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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 made this and the enchilada recipe last night and my family LOVED it! I’ve made enchiladas before using store bought jars and it doesn’t even compare. Everyone agrees this is absolutely the best enchilada recipe!
I’ve been making this recipe for years. It truly is the BEST and EASIEST. Thanks for sharing it with everyone. I’m including it in my 2nd cookbook, which I hope to finish this summer.
OH MY GOODNESS!!! This was soooo DELICIOUS! I wanted to eat it with a spoon like soup! I put it on GimmeSomeOven’s enchiladas and it made the dish taste outstanding! You will want to make this again and again! And it’s so easy!!! So so so easy! Divine!
I used 2 tablespoons chili powder + 2 tablespoons chipotle chili powder as suggested in the recipe, but WOW wayyyy too spicy for us! Next time I will stick with just chili powder and maybe add it cautiously!
Always looking for a good sauce. Here is Texas, it’s pickyville. I used only 2 T of chili powder and could have used one more; however, it was delicious just the same.
I didn’t have my usual big can of tomato juice on hand but I was determined to make chili, I used this recipe as the base for my chili and it came out Amazing. Sorry mom I just changed your 40 year old chili recipe, I’m never going back to tomato juice!
Love this recipe. Its so delicious. Everyone always eats it up. I find using a blend of ancho and chipotle chile makes the sauce a decent level of heat and great taste. I also add a little tumeric too. I always recomed this recipe to friends who want to make their own enchiladas or hispanic dishes.
Fantastic – my husband and I both loved it! We used Penzey’s Hot Chili Powder (2t) and Cayenne (1t) and the spice was just right. We used it to make chicken & corn enchiladas and they were to die for. Amazing result for such a simple recipe!
Well – this recipe is more traditional Mexican and not the “mainstream” lighter sauce one may be used to. It has a bold and biting flavor, although not bad but liking the traditional enchilada sauce is a must. The roux should not be cooked for one minute and neither should the spices for an additional minute once added – I suggest no more than 30 seconds for both on medium low heat. If you like traditional enchilada sauce, follow the directions. If you like more mainstream (American) sauce, find another recipe. I added a small can of tomato paste hoping to temper the harsh flavors but did not work.
Great recipe. Full flavor and easy to make. I used the veg stock. Added some red pepper flakes for heat. It is great to make a sauce rhat took me about 6 min to do. Thumbs up
Haven’t made this yet, but am concerned super picky eater husband will find this too bitter, as he does regular canned red sauce. Has anyone found this to be the case?
These most definitely are the best chicken enchiladas I have ever tasted! I doubled the red sauce because I had a lot of chicken and the amount was perfect. We will make 3 meals out of this. The main thing and the most astonishing was my husband didn’t want salsa or sour cream or ANYTHING on these because he said they were so good he didn’t want to cover up the flavors!!! This is truly amazing. He said from the first bite that they were something special. He NEVER talks like that and I was totally flabbergasted!
I will be trying more of your recipes for sure.
Oh this is comments for the sauce…it was amazing
thank you
Can you tell me about this recipe/photos? I made this, and it was quite tasty. But, it was brown. I then double-checked the recipe, and sure enough: there’s nothing in there to make this a red sauce. Is there tomato sauce/paste to make it red?
Jessica C. —
The red comes from the chilli powder. Depending on your brand it might come out slightly different. Don’t sweat it.
This recipe is as delicious as it sounds, I’m always on the look out for Vegetarian Recipes that just so happen to be meat free, and this is perfect. We made it for a vegetarian friend, but I can see this becoming a staple in the Sycamore house. And that sauce will knock your socks off!
Anyone not in America – BE AWARE American style Chilli Powder is NOT the same as Ground Chilli Powder… I made this last night with 4 tbsp Ground Chilli, and wow it nearly blew my socks off! After a bit of altering, it was certainly tasty, and a very good sauce. I will use the recipe again, but will amend the amount of chilli that goes into it and find a good ratio of spices to replace it with.
