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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’ve made this sauce multiple times with both chicken and veggie enchiladas and we love it! (BTW I am not a “cook” so this feels like a real win for me!) We top them with homemade guac, hot sauce, and lettuce and always look forward to the leftovers the next day! Question: If I double the batch of sauce could I freeze it for future use?
I never leave comments for these things but I just have to say that this sauce is PERFECTION. I don’t even understand how that’s possible given its simplicity, but I’m eager to make another vat of sauce to call “enchilada soup”. ? Thanks for introducing me to this crack!!
This is just like my mom’s recipe, super simple and tasty. It’s so much better than canned! My mother can also make this in the microwave, but I haven’t gotten it right yet. She also has used bacon drippings to give the smoky flavor. To make my broth, I boiled chicken thighs and then added the shredded meat to the sauce. About 1 per person seems to work with this amount of sauce, up to four thighs in total. I then just layer the tortillas with the sauce and cheese as suggested. Love it!
Absolutely divine sauce. Best I have ever had. I often to you your recipes first when I want to find a recipe. Anyone who takes the time to make this, won’t be sorry. I only use 2 TBLS of chili powder because I have
family members who don’t care too much for very spicy and this is just right for them.
I think I was hesitant to make this because I really didn’t know what was in enchilada sauce. Wow. This was simply delicious! I will definitely never purchase enchilada sauce again. So easy, too! It was amazing with your enchilada recipe.
This literally is the best. I get endless amounts of compliments for the recipes that I make using this enchilada sauce. Thank you for the excellent recipe!
This was awesome! Easy to make, and great flavours :) I did add a bit more flour/stock as the sauce was simmering because I like lots of sauce!! Will no longer be buying the canned stuff for sure
The red enchilada sauce was fantastic!! I will be making this from now on.
My kids loved the enchiladas and it was the first time I have made them.
Tasty without being too spicy for the kids!
This is so easy and delicious!! I will never buy another crappy bottle of enchilada sauce ever again! The days of chancing a mystery sauce are OVER! Thank you for sharing!!
In the U.S. chili powder with an “i” is a blend of ground chile peppers and seasonings such as cumin, garlic, mexican oregano, etc.
Chile powder with an “e” typically indicates the powder is derived from 100% pure ground chile peppers without the addition of other seasonings and their heat is variable based on the type of chile used.
There are many wonderful 100% pure ground chile pepper powders that range in heat from mild to hot and have flavor components from fruity to smoky.
Great enchilada sauce. I like my enchilada sauce with a milder favor so I cut the Chile Powder in half. I will never go back to the can stuff. Recipe is so easy.
I love this sauce and I use Bob’s Red Mill Garbanzo & Fava Flour (Gluten free) as the thickener…it gives a richer flavour than brown rice..but that works too! Thanks again for this easy and deliciously versatile sauce.
Hi I just had a question can I used chicken broth instead of stock that’s all i have is chicken broth
Tracy —
I’ve been using this enchilada and sauce recipe for years now and we love it so much! Im from canada and I havent been able to find any can or jar enchilada sauce in my area at all but whenever I go to the states and see it i pass on buying it because I’m scared it wont taste this good!
Marianne —
I just made this sauce and used it for chicken enchiladas. It is delicious–the best enchilada sauce I’ve ever tasted. It was delicious right out of the oven. It will be even better tomorrow. I made it per directions with 4 Tbs of the McCormick chili powder. It has a little bite, but I wouldn’t call it hot, but then I like hot. The only changes I made was to use tarragon instead of oregano, and I left out the cumin.
This sauce is a bomb! Wonderful, wonderful. There’s something about canned enchilada sauces that just don’t taste great…there’s one dominant flavor and it’s not good.
Your recipe is light and fresh tasting with excellent flavors. I made no substitutions – followed your recipe precisely. Next time (probably tomorrow), I will add more heat.
Thanks again for a great recipe.
@cantstopcooking
karen a barber —
You just changed what the sauce should taste like…Mexican Tarragon has hints of anise…
this recipe Adobe sauce is more smokey red sauce needing Mexican oregano to marry the cumin even cinnamon for earth tones of the sauce.
but hey if yours taste great now try Adobe sauce for your enchiladas LOL
It’s fairly good. Love the oregano. But I feel like this needs something acidic in it. Maybe it’s my chili powder’s fault. But it could really use a touch of vinegar or tomato juice or something like that. Overly “chili powder” ish.
For those of you without chili powder…or using it.
