Enchilada sauce is one of my very favorite things, ever. I love when it soaks into tortillas while baking and makes everything all tangy, spicy, and good. Mmmmm. 🤤 But when the selection of enchilada sauce at my local grocery store was less than impressive, I decided it was high time to make some red enchilada sauce myself. This Easy Red Enchilada Sauce is a total game-changer and now I can never go back to store-bought. It has ten times more flavor than anything I’ve ever had from a can and literally takes minutes to make. It’s a total winner.
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Quick Method, Big Flavor
This EASY enchilada sauce is not an authentic enchilada sauce made with dried chile peppers that you’ll find in Texas or Mexico, but it’s a quick and easy version that anyone can whip up in their kitchen using basic pantry staples. But I promise, once you taste it, you won’t regret the shortcuts. It’s still bursting with flavor and you’ll want to pour it over everything. If you want a made-from-scratch with dried chiles enchilada sauce, check out this Authentic Enchilada Sauce recipe from Isabel Eats.
How Spicy is Red Enchilada Sauce?
The “chili powder” listed in the recipe below is a store-bought mix of spices used to season chili. It is not straight chile powder, or pure ground chile peppers, which can be extremely spicy. The brand of chili powder I use is completely mild, but other brands can sometimes carry some heat. If you are using a spicy chili powder, simply reduce or eliminate the cayenne powder from this recipe to compensate. The heat level of the recipe below, using McCormick’s chili powder, is medium spicy, like a medium salsa.
How to Use Enchilada Sauce
Enchilada sauce is not just for Enchiladas! Here are some other great ways to use red enchilada sauce:
- as a simmer sauce for meat (in a slow cooker or skillet)
- as a rich sauce to smother burritos
- combined with eggs and fried tortillas for Migas
- combined with sour cream to make a creamy and spicy dip
- as a replacement for taco sauce
- a soup base (Chicken Enchilada Soup or 30 Minute Posole)
- to sauce up casseroles like Mexican lasagna, enchilada casserole, or Taco Stuffed Shells
But if you do want to use it for enchiladas, make sure to check out these great enchilada recipes: Cheese Enchiladas, Chorizo and Sweet Potato Enchiadas, Black Bean and Avocado Enchiladas, and Weeknight Enchiladas.
Easy Red Enchilada Sauce
Servings 8 ¼ cup eachIngredients
- 2 Tbsp cooking oil ($0.10)
- 2 Tbsp all-purpose flour ($0.02)
- 2 Tbsp chili powder ($0.30)
- 2 cups water ($0.00)
- 3 oz. tomato paste ($0.27)
- 1/2 tsp ground cumin ($0.03)
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder ($0.03)
- 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper ($0.02)
- 3/4 tsp salt or to taste ($0.03)
Instructions
- Add the cooking oil, flour, and chili powder to a sauce pot. Turn the heat on to medium and whisk the ingredients together. Continue to whisk as the mixture begins to bubble. Whisk and cook the mixture for one minute once it begins bubbling.
- After one minute, whisk in the water, tomato paste, cumin, garlic powder, and cayenne pepper until smooth. Allow the sauce to come up to a simmer. Once it reaches a simmer it will begin to thicken slightly.
- Starting with a 1/2 teaspoon, add salt to taste. I used about 3/4 teaspoon total. The sauce is now ready to use!
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Notes
Nutrition
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How to Make Enchilada Sauce – Step By Step Photos
Start by adding 2 Tbsp flour, 2 Tbsp chili powder, and 2 Tbsp oil to a pot. I use McCormick’s chili powder, which is not spicy, just flavorful, so don’t be frightened by the large quantity in the recipe. All of the heat comes from the cayenne pepper.
Whisk these ingredients together and allow them to come up to a bubble over medium heat, whisking the whole time. Whisk and cook for one minute. This will toast the flour and chili powder, adding to the flavor depth and making sure that the flour doesn’t taste like paste.
After one minute, add 3oz. tomato paste, 1/2 tsp ground cumin, 1/2 tsp garlic powder, 1/4 tsp cayenne, and whisk in 2 cups water (or broth).
