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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.
Hi Ali
We have a boxing day tradition to make mexican food every year.
I make chicken enchaladas to die for (chicken, mixed with cream cheese, onion and diced black olives )I have always poured the tomato based sauce over the enchaladas and then bake in the oven. After seeing this sauce am I better to pour it over the enchaladas when they come out of the oven ( on top of the melted cheese ) Thks in advance Larry Halifax Nova Scotia
I was looking for a recipe much like mine, but I couldn’t remember the exact ingredients for the life of me. When I read your recipe, it’s spot on…I just add 2 tablespoons of tomato paste too. This will help to thicken it up & give it that rich red color (I was reading some other comments bc some were saying that it was too brownish color or not thick enough, but the tomato paste should help with both. If they are just looking for thicker sauce, I also recommend adding a tablespoon of extra flour).
I made your sauce last night for my wife and she looooooved it!! Thanks for sharing your recipe she said she could have eatin the sauce as is lol thank you
I have made this type of enchilada sauce for years–my grandma’s recipe, which is very similar to this. I like to freeze some in quart sized freezer bags. Just seal them well and lay them flat till they freeze for easy storage.
I was out of tomato sauce and tomato paste. I scoured the net until I found your recipe for sauce (thankfully). WOW! This was really easy to make and it tasted so much better than the canned stuff. My husband even commented that it was spicy and tasty!
So thank you, I have yet another favorite “make it yourself” sauce added to my cookbook.
T
I’m with Temperance… out of both tomato sauce and tomato paste, and don’t want to go to the store in this weather. So glad I found this recipe and am going to give it a try!
Ali, I’ve made this twice in a week! Thanks for this recipe. Now I can stop buying that canned stuff that I didn’t really care for anyway. You’re the best.
Being allergic to gluten I used 1 TBSP corn starch instead of flour worked great :)
So anyone that wants a gluten free sauce this recipe makes it very easy to convert it to gluten free.
My husband had a craving for enchiladas out of the blue. Needless to say I didn’t have any sauce on hand. Luckily I was stocked with all of the ingredients on this recipe and it turned out awesome! He ended up eating 4 enchiladas and after the 1st bite said “We need to add this to our menu more often” WINNER!!!!! I only had a can of chicken broth so I used that plus some beef broth. I might use a little less chili powder next time but this recipe is definitely being printed out and put in my family recipe book. THANKS now I don’t have to buy that icky pre-made stuff.
I made beef and bean quesadias (sp) the other day and had leftovers. Made this enchilada sauce and going to use it for my left overs. Delicious, but a little too spicy for me. Will just use 3 tbls. of chili next time and less cumin…..Never will buy store bought again….
Wow. The wife said we were out of enchilada sauce and I did not feel like going to the store. Googled enchilada sauce and your recipe was the first one to pop up. Within 15 minutes I had a great tasting enchilada sauce! Thank you!
This is a fine Enchilada Sauce. Made it yesterday, then enchiladas last night. My Mild California Chile Powder at first was very hot for us…so I added more Chicken Stock, cornstarch to thin out the heat. By dinner time I was surprised that the heat was not there. My Hubby had no complaints about the heat and regular black pepper is spicy for him. So thank you for sharing the recipe. Seasonings were good, and at first I did follow your recipe to the t.
This. Was. AMAZING. Finally i can have my cake and eat it too! Thank you for this recipe :) this came out amazing…it almost tasted like an enchirito from Taco bell. I love how my chicken enchiladas came out though. I recommend to anyone that they keep leftover sauce and put more on before it is done cooking. Bread will soak up most of it, so you don’t want to end up with a dry enchilada!
When you mix oil and flour together you are making a roux. This is a common thickener in sauces. When making a roux there a few rules to follow to get a great, silky smooth sauce.
– Use a 1:1 ratio of flour to oil by weight. So weighting the oil and flour insures a good sauce.
– Have the oil hot before adding the flour.
