How to Make Enchilada Sauce
Enchilada sauce is so easy to make! This red enchilada sauce recipe comes together in ten minutes. I've tried all the other recipes and this is the best!
Updated by Kathryne Taylor on August 28, 2024
I’ve been working on my enchilada game lately, for both the cookbook and an upcoming enchilada recipe. There is an art to making great enchiladas, and the sauce is a key component.
I thought I’d share my tested and perfected enchilada sauce recipe today, in case you want to try it on your favorite enchilada recipe. It’s ready in under ten minutes, and I promise, it’s so tasty you won’t want to go back to the store-bought kind again.
When I developed my go-to sauce (first seen on my spinach artichoke enchiladas), I tried at least five of the top sauce recipes on Google, all with different ingredients and techniques.
I tried making sauce with tomato sauce, which tasted too raw and was kind of goopy. I tried making sauce with blended diced tomatoes, and it had the same issues. I tried sauce without any tomato ingredients, and it didn’t taste quite like the enchilada sauce I grew up eating, or the sauce at my favorite Mexican restaurants. I tried sauces made without any thickener (like flour or cornstarch), and they pooled at the bottom and turned my enchiladas into a soupy, texture-less casserole.
Finally, after some experimentation and cross-referencing with America’s Test Kitchen, I landed on the perfect enchilada sauce. Vegetable broth forms the base of the sauce, but it’s only added after you make a simple roux of flour and oil. You need a full three tablespoons of each to properly thicken the sauce. I tried making this sauce with a gluten-free flour blend and that worked great as well.
The Best Enchilada Sauce
Four reasons to love this recipe:
- This sauce is full of authentic Mexican flavor. It comes from a combination of dried spices, which are sautéed in oil to bring out their best, and umami-rich tomato paste.
- The cinnamon is optional since some people just don’t like it in savory applications, but just a pinch adds some lovely warmth and complexity.
- The final kicker is a tiny splash of vinegar, which really amps up the flavor.
- Unlike canned enchiladas sauces, this homemade sauce is free of unnecessary processed ingredients and MSG (that’s monosodium glutamate, which gives my mom migraines).
I love this sauce and I’m confident you will, too, since it’s gotten rave reviews on my spinach artichoke enchiladas and veggie black bean enchiladas.
Please let me know how this recipe turns out for you in the comments! Your feedback keeps me going.
Watch How to Make Enchilada Sauce
Homemade Enchilada Sauce
This homemade red enchilada sauce has authentic Mexican flavor! It’s so good and easy, you’ll never go back to store-bought sauce again. You can even make a double batch and freeze half of it for later. Recipe as written below yields about 2 cups (16 ounces) sauce.
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 3 tablespoons flour (whole wheat flour, all-purpose flour and gluten-free flour blends all work!)
- 1 tablespoon ground chili powder (scale back if you’re sensitive to spice or using particularly spicy chili powder)
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon dried oregano
- ¼ teaspoon salt, to taste
- Pinch of cinnamon (optional but recommended)
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 2 cups vegetable broth
- 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar or distilled white vinegar
- Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Instructions
- This sauce comes together quickly once you get started, so measure the dry ingredients (the flour, chili powder, cumin, garlic powder, oregano, salt and optional cinnamon) into a small bowl and place it near the stove. Place the tomato paste and broth near the stove as well.
- In a medium-sized pot over medium heat, warm the oil until it’s hot enough that a light sprinkle of the flour/spice mixture sizzles on contact. This might take a couple of minutes, so be patient and don’t step away from the stove!
- Once it’s ready, pour in the flour and spice mixture. While whisking constantly, cook until fragrant and slightly deepened in color, about 1 minute. Whisk the tomato paste into the mixture, then slowly pour in the broth while whisking constantly to remove any lumps.
- Raise heat to medium-high and bring the mixture to a simmer, then reduce heat as necessary to maintain a gentle simmer. Cook, whisking often, for about 5 to 7 minutes, until the sauce has thickened a bit and a spoon encounters some resistance as you stir it. (The sauce will thicken some more as it cools.)
- Remove from heat, then whisk in the vinegar and season to taste with a generous amount of freshly ground black pepper. Add more salt, if necessary (I usually add another pinch or two). Go forth and make enchiladas!
Notes
Enchilada sauce recipe adapted from my spinach artichoke enchiladas.