Melissa R —
yep… made this last night.. Australian chilli powders must be made from ghost chillies!! Blew my head off – tried to adjust with tomato paste and sauce plus sugar… Was still waaaaaay to spicy even for my “Add’s hot sauce to literally everything” husband. Plus I am 4 months pregnant.. I couldn’t finish what I was craving and had to throw the whole batch of enchilada’s out :(
Sorry to hear that, Melissa. Yes, unfortunately that’s why I include so many recommendations for American chili powder. I tried making this once when visiting our family in New Zealand, and the chili powders down there are completely different (so much spicier).
I can’t ever imagine ever buying enchilada sauce again after using this recipe. It was so delicious and had such depth of flavor. I used it in your Chicken Enchilada recipe. As a bonus, it’s a snap to whip this up. I used Penzey’s spices for all the dried spices called for.
I made my own w/ real chilies instead, but rest of recipe as written is what I do as well and its delicious :)
2 dried ancho chiles, stemmed, seeded, and torn into 1/2-inch pieces (1/2 cup)
Dried chiles vary in size and weight. You’ll get a more accurate measure if you seed and tear them first; you need about 1/2 cup of prepped chiles.
Toast chiles and other spices you’re using like whole cumin, in 12-inch skillet over medium-low heat, stirring frequently, until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Transfer to spice grinder and let cool for 5 minutes. Add garlic powder and oregano and grind to fine powder, and you have home made chili powder!
Hope i wasn’t annoying adding directions to an already amazing recipe I just really love this dish <3
This was a flavorful sauce made with my from scratch chili powder (Alton Brown’s recipe). I doubled the recipe plus I added a couple of tablespoons of chipolte chile powder to my chili powder. OMG – spicy but delicious sauce for my chicken enchilada casserole. A great base recipe to tweak to my liking. Thanks for sharing.
Hi Ali, I’m hoping you can help me. I enjoy making new and different meals for the two of us. We live way up in Ontario Canada and most people don’t seem to make Mexican dishes. I’d like to change that for us by starting with your red and green enchilada sauces and progress to all your posted recipes that use your homemade sauces. My problem is I’m not familiar with chilies, chili powder etc.. I also can’t handle even medium spiced dishes but my husband can. Could you please guide me through your sauce recipes by possibly keeping the flavour profiles but not much of the heat. I certainly may be asking too much and taking too much of your time. If that’s the case I shall muddle through on my own with absolutely no negative feelings what so ever. Thank you for reading my lengthy post and enjoy what’s left of our summer season! Sincerely, Kendra
ALERT TO AUSTRALIANS: Our chilli is definitely WAY hotter and this is far from a mild sauce, I even tried going easy and only using 2 tablespoons of the chilli powder – I can’t recommend this sauce because we could barely eat the enchiladas and had to scrape most of the sauce off before we could eat them and I’m usually okay with spiciness.
Emily —
After research on your comments and others it seems American “chilli powder” isn’t that at all if you live outside the USA. It’s a blend of herbs and spices that you use to make the Mexican dish chilli.
Here’s a recipe from another site as to what goes into the chilli powder ( hardly any actual “chilli or cayenne” mainly paprika, cumin etc.)
https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/237172/chili-powder/
Paul McClear —
Hi Renee, I’m Australian and am making this sauce with a mexican chilli powder I found at woolworths I tasted it before and still has some kick but nothing compared to the masterfoods ground chilli, alternatively you can make your own chilli powder blend and control the heat. I hope this was helpful cheers mate!!!
Shockingly good. Used it for veggie enchiladas (zucchini, mushrooms, spinach, bell pepper, onion) tonight and even our picky 3 year old cleaned her plate. Being from Austin I’m picky about my Tex-Mex, but this is definitely a keeper.