– As you cook the roux the flour changes color going from white, to blond, to tan or brown. The longer is cooks the more flavor the roux imparts into the sauce but the less it works as a thickener. For this recipe you want a blonde Roux.
– To get a lump-free sauce the chicken broth should be cold and slowly whisked into the hot roux a adding the liquid a little at a time until the roux forms a thin paste, then whisking in the remaining liquid and bringing to a simmer.
– Roux begins to thicken soon after it is combined with a liquid (In this case chicken broth), but it must be simmered for 10 to 20 minutes in order to reach its full flavor and thickening potential. This additional cooking time allows the flour to soften and absorb the liquid, resulting in a silky texture. If the simmering time is too short, the flour in the roux will remain grainy.
A tip for those of you who are producing a thin or thick or gritty sauce. This is a type of gravy. There’s a science to making good gravy. You have to cook the flour 1 minute before adding liquid, this kills the floury taste. It’s important to keep the heat up while stirring in the liquid until it is all added, then you can turn down to a simmer. You might want to google “how to make good gravy” if you’re having trouble with this recipe.
I made this once again and I think it turned out even better. The 1st time I had to use beef broth because that was all I had. This time I used chicken broth and only did 3 tbsp of chili powder instead of 4. DELICIOUS!!! For those of you having trouble with thickening- make sure you simmer with the lid OFF and if that still doesn’t work I’d add cornstarch. I’d say this yields about 2 cups
FINALLY! An enchilada sauce that doesn’t require things I don’t have in my cupboard, and tastes just like the restaurants. Super easy, tastes great! Thanks!
I really enjoyed the taste of this sauce but it is NOT little kid friendly at least for those kids that don’t care much for spice. I would say it is medium spice if not spicier. I understand that spice depends on the spice level of chili powder one uses but I never see one that says mild. Will try either less chili powder or substituting half of it with paprika.
Sheri —
It has always been my experience that… the darker the chili powder the spicier it will be. Try starting with a half teaspoon and work up from there to your liking. Or try some lighter chili powder. Hope this helps. :)
Help!! I made this tonight (2 batches) and they BOTH turned out sooooo salty! I did not have cumin so I left it out and I used Italian seasoning, that does not contain salt, Why would it be so salty?? The bouillon cubes I used to make the broth had salt. I even halved that salt in the 2nd batch and it is still so salty!
How do I cut out the salt taste, any guesses???
Eek — I bet it’s the bouillon. I typically find those to taste way saltier than traditional chicken stock. The cumin might have balanced things out a bit too. If you want to dilute it, maybe make a third batch and mix it in using water instead of stock (if you don’t have any, instead of bouillon). Good luck!
~Ali
Lark —
I used bullion but didn’t add salt & it turned out great. So delicious! Thank you for posting this!
mandy —
just a thought, next time if you are using bouillon cubes cut out the salt the recipe calls for. bouillon cubes tend to be more salty than broth.
Anna —
Also, you can now buy reduced-sodium, or even sodium free, bouillon cubes.
All I have to say is YUM! I also had a problem with it being to salty (the chicken broth I’m sure) so instead of a double batch, I ended up with a quadruple batch by adding more flour/water, cumin and garlic to taste. I was heavy handed with my chipolte chili powder the first time around, so I didn’t add any more of that. In the future, I just won’t add any salt until I taste it first. Who the heck cares what color it is when it has such great flavor and I didn’t have to pay 3-4 dollars a can for thin sauce that makes everything soggy! I never would have thought to make my own, and I’m so pleased with the outcome. It made my Chiliquiles delicious! And now I have enough sauce left to make Enchiladas soon! Thank you for a great recipe!
Okay, I just had to come back and let you know that this sauce was soooooooo awesome! I made it tonight to use with the chicken enchiladas I made for supper. It was outstanding! My sister was practically slurping it from the saucepan, she liked it so much (Okay, I’m just kidding there, but you know what I’m saying). And it was so easy to make, I was surprised – just nothing to it. I will never buy canned enchilada sauce again – it can’t hold a candle to this sauce where flavor is concerned. And being able to control what I’m eating is one reason I went looking for a homemade enchilada sauce to begin with. The ONLY thing I did differently from the recipe is cut down on the added salt & that’s only because I’m on a reduced sodium diet due to high blood pressure. I can’t thank you enough for putting this recipe out here.
