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Enchilada Sauce

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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.

Homemade Enchilada Sauce Recipe

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

Chili powder (to make red enchilada sauce)

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.

Whisking Red Enchilada Sauce

How To Make Enchilada Sauce:

Here are the basic steps for how to make enchilada sauce (full instructions included in the recipe box below):

  1. 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.
  2. 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.
  3. Season: Season with salt (or any extra seasonings that you might like to add) to taste.
  4. Serve: Then serve it up in a pan of enchiladas or whatever recipe sounds good…and enjoy!

Jar of red enchilada sauce

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.

Chicken enchiladas made with homemade enchilada sauce recipe

Ways To Use Enchilada Sauce:

Here are a few of my favorite ways to use this easy enchilada sauce:

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Homemade Enchilada Sauce Recipe

Red Enchilada Sauce

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star 4.7 from 538 reviews
  • Prep Time: 5 minutes
  • Cook Time: 15 minutes
  • Total Time: 20 minutes
  • Yield: 1 1/2 cups 1x

Description

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.


Ingredients

Scale

Instructions

  1. 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.
  2. 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.
  3. 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.)
  4. Serve: Use immediately in your favorite recipe and enjoy!


Notes

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.

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2,134 comments on “Enchilada Sauce”

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  1. I loved this recipe. Due to the state of the current pandemic, I have tried to limit my times out to the grocery store and I didn’t have any enchilada sauce on hand so I decided to try and make my own and this one worked great and I will save for future use. I used oat-flour instead of all purchase flour and turned out great! I was wondering if it was possible to freeze this to use for future use (outside of the 3 days you can refrigerate it).






  2. This is an amazing recipe. I usually avoid enchiladas because I find the canned stuff sickly, a crime against food. This recipe is really good, the only thing I added was two tablespoons of tomato paste.






  3. This is so easy to make and incredibly tasty. I am a new fan of gimme some oven. Thanks!






  4. I used this recipe today for the first time. I substituted the American chilI pepper for mild/sweet paprika and added a half tsp of smoked paprika. It worked out great. The whole family including my 2 year old loved it. Thank you for the recipe – We’ll be making it again! ?






  5. Have made this 20+ times and it’s fool proof. Always my go to Enchilada sauce with pantry staples and no icky ingredients (like so many in the stores these days). Thank you!!!






  6. I was reluctant after reading some of the reviews, but not only was this recipe simple but it absolutely was better than any if the store bought sauces we usually buy. Will 100% make this again. I let mine simmer for a long time (~30-40 mins.) which definitely helped the flavors develop, and used a little more than 2 cups broth (just to use up the container). Great, simple recipe.






  7. Can I use beef broth instead of chicken

  8. Excellent






  9. I read a lot of reviews and thought I would like this, plus I had all the ingredients, but I would not make it again without some modifications. For one, it was WAY too salty. I used Better than Bouillon veggie stock and should probably have skipped the salt altogether. I also added 1/4 tsp of chipotle powder to give it a little kick, and used 2 tbsp of chili powder because I didn’t want that to be the only flavor. It will do, but not what I expect an enchilada sauce to taste like. I would try a different recipe that calls for some kind of tomato product next time. I also agree with the reviewer who said to add some acid, a splash of lemon or lime would probably help.






  10. You seem to have forgotten tomato paste. I defy anyone to make a sauce this red according to your recipe, without it. All other recipes online contain tomato paste. I figured this omission out myself, then confirmed it with the other recipes.






  11. My family loved the chicken enchiladas and the sauce. I was skeptical about how much of a difference the sauce would make, but it was easy and super tasty. One thing I don’t get, though, is the note at the end of the sauce recipe saying we have to toss it after three days. I boiled it down, used it and then poured the leftovers into a sterilized schiracha bottle. It’s been a week and I just added some of the sauce to my breakfast this morning. Am I lucky to still be alive?

    Could you please explain the super short shelf life on this sauce, especially if it’s stored in the fridge.






  12. This really IS the BEST enchilada sauce. I actually tried a good brand name can of sauce 1 time to be quicker, and OH it was awful. No way! This doesn’t take long and is well worth it!






  13. My son asked if I could make Chicken enchiladas for his birthday, and I made the sauce as well. We’ve never had these before. I have to say, they were delish! New favorite for our family.