Let the sauce come up to a simmer and it will begin to thicken. Taste the sauce and add salt to your liking. Start with about 1/2 teaspoon and add more if needed. The salt will really help bring out the flavors. If you’re using broth in place of water, you might not need to add any at all.
And now you’re good to go! Drizzle this thick and flavorful enchilada sauce over all of your favorite foods and enjoy!
I just wanted to share a heartfelt THANK YOU for this sauce recipe. I cook for friends often and never have any of them asked for a recipe more than enchiladas with this sauce. My own Latina mother asked me where I got the recipe. I add a squeeze of lime juice when it’s off the heat for some balance. Costco roasted chicken, a can of diced green peppers, green onions, pepper jack cheese and enchilada sauce to chicken filling and you’ve got a delicious meal. Thank you for your great recipes and inspiration and for keeping things delicious and affordable!!!
Can you substitute tomato sauce for tomato paste.
Unfortunately I think that would change the flavor and consistency too much!
Yes! You can actually reduce it way down to more of a paste, I use google for everything! ๐
INCREDIBLE! Super easy, made with common pantry staples, and way tastier than store bought.
Is there a way to make this recipe less sweet? I made it. It’s good. But it’s too sweet for me. Maybe I cooked the chili powder too long
I’d day it’s probably from the tomato paste which can be pretty sweet! You could always try adding something acidic like lime lime juice or vinegar to try and balance the sweetness if it’s too sweet for you.
Iโve made this recipe several times! It is so good! And not too hot for my non-spice, loving family! Thank you so much! Super fast to throw together for enchilada night!
The sauce was amazing, I never tasted anything else like it, this recipe is great. Thank you for sharing.. love love love this recipe
Delicious and so easy. I didn’t realize.i didn’t have a can of enchilada sauce and was in a pinch. This was such a simple recipe. Saved my supper. Thank you!
Can you make a large batch to save for later?
You should be able to double the recipe just fine and it freezes wonderfully!
So good! Hands down the best from scratch enchilada sauce Iโve made and Iโve tried several over the years! While totally not necessary but I feel it adds a subtle something-tasty to it, is I add about a tsp or so of raw cocoa powder as well, otherwise Iโve always followed it precisely. I always forget just how easy this is to make, really need to include it in my usual rotation:) too bad the actual making of the enchiladas isnโt as easy tho definitely not hard lol :)
Iโm iโm a white man Been married to my wifeโs Mexican family for 45 years i made this easy enchilada sauce And I received good compliments I made it for enchilada casserole cheese enchilada casserole and tonight Iโm gonna make a mushroom spinach onion cheese enchilada casserole
Such a delicious (and easy) recipe!! No more store bought enchilada sauce for me!!
This was just as easy as written. I had all ingredients and needed to down-spice it for my husband who has a sensitivity to apiece at the moment. Great flavor. I also used the chicken broth suggestion for water substitution.
So easy and so good. Thank you my husband said to put this on our monthly menu!!!
SO easy-and so good it puts canned sauces to shame, we make it all the time now.
Can this be made with another alternative to flour? My doctor has me on a strict diet and I can’t have anything made with flour.
You could try 1 tbsp of cornstarch instead of 2 tbsp of flour!
Jennifer you could use Xanthan Gum as a thickener. It is commonly used by diabetics and individuals on low carb diets.
I was looking for an enchilada sauce when my store ran out of the one I usually buy. Well, this was so EASY to make and awesome! It tastes like the one I had at a Mexican restaurant once. I can tell you I will be making this one again and again! No more store bought for me. Thanks so much for an amazing recipe!
Iโm going to try this tonight!
I was really craving enchilada and elated to find this recipe So easy and quick! Saved my week night.
Quick, easy, and delicious. I’ve been using this recipe for several years and now just commented. If I have it, I use some chicken broth for some of the water. As Beth says, it may not be authentic but who the heck is gonna know?!
Just made this for the first time (to go in some tamale pie for supper), and it’s very good. Very mild, too.
Will definitely make this again.