I found practically the same identical chili gravy recipe several years ago and I won’t use any other now. All the ingredients are the same, just in different portion sizes.
Hi!
I am so excited to try this recipe out, but I was hoping to make it in a large amount and then store the rest. What would you recommend is the best way to do that? Is canning an option, or is freezing it (in ziploc bags I suppose) a more reasonable option? Any advice would be great! Thank you!!
I am not a canning expert, so can’t speak from experience with canning. But I have heard from other readers that they have canned this recipe sucessfully. And I have definitely frozen it succesfully (in ziplock bags). So either way, I think you’ll be good! :)
June —
Canning this sauce would require pressure canning to ensure a safe product. Processing time for the sauce would be same as for the ingredient in the sauce that requires the longest processing time. Hope this helps.
June
You could nix the butter and flour and create a cornstarch slurry (mixture of equal parts cornstarch and cold water stirred together until combined). I would add it a teaspoon at a time once the mixture reaches a simmer and let it thicken until it reaches your desired level of thickness. Good luck!
Yes, that is the correct amount. Different brands vary in their level of heat. If you do not like spicy sauces, I would recommend beginning with just 2 tablespoons powder and adding more if you’d like.
Can’t wait to make this! Is this sauce very hot because of the amount of chili powder in it? I’ll be serving this to my young ones so I’m just concerned that it might be a bit too hot for them.
Thank you so much!
Melanie
Just finished making this sauce for your Chicken Enchilada recipe. I’m very, VERY impressed. The flavor is awesome, the color came out a beautiful smooth and creamy reddish brown. I plan on doing my usual and adding some of my own tweaks as I continue to use this recipe. The balance of flavors is just great as written, but I always like to add my own flair. Will make this sauce again and again. Thanks for sharing!
Ali, I made this sauce after you posted it recently and it was off the chain! My husband is Hispanic and grew up with his mom and aunts always cooking authentic Mexican food, not to mention all the great Mexican food here in KC, and he said it was one of the best sauces he’s had. It was perfect!
Yes, I would just refrigerate it unbaked, and then bake it the day you plan to serve it if possible. Otherwise, you can always refrigerate and re-warm leftover cooked casserole as well.
Wow, what an incredible recipe. I have to say I was skeptical at first, but by the time I poured it onto my enchiladas, I was scraping the pan and eating it with a spoon. THIS is my new go-to sauce! Simply outstanding.
After reading comments about saltiness I used a no-salt-added vegetable stock (Wolfgang Puck’s). No issues with thickening, although it was more brown in color than red (no big deal).
I confess that I did add about 2 Tbsp of adobo sauce from a can of chipotle chilies (my husband’s request). The sauce tasted wonderful without it, but it actually complimented the natural sweetness from the peppers.
Hi Ali
We have a boxing day tradition to make mexican food every year.
I make chicken enchaladas to die for (chicken, mixed with cream cheese, onion and diced black olives )I have always poured the tomato based sauce over the enchaladas and then bake in the oven. After seeing this sauce am I better to pour it over the enchaladas when they come out of the oven ( on top of the melted cheese ) Thks in advance Larry Halifax Nova Scotia
Is there a way I can store this in order to have it on hand? Is it able to be canned or frozen?
Yes, it can be both (properly) canned. And it can be frozen for up to 3 months.
I was looking for a recipe much like mine, but I couldn’t remember the exact ingredients for the life of me. When I read your recipe, it’s spot on…I just add 2 tablespoons of tomato paste too. This will help to thicken it up & give it that rich red color (I was reading some other comments bc some were saying that it was too brownish color or not thick enough, but the tomato paste should help with both. If they are just looking for thicker sauce, I also recommend adding a tablespoon of extra flour).