  14. This is soooo easy & the best! My family loved it as well. I reduced my chili powder because some don’t like the heat. I’m going to make more & can it fit convienience next time around.






  15. I live in Canada and used a local Chili powder and this sauce was way too hot. My lips still burn after an hour of tasting. Flavourful but take the advice and start off with only one tablespoon of Chili powder if you’re not using the mild American one.

  16. Very tasty and delicious!! Will never buy enchilada sauce from a can, ever again!






  17. This was a super easy recipe, but I’m not its biggest fan. I love this site, so no disrespect, but this just tasted like chili powder to my husband and me. It was bland, too. We added more salt and garlic powder, and also added onion powder and white sugar. It made it somewhat better, but I agree with another couple of reviewers that it needs some acid. I enjoyed the flavor of the sauce once it was incorporated into a 4-ingredient healthy chicken enchilada casserole recipe, but my husband still found it rather bland even in the casserole. Idk that we would use it again, but we might try adding some tomato paste or lemon juice next time. We had neither on hand when we made this tonight. Thanks for your blog though….I always enjoy it!






  18. I made this along with the enchilada recipe by this author, and both were so amazing. I made them, following the recipe exactly, and I wouldn’t change a thing. YUM!

  19. I was disappointed with this sauce. I will not be making this again.

  20. Mine was bitter and runny and overly hot. I used regular chili powder. This is nothing like the enchilada sauce I grew up with – and I grew up in Texas.






  21. This is the best sauce, my family loves it and I always make double, you can spread on most anything!






  22. This is the only enchilada sauce recipe I use! SOO GOOD AND EASY!
    You can honestly make it while making enchiladas, just keep an eye on it :)
    Quick question: Can you freeze or can the sauce? If so, for how long / how?

    Thanks :)






  23. I just made this sauce and it is delicious. It’s the first time I’ve made enchilada sauce and it was quick and easy and I’ll definitely make it again. Thank you for sharing.






  24. I will never use store bought sauce after making this for the family. We absolutely loved it!!! Thank you sooooo much for sharing.






  25. I liked this recipe. One augmentation–anything with cumin, I’ve found, can be enhanced by instead keeping cumin seeds around and quickly pan roasting and grinding them. I’m fine with dry ingredients…unfortunately I don’t have sprigs of parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme hanging all about my kitchen. But a fresh cumin is super easy and the flavor pops. Thanks for the recipe.






  26. we do not get chicken or vegetable broth.what alternative can i use?

    • You should be able to find it at a store near soup, or make it with bullion.

    • To get chicken stock or vegetable stock all you really have to do is boil some vegetables or boil some chicken and there’s your stock you can season it with salt and pepper if you like

  27. Gurrrl, this stuff right here is restaurant quality. 1st time making it….so dang good, can’t go back to the can! #authentic

  28. Loved this sauce. I just made it with ground beef enchiladas. I added a can of tomato sauce to it because it had a bitter taste. I think also adding honey or orange zest might enhance it. Or is a sweet component not necessary?

  29. Sorry forgot to rate it. It was my first time making homemade enchilada sauce. I like the simplicity yet tasty sauce! A winner for sure. Son and hubby loved it.






  30. This actually may be the worse recipe I’ve ever tried, was gritty and bitter and I had to dump it down the drain.

    • I think you may have burned the roux in the beginning :( I’ve never had that issue

    • I’m there with you on the grittiness and bitterness… I’ve made this twice now and on the second time I decided to go rouge a little and add some honey (~1/2″, more oil (double), more salt (double), paprika (1/4 tsp) and some cayenne (1/4 tsp). Turned out a little better but still gritty. I think the problem is the amount of chili powder. It just doesn’t seem to dissolve correctly even after cooking it for twice as long. Besides the bitterness the flavor is pretty good, so adding some sweet and salty flavors to this helped a lot.

    • Did you maybe burn it? Burning it on the stove would make it gritty and bitter. The second time I did burn it because I put too much oil in the pan and it made it gritty as well. I just dumped it and started over. It was fine after I redid it; not gritty, not bitter at all. if it is still too “gritty” for you, try straining it.

  31. Great sauce! Made my own quick chicken and black bean enchiladas (leftover chicken, can of beans, some salsa and lots of spices) and used this sauce with Mexican cojita cheese. Wow, Husband kept saying…”this is the bomb!” Didn’t want to stop eating it. P.S. Didn’t use quite 2 cups of broth…probably more like 1.5 – 1.75 cups.