This was my first time making enchilada sauce from scratch. I don’t like cayenne pepper flavor so instead of that I grilled a jalapeno and red pepper and added it to the sauce. My family loved the sauce. We have celiac disease so finding gluten free sauce was hard. I replaced the plain flour with gluten free flour instead.
This is seriously one of the best recipes I’ve ever found on any food site. We’ve been making enchiladas with this sauce for 8 or 9 years and I still love it so much that I came here to finally say so. This is my first recipe website comment. That is how much I love this sauce. You don’t need to mess with it. Make it as written!
I would have loved to print this recipe and use it, but the ads kept interfering with the print command and all it would print was empty paper!
For all those people that would like to freeze this sauce I am here to say it freezes great. It keeps perfectly in the freezer for up to 3 months. I take it down the night before to thaw it. Or if you forget to thaw it the night before then you can take the sauce from the freezer and run the sauce in the freezer bag under hot water an it will thaw out. It tastes like you just made it.
I tried it and everyone loved it, it really had a great lasting flavor. I mixed the sauce to the meat, the sauce thickness is perfect.
How long will this keep if refrigerated? I made a small batch and it is fabulous! I would like to use up my leftover tomato paste and make a large batch but I donโt use enchilada sauce real often. Thanks for your advice.
I would only keep this one a few days. Since it’s thickened with a flour roux, it can tend to separate after sitting in the fridge a while and generally you don’t want to keep cooked foods more than 4-5 days anyway.
Awesome
(UPDATE) Just made this recipe …and this is an excellent base. I played with it and here is what I did… Instead of tomato paste I used 2 -15 oz cans of tomato sauce, I omitted the flour all together! 2 1/2 cups of water,1/4 cup of cooking oil, 3/4 tspn onion powder,1/4 tspn of dried oregano and 1/2 tspn of black pepper. Of course all other ingredient measurements increase up to x-4 depending on your taste… Yes I was impressed and I will never buy pre-made canned again! You can use extra sauce mixed into a bean dip for chips ~
You’re recipe in no way resembles the recipe Beth posted. You made a tomato sauce, not a red enchilada sauce.
Only a 3 star for now, going to try this recipe tonight (10/25/23)..I was disgusted yesterday at the store (Safeway Seattle) at the cost of a can of enchilada sauce “$5.09” for a 28 oz can? WTF!~ I really hope this recipe is good and or if it needs a little push of extra ingredients ….I will post ALL additions if needed..everyones taste is different…
Am definitely going to make this and can some. I am going to use Roma tomato juice inplace of the water and tomato paste.
so easy to make and absolutely delicious!!!
Can you can this sauce?
Absolutely amazing! I’ve been wasting money on McCormick sauces mixes for years, I’m so glad I found this recipe! I did work for Beth years ago and I still remeber the smells coming from her kitchen will we working at her home. Thank you posting recipes that are delicious and budget friendly ๐
I am eager to try this budget (and time) friendly sauce. My mother in law taught me her authentic sauce and it’s delicious but reconstituting chilis etc it’s time consuming. My only question is how you store this for future use if I want to make a large batch to use over a week or two?
HI Erica! You can portion out and freeze.
Fabulous and easy! Red enchilada sauce is hard to come by and when I do find it, itโs full of ingredients that I donโt want so it was a hit for me and Iโll be using it from now on! Thanks for this ๐
I really liked this sauce! Actually, it didn’t wow me just tasting it from a spoon, but once I put it on top of my enchiladas I loved the combination of flavors! I will be using this on enchiladas (and maybe other things — will need to experiment) from here on out! Canned enchilada sauce is not cheap, so it’s nice to have a quick and fun way to make my own. Thanks, Beth!
Can u freeze this.??
I haven’t tried it so I can’t vouch for how it holds up, but I’ve seen people comment in the past that they do freeze it.
Yes, this sauce freezes beautifully! I’ve been cooking up 2x batches of this sauce for years, portioning it into small 1/2 cup plastic containers and then I just pull them out of hhe freezer as needed.
Good recipe
Although I have not signed up to receive emails. I really enjoy budgetbytes. The recipes are always good. I’m always looking for new content. Keep up the good work.
