to comment! :)
Okay, I’m baffled… why gluten free flour? I know it’s trendy to go gluten free these days and if you’re gluten intolerant or have Celiac Disease than of course gluten free flour. But I don’t regularly have gluten free flour on hand and I’m wondering if I can use regular all purpose flour, or corn starch as a substitute. I’m dying to try this in your enchilada soup recipe.
Hayley @ Gimme Some Oven —
Hi Audrey, we’re a bit confused. The recipe states “all purpose flour or gluten-free flour.” We use all-purpose flour when we make it, but we know several folks have gluten intolerances or Celiac’s, which is why we list gluten-free flour as an option.
This was way too salty for me ( I didn’t even ADD any salt either) and needed the flavor balanced out for my palette. I added a few tablespoons of tomato paste, a dash of jalapeño Tabasco and would probably add some sautéed puréed onion when I make it again in the future. I’ll also use a higher quality chili powder since this seems to be the soul of the sauce.
Hayley @ Gimme Some Oven —
We’re sorry to hear that! The only thing we can think of is the type of chili powder. We really have found that the nicer brands make a huge difference in taste. We hope that helps — we appreciate your feedback!
This is in a group of Tex-Mex recipes but this is *not* Tex-Mex thank goodness! This is more like our traditional Mexican enchilada sauce. I have secret ingredients that I add but this is great.
I use a very mild chile powder and add Kashmiri chile powder for heat and less garlic. Kashmiri has a nice flavor and I prefer it to cayenne.
If this were Tex-Mex, which we don’t like and we live in Texas, it would be loaded with tomato products that were initially added to appeal to non-Mexican people. Thus, most people who make their own these days add tomatoes because they think that is where the red color comes from. Tomato products of *any* kind are not used in traditional enchilada sauce! LOL
I personally love New Mexico enchilada sauce too and it is really orangy and really hot. It has a completely different flavor you might like to try.
Nice job! : )
Chili powder varies in spiciness between brands. Some countries have a consistency of heat and flavor. North American chili powder is more commonly mild to not spicy at all. Where areas of Eastern Asia have a much more hot spiciness.
I have made this sauce so many times. It is literally THE BEST. My husband wants enchildas and says he feels spoiled by the home made enchilada sauce and will not use any other kind for any reason. He has me make this recipe often. Im so glad i found it. It’s so easy and delicious. I made it when i had family in town and they were super impressed!
I always double the recipe though. Just because we can freeze the extras and use it later & i like my enchiladas coated in sauce.
Thanks so much for sharing Corina, we’re happy to hear you and your husband love this so much! :D
This sauce is AMAZING!!! I will never buy a can again, and it’s fast and easy! I made in second batch right away, makes about 2 cups when done so really need a double batch for pan of enchiladas, plus will be good on eggs. I used half Masa flour and half white flour, little hit of corn in the back ground.
Thank you Leslie, we’re happy to hear you enjoyed it – thanks for sharing! :D
I made this last weekend and LOVED it! I have been trying to get away from canned foods so I always know what’s in my food. This sauce was absolutely delicious and so easy! Thanks for an amazing recipe. I doubled the batch & froze half.
Thanks Danielle, we’re so happy you enjoyed it! :)
I have never heard of this without tomatoes so I decided to try to make this one since my recipe called for tomato paste and I only have crushed tomatoes. It is currently on the stove reducing so I can’t wait to make some yummy enchiladas!!! Thanks for the great recipe and I hope to be eating these tonight!!
Awesome Alison, we hope you enjoy the sauce and the enchiladas – thanks for giving the recipes a try! :D
I tried to make this enchilada sauce and i don’t know if my powdered chillies were not so tasty but i did not like the taste. I end it up adding ketchup and very fine salsa to add more flavor.
We’re sorry to hear you didn’t care for this Devchenka!
Wow this sauce was awesome–so thick and flavorful! I can’t believe it only took 10 minutes! Thank you :)
You’re welcome Lauren, we’re so happy you liked it! :)
Hi,
I am just wondering is the broth seasoned? I mean is it salty?
Br
Hi Ivana! Yes, it is seasoned, but if you’re worried about it being too salty, you can just use less/lower sodium chicken broth. We hope you enjoy!
Wish I had more hands. I’d give this sauce 4 thumbs up!
Aww thanks Mike, we’re so glad you loved it! :)
I followed Kerry’s recommendation of making a sofrito in the pan before you add the flour and blending the finished product. This sauce turned out heavenly!!!!! So delicious!!!! The perfect accompaniment to my sweet potato and black bean enchiladas I am serving for dinner!
Thank you for sharing Adrienne, we’re so glad you enjoyed it! :)
Hello
Do you have a thermomix converted recipe by any chance?
