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
- Author:
- Prep Time: 3 mins
- Cook Time: 7 mins
- Total Time: 10 minutes
- Yield: 2 cups 1x
- Category: Condiment
- Cuisine: Mexican
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 Information
Vegetable enthusiast. Dog lover. I'm probably making a big mess in my Kansas City kitchen right now. 
Priscilla
I love this recipe, but both times I’ve made it the chili is a bit too much. I love heat, so I used the full tablespoon, but family thinks it’s too much. So I have to remember to cut it back. Maybe the chili powder I have is extra strong, because usually I can take strong flavors.
Jim
Love this recipe. I used a blend of dried guajillo and pasilla chiles in place of the chili powder because I love dried chiles.
★★★★★
Cheryl
I just made the sauce and it tasted a lot like El Pato enchilada sauce that we really like but can no longer find locally. You’re recipe is awesome!
We’re going to make chicken enchiladas and need enchiladas for guests. I’m sure they’ll be wonderful with this sauce
★★★★★
R Gutierrez
Really puzzled why flour, vinegar and tomato paste are used in your recipe. Our extended family of Mexican and Mexican-American cooks never use these ingredients.
★
Melissa F
This sauce is super yummy, as everyone has commented. I used 4 Tbsp tomato sauce, added 2 Chipotle chilis and used Ancho chili powder. The ACV really balances the flavors and shouldn’t be omitted!!!
I added the sauce to leftover shredded beef, low-sodium black beans, and non-dairy shredded cheese. I heated the bean/meat mixture in the microwave about 90 seconds. Then I rolled up the mixture in Xtreme Wellness tortillas and cooked in the air fryer (preheated – then 3-4 min per side) until tortillas were browned and crisp.
My husband loved his beef and bean burritos.
★★★★★
Ronda
Hi I don’t keep much tomato paste around but can I use sauce instead?
Kate
Hi Ronda, this recipe is best as written.
Viv
I forgot to buy enchilada sauce and came across your recipe. Since I had everything needed to make it, I gave it a try. I did add a little more vinegar just to get a tangier taste, but that was just my preference. It turned out great and thickened up nicely. Definitely much better than the store bought we would have normally.
★★★★★
Anne
I mean I guess it should be abundantly clear from 1369 reviews and 4.8 stars that this recipe is a winner, but for anybody yet on the fence: make this. I’ve never made enchiladas before but this sauce was easy and SO delicious! The enchilada bake is currently resting for 10 minutes after coming out of the oven but I’m already dreaming up what else I can put it on because I’m definitely making a double batch next time.
★★★★★
Kate
I’m glad you loved it, Anne! I appreciate you taking the time to review.
Deborah Lee
I love this sauce! It outshines any store bought I’ve tried and so easy to make
★★★★★
Kate
I’m glad you love it! Thank you for your review, Deborah.
Mike
Consistency is awesome. Color is great. Recommend a bit brighter chili powder e traditional mix for beef chili. I added way too much vinegar. Will back that off and try again. Flavor was compromised. Still edible even with too much vinegar but a bit off flavor wise.
Karen
Excellent recipe! My go to everytime
★★★★★
BD
Thank you for this recipe! I have made it twice now. The second time I increased the tomato paste to 4tbsp, made my own chili powder, and removed the sauce from the stove as soon as it simmers, as I prefer the sauce not so thick. These tweaks made it perfect and so much more flavorful! Love it!!
Aubrey
Made this recipe tonight and my entire family loved it!!! I am not big on heavy spice but almost felt it could use a touch more spice, spicier. I will definitely make it many times more!
★★★★★
Kate
Love to hear that, Aubrey! Thank you for your review.