Your recipes look amazing and oh so healthy. Can’t wait to try roasted cauliflower with enchilada. Should be easy as I have all ingredients. Let you know. Thanks
I just made the roasted cauliflower enchiladas last night but added broccoli and mushrooms to my roasting pan. Paired with this enchilada sauce, they were so, so good. I usually prefer meat (or at least eggs) for the main course, but the veg enchiladas held their own.
So what makes this chili powder red? I’m in Australia. Used only 1/2 tsp chili powder but mine isn’t red. What am I missing. Do I need to find red American chili powder ?
Jess —
American chili powder almost always has paprika in it, which lends to the red color.
Me and my family were very excited to finally have a home cooked meal after a long week at the beach[we ate out every night] I read ALL of the reviews and it made the sauce sound AMAZINGGGGGG……. GUESS WHAT IT WAS NOT IT WAS THE WORST SAUCE I’VE EVER HAD. I’m shocked there are not any more bad reviews.
*btw I followed the sauce recipe exactly and used brand ingredients with both sauce and enchilada recipes.
This really is a fantastic sauce, thank you so much for the recipe. Funny thing is that my stovetop suddenly stopped working and I had to make this in my microwave and it STILL came out delicious. I’ll definitely make it again. I made it for your “Best Chicken Enchiladas Ever” and perfect.
Excellent exactly as outlined. I used a scant of ancho chili along with the chili powder. So delicious. So simple – I’ll never buy red sauce again. I am going to experiment next time with masa flour. Can’t wait.
I’ve used this recipe a few times and it IS the best enchilada sauce I’ve ever had. I’ve never been to a Mexican restaurant (and I’ve been to ALOT) that even comes close to the flavor that this recipe has. Thanks so much for sharing the recipe, it’s my “go to” sauce recipe for multiple recipes (I love it in my tamale meat too).HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!!
There was a lovely mexican restaurant in Blythe, CA (La Amapola) that had the BEST red sauce ever. I went there for 20 years as I traveled from Phoenix to Los Angeles and begged for the recipe each time. Finally the owner was there and her recipe was exactly like yours. EXCEPT, she used Smart & Final chili powder, (which has a very dark/distinctive taste) fresh garlic cloves and put all of the ingredients in the blender (so no oil). After blending, heat it up and it thickens beautifully. BRAVA!
Hi and Hello from Spain,
I was watching the video recipe for the enchilada sauce and was wondering hoe you could add so much chili powder, then I thought it may be milder because I started to search on Amazon and found out that it`s a mix of other ingredients too. 1st I thought how hot this sauce must be and you almost bath those enchiladas in this sauce. After 20 minute research, I kept on reading and came directly to the part “*International readers: Please note that American chili powder is very different than chili powder in other countries. The American version is quite mild” LOL! Thank you very much for the nice recipe will it try very soon!
best wishes from Spain.
I love this sauce. I bet I’ve made it 30 times. I make a double batch and freeze some.
I was going to ask if it freezes well.
Thanks, this is a great sauce and the only one I now use for enchiladas. Store bought sauce is not even comparable.
So easy and so good. Used it to make some sweet potato, black bean, and collard green enchiladas. Everyone loved them.
This homemade sauce is so much better than the canned stuff. Great recipe!
I made this and the enchilada recipe last night and my family LOVED it! I’ve made enchiladas before using store bought jars and it doesn’t even compare. Everyone agrees this is absolutely the best enchilada recipe!
I’ve been making this recipe for years. It truly is the BEST and EASIEST. Thanks for sharing it with everyone. I’m including it in my 2nd cookbook, which I hope to finish this summer.
I wondered what this would turn out like if I used part tomato sauce and part stock for the liquid? Have you tried this before?
I too was thinking of trying it with some tomato sauce or canned tomatoes. Any one tried that yet?
OH MY GOODNESS!!! This was soooo DELICIOUS! I wanted to eat it with a spoon like soup! I put it on GimmeSomeOven’s enchiladas and it made the dish taste outstanding! You will want to make this again and again! And it’s so easy!!! So so so easy! Divine!