FYI: Remember Chili powder isn’t always just chilis this is McCormick’s ingredients: Organic Chili Pepper, Organic Spices, Salt, Silicon Dioxide (Added to Make Free Flowing), & Organic Garlic.
So if your following this recipe and want to use the authentic Chilpolite peppers or Ancho chili’s….just add in the McCormicks ingredients that this recipe is using minus the chili and use other hot or mild peppers to make more athentic….OH also smoke paprika will be very mild but substitute.
I hope that makes sense??
This IS an awesome enchilada sauce. My husband and I both love it and use it on your enchilada recipe. I’ve made other enchilada recipes and always come back to this one.
My family loved the taste of this sauce. The recipe seemed to call for too much flour. My sauce turned out way too thick, I even added an extra cup of chicken stock and it was still very thick. Next time I think I will use 1 T flour and see how that works out. The flavor was great though. Will make again.
I added a bit of red wine vinegar to the sauce because I love a bit of zing. I found the recipe exactly as spicy as I would want it but a little hot for my littles. So I made a 2nd batch with less chili. Yum!
Very good enchilada sauce. I’ve always used it from a can so this was a big improvement and not as salty (understatement)! Also good with a little sour cream or Greek yogurt mixed in.
This is the recipe I have been looking for! I was skeptical at first because it didn’t have tomato sauce in the recipe, as they all seem to have. However, that is the key! I have not been able to find a recipe that is similar to the restaurant enchiladas I like. But this is it! I did double the recipe without doubling the chili powder, and that was perfect for my taste. I will never buy canned again! Thank you so much!
This is the recipe I have been looking for! I was skeptical at first because it didn’t have tomato sauce in the recipe, as they all seem to have. However, that is the key! I have not been able to find a recipe that is similar to the restaurant enchiladas I like. But this is it! I did double the recipe without doubling the chili powder, and that was perfect for my taste. I will never buy canned again! Thank you so much!
Thank you very much! You are right, this sauce is the best enchilada sauce I’ve ever tasted. I was wondering if I could freeze it for later. Have you ever froze it?
I made this years now. Its so good. Im from europe so My sauce might Be litle hot. I use 3 spoons normal Santa Marias chilipowder and 1 spoon chipotle powder. I ADD Aldo 1tl vinegar and Brown sugar.
I’ve made this about 4 times now and it’s sooo good. How good? I have a can of enchilada sauce in the cupboard, but I make this instead. It’s easy. I mix all my dry spices in a bowl first. Also add a good dash of onion powder. I make the roux with 2 T butter vs oil and stir til golden and the butter fat is no longer foam. It’s a keeper. Thank you!
I followed the recipe and it turned out to be super salty! I don’t know if it was the chicken stock I used or what but not sure
Terri —
Same for me!! I could tell it was going to have a great taste other than it was WAY TOO SALTY! I assumed it was the chicken stock that got more salty as it reduced. So I remade it starting with just water because I didn’t have low-sodium stock. I also left out the salt so I could control it more. STILL SALTY! How could that be! turns out, chili powder has alot of salt. I have two brands and both list it as second ingredient. Third batch was just to mix with the first to try to salvage it…just water, garlic, oregano, cumin. Mixed it with the first batch to knock back the salt. I think I will love this if I can find chili powder without salt.
Made these for the first time and loved them! The homemade sauce is the ticket, for sure. Next time I would use 2x sauce for one batch. Thank you!
My family loves this sauce! I have used it the enchilada soup and enchilada casserole, both a huge hit! Wondering if I can freeze the sauce?
I’ve made this sauce multiple times with both chicken and veggie enchiladas and we love it! (BTW I am not a “cook” so this feels like a real win for me!) We top them with homemade guac, hot sauce, and lettuce and always look forward to the leftovers the next day! Question: If I double the batch of sauce could I freeze it for future use?
The sauce tasted great, but it didn’t turn out thick enough and I followed directions to a T.
I never leave comments for these things but I just have to say that this sauce is PERFECTION. I don’t even understand how that’s possible given its simplicity, but I’m eager to make another vat of sauce to call “enchilada soup”. ? Thanks for introducing me to this crack!!
Best sauce! So easy to make as well. No comparison to store bought.
Thank you for sharing! I’m going to make some tonight and I’ll get back to you.
It’s a keeper, made some adjustments.
Thank you!
This recipe is sooo good I plan on using it for my tamales this Christmas, heck I’m going to use it in everything :) Enchiladas tonight mmm.
