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.
Delicious! Vinegar adds a slight acidic tang which I was skeptical about but when assembled with the enchiladas, it was sooooo tasty and the perfect sauce.
Wonderful to hear! Thank you for your review, Molly.
OMG! I made this for refried(homemade with dried beans), Chef John’s recipe. I’m trying not to eat it all before I put the enchilada dish..
SOO good. Thanks!
You’re welcome, Joanne!
This was a great recipe. I like it spicy so I added chipotle chili powder to the mix. I can’t buy enchilada sauce anymore now that I know how to make it. I used chicken bone broth that I made in stead of vegetable stock. My house smells like the old authentic Mexican restaurant. Thank you for sharing.
You’re welcome, JoAnne!
Did you really mean 1 tbsp chili powder? I used about half that and had to put about 1 1/2 cups of natural yoghurt in to make it edible. But I’m in the UK’s ‘curry capital’ (Bradford, West Yorkshire) so maybe the chili powder I get from an Asian brand is hotter? Other than that, I used minced fresh garlic too. The sauce was delicious on the finished dish though.
If you are outside the US, you will want to adjust the chili powder as it does vary.
Yes, Helen, I moved from the US to UK last year and the chili powder is significantly hotter than the US!
In many recipes when I would have added 1tsp in the US, I am using only about 1/4 tsp. I haven’t made this recipe yet to share my substitution.
Sounds like a fusion dish. Asian chili powder in a Mexican dish. You might be on to something!
SO GOOD!!!!!
I can’t have tomato or wheat products for a while, so I used arrowroot in place of the flour and pureed pumpkin in place of the tomato paste. It actually worked out really well! This recipe is great! I can’t wait to use actual tomato paste, but for now I’m super happy with this sauce! Thank you for a simple sauce recipe that’s delicious and better for you!
Thank you for sharing how you were able to make this, Jer!
Wow. I almost never comment on recipes, but have to for this. I’ve been trying to replicate my grandmother’s enchilada sauce for years, , and have come close. This is spot on. I did make two changes … replaced the cinnamon with cayenne and used chicken broth instead of vegetable broth. Absolutely stunning! I made it to make Huevos Rancheros rather than enchiladas … perfect! Thank you for sharing this.
You’re welcome, Kelly!
I usually just use store bought enchilada sauce as the previous attempts at making it from scratch did not really succeed. This recipe was amazing even though I forgot to add the cinnamon – will try that next time. We live in New Mexico so this food is a staple. We had friends over to eat the left overs 2 days later and they were very impressed as well.
very good and authentic tasting recipe. a little more salt brought out all the herbs and spices to make it taste delicious. Can’t wait to make the enchiladas with this sauce.
Love your recipes, Kate. I added 2 TBS chile powder this 3rd time making your enchilada sauce and it was the oomph I needed to make it bold enough for our taste. I love how your recipe doesn’t call for a bunch of tomato sauce. Simple, clean and easy!
Great to hear, Di!
After my husband’s recent heart attack we are on a permanent low sodium diet adventure! I have the pleasure of making a lot of our favorite foods completely from scratch. This enchilada sauce recipe is FANTASTIC! I made a few changes: I omitted the salt completely, used 1 1/2 cups of no sodium chicken broth and 1/2 cup water for the 2 cups of chicken broth, used 1 1/2 tbsp chili powder, and used1 tsp of garlic. It turned out mouth watering and I couldn’t wait for my husband to come home and try it. So simple and I’ll never buy canned enchilada sauce again :-) Paired very well with my homemade vegetarian taquitos!!
Can you freeze this well?
Yes, others have said they have froze it and liked the results.
Simple and worth it! You will not be disappointed!
Tasty! I loved reading about your research and tests of the different methods and recipes. This will be our go to.
That’s great to hear, Lindsay!
I’m not a cook. Very seldom do I cook. But I make both beef and the artichoke/spinach enchiladas for my sister’s birthday party. I was surprised that my family liked them and of course couldn’t believe I made them. I am at this moment making some for my sister in law gluten free.