I made your sauce last night for my wife and she looooooved it!! Thanks for sharing your recipe she said she could have eatin the sauce as is lol thank you
Hi, I was wondering if this could be canned? I’d love to know if any of your readers have tried to can this yet?
I have made this type of enchilada sauce for years–my grandma’s recipe, which is very similar to this. I like to freeze some in quart sized freezer bags. Just seal them well and lay them flat till they freeze for easy storage.
I was out of tomato sauce and tomato paste. I scoured the net until I found your recipe for sauce (thankfully). WOW! This was really easy to make and it tasted so much better than the canned stuff. My husband even commented that it was spicy and tasty!
So thank you, I have yet another favorite “make it yourself” sauce added to my cookbook.
T
I was really hoping I would find something like this online as I am low on produce and I really wanted to make enchiladas! Thank you for sharing!
Could you substitute corn starch for the flower to make it “gluten free”?
You can substitute gluten-free all-purpose flour for this recipe.
~Ali
I’m with Temperance… out of both tomato sauce and tomato paste, and don’t want to go to the store in this weather. So glad I found this recipe and am going to give it a try!
I’m looking for a good healthy sauce for enchilada. I’m hoping this is the one.
Ali, I’ve made this twice in a week! Thanks for this recipe. Now I can stop buying that canned stuff that I didn’t really care for anyway. You’re the best.
Being allergic to gluten I used 1 TBSP corn starch instead of flour worked great :)
So anyone that wants a gluten free sauce this recipe makes it very easy to convert it to gluten free.
INSANE!!!! I love this.
Thank you.
Awesome sauce and easy to make. My family loved it and am making again today… so happy to find this recipe again!!! :)
Good enchilada sauce, yes it is, however my socks are still in tac….. maybe cayanne pepper would help!
I was very disappointed. Made the sauce and followed directions and it never thickened…
My husband had a craving for enchiladas out of the blue. Needless to say I didn’t have any sauce on hand. Luckily I was stocked with all of the ingredients on this recipe and it turned out awesome! He ended up eating 4 enchiladas and after the 1st bite said “We need to add this to our menu more often” WINNER!!!!! I only had a can of chicken broth so I used that plus some beef broth. I might use a little less chili powder next time but this recipe is definitely being printed out and put in my family recipe book. THANKS now I don’t have to buy that icky pre-made stuff.
You have some of the best sauces! Thanks for posting this easy, quick, and delicious recipe!
I made beef and bean quesadias (sp) the other day and had leftovers. Made this enchilada sauce and going to use it for my left overs. Delicious, but a little too spicy for me. Will just use 3 tbls. of chili next time and less cumin…..Never will buy store bought again….
Wow. The wife said we were out of enchilada sauce and I did not feel like going to the store. Googled enchilada sauce and your recipe was the first one to pop up. Within 15 minutes I had a great tasting enchilada sauce! Thank you!
This is a fine Enchilada Sauce. Made it yesterday, then enchiladas last night. My Mild California Chile Powder at first was very hot for us…so I added more Chicken Stock, cornstarch to thin out the heat. By dinner time I was surprised that the heat was not there. My Hubby had no complaints about the heat and regular black pepper is spicy for him. So thank you for sharing the recipe. Seasonings were good, and at first I did follow your recipe to the t.
This. Was. AMAZING. Finally i can have my cake and eat it too! Thank you for this recipe :) this came out amazing…it almost tasted like an enchirito from Taco bell. I love how my chicken enchiladas came out though. I recommend to anyone that they keep leftover sauce and put more on before it is done cooking. Bread will soak up most of it, so you don’t want to end up with a dry enchilada!
Gave the recipe to my husband to make, and it came out fantastic!
When you mix oil and flour together you are making a roux. This is a common thickener in sauces. When making a roux there a few rules to follow to get a great, silky smooth sauce.
– Use a 1:1 ratio of flour to oil by weight. So weighting the oil and flour insures a good sauce.
– Have the oil hot before adding the flour.