So yummy! Has anyone tried to can or freeze this to have in hand or give as part of a gift basket?
I used 2 tablespoons chili powder + 2 tablespoons chipotle chili powder as suggested in the recipe, but WOW wayyyy too spicy for us! Next time I will stick with just chili powder and maybe add it cautiously!
I made this last night and it was great!
However the 4 tablespoons of Chili powder was too much for me (and I like spice) Had to add some tomato past plus more broth to calm it down a bit.
If you don’t like it to hot I would recommend cutting measurement down by 1-2 tablespoons (again based on you heat preference)
Made great enchilada’s though. Flavour fantastic.!
This sauce is amazing. I use it as the base for my chicken tortilla soup.
Always looking for a good sauce. Here is Texas, it’s pickyville. I used only 2 T of chili powder and could have used one more; however, it was delicious just the same.
Can you can this sauce to be shelf stable?
I didn’t have my usual big can of tomato juice on hand but I was determined to make chili, I used this recipe as the base for my chili and it came out Amazing. Sorry mom I just changed your 40 year old chili recipe, I’m never going back to tomato juice!
Love this recipe. Its so delicious. Everyone always eats it up. I find using a blend of ancho and chipotle chile makes the sauce a decent level of heat and great taste. I also add a little tumeric too. I always recomed this recipe to friends who want to make their own enchiladas or hispanic dishes.
YES!!
Fantastic – my husband and I both loved it! We used Penzey’s Hot Chili Powder (2t) and Cayenne (1t) and the spice was just right. We used it to make chicken & corn enchiladas and they were to die for. Amazing result for such a simple recipe!
Well – this recipe is more traditional Mexican and not the “mainstream” lighter sauce one may be used to. It has a bold and biting flavor, although not bad but liking the traditional enchilada sauce is a must. The roux should not be cooked for one minute and neither should the spices for an additional minute once added – I suggest no more than 30 seconds for both on medium low heat. If you like traditional enchilada sauce, follow the directions. If you like more mainstream (American) sauce, find another recipe. I added a small can of tomato paste hoping to temper the harsh flavors but did not work.
Great recipe. Full flavor and easy to make. I used the veg stock. Added some red pepper flakes for heat. It is great to make a sauce rhat took me about 6 min to do. Thumbs up
This sauce really is outstanding! Followed the recipe as written and everyone loved it.
Haven’t made this yet, but am concerned super picky eater husband will find this too bitter, as he does regular canned red sauce. Has anyone found this to be the case?
I’m using the chicken enchilada casserole because it is gluten free. However, the homemade sauce uses flour—so is not gluten free. Any suggestions?
Yes, you can use an all-purpose gluten-free flour blend in the sauce recipe. :)
Excellent flavor! Just made it,……I will never buy that store bought version.
Also, very easy to make.
Thank you,
Dave
These most definitely are the best chicken enchiladas I have ever tasted! I doubled the red sauce because I had a lot of chicken and the amount was perfect. We will make 3 meals out of this. The main thing and the most astonishing was my husband didn’t want salsa or sour cream or ANYTHING on these because he said they were so good he didn’t want to cover up the flavors!!! This is truly amazing. He said from the first bite that they were something special. He NEVER talks like that and I was totally flabbergasted!
I will be trying more of your recipes for sure.
Oh this is comments for the sauce…it was amazing
thank you
Can you tell me about this recipe/photos? I made this, and it was quite tasty. But, it was brown. I then double-checked the recipe, and sure enough: there’s nothing in there to make this a red sauce. Is there tomato sauce/paste to make it red?
The red comes from the chilli powder. Depending on your brand it might come out slightly different. Don’t sweat it.
This recipe is as delicious as it sounds, I’m always on the look out for Vegetarian Recipes that just so happen to be meat free, and this is perfect. We made it for a vegetarian friend, but I can see this becoming a staple in the Sycamore house. And that sauce will knock your socks off!