I love this recipe. My kids prefer it over green chicken enchiladas. I use lemon as my acid instead of vinegar. That’s it.
I used lime juice instead of the vinegar and increased the chili powder a bit. Turned out good. Can’t believe I hadn’t looked for a recipe for this sauce before.
I first found this recipe maybe 2 years ago? And I have just been making it from memory since then. Recently I’ve been kinda disappointed in my sauce, so I looked back today to see if I’m doing anything wrong and realize I have been forgetting to add tomato paste lol so silly! So sad when I’ve been making tortillas from scratch and using wild game fillings!
I do tend to add way more spices and a little less flour but the vinegar and cinnamon are so tasty. Thank you thank you.
I love to hear that, Abby! Thank you for your review.
If I don’t have vegetable broth can I use beef or chicken broth?
Others have used it and didn’t mind the results.
The addition of the tomato paste, cinnamon, and apple cider vinegar is critical, without it, the sauce is just flat and way to spicy.
I would normally not make a comment about recipes but this one is fantastic! I was making a dish that called for enchilada sauce. I thought I had some but didn’t. I tried yours instead. Will never buy a can of enchilada sauce again. This recipe is so good and tastes amazing.
Great to hear, Nancy! I appreciate your review.
I’ve made this recipe and the veggie black bean enchiladas many times since discovering it. I always make half again as much sauce. The recipe is easy to scale. I’ve found sometimes a skin develops on the sauce so as soon as it’s cool enough I put a piece of saran wrap on it–touching the sauce–to prevent that skin. Also, if I’m making the sauce ahead of time I don’t add the apple cider vinegar until I’m reheating right before assembling. And I’ve noticed when I forget to add the vinegar!
Made this several times now for chilequiles per that recipe and it comes out great every time! I hope to make a more authentic chilequiles salsa one day, but every time I crave it, I come back to this recipe because I always have these ingredients on hand and it is so quick and easy and delicious!
This sauce is unlike any you can buy in a store. It is a rich mex-gravy so so good and full of flavor. Thank you, My family will enjoy this with out fail.
You’re welcome, Mark!
Fantastic recipe! Another masterpiece from Cookie & Kate. Mouth watering enchiladas. Truly the best and as authentic as you can get! Folks, do yourself a favor and add 1 tsp of smoked paprika to this recipe. Trust me, you’ll be grateful you did!
I’m excited you liked this sauce, Niel! Thank you for your review.
This is my go to enchilada sauce recipe. I’ve tried a few others and this is the best. I like to use a mix of different chili powders and have never been disappointed. Thanks!!.
I never knew how easy it was to make enchilada sauce. I’ve struggled to find a canned one my daughter can eat. The only one I could find was super spicy. This is a game changer for me. I haven’t finished making the enchiladas yet, but it tastes really mild on its own. I will definitely try adjusting the spice next time.
Enchilada sauce is my absolute favorite food group. One of my biggest guilty indulgences is getting enchiladas with LOTS of extra sauce so I have plenty to put over beans and rice as well. Unfortunately my partner was diagnosed with celiac a couple years ago, and while he’s not the sauce fiend that I am, he’s been so bummed he can’t have restaurant-made enchilada sauce. I made this recipe with gluten-free flour, and he loves it! I think it needs more of a punch to it so next time I’ll up the chili powder and cumin, and I may try chicken broth instead of veggie broth. But this is a really solid, tasty recipe!
This was a really good base and so easy to make. I thought it needed more spice which I did to make it my own as you mentioned you can do. At the end added more cumin, garlic powder, some smoked paprika and chile flakes. I did triple this recipe as I knew it was going to be a winner and it was. Now how can I every buy enchilada sauce again!! Next time I will add chipotle juice.
Hooray! Thank you for your review, Barbara.
Delicious!!! I used this as a sauce for my first attempt at chili rellenos. It was perfect and flavorful! It was a cinch to make (no more canned enchilada sauce here!) and will be great for topping burritos too. The cinnamon really did add something special.
Thank you for a such a diverse recipe!
This was soooooo delicious! Much better than store bought. It’ll be my go-to going forward. Thanks!