Ever since I tried this recipe years ago I keep coming back. It’s so simple and yummy and tastes so much better than a can!!!
Is it really 2 Tbsp oil in the photos? I tried 2 Tbsp for flour and chili, but it came out as a paste.
Otherwise quick and tasty sauce recipe
Yes, I used 2 Tbsp. :)
This happens to me every time too! I wonder if we need a smaller pot so the liquid is closer together (aka deeper). I just use 3T of oil instead of 2T and it works for me!
Fantastic and so easy. What a money saver for my budget!
This was so easy to make and so delicious!! Thank you!!
This recipe is the reason I stopped buying bland canned enchilada sauce!
Sauce is very good and easy to make. We poured it over jalapeno cheese tamales on Christmas day – yum!! Did not use any salt – it really does not need it.
Skipped the stars accidentally! Five stars all the way!
Great enchilada sauce recipe! I used roasted garlic and ancho powder. If you don’t have tomato paste you can use tomato sauce, just mind the total liquid volume and use some water to keep the consistency. Also Wondra flour will assure a smooth texture. Cumino powder can be very variable in strength so use enough to know it’s there but not enough to cause bitterness. I used Knorr Beef Bouillon powder as the salt. Thanks very much Beth for a great utility sauce that is simple and open for interpretation! All the best this holiday season and hopes for a blessed new year!
Wow!! Am I ever happy that the snow kept me from running to the store to get canned enchilada sauce. I cannot believe how yummy, but also how easy this was to make!! I will forever be making it from now on. I doubled the recipe plus I had some beef bone broth opened in the fridge that needed used so replaced that with the water. It turned out amazing!!
Agreed with Rachel, I will never going to purchase another can of enchilada sauce. This recipe was not only easy to made, but it has such a lovely flavor, the enchiladas were delicious,
Thank you!
I will never purchase store bought enchilada sauce again. This recipe was so simple and turned out delicious!!
Thank you for this recipe. I thought I had enchilada sauce when I went shopping. Not! This was easy, and probably better too.
Could you use chicken broth in place of water?
Absolutely! XOXO -Monti
Do you ever make big batches and can it? If so, what are your canning directions?
We do not can our enchilada sauce. XOXO -Monti
I’ve made big batches and frozen it in recipe-sized portions many times. The sauce will separate when thawed, but a quick blitz with an immersion blender and it’s as good as fresh made (which is excellent). Would be interested to know if canning works!
I was just making lazy enchiladas b and the big can of enchilada sauce in my pantry didn’t look, smell or taste quite right so off to Google I went. I ended up here. When I tell you I will never buy canned enchilada sauce again. I will never buy canned enchilada sauce again. I scaled way back on the cayenne and added a bunch more garlic. It was perfect. Thank you!
I made adjustments on this recipe to make about 1 1/2 gallons for Mens weekend retreat and it was a hit. My crew used it in beef enchiladas for about 120 men, the guys used it to top there tacos , they were putting on eggs in the morning. Iโve made it numerous times for my family. Always a hit.
I usually have to adjust the flour ratio to get this to work, but it always tastes spectacular. My current favorite use: Inspired by Bethโs Quick Curried Chickpeas, I simmer chickpeas in the finished enchilada sauce, then top with cilantro and cotija cheese. Itโs a fast and easy way to deliver more enchilada sauce to my mouth!
We loved this sauce with the black beanenchillada recipe.
My question is:
How long before serving can I prepare this sauce?
Can I freeze it?
Thank you so much!
I usually just use it right away, but other people have commented that they keep it refrigerated a few days. I haven’t tried freezing it but I’m almost certain a couple other people have commented that they do so. :)
I have been using this recipe for awhile. I printed it off the internet a long time ago. Then I looked it up on Pinterest so now I have it were I can get it anytime without pulling out a paper copy. I love this recipe.
I make double batches of this recipe often! Itโs the best. So easy, flavorful and reliable every time. I make enchiladas, enchilada casserole, and have successfully used it to make easy refried beans and taco โmeatโ with lentils, mushrooms and beans. I add oregano, personal preference, but otherwise follow directions as theyโre written.ย
A bit too much chili powder for my preference, but that might be because the stuff I use is pretty strong. Otherwise fantastic, I’d just cut the chili powder to about 1-1/2 tbsp next time, maybe adding some back after tasting.
can you use Wondra in place of flour?