– As you cook the roux the flour changes color going from white, to blond, to tan or brown. The longer is cooks the more flavor the roux imparts into the sauce but the less it works as a thickener. For this recipe you want a blonde Roux.
– To get a lump-free sauce the chicken broth should be cold and slowly whisked into the hot roux a adding the liquid a little at a time until the roux forms a thin paste, then whisking in the remaining liquid and bringing to a simmer.
– Roux begins to thicken soon after it is combined with a liquid (In this case chicken broth), but it must be simmered for 10 to 20 minutes in order to reach its full flavor and thickening potential. This additional cooking time allows the flour to soften and absorb the liquid, resulting in a silky texture. If the simmering time is too short, the flour in the roux will remain grainy.
Added some ketchup, did the trick
What is the yield on this??? I may have to make 1-2 gallons for a Cinco de Mayo
A tip for those of you who are producing a thin or thick or gritty sauce. This is a type of gravy. There’s a science to making good gravy. You have to cook the flour 1 minute before adding liquid, this kills the floury taste. It’s important to keep the heat up while stirring in the liquid until it is all added, then you can turn down to a simmer. You might want to google “how to make good gravy” if you’re having trouble with this recipe.
I made this once again and I think it turned out even better. The 1st time I had to use beef broth because that was all I had. This time I used chicken broth and only did 3 tbsp of chili powder instead of 4. DELICIOUS!!! For those of you having trouble with thickening- make sure you simmer with the lid OFF and if that still doesn’t work I’d add cornstarch. I’d say this yields about 2 cups
So good! I really like being able to control the sodium. Thank you for a great recipe!
This is Great!
FINALLY! An enchilada sauce that doesn’t require things I don’t have in my cupboard, and tastes just like the restaurants. Super easy, tastes great! Thanks!
I really enjoyed the taste of this sauce but it is NOT little kid friendly at least for those kids that don’t care much for spice. I would say it is medium spice if not spicier. I understand that spice depends on the spice level of chili powder one uses but I never see one that says mild. Will try either less chili powder or substituting half of it with paprika.
It has always been my experience that… the darker the chili powder the spicier it will be. Try starting with a half teaspoon and work up from there to your liking. Or try some lighter chili powder. Hope this helps. :)
Soooo good! And chemical free. Wonderful thanks!
Help!! I made this tonight (2 batches) and they BOTH turned out sooooo salty! I did not have cumin so I left it out and I used Italian seasoning, that does not contain salt, Why would it be so salty?? The bouillon cubes I used to make the broth had salt. I even halved that salt in the 2nd batch and it is still so salty!
How do I cut out the salt taste, any guesses???
Hi Melissa,
Eek — I bet it’s the bouillon. I typically find those to taste way saltier than traditional chicken stock. The cumin might have balanced things out a bit too. If you want to dilute it, maybe make a third batch and mix it in using water instead of stock (if you don’t have any, instead of bouillon). Good luck!
~Ali
I used bullion but didn’t add salt & it turned out great. So delicious! Thank you for posting this!
just a thought, next time if you are using bouillon cubes cut out the salt the recipe calls for. bouillon cubes tend to be more salty than broth.
Also, you can now buy reduced-sodium, or even sodium free, bouillon cubes.
All I have to say is YUM! I also had a problem with it being to salty (the chicken broth I’m sure) so instead of a double batch, I ended up with a quadruple batch by adding more flour/water, cumin and garlic to taste. I was heavy handed with my chipolte chili powder the first time around, so I didn’t add any more of that. In the future, I just won’t add any salt until I taste it first. Who the heck cares what color it is when it has such great flavor and I didn’t have to pay 3-4 dollars a can for thin sauce that makes everything soggy! I never would have thought to make my own, and I’m so pleased with the outcome. It made my Chiliquiles delicious! And now I have enough sauce left to make Enchiladas soon! Thank you for a great recipe!
I think you are missing some tomato paste in this recipe.
Oh, honey, this recipe ain’t missin’ nothin’!
I have a recipe from a hispanic grama, and no tomato paste in her’s either
Can I substitute oil type? Olive or coconut? Thanks! Cant wait to try it!