I read someone asked if it could be canned and you said yes. Is that water bathed or do you have to pressure can it. I LOVE this recipe!!
In general, good. But I found it needed a rounder ending and so I added a couple tablespoons of honey.
My husband was makeing a different enchilada sauce recipe that called for 2 cups of American chilli powder. He used 2 cups of European chilli powder and it’s safe to say it was more like volcanic Molten lava sauce. We found this recipe and whipped it up super last minute to save the dinner my husband had been slaving over and it was delicious. we couldn’t have imagined the enchiladas with any other sauce after tasting it. So glad we found this recipe, we will definitely be using it again.
Hi, could you use water or chicken broth in place of vegetable broth?
Sure, others have done that and not minded the results.
Delicious! This saved my dinner tonight, thank you!
You’re welcome, Nathalie!
I’ve used this enchilada sauce recipe quit a few times and it’s fabulous. I always get rave reviews from my family. Thank you so much for taking the time to figure out the correct ingredients!
Hmmm not sure what happened. Mine turned into a lumpy mess. Back to the can we go!
Oh no! I’m sorry to hear that. Did you get the flour whisked evenly?
I’ve tried to find an enchilada sauce to make from scratch after looking at the ingredients in the store-bought jars. This is the best!!! Thanks so much for your research and for sharing this!
I’ve never made enchilada sauce before because I didn’t like the bottled stuff. This is amazing! Almost has a mole feel to it. I did add a tsp of sugar because I like my sauces sweeter. I would put this on everything! Eggs, chicken, pork!
I love to hear that, Debbie! Thank you for your review.
the best recipe, I print it and save it in my folder. I omit the garlic because my husband is a vampire, he can smell it from a kilometer away and hates it. been married forever and I had to quit garlic hahaha. So, I replaced garlic with onion powder and it worked so well, I did add black salt, thyme, and paprika… I only get compliments from this sauce.
This has been my go to enchilada sauce recipe for a few years now. So easy to make and SO much flavor. I highly recommend this recipe. The only substitution I make is chicken broth instead of vegetable broth because I always have chicken broth on hand. And the cinnamon is definitely necessary in my opinion. It makes the sauce in my opinion. Fantastic!!!!
I appreciate the versatility of this recipe. I thought I had black beans and didn’t so I substituted chili beans. I thought I had diced tomatoes but I didn’t so I substituted my home canned tomatoes. I thought I had enchilada sauce, but I didn’t so I quickly made up one from scratch. I thought I had a bell pepper, but I didn’t so I just left it out. And this recipe still tasted great! I can’t wait to try it when I have all the ingredients as they are listed.
Great to hear, Carla!
Hi Kate.
This sounds delicious. Can I use tomato purée instead of paste?
This is best as written. I hope you try it!
Planning to try this recipe this weekend, but just wanted to let you know that the partial measurements (one-half, one-quarter) in the ingredient list do not show up in Firefox 120.0. They show up as other characters, like ‘-‘ and ‘x’. It does work successfully in Chrome, however.
Thank you for sharing, Katherine. That’s strange. I will have to look into that!
I made this recipe fir 3 households, my son’s & their families and I cannot say enough good about it. I made the enchiladas and sauce. Everyone loved it. That was a few months ago. It’s now second Son’s birthday, so I am doing it again! Such great recipes, thank you! Brenda :)
So good! I had to stop myself from eating it by the spoonful. Enchiladas are in the oven now and I’m very excited to see how they turned out with this delicious sauce! I have a feeling I won’t be buying the canned stuff again.
This sauce was delicious! The only thing I did different was use chicken broth.
Could I replace the tomato paste with tomato sauce? It’s all I have.
Others have and didn’t mind the results. I recommend this best as written.
So much better than store bought enchilada sauce! With a little cotija cheese sprinkled on top, this helped me make the best enchiladas EVER! Thank you for this recipe!
You’re welcome, Charli!
Wow! So good! I put extra chili powder as I like spice and I could barely breathe in my kitchen! An easy and delicious recipe. Now making the enchiladas!