Storage suggestions: Extra enchilada sauce will keep well in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Or, freeze it for up to 3 months. Let it cool to room temperature before transferring to a wide-mouth mason jar, leaving some room at the top for expansion (don’t screw on the lid completely until the mixture is fully frozen), or a freezer bag (remove excess air before sealing).
Make it gluten free: Just use gluten-free all-purpose flour blend. I tried with Bob’s Red Mill brand and it worked great.
Make it tomato free: You can omit the tomato paste. You might want to up the spices a bit. The sauce won’t taste quite like the enchilada sauce you might buy at the store, but it will still be good!
Change it up: The chili powder, cumin and garlic powder are essential here, but feel free to change up the other spices to suit your preferences.
If you love this sauce: Check out more of my Mexican recipes here!
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice. See our full nutrition disclosure here.
This was incredible!!
Kate-the sauce is amazing! So delicious I was licking it from the spoon–and never do that –not even with the cookie and cake batter. Followed your instructions almost to a tee and love the howe clear and simple the instructions- like having support right there; super helpful the heads up on having all the ingredients measured and set right there by the pot on the stove and ready to go. All went perfectly and hadn’t even seen your perfect video instruction till just now.
Also followed your instructions for the enchilada filling though added some extra ingredients that were in the fridge. A simply wonderful dinner. Thank you.
You’re welcome, Marjorie! I’m happy you enjoyed it.
YumYumYum. Followed recipe exactly and am thinking of using leftover in cereal tomorrow. Well done!! Thanks, will never buy jar sauce again. Came together in about 10 minutes.
Using the recipe as is, I could hardly taste a lot of the components. I would suggest doubling the spices and tripling the salt and vinegar, also add the vinegar while it’s still boiling so you can cook off the vinegar flavor and get that nice smack your lips tang.
I’m sorry you didn’t love it as is, Will. I appreciate your review.
I would add a little more cumin. I agreed with Will. You need to taste the spices more; otherwise it is good.
I agree with Will. More spices. I added diced chipotle chilies in adobo sauce and more cumin and salt. Also the broth adds more depth than just water. But definitely better than canned enchilada sauce.
This is my go-to enchilada sauce recipe. So deliciously easy and my choosy family members like it
Easy and delicious!
So so good!! What does the vinegar do for the recipe?
Hi Liz, It helps with the overall flavor. Thank you for your review! I’m glad you loved it.
OMG this sauce is the best taste experience! Yum
This is a great sauce!! Made it in a double batch, and made enough enchiladas that we needed it. The spiciness was great for all tastes, child through adult. I believe the vinegar really added a lot to the taste. This is now our go to sauce.
This was great! I found a very mild chili powder with no spice so my kids would actually eat this. They loved it in the enchiladas I made. I liked it with added hot sauce.
Was great. Yet, I added a bit more tomato (not paste, but diced tomatoes liquified in my Cusinart. Also, added: White pepper, onion powder and, God forbid, lol, a pinch of MSG. Was dee-lish – thanks for pointing me in the right direction, I’ve cooked for 40 years. P.S. For the vegetable broth, I used Knorr Ultimate Liquid concentrated base. Excellent product. Thanks again for the recipe!
This recipe is extremely good and so easy!! I overdid the cinnamon the first time I made it so I’m careful now. A very little cinnamon goes a long way. I’m happy I can make my own enchilada sauce now and am not at the mercy of the grocery store and whatever brand they are currently carrying. This is so good!!
I’m happy you enjoyed it, patty! I appreciate your review.
I never even considered making homemade enchilada sauce but I was gathering my ingredients for an enchilada dinner and was stunned to find out that I didn’t have the red sauce. I decided to Google “homemade enchilada sauce” on the chance there might be something quick and easy. I am thrilled to have found your recipe. Fabulous taste, quick and so easy! My husband and son both exclaimed about how good it was. From now on I will be making this instead of using a can. Thank you for sharing!
It was so easy to make and out of the world delicious… thanks for teaching me how to make enchilada sauce from scratch… no more ready made canned sauces…❤️
Absolutely delish! I made this the other night for a copy cat Taco Bell enchirito recipe. It was better than the original. Thanks so much!
You’re welcome, Jack!
I don’t have vegetable broth, can I use chicken broth instead?
Sure, others used that and didn’t mind the results. I hope you love this sauce!