Sure, you can substitute either. Both of those have stronger flavors, though, so just know that you may taste a hint of olive oil or coconut.
Okay, I just had to come back and let you know that this sauce was soooooooo awesome! I made it tonight to use with the chicken enchiladas I made for supper. It was outstanding! My sister was practically slurping it from the saucepan, she liked it so much (Okay, I’m just kidding there, but you know what I’m saying). And it was so easy to make, I was surprised – just nothing to it. I will never buy canned enchilada sauce again – it can’t hold a candle to this sauce where flavor is concerned. And being able to control what I’m eating is one reason I went looking for a homemade enchilada sauce to begin with. The ONLY thing I did differently from the recipe is cut down on the added salt & that’s only because I’m on a reduced sodium diet due to high blood pressure. I can’t thank you enough for putting this recipe out here.
I found practically the same identical chili gravy recipe several years ago and I won’t use any other now. All the ingredients are the same, just in different portion sizes.
Love the sauce
Hi!
I am so excited to try this recipe out, but I was hoping to make it in a large amount and then store the rest. What would you recommend is the best way to do that? Is canning an option, or is freezing it (in ziploc bags I suppose) a more reasonable option? Any advice would be great! Thank you!!
I am not a canning expert, so can’t speak from experience with canning. But I have heard from other readers that they have canned this recipe sucessfully. And I have definitely frozen it succesfully (in ziplock bags). So either way, I think you’ll be good! :)
Canning this sauce would require pressure canning to ensure a safe product. Processing time for the sauce would be same as for the ingredient in the sauce that requires the longest processing time. Hope this helps.
June
What could I use instead of flour?
You could nix the butter and flour and create a cornstarch slurry (mixture of equal parts cornstarch and cold water stirred together until combined). I would add it a teaspoon at a time once the mixture reaches a simmer and let it thicken until it reaches your desired level of thickness. Good luck!
I just made this and it is too hot to eat. Is it meant to be 4 tbsp of chilli powder??
Burning mouth….
Yes, that is the correct amount. Different brands vary in their level of heat. If you do not like spicy sauces, I would recommend beginning with just 2 tablespoons powder and adding more if you’d like.
Can’t wait to make this! Is this sauce very hot because of the amount of chili powder in it? I’ll be serving this to my young ones so I’m just concerned that it might be a bit too hot for them.
Thank you so much!
Melanie
Just finished making this sauce for your Chicken Enchilada recipe. I’m very, VERY impressed. The flavor is awesome, the color came out a beautiful smooth and creamy reddish brown. I plan on doing my usual and adding some of my own tweaks as I continue to use this recipe. The balance of flavors is just great as written, but I always like to add my own flair. Will make this sauce again and again. Thanks for sharing!
Ali, I made this sauce after you posted it recently and it was off the chain! My husband is Hispanic and grew up with his mom and aunts always cooking authentic Mexican food, not to mention all the great Mexican food here in KC, and he said it was one of the best sauces he’s had. It was perfect!
How much sauce does this recipe make? Is it enough for the recipe Chicken Enchilada Casserole ?
Hello, can you chix enchilada casserole be made earlier in day and refridgerated?
Yes, I would just refrigerate it unbaked, and then bake it the day you plan to serve it if possible. Otherwise, you can always refrigerate and re-warm leftover cooked casserole as well.
Wow, what an incredible recipe. I have to say I was skeptical at first, but by the time I poured it onto my enchiladas, I was scraping the pan and eating it with a spoon. THIS is my new go-to sauce! Simply outstanding.
After reading comments about saltiness I used a no-salt-added vegetable stock (Wolfgang Puck’s). No issues with thickening, although it was more brown in color than red (no big deal).
I confess that I did add about 2 Tbsp of adobo sauce from a can of chipotle chilies (my husband’s request). The sauce tasted wonderful without it, but it actually complimented the natural sweetness from the peppers.
Who knew it could be so easy and delicious. Thank you.