  32. The best! I will not buy another can of sauce again. And very easy to make!!






  33. I made this sauce last night and combined it with a small can of store bought enchilada sauce because I didn’t make enough. It was the PERFECT blend. Excellent recipe.






  34. My husband has an intolerance to chili powder spice. How can I make this red sauce for the whole family to enjoy? Or do I need to make him a separate sauce for the enchiladas? How can I make it taste Mexican without the heat? Thanks!






    • Chile is the integral ingredient to enchilada sauce, maybe try something tomato based?? cumin, oregano and garlic for flavor?

  35. I found this to be very salty also.. great flavor though, well definitely make again but maybe adjust seasonings for our taste






  36. I made chicken enchiladas with this last night and the sauce was absolutely my all-time favorite.






  37. Excellent. I added 1/2 t onion powder and a pinch of sugar to cut the bitterness of the chili powder.






  38. Just made this sauce and the recipe for best chicken enchiladas for Father’s Day dinner. Yum! The enchiladas were similar to another recipe I have, but I always used store bought sauce. This sauce was soooo good and so easy to make! I had everything I needed for it in the pantry. It really was the star of the recipe. This will definitely be a staple in our house!






  39. Recipe looks simple and has such great reviews. I think I burned my spices in when I put them in the oil/flour mixture, so I had to dump the entire batch out, sadly.

    Any recommendation as to how I can avoid this next time?

    Thanks!






  40. I will admit, I was a bit skeptical as I read how great this enchilada sauce is, and how people were always asking for the recipe. I made it last night. I can honestly say, with no exaggeration, this is the BEST enchilada sauce. I’m amazed! My family loves it, too. Thank you so much for sharing. This is definitely a new favorite.






  41. I can’t wait to make this recipe! Thank You So Much for sharing it!






  42. This was really good and so easy! I had started making a tamale pie when I realized it called for enchilada sauce. Thankfully I remembered I had saved your recipe so it was a good excuse to try it. I might cut back on the chili powder next time or try ancho to change it up. Thank you!






  43. This is quite good. I do like to add tomato paste to my enchilada sauce, so I added in 2 Tablespoons and really loved that addition. I also eliminated the salt called for because my broth has salt in it. 1/2 teaspoon on top of that would be way too salty for us. I would like to tell people to have your dry ingredients mixed together in a bowl and right beside your stove prior to heating up your oil/flour mixture so you are ready to go as soon as your roux comes together, otherwise you seriously risk burning your roux. Have your broth handy right by the stove too. You will thank me later. :)






  44. I loved the idea of this homemade sauce, but 4 tablespoons of chili powder was way too much. I made enchiladas for my husband, who loves hot and spicy food, but it was too much for him. (I was sure to use “American” chili powder, not cayenne or anything hotter.) I kept thinking maybe the recipe meant 4 teaspoons instead of tablespoons – if I try it again I will use teaspoons.






  45. Excellent! May cut back a little on chili powder the next time. Do you think the sauce would freeze well? Beef enchiladas…it’s what’s for dinner! Thank you for sharing your yummy recipe.






  46. LOVE this sauce!!! I’ve probably made this 10x since in the last few months. For me the actual enchiladas are almost an afterthought lol. Make the sauce, put whatever in tortillas, cover w/sauce and cheese and bake. I tend to add the entire tsp of cumin, oregano and garlic powder but I love seasonings. I first made this using better than bouillon veggie broth and it was good, then I used the same brand of no-chicken broth (vegetarian) and I could literally drink the stuff.






  47. Has anyone made these in large batch and can it?

  48. This is a game-changer!! So delicious. My family always loves my enchiladas, but this was the first time I made the sauce. (I usually go for Old El Paso.) This was WAY better. High marks all around. Thank you!






  49. This is a game-changer!! So delicious. My family always loves my enchiladas, but this was the first time I made the sauce. (I usually go for Old El Paso.) This was WAY better. High marks all around. Thank you! ❤️ The Roaming Texan






  50. This recipe is amazing. I used it to make a ‘Chili’s’ chicken enchilada soup but I realized too late that I was out of almost everything (canned tomatoes, beans…), so the soup was just flavored with this sauce, chicken, cheese, and more chicken broth. It tastes great!