I used this fabulous and simple recipe to make home made enchilada lasagna – substitute corn tortillas that have been microwaved for about 10 seconds or brushed with a light layer of canola and heated in a seasoned stainless steel pan or stick free skillet for lasagna noodles. Then I just start layering corn tortilla, chorizo, cotija cheese, a sprinkling of sharp cheddar and colby, topped with a thin drizzle of this fantastic sauce for each layer you choose to make – for me it was roughly 4 or 5. Top with more cheddar and colby cheese – Instant Pot Manual High Pressure for about 22 minutes maybe 26 to 28 minutes if you live at altitude, top with scallions/green onions and voila!! This sauce makes all the ingredients blend easily. Also, I made my own tomato paste 2 Roma tomatoes = 2 tbsps of paste. Just slow cook down your tomatoes – I use a skillet and use your paste as your base for this enchilada sauce and now we’re talking! Muchas Gracias for a really wonderful and simple sauce.
OMG…. this was the most flavorful sauce I have ever made. I envision incorporating this in to some other recipies our family enjoys like taco pasta. This recipie was very forgiving, sometimes you just have to make do with what is in your pantry. I used tomato sauce in lieu of paste which I did not have, also subbed in beef and chicken stock because they were open and this would finish of the containers. My family absolutely loved this.
Great to hear, Jessica!
How much tomato sauce do you use?
Y’all are my MOST FAVORITE go to blog for all things tasty!! I didn’t pin this last time & went crazy trying to find it again. All is right with the world now☺️ My family love loves this sauce!! Thanks for never disappointing!!!!
So delicious! I went light on the chili powder for the kiddos, but everything else I followed exactly. This is waaaayyyyy better than any canned or powder red sauce I’ve ever used. Thanks for the recipe!
I doubled the recipe for a pan of 18 cheese enchiladas. It was so good! I did have to make a few changes due to not having some ingredients on hand.
• I used tomato sauce instead of paste and just added a little more flour to help it thicken
• I used chicken stock instead of vegetable because I didn’t have any
•I added season it all instead of dried Oregano because u guessed it lol I didn’t have any.
I really like it with the cinnamon but my family was divided some said it was almost sweet (but still delicious)
Thank you for sharing, Chelsea!
I just made this as a sauce for tortilla carnita pizzas, and YUM! It will be my go to from now on as opposed to store bought. I added dried minced onion and extra MX oregano, which thickened it up just a tad more. Great flavor! Very easy, I think hubby will be mucho impressed!
I’m making beef enchiladas tonight and was looking for a good red sauce to use. I just made a batch of this sauce and it tastes amazing. I added a teaspoon of dark chocolate powder to the spice mix and used maseca instead of flour. Worked very well. Thank You!!
You’re welcome! I’m happy you enjoyed it.
Excellent recipe. I followed the recipe exactly and it turned out great.
Really loved this sauce, it was so easy to make with all items on hand. Kids loved it and this will definitely be my ‘go to sauce’ for years to come. Thank You
You’re welcome, Joy!
Thank you!!! I opened a can of enchilada sauce that tasted like the can. I am cooking for my beloved, who is arriving tomorrow. I did not have any dried chiles, so was so happy to find this recipe that used ingredients from my pantry. It’s delicious. The only change I made was to throw 10 semi-sweet choc chips into the sauce while it simmered.
This is my favorite enchilada sauce recipe, thank you
You’re welcome, Melanie! Thank you for your review.
Made this sauce 4 times now. First time exactly as directed minus the cinnamon because I was wary of it overpowering the other flavors. Second time I added it and it did. Too big of “pinch”…big fingers…lol. 3rd time, I nailed it! It really is much better with the cinnamon. Just be careful with the amount ;-)
This recipe makes a very good mild red enchilada sauce, which makes very good mild enchiladas. In New Mexico, we typically use 4 ounces of red chili powder per 2 cups of broth rather than just 1 tablespoon. The chili powder has some thickening power so not so much flour is needed.
So much better than any store bought sauce! The depth of flavor is amazing. My chili powder was a little spicy, so I did a quick correction with some chicken broth and a little sugar. I made a full pan, one half chicken and the other half your vege enchilada filling recipe with broccoli, spinach, and red pepper for my soon-to-be daughter-in-law. She loved it as did my entire family. Thank you!
You’re welcome, Lisa! Thank you for sharing.
Delicious! Forgot to put the cider vinegar in sauce. Next time.
