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 sauce was the first trial of homemade enchilada sauce and it was delicious! the consistency and flavor were right on par, I will definitely be using this one again!
This is the best sauce I have come across. The cinnamon adds a nice flavor.
Thank you for sharing this recipe!
I enjoyed this recipe. I couldn’t really taste the pinch of cinnamon. Instead of vinegar, I use jalapeño juice from the jar. I added a little too much garlic powder, and then some blackstrap molasses to balance it back out.
I doubled the recipe and added 1 Tbsp more of chili powder. Do add the cinnimon it adds flavor. Thanks for the recipe. 5 stars. Saves lots of money not buying the expensive canned sauce.
I’ve been using this recipe consistently for the past year and will never use another recipe again. I always double or triple it and freeze in bags. Delicious!
This recipe was surprisingly simple, with delicious results. I’m honestly wowed by how easy it is—never buying enchilada sauce again! Being able to make from scratch was a total confidence boost .
This recipe was great. The only thing I didn’t have was apple cider vinegar or white vinegar, so I substituted with red wine vinegar. I also added 1/4 tsp of cayeanne pepper to my dry spices for some subtle heat and a pinch of salt at the end. It was easy to make and taste really good.
I have been making this sauce for years as it is quick and hands down better than any store bought. Recently we had dinner at a little Mexican restaurant and, believe it or not, their sauce was better IMO. I detected a little heat and smokiness and tonight decided to substitute chipotles in adobo sauce for the tomato paste. It was perfect. So, if you like a little heat in your sauce, maybe give this a try. A little trick for the chipotles in adobo is to blend the whole can until smooth. Freeze flat in a zip lock bag so you can easily break off a piece to toss in a soup, chili, or even your enchilada sauce. Thanks for all of the great recipes Kate as well as the weekly meal plans. You have simplified and improved our family meals.
Hi Debbi, the chipotle variation sounds delicious! Thank you for sharing.
I added a little chipotle powder – maybe a scant tsp- and got that little kick of smoky heat and the sauce was perfect!
Super easy, especially if you do as the recipe said and get the spices and flour combined ahead of time. I had tablespoon portions of pre-frozen tomato paste (leftovers from another recipe) which made it super quick and easy. I melted the paste in warmed up broth to add to the spices. Delicious!
Do we have to use all kinds of flour or just one can do
Hi Aruna, any of the flour options work, you can choose what you have on hand.
Ohhhh, so delicious and so easy. My enchilada game has just been elevated!!
Unbelievably good enchilada sauce. I’m an American living in France and there’s no such thing here. Added a little smoked paprika that worked well. Having the spice/flour mixture prepped and ready made it come together quickly. Thanks very much. Have made tons of your recipes!
I’ve made this several times now and love it. I think I’ll try adding a little smoked paprika next time. I freeze into large silicon ice cube trays and pop out as needed. I get the four pack Costco made burritos. One or two cubes are perfect for two burritos, then a nice sprinkling of grated cheese across the top for a quick and easy meal.
Hi Paul, what a great way for a quick meal. I love the elevated convenience of putting the sauce on prepared burritos.
I work in a kitchen. This recipe scales very well. I usually make a gallon at a time. I do not add cinnamon because some residents are allergic.
Mexican dudes I work with agree it’s authentic Mexican flavor!
Hi Ben, thanks for sharing your experience scaling the recipe up to a gallon!
Ben! I would love to get your measurements for a gallon! I’m making enchiladas for a grad party. Thanks
It’s so refreshing and, not to mention, calming to come across a recipes’ instructions and no step was left out. Nothing was left up to chance or question. Thank you from Texas. You’ve got yourself a new follower. Cheers!
Delicious! Just like at the Mexican restaurant we always go to! I’ll never buy canned sauce again!
This was best enchilada sauce I’ve ever tasted! Soooooo much better than store bought. My family and I loved it!
Quick question on the enchilada sauce when you say the flour…
Wheat ,all purpose or gluten blend
You mean either one of the three?
Hi Aruna, it means you can use any type of flour you have on hand.
Simply the best! Super easy & flavorful. I always end up adding more salt & pepper, but it’s consistently delicious every time and has elevated my homemade enchilada game 100%!
Freezes beautifully, too!
Dying 2 make this Recipe
Id like to clarify, you said “ground chili powder”, you don’t mean chili powder (the spice mix) do you? Is this in reference to the spice mix or something like ground Paprika or Anaheim pepper?
Hi Sofia, I’m referring to regular chili powder that you can purchase ground into a powder in the spice section.
I used 1 cup of homemade beef broth and 1 cup homemade chicken broth- Man O Man!!! It was fabulous!!!
I’ve made this so many times and it comes out perfect every time! We sometimes sub smoked paprika instead of chili powder for my husband who doesn’t like things spicy. Fantastic recipe and perfect instructions!
I freaking am obsessed with this recipe. I have made it multiple times. I make wet breakfast burritos with it. Enchiladas. I take a bowl of it to work to dip my fritos in. I’m trying to to win a man’s heart and am going to make chicken enchiladas tonight with this sauce. I found the recipe because enchilada sauce in a can is so expensive and had a bitter taste to it. I wrote this recipe down in my recipe book because it’s so good. And it’s less expensive. Thank you so much.