Excellent recipe! I subbed one cup of broth for one 8 ounce can of tomato sauce and doubled the recipe. It was delicious!
Excellent and went perfectly with the main recipe.
This sauce is awesome. We have probably used it 100 times. Thanks!
Anyone not in America – BE AWARE American style Chilli Powder is NOT the same as Ground Chilli Powder… I made this last night with 4 tbsp Ground Chilli, and wow it nearly blew my socks off! After a bit of altering, it was certainly tasty, and a very good sauce. I will use the recipe again, but will amend the amount of chilli that goes into it and find a good ratio of spices to replace it with.
yep… made this last night.. Australian chilli powders must be made from ghost chillies!! Blew my head off – tried to adjust with tomato paste and sauce plus sugar… Was still waaaaaay to spicy even for my “Add’s hot sauce to literally everything” husband. Plus I am 4 months pregnant.. I couldn’t finish what I was craving and had to throw the whole batch of enchilada’s out :(
Sorry to hear that, Melissa. Yes, unfortunately that’s why I include so many recommendations for American chili powder. I tried making this once when visiting our family in New Zealand, and the chili powders down there are completely different (so much spicier).
I can’t ever imagine ever buying enchilada sauce again after using this recipe. It was so delicious and had such depth of flavor. I used it in your Chicken Enchilada recipe. As a bonus, it’s a snap to whip this up. I used Penzey’s spices for all the dried spices called for.
How would I use real chilis? Or dried California chilis?
I made my own w/ real chilies instead, but rest of recipe as written is what I do as well and its delicious :)
2 dried ancho chiles, stemmed, seeded, and torn into 1/2-inch pieces (1/2 cup)
Dried chiles vary in size and weight. You’ll get a more accurate measure if you seed and tear them first; you need about 1/2 cup of prepped chiles.
Toast chiles and other spices you’re using like whole cumin, in 12-inch skillet over medium-low heat, stirring frequently, until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Transfer to spice grinder and let cool for 5 minutes. Add garlic powder and oregano and grind to fine powder, and you have home made chili powder!
Hope i wasn’t annoying adding directions to an already amazing recipe I just really love this dish <3
This was a flavorful sauce made with my from scratch chili powder (Alton Brown’s recipe). I doubled the recipe plus I added a couple of tablespoons of chipolte chile powder to my chili powder. OMG – spicy but delicious sauce for my chicken enchilada casserole. A great base recipe to tweak to my liking. Thanks for sharing.
Hi Ali, I’m hoping you can help me. I enjoy making new and different meals for the two of us. We live way up in Ontario Canada and most people don’t seem to make Mexican dishes. I’d like to change that for us by starting with your red and green enchilada sauces and progress to all your posted recipes that use your homemade sauces. My problem is I’m not familiar with chilies, chili powder etc.. I also can’t handle even medium spiced dishes but my husband can. Could you please guide me through your sauce recipes by possibly keeping the flavour profiles but not much of the heat. I certainly may be asking too much and taking too much of your time. If that’s the case I shall muddle through on my own with absolutely no negative feelings what so ever. Thank you for reading my lengthy post and enjoy what’s left of our summer season! Sincerely, Kendra
So does this sauce turn out red like traditional enchilada sauce? Or do I have to add tomato sauce or paste?
ALERT TO AUSTRALIANS: Our chilli is definitely WAY hotter and this is far from a mild sauce, I even tried going easy and only using 2 tablespoons of the chilli powder – I can’t recommend this sauce because we could barely eat the enchiladas and had to scrape most of the sauce off before we could eat them and I’m usually okay with spiciness.
After research on your comments and others it seems American “chilli powder” isn’t that at all if you live outside the USA. It’s a blend of herbs and spices that you use to make the Mexican dish chilli.