This is just like my mom’s recipe, super simple and tasty. It’s so much better than canned! My mother can also make this in the microwave, but I haven’t gotten it right yet. She also has used bacon drippings to give the smoky flavor. To make my broth, I boiled chicken thighs and then added the shredded meat to the sauce. About 1 per person seems to work with this amount of sauce, up to four thighs in total. I then just layer the tortillas with the sauce and cheese as suggested. Love it!
Yummy just made a batch of chicken enchiladas with green salsa verde and this over top,! So simple and so delish?
The easiest & best Enchilada Sauce I have made yet! Excellent in the Chicken Enchilada Casserole. It will always be my go to recipe now.
Absolutely divine sauce. Best I have ever had. I often to you your recipes first when I want to find a recipe. Anyone who takes the time to make this, won’t be sorry. I only use 2 TBLS of chili powder because I have
family members who don’t care too much for very spicy and this is just right for them.
I think I was hesitant to make this because I really didn’t know what was in enchilada sauce. Wow. This was simply delicious! I will definitely never purchase enchilada sauce again. So easy, too! It was amazing with your enchilada recipe.
This literally is the best. I get endless amounts of compliments for the recipes that I make using this enchilada sauce. Thank you for the excellent recipe!
This also freezes well. Thanks for this great recipe…best I’ve found!
I want to make these. The sauce sounds great. Did I miss how much chicken, onion & other spices to use for the filling? Please help.
Hi Joan! Here is the full enchiladas recipe including those ingredients — https://www.gimmesomeoven.com/best-chicken-enchiladas-ever/. :)
This was awesome! Easy to make, and great flavours :) I did add a bit more flour/stock as the sauce was simmering because I like lots of sauce!! Will no longer be buying the canned stuff for sure
The red enchilada sauce was fantastic!! I will be making this from now on.
My kids loved the enchiladas and it was the first time I have made them.
Tasty without being too spicy for the kids!
This is so easy and delicious!! I will never buy another crappy bottle of enchilada sauce ever again! The days of chancing a mystery sauce are OVER! Thank you for sharing!!
In the U.S. chili powder with an “i” is a blend of ground chile peppers and seasonings such as cumin, garlic, mexican oregano, etc.
Chile powder with an “e” typically indicates the powder is derived from 100% pure ground chile peppers without the addition of other seasonings and their heat is variable based on the type of chile used.
There are many wonderful 100% pure ground chile pepper powders that range in heat from mild to hot and have flavor components from fruity to smoky.
G’day, I am from Australia and just made this sauce (all gluten free) with Masterfoods Mexican chilli powder and it is sensational!!
These enchiladas are Amazing and super easy to make!!
Thank you!
This enchilada sauce was delicious and simple to make.
Great enchilada sauce. I like my enchilada sauce with a milder favor so I cut the Chile Powder in half. I will never go back to the can stuff. Recipe is so easy.
I love this sauce and I use Bob’s Red Mill Garbanzo & Fava Flour (Gluten free) as the thickener…it gives a richer flavour than brown rice..but that works too! Thanks again for this easy and deliciously versatile sauce.
Hi I just had a question can I used chicken broth instead of stock that’s all i have is chicken broth
I’ve been using this enchilada and sauce recipe for years now and we love it so much! Im from canada and I havent been able to find any can or jar enchilada sauce in my area at all but whenever I go to the states and see it i pass on buying it because I’m scared it wont taste this good!
I just made this sauce and used it for chicken enchiladas. It is delicious–the best enchilada sauce I’ve ever tasted. It was delicious right out of the oven. It will be even better tomorrow. I made it per directions with 4 Tbs of the McCormick chili powder. It has a little bite, but I wouldn’t call it hot, but then I like hot. The only changes I made was to use tarragon instead of oregano, and I left out the cumin.
Broth and stock are the same
This sauce is a bomb! Wonderful, wonderful. There’s something about canned enchilada sauces that just don’t taste great…there’s one dominant flavor and it’s not good.
Your recipe is light and fresh tasting with excellent flavors. I made no substitutions – followed your recipe precisely. Next time (probably tomorrow), I will add more heat.
Thanks again for a great recipe.
@cantstopcooking
You just changed what the sauce should taste like…Mexican Tarragon has hints of anise…
this recipe Adobe sauce is more smokey red sauce needing Mexican oregano to marry the cumin even cinnamon for earth tones of the sauce.
but hey if yours taste great now try Adobe sauce for your enchiladas LOL
Red pepper, garlic, onion, oregano and cumin is chili powder in the US. Your recipe simply doubled the chili powder, which is good but redundant.