YUM! Didn’t have Chili powder, so I substituted a chili spice mix that I use, didn’t have vegetable broth, so I substituted chicken brother, and I also added ~ 1/4 tsp onion powder, Aleppo pepper and Guajillo chili powder. Turned out great, with a slightly different flavor that tasted very authentic from store bought. Will use vegetable broth next time and chili powder instead of chili spice to taste the difference. Thank you for this wonderful base recipe! Will try others from you as a result. Found you with a Google search.
Hi Chris, I’m so glad you’re here! Thanks for taking the time to rate and comment on the recipe.
Have had great success with each of your recipes that I’ve tried! Now I want to make this sauce for a family member who can no longer tolerate any wheat – even gluten free. Would almond OR coconut OR combination of these two flours be a reliable substitute for the flour thickener?
Thank you!
Hi Cat, I haven’t tried almond or coconut, but cornstarch would work. I would begin by adding any substitution in small quantities and fully incorporating it until it reaches your desired consistency.
I’m wanting to make foods that my mother in law made for us while we were in Mexico can you help!
Hi Martha, I have lots of Mexican and Tex-Mex inspired recipes on the site. Mexico is a large country with many regional culinary traditions, so it’s hard to say if they will resemble what you have had in Mexico.
My husband said this was the best enchilada sauce he’s ever tasted. So much better than bottled sauce.
I started making this enchilada sauce a year or two ago and I will never go back to canned sauce again. It is truly the best!! So delicious!!
Love this recipe, make it all the time for my kids and I
Hi Kathryne!
Thank you so much for the recipe. What are the vegetarian-friendly substitutes for vegetable broth? And can I substitute vinegar with lime juice?
Hi Jay, if you don’t have vegetable broth, you can use vegan bouillon or simply water. Yes, you can substitute lime juice for vinegar. The punch of acid is what you need to liven up the sauce.
I made this and it was excellent. I used better than bullion sofritto and TJ’s Alio and pepperonciono seasoning instead of oregano and garlic powder. I threw in some amazing smoked salt and it was great.
Thank you! Finally, a red enchilada sauce recipe that…works. You did it! And it is so elegant. It really is brilliant, and I really am so enthusiastic. Your description of your search for the right enchilada sauce made me chuckle. I have similarly searched and never found it. Until now.
MSG doesn’t give you headaches – Also why does this recipe look like a copy and paste of the Tesco one?
Will Almond flour work?- trying to cut down on carbs
Hi Jane, I recommend the recipe as written.
This was fantastic! Thanks so much!
Hi Kate, is your ground chilli powder just chilies, or is it a mixture of spices?
Hi Sue, I just use regular ground chili powder, but you can experiment with different spices to suit your taste.
Msg does not cause migraines, that’s outdated and racist. Educate yours
I made this Enchilada sauce and served the dish to my wife. After experimenting with other recipes over the years we decided that this one is the only one we’ll be using from now on!
Thanks!
I used this sauce in my first attempt at homemade enchiladas, and they were a hit!
My husband is gluten and dairy free, so I used gf flour and it came out perfectly. He said they were amazing, and asked when I’d be making them again before he even finished his plate. Five stars, THANK YOU!
Delicious sauce, and very easy to make. I’ll never buy enchilada sauce from the store again. My boyfriend is very sensitive to hot spices, so I made it mild with only 1 tsp of chilli powder instead of 1 tbsp. I’ll add a bit more next time.
The enchiladas I made had a filling of roasted butternut squash and black beans. Delicious meal.
Try using Gebhardt’s chili powder. It has no heat and is the only chili powder my mom can tolerate. It is a delicious chili powder and I highly recommend it for those folks who can’t tolerate spicy heat.
Wanted to love, but toasting the spices with the tomato paste at the start really soured the flavor for me. Maybe tomato paste in the recipe means something different from tomato paste where I live (NZ), but it turned into a thick, burned mound that had to be quickly diluted with the broth. Nothing like the timing mentioned in the recipe was possible (e.g., 1 minute plus), even with a generous amount of olive oil.
Hi Cara, how hot was your pan? It sounds like your heat was too high if it burned.
Really great sauce and so easy to make! I reduced the chilli by half – as I prefer less spicy – and it was perfect! Thanks very much for sharing your recipes.
This is the best enchilada sauce and everyone raves about it each time I use it for enchiladas! I love that it has “real” ingredients and that you know exactly what is in the sauce. Many thanks for this gem!
This recipe is soo good and is my new go to for enchilada sauce.
Have you ever canned this recipe? I was just curious if there is anything special I might have to do for prepping or canning. Thanks!
Hi Kristen, I recommend that you only use a canning recipe that has been tested and verified to ensure food safety. This recipe has not been tested for use in canning.
What happened to the x3 x6 x9 button above recipe?
Hi Hope, the plug in that scaled the ingredients wasn’t working reliably, and I wasn’t able to find a better solution.
I didn’t feel like going to the store for canned enchilada sauce. I found this recipe and I absolutely LOVE it! So easy and delicious! I will never buy canned again. Thank you for sharing.