Many thanks
Rachel
Hi Rachel, no we do not, we’re sorry!
Darn, that’s a nice encillada recipe. I tend to grind up some dried anchos, and passilas, and add them to the chili powder thing. And I use real garlic instead of the powdered variety. But still, a nice mixture of savory, cheese and aromatic greens. I really like that you use cumin. It’s one of those totally unrecognized but necessary taste treats in South American recipes.
Good on you. John
Thank you John, we’re so happy you liked them! :D
Hi there, I am currently making this sauce to go with the stacked enchiladas tonight (yum!!). I doubled the sauce recipe and mine is very runny. I am letting it simmer covered so hoping that thickens it up. Any tips on how to thicken it? If it doesn’t thicken, do I need to start over? Thanks for your help!
Hi Carra! We’ve found that sometimes we need to cook it for a little longer. But you could try and thicken it up also by making a cornstarch slurry (with a bit of the sauce). We hope that helps! :)
Quadrupled the recipe and no problem! Nothing like batch cooking for cold winter nights! Thank you…great recipe.
That’s wonderful Denise! We’re so happy you enjoyed it! :)
I made this tonight using arrowroot powder in place of the flour. The consistency was great and was the perfect sauce for my enchilada stuffed spaghetti squash. Thanks for a great recipe!
We’re so glad you enjoyed this Leslie, thanks for sharing! It’s good to know the arrowroot powder works well in this! :)
I am so surprised that tomatoes or tomato sauce are not in this enchilada sauce. I am going to try this today. If you should see this today, perhaps you can tell me if you think canned chicken broth will work just as well as canned chicken stock?
We hope you enjoy this Kaylynne! We always use chicken stock for this — it tends to have a fuller, richer flavor.
Hi, question about the Chili Power, I have a bag of Reshampatti Chili Power, is this Chili Powder? This stuff is sooooo hot! Thanks, Nancy
Hi Nancy! We don’t think that’s the one you’d want to use for this. We recommend a chili powder blend. We alternate between Spice Islands or Simply Organic.
I love this recipe and have been using it for a while, I am in the UK and there is no way I would put more than a teaspoon of my favourite chilli powder (Natco) in the mix. The sauce would be far too hot it would blow your head off. Luckily on my first batch I only put a small amount in and tasted it and realised I didn’t need any more.
I usually make a big batch and freeze it.
Thanks : )
Thanks for sharing with us Jonny! We’re happy to hear you enjoy the recipe! :)
Hi, about the chili powder, is it the chili seasoning? Your recipes all look so delicious, I will try them for sure. thank you
Hi Betty! It’s chili powder, which is a blend. This is an example of one we often use:
This was so easy and came out perfect! I included a link to the recipe as part of my 30 Before 30 project, to cook 300 Pinterest recipes in a year and a half. Thank you so much for all your tasty recipes!
Thanks for sharing Jaime — we’re so happy you enjoyed it! :D
I think Australia has hotter chilli powder than in the US! It was a little spicier than I would have liked. I’m going to try again with less chilli powder. It was really yummy behind all the heat!!
That’s good to know! We’re sorry it was so spicy, but we’re happy you still enjoyed it! :)
This.
Sauce. Rocks.
Thanks Darren! We’re happy you love it! :)
I have lived in San Diego 25+ years where really good Mexican food is available. Unfortunately I had to relocate to North Carolina for a while and so I have been hoping to find some really good Mexican food recipes online as my cravings for the food have escalated. Sadly this sauce, for me, misses the mark by a mile. It tastes like canned enchilada sauce. It is more like Tex Mex, which makes sense as it comes from your New Mexico friend. Another thing, enchiladas are made with corn tortillas, not flour. It’s easy and fairly tasty, but not what I am looking for.
Hi Billie. We appreciate your honesty and your feedback, and we’re sorry to hear you didn’t care for the sauce. We are aware authentic enchiladas are traditionally made with corn tortillas, we just used flour as a personal preference. We hope you can find a different enchilada sauce recipe that you enjoy!
I made this sauce for the first time last night! I made a double batch and have a bunch left over. Could I freeze the remaining sauce? Thanks for the recipe it was wonderful!
That’s awesome Kayla, we’re so glad you enjoyed it! And yes, you can definitely freeze the remaining sauce!
I really love it, although I add some tomato purée
Thanx for great recipes
Thanks Sylwia — we’re glad you enjoyed this! :)
This is the BEST enchilada sauce ever!!! I don’t buy store bought anymore because this is so easy and quick to make. And I always make a double batch so I can freeze some!! I use Penzey’s chili powder!! Amazing every time!!!