Unfortunately, I’ve never used Wondra, so I’m not sure how it would perform in a recipe like this.
I’m stunned at how fabulous this enchilada sauce is! Better than any restaurant’s and easy, too! I’ve never found a canned enchilada sauce that is good, and when I’ve tried other recipes they’re too tomato-y. This recipe, however, is PERFECT! It has the exact flavor I’ve been hunting for years to find. Thank you so much!
I made this sauce and then it sat in the fridge for a day because I got busy and didnโt make the enchilada casserole immediately. Iโm glad I got busy, because by the next day – wow! The flavours really developed overnight! Huge winner and will be making this again and again! Thanks Beth for all your amazing recipes that become staples in this household!ย
How long does this last in the fridge?
I would love to make this on the weekend and use it during the week.
Probably a few days or so.
I totally agree, best enchilada sauce ever. After spending too much on a few different brands from the grocery store and not liking them, I always make this! Great for vegetarians as well as meat eaters in my family! And so easy!ย
Before I start what can use in place of tomato sauce or paste? Would taco sauce or spaghetti sauce or pizza sauce & how much? TY
No, unfortunately, I wouldn’t suggest substituting the tomato paste. It’s important for both the flavor and the consistency of the sauce.
Excellent enchilada sauce recipe! Iv tried several, and of course the disgusting ones from a can.. this one beats them all! Last time I made it just as is, this time I added 1/2 tsp cocoa powder, and found it adds this great flavor complexity that makes an otherwise great sauce, that much like.. more! Thanks soo much!!ย
I was skeptical of this, but I was totally blown away. A million times better than store bought canned sauces, and an amazing go-to pantry recipe.
This is a staple in our house. I no longer buy enchilada sauce, as store bought doesnโt compare! I had never thought about making it with veggie broth instead of just water, but Iโm trying it with that this time. Canโt wait to see how it turns out!
Can this enchilada sauce be frozen and if so how long
Unfortunately, I haven’t tried freezing this one, so I can’t say for sure. Usually sauces thickened with a flour roux like this tend to separate after freezing and thawing, so I’m not sure it will hold up.
I freeze this sauce a lot but you have to blend it with an immersion blender once it thaws to being it back together as it does seperate some. You can’t even tell once you blend it though.
So easy! I’ll never need the envelope stuff again. I made it 4 times the recipe so I’d have plenty for dipping the tortillas and had plenty left over. The only thing I changed (we are total gringos and can’t handle too much spice) is I added 3.5 tablespoons chili powder instead of 4. I thickened it up even more with an extra tablespoon of flour. I also added 1 tablespoon of granulated sugar to take off some off the edge. No cayenne pepper for us!ย
I loved it and it was just the right amount of spiciness for us!
This was super easy to make and tasted great!
I lived (and cooked) *very* frugally for some time as a young man. I was taught an even thriftier rojo enchilada sauce by my running buddy, who grew up among brothers in a large and rather impoverished household. The ingredients are simple:
Catchup – as many catchup packages as you can come up with (the single serving type given out with fries by fast food chains)
Chili powder (not chile powder, for the same reasons)
Corn starch (the packaging in the plastic tub lasts longer then in the box, and costs less per serving, but the box is usually cheaper initially
Water
Pour about a cup of cold water into a sauce pan. H.eat pan on medium heat
Empty in as many catchup packages as you could get ahold of – five or six is usually enough, more makes the sauce a bit more tomato flavored, but also sweeter, so don’t go overboard, and do taste once the chili powder has had time to simmer in.
Add 1-2 Tbsp of the chili powder. Whisk it in. (Use a fork if you don’t have a whisk, but if you are using a non-stick pan, don’t scratch the coating with the fork tines.)
Simmer together a while. If you have salt and pepper, cautiously add a touch of each. Cumin? Garlic powder? Oh, yes, please, just a touch. But this is real po’ boy enchilada sauce, and usually, no spices other than salt and pepper are around. (And you get those from individual serving packets from that fast food place.)