Here’s a recipe from another site as to what goes into the chilli powder ( hardly any actual “chilli or cayenne” mainly paprika, cumin etc.)
https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/237172/chili-powder/
Hi Renee, I’m Australian and am making this sauce with a mexican chilli powder I found at woolworths I tasted it before and still has some kick but nothing compared to the masterfoods ground chilli, alternatively you can make your own chilli powder blend and control the heat. I hope this was helpful cheers mate!!!
Shockingly good. Used it for veggie enchiladas (zucchini, mushrooms, spinach, bell pepper, onion) tonight and even our picky 3 year old cleaned her plate. Being from Austin I’m picky about my Tex-Mex, but this is definitely a keeper.
Your recipes look amazing and oh so healthy. Can’t wait to try roasted cauliflower with enchilada. Should be easy as I have all ingredients. Let you know. Thanks
I just made the roasted cauliflower enchiladas last night but added broccoli and mushrooms to my roasting pan. Paired with this enchilada sauce, they were so, so good. I usually prefer meat (or at least eggs) for the main course, but the veg enchiladas held their own.
So what makes this chili powder red? I’m in Australia. Used only 1/2 tsp chili powder but mine isn’t red. What am I missing. Do I need to find red American chili powder ?
American chili powder almost always has paprika in it, which lends to the red color.
Me and my family were very excited to finally have a home cooked meal after a long week at the beach[we ate out every night] I read ALL of the reviews and it made the sauce sound AMAZINGGGGGG……. GUESS WHAT IT WAS NOT IT WAS THE WORST SAUCE I’VE EVER HAD. I’m shocked there are not any more bad reviews.
*btw I followed the sauce recipe exactly and used brand ingredients with both sauce and enchilada recipes.
This really is a fantastic sauce, thank you so much for the recipe. Funny thing is that my stovetop suddenly stopped working and I had to make this in my microwave and it STILL came out delicious. I’ll definitely make it again. I made it for your “Best Chicken Enchiladas Ever” and perfect.
My family is obsessed with this sauce! We make it a few times a month and it always gets rave reviews all around. Thanks for such a great recipe!
Excellent exactly as outlined. I used a scant of ancho chili along with the chili powder. So delicious. So simple – I’ll never buy red sauce again. I am going to experiment next time with masa flour. Can’t wait.
I have made this sauce a ton of times and love it! My question is, what do you consider “slightly thickened?”
I’ve used this recipe a few times and it IS the best enchilada sauce I’ve ever had. I’ve never been to a Mexican restaurant (and I’ve been to ALOT) that even comes close to the flavor that this recipe has. Thanks so much for sharing the recipe, it’s my “go to” sauce recipe for multiple recipes (I love it in my tamale meat too).HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!!
There was a lovely mexican restaurant in Blythe, CA (La Amapola) that had the BEST red sauce ever. I went there for 20 years as I traveled from Phoenix to Los Angeles and begged for the recipe each time. Finally the owner was there and her recipe was exactly like yours. EXCEPT, she used Smart & Final chili powder, (which has a very dark/distinctive taste) fresh garlic cloves and put all of the ingredients in the blender (so no oil). After blending, heat it up and it thickens beautifully. BRAVA!
Hi and Hello from Spain,
I was watching the video recipe for the enchilada sauce and was wondering hoe you could add so much chili powder, then I thought it may be milder because I started to search on Amazon and found out that it`s a mix of other ingredients too. 1st I thought how hot this sauce must be and you almost bath those enchiladas in this sauce. After 20 minute research, I kept on reading and came directly to the part “*International readers: Please note that American chili powder is very different than chili powder in other countries. The American version is quite mild” LOL! Thank you very much for the nice recipe will it try very soon!
best wishes from Spain.
Delicious! This is now my goto homemade sauce for enchiladas. Thank you!
Hi – I made this enchilada recipe and I love it, so do my neighbors. Can I double this recipe?
Thank you. Eileen
Love this sauce recipe. Have made it multiple times. I have doubled and quadrupled it when making large batches of enchiladas to freeze. Sooooo good!