Thanks Joellyn! We’re so happy you enjoy this! :)
So no tomato products?
That’s right! But feel free to add a little tomato sauce or paste if you’d like! :)
Best enchilada sauce I’ve ever made. Will never make the mistake of using canned enchilada sauce ever again. Thanks!
Thank you, that’s such a nice compliment! We’re so glad you loved it! :D
This is a real good sauce so much better than canned. I will never go back. I find its better to refrigerator it over night to get the best flavor.
Thanks Diana! We’re glad you enjoyed it! :)
This was my first time making homemade enchilada sauce. As my husband said, it was “outstanding!” Wayyy better than canned. I’m making this from now on.
We’re so glad you both enjoyed it Jenny! :D
Hi,
I tried making this a year or so ago using what is sold in Australia as chilli powder and it was unusable. It was blow your head off hot. But I love your other recipes so I did a little research and discovered that the closest thing to American chilli powder in the Australian market is Masterfoods Chilli Con Carne recipe base. The packet only contains 3 tbsp of powder but it seems a little hotter than the American version. It works great!
Thank you for sharing this info with us Jac — this is good to know, and will be helpful to other Aussies! We’re glad you were able to find something that works. Thanks for giving the recipe a try! :)
Hi, I am making the chicken enchiladas tonight for my boyfriend and I! We love spicy food and want the enchiladas to be on the spicier side. Would you recommend that I use more than the 4 tablespoons of the chili powder? Thank you for these recipes, we are so excited to indulge in this yummy food tonight! :)
Hi Jade! We wouldn’t recommend you use more than 4 TBS of chili powder, as that’s still a good amount of heat. We hope you guys enjoy! :D
I can’t wait to try this, sounds delicious! As someone who has family in New Mexico and lived there briefly I would try this website for chile powder.
https://www.chileaddictstore.com/cas_shop/detail.asp?dept%5Fid=100&pf%5Fid=1003
There red chile makes the best enchilada sauce…..when I was living on the East Coadt family members used to ship it too me, but now you can get it online!
Thank you for sharing with us Jennifer! We’ll have to check it out! :)
I made this sauce yesterday using chili powder and it turned out more of a brownish color than red. What did I do wrong?
Hi Teri! No worries, you didn’t do anything wrong! Some chili powders are a little more red, while others are more brown. The day Ali shot those pics, it was super bright outside, and the lighting in the photo made the sauce look more red. Sometimes wen she’s made it it’s turned out more brown. As long as it tastes good, we wouldn’t fret much about the color (though you can always add some tomato sauce or paste to it, if you want more of a red color).
I made this and loved it!!! I have little ones so cooking with chili powder wasn’t happening. I instead used a few splashes of the Tabasco “smoked chipotle”sauce and it gave it just the right amount of spice. I actually made two batches and in the second batch I added a small can of tomato paste (8oz). Turns out the family preferred that one. Thanks so much for the stellar recipe!
Thanks for sharing Jaime! We’re go glad you enjoyed it! :)
Hi there!
I was thinking of using premade enchilada sauce seasoning (such as https://www.savoryspiceshop.com/spice-blends/canyon-road-red-enchilada-seasoning.html) and then combining it with the oil, cornstarch and broth specified in your recipe. Do you think that would work? How much of the seasoning should I put in?
Thanks for putting up this recipe! This looks much better than the canned sauce in the store!
Hi Debra! Hmmm, that’s hard to say since we’ve never tried that before. We think it’s worth a try, but we might suggest cutting the recipe down just to make sure it works. We would try doing this to taste. Definitely let us know how it turns out if you give it a try!
I’m going to make this tonight and really excited about it. How do you think it would be if I added 1 8oz can of tomato sauce?
We think that would be fine Anna (we know some other folks have done that and liked it). :) We hope you enjoy!
This may be a silly question, but is that dried oregano or fresh?
Hands down, THE best enchiladas I’ve ever eaten. Thanks MJ for making them and gimmesomeoven for publishing such a heavenly recipe. Incredibly delicious!
Thank you Aaron — we’re so glad you enjoyed the sauce and the enchiladas! :)
This is the best enchilada sauce I made and so easy and my young girls loved it too. Thank you for sharing this
Thank you Angie — we’re so happy to hear that! :)
I have been trying to get my husband away from the packaged sauces. I kept telling him that we have all the spices in the cupboard. So, one night, went searching for enchilada sauce and found this recipe. He LOVED it (I did, too!) The first time I made it, after making enchiladas, I had about half left which I froze. Was just like fresh when we thawed it and used it. I normally don’t have stock in the house so I used chicken bouillon & that worked. Today I cooked chicken breasts in the oven, shredded them and put them in the slow cooker with a batch of sauce I made today (this time with turkey stock I made last month). Thanks for a great recipe that is easy and great tasting!!