How thick do you want your sauce? If you are dipping your corn tortillas in before filling and rolling them, (for enchiladas, usually) use 1 Tbsp of corn starch. If you are pouring the sauce over chips or pre-rolled flour tortillas, use 2 Tbsp of corn starch. Place the dry corn starch in a cup, and add a little COLD water. Add the corn starch water all at once to the simmering sauce, and stir once it resumes simmering until fully integrated and the sauce is fully thickened. If you have made thin sauce, and are dipping your corn tortillas before rolling the (beans, meat, cheese) filling, the left over thin sauce will have simmered down some by the time you are done rolling the enchiladas and placing them in a baking or microwave safe pan. Just pour it over the rolled enchiladas. If you made the thicker sauce, and rolled the tortillas dry (which works fine for flour tortillas with some refried bean fillings, for example), same thing – just pour it over the rolled dry enchiladas in their heating pan. Sprinkle on a little cheese if you have it. (Left over packets of grated Parmesan from a take out pizza place actually work fairly well and taste OK, too. The flaked dry red peppers from the same pizza order will add a touch more heat to the enchilada sauce, especially if added early, to give the capsicum a chance to simmer into the sauce. Total cost for this sauce? Literally just a few cents, especially if you can scrounge up the catchup and cheese packages. Now, it won’t be as good as, or as caloric (because no oil) as the delicious sauce in the article, which sounds wonderful. But you can’t beat it for cheap, and it will add a good deal to a batch of corn tortilla enchiladas, which themselves are rather frugal food as well.
Eat it all up while warm – it’s usually better that way.
Authentic sauce. Perfect instructions and measurements. I used tomato sauce because it’s what I had and it still turned out.
This is the best stuff! I always make a double batch and use the leftovers on eggs, which I awesome! I make and use for several different recipes, including your chicken and black bean SNAP Challenge enchiladas, as well as my own beef/bean/corn Mexican casserole.ย
I am so happy to have come across your site. Thank you for sharing these valuable recipes that quickly become the family go to standard!โค
I tried this one day this summer when I didnโt want to go back out to the store. ย I havenโt bought enchilada sauce since. ย I always make a double batch and add a little chicken soup base with the water. ย I like that itโs just a little thick. ย Since I usually make enchiladas with leftovers, I like that the sauce is worm and starts warming up the other ingredients. Itโs good with leftover chicken, turkey, and pulled pork.
Loved this red enchilada sauce recipe so much better than the can kind bought in the store! Hubby and son approved!! I will be using this recipe from now on!!
Absolutely divine. And this is coming from a New Mexican family!!! Keep up the great recipes!!!
I just tried this recipe and I have to say that I was pleasantly surprised! I have tried other recipes for enchilada sauce with not so great results, but this one came out perfect – by far the best i’ve tried. My son is the biggest food critic on the planet and even he gave it a thumbs up. Will definitely be my go to from now on!
Did I do something wrong? The first…the oil, flour and chili powder…did not get bubbly. It rolled up in to a ball!ย
Not sure why! End result was still good but didnโt thicken up as much as I would have liked it.ย
Oh no! Sorry to hear that Angie! Did you happen to whisk it constantly while putting it all together? It may have been too hot.
I had the same thing happen to me, I made sure the mixture was really well incorporated than added the water and started the bubbly process. From there it was fine. Very delicious.ย
I love this recipe, and I always have everything on hand to make this which makes it extra convenient! Additionally–I like a really spicy sauce, so I use a ground Chipotle chili powder or a ground Ancho chili powder, but eliminate the cayenne and a little extra tomato paste. I think it’s a bit more flavorful than many of the seasoning blends out there.
After years of trying the various canned enchilada sauces and always being disappointed, I started the search for a homemade sauce. I found this recipe and was happy to see how simple it was to make. The first time I made it we were all surprised at how delicious it was. This has since become my go-to enchilada sauce recipe. Iโve made it a ton of times! The only thing I have started doing differently is adding slightly less chili powder because my 5 y/o doesnโt like how spicy