Do you use a specific chili powder, like ancho, new mexico or the blended one available in stores?
Hi! The blended one in stores. I hope you enjoy it!
I’m not allowed to buy enchilada sauce. Ever since I made this 2 years ago, it’s the only recipe I use for enchilada sauce every single time!
I love to hear that, Jayna! Thank you for your review.
It was pretty good. I think I put in a little too much cumin or oregano.
What an excellent enchilada sauce. I will never buy another can. This is so much better. The ingredients are simple and always on hand. Thanks!
Great recipe! My family loved the flavor on the chicken enchiladas I made. I will definitely use it again and again. Thanks for posting.
You’re welcome, Joani! I appreciate your review.
Amazing recipe. So delicious. Thank you!
You’re welcome, Lucifer! I appreciate your review.
Just perfect!
Hi, quick question? Will freezing then defrosting cause the sauce to separate? How can I prevent this? Would blending it after defrosting help?
Hi! Sometimes you will need to remix it when warmed. Let me know how it turns out!
If you’re like us, each of you has dishes you specialize in specialize in. I am the elk enchilada chef. I made the mistake of using this recipe…now for the 7th time. No store bought can stuff will ever do again. Great!
I remember making this sauce weeks ago and wanted it again but I made the mistake of making a different enchilada sauce recipe (thinking it was yours) that I had written down. Now I have perspective on how genuinely amazing this recipe is – thank you for sharing it!
You’re welcome, Jeraldine! I appreciate your review.
First time I have ever left a review comment on a recipe. delicious.
Enchilada sauce scarce and expensive in the florida keys. Just made it for meal tomorrow. Awesome!
I’m glad you loved it!
I’ve just now made this and it’s fabulous. I made a couple of subs based on what I had on hand. I didn’t have vegetable broth so I used Knorr’s Tomato Bullion. Also I used Hatch green chili powder. It turned out awesome and I’ll keep this in my rotation. Thanks for sharing.
This is my go-to red enchilada recipe!! So authentic and delicious! I sub the vegetable broth for chicken broth and it turned out soo yummy!! Bonus – the kids love it too!! Great recipe, Kate!
As a culinary arts major, I cannot believe this recipe is one that I didn’t come up with! This recipe is so incredibly simple and flavorful! I’ve traveled abroad and the best enchiladas I have ever had have been at El Pino 323 in South Korea and this recipe matches the sauce almost to a TEE. Cookie and Kate, you really know your stuff!!!!! <3
Absolutely love it!
Great! I added a little more cinnamon, onion powder, cumin and some pepper juice. May use chicken broth next time.
Right consistency and tastes gres
Wow!!! I’m never buying stuff in the can again. I did add anchor chili powder to deepen the color and flavor. Spot on!
Thank you!
Kelly
You’re welcome, Kelly!
I am visiting friends in Newfoundland and couldn’t find enchilada sauce in the store. I found this recipe online. And I am never going back to buying enchilada sauce again. So easy to make, tastes good, And way cheaper than buying it
Is this recipe safe for water bath canning?
This is my go to method for making enchilada sauce. I also make my own Taco seasoning and I will often substitute the seasonings listed for a Tbsp. or more of my taco seasoning as the combination of flavours are very similar. This method gives me a chance to vary the depth of flavour of the sauce as needed.
Great recipe!
I’ve made this recipes a few times and overall it’s a great tasting red sauce recipe!
Also, I’ve altered a couple ingredients, such as adding more tomato paste (and used tomato sauce too), to make it more to my personal taste. And I find that the 2 cups it makes is not enough for a casserole pan full of enchilada so I double the recipe.
Great recipe! I have been using a different recipe and was not happy with it, so I decided to give this one a try. Super easy and came out just right. I used chicken stock. The amount was a little too much for 10 enchiladas, I wonder if there are any other dishes it can be used for, so I can use leftover sauce.
That’s great to hear, Dasha! I appreciate your review.
I was surprised, I usually don’t like chili powder-based sauces, but this came out really good!
I have made this recipe as written many times now. We absolutely love it!
Currently, we are trying to live a lower carb lifestyle, so I changed two things. Used Carb Manager Tortillas and I thickened it with a teaspoon of Xanthan Gum at the end. Tastes exactly the same! I would use a little more Xanthan gum next time. It was a little thin. But better than using too much! There is no fix for too much. You just have to scrap it.