Chili powder? What? Might as well buy canned. Get whole red chilies and use that as a base. The flavor is pure and full.
Love the sauce. How long can it keep in the fridge and the freezer if I freeze it? Thanks!
This is so, very good. It is also so quick and easy. Thank you for sharing this recipe. This will definitely be included in my favorites list.
It’s fairly good. Love the oregano. But I feel like this needs something acidic in it. Maybe it’s my chili powder’s fault. But it could really use a touch of vinegar or tomato juice or something like that. Overly “chili powder” ish.
For those of you without chili powder…or using it.
FYI: Remember Chili powder isn’t always just chilis this is McCormick’s ingredients: Organic Chili Pepper, Organic Spices, Salt, Silicon Dioxide (Added to Make Free Flowing), & Organic Garlic.
So if your following this recipe and want to use the authentic Chilpolite peppers or Ancho chili’s….just add in the McCormicks ingredients that this recipe is using minus the chili and use other hot or mild peppers to make more athentic….OH also smoke paprika will be very mild but substitute.
I hope that makes sense??
This sauce is EVERYTHING! Total game changer and totally delish!
It truly is the best enchilada sauce out there! I’m eager to try it with dishes other than chicken enchiladas!
Is there really no tomatoes or tomato sauce/paste in this?
This IS an awesome enchilada sauce. My husband and I both love it and use it on your enchilada recipe. I’ve made other enchilada recipes and always come back to this one.
Made this along with your chicken enchilada recipe and my husband loved it.
I’d like to make a larger batch, but can you freeze the sauce if you aren’t going to use within 3 days?
My family loved the taste of this sauce. The recipe seemed to call for too much flour. My sauce turned out way too thick, I even added an extra cup of chicken stock and it was still very thick. Next time I think I will use 1 T flour and see how that works out. The flavor was great though. Will make again.
I added a bit of red wine vinegar to the sauce because I love a bit of zing. I found the recipe exactly as spicy as I would want it but a little hot for my littles. So I made a 2nd batch with less chili. Yum!
Can the sauce be frozen and used at a later date?
Very good enchilada sauce. I’ve always used it from a can so this was a big improvement and not as salty (understatement)! Also good with a little sour cream or Greek yogurt mixed in.
This is the recipe I have been looking for! I was skeptical at first because it didn’t have tomato sauce in the recipe, as they all seem to have. However, that is the key! I have not been able to find a recipe that is similar to the restaurant enchiladas I like. But this is it! I did double the recipe without doubling the chili powder, and that was perfect for my taste. I will never buy canned again! Thank you so much!
This is the recipe I have been looking for! I was skeptical at first because it didn’t have tomato sauce in the recipe, as they all seem to have. However, that is the key! I have not been able to find a recipe that is similar to the restaurant enchiladas I like. But this is it! I did double the recipe without doubling the chili powder, and that was perfect for my taste. I will never buy canned again! Thank you so much!
Thank you very much! You are right, this sauce is the best enchilada sauce I’ve ever tasted. I was wondering if I could freeze it for later. Have you ever froze it?
I made this years now. Its so good. Im from europe so My sauce might Be litle hot. I use 3 spoons normal Santa Marias chilipowder and 1 spoon chipotle powder. I ADD Aldo 1tl vinegar and Brown sugar.
I’ve made this about 4 times now and it’s sooo good. How good? I have a can of enchilada sauce in the cupboard, but I make this instead. It’s easy. I mix all my dry spices in a bowl first. Also add a good dash of onion powder. I make the roux with 2 T butter vs oil and stir til golden and the butter fat is no longer foam. It’s a keeper. Thank you!
Can this be frozen?
WICKED RECIPE!
I followed the recipe and it turned out to be super salty! I don’t know if it was the chicken stock I used or what but not sure
Same for me!! I could tell it was going to have a great taste other than it was WAY TOO SALTY! I assumed it was the chicken stock that got more salty as it reduced. So I remade it starting with just water because I didn’t have low-sodium stock. I also left out the salt so I could control it more. STILL SALTY! How could that be! turns out, chili powder has alot of salt. I have two brands and both list it as second ingredient. Third batch was just to mix with the first to try to salvage it…just water, garlic, oregano, cumin. Mixed it with the first batch to knock back the salt. I think I will love this if I can find chili powder without salt.