Thanks for sharing with us Bonnie! We’re so glad you and your husband enjoyed this! :D
This is the second time I have used this receipe it is totally awesome, I actually had to search to find it again. I have saved it this time though. I like it hot so I add a teaspoon of cayenne pepper, that’s just me though.
Thanks for sharing Bob — we’re so glad you enjoy it! :)
Ok, so a few things:
First, i definitely have the chili powder that makes the sauce brown, not red, which was a little off putting for me, but that obviously has nothing to do with you guys! second, i followed the recipe exactly (I’ve been over it a dozen times!) and it just tastes grainy, and a little burned. like the time it took (for me, less than a minute) for the flour and oil to combine was too much. Where did I go wrong? I added extra broth because it tasted so off. I can’t say that I’m an expert in enchilada sauce, but i did grow up in SoCal on some pretty good mexican food, so I was kind of surprised. I’m certain that it was me who got it wrong, but i can for the life of me figure out what!
I almost didn’t even continue with the enchiladas, but i decided to go ahead and see if the whole thing together tastes better. i made myself a little mini enchilada and it was pretty good, but i only added a little sauce. so we will see!
note: I am not a natural cook.
Hi Liisa! Different chili powders have different colors, but that shouldn’t affect the taste. Depending on your stove, it’s possible that your burner was just really hot and might have burned the flour/oil roux. We would recommend you whisk the roux constantly so that it doesn’t burn, and then follow the rest of the recipe as directed. Some brands of chili powder might also taste a little more charred, so you could also try experimenting with a different brand. We’ve found that nicer-quality brands really do taste better. We hope this is helpful!
OMG! I made your red enchilada sauce along with the stacked chicken enchiladas and my oh my what
a hit!! Totally loved it, the sauce is so tasty and so easy. Since I love the taste of cumin, I added a half teaspoon instead of a quarter! A keeper, glad I came across your website!
We’re so glad you enjoyed the sauce and the enchiladas Velma! Thanks for giving the recipes a try, and for taking the time to comment! :)
Okay, I’m baffled… why gluten free flour? I know it’s trendy to go gluten free these days and if you’re gluten intolerant or have Celiac Disease than of course gluten free flour. But I don’t regularly have gluten free flour on hand and I’m wondering if I can use regular all purpose flour, or corn starch as a substitute. I’m dying to try this in your enchilada soup recipe.
Hi Audrey, we’re a bit confused. The recipe states “all purpose flour or gluten-free flour.” We use all-purpose flour when we make it, but we know several folks have gluten intolerances or Celiac’s, which is why we list gluten-free flour as an option.
This was way too salty for me ( I didn’t even ADD any salt either) and needed the flavor balanced out for my palette. I added a few tablespoons of tomato paste, a dash of jalapeño Tabasco and would probably add some sautéed puréed onion when I make it again in the future. I’ll also use a higher quality chili powder since this seems to be the soul of the sauce.
We’re sorry to hear that! The only thing we can think of is the type of chili powder. We really have found that the nicer brands make a huge difference in taste. We hope that helps — we appreciate your feedback!
OH EM GEE!!! This recipe is amazing! Thanks for rescuing me :)
Thanks Nisi — we’re glad you enjoyed it! :D
This is in a group of Tex-Mex recipes but this is *not* Tex-Mex thank goodness! This is more like our traditional Mexican enchilada sauce. I have secret ingredients that I add but this is great.
I use a very mild chile powder and add Kashmiri chile powder for heat and less garlic. Kashmiri has a nice flavor and I prefer it to cayenne.
If this were Tex-Mex, which we don’t like and we live in Texas, it would be loaded with tomato products that were initially added to appeal to non-Mexican people. Thus, most people who make their own these days add tomatoes because they think that is where the red color comes from. Tomato products of *any* kind are not used in traditional enchilada sauce! LOL
I personally love New Mexico enchilada sauce too and it is really orangy and really hot. It has a completely different flavor you might like to try.
Nice job! : )
Chili powder varies in spiciness between brands. Some countries have a consistency of heat and flavor. North American chili powder is more commonly mild to not spicy at all. Where areas of Eastern Asia have a much more hot spiciness.
Who knew it was this easy?!??! So yummy, I loved it and will be making another batch very soon!! Thank you :)
Awesome, we’re so glad you enjoyed it Holly! :D
Instead of canola or vegetable oil, wouldn’t a good virgin olive oil give better flavor?
We feel like in this particular recipe, a neutral oil works best, but you can certainly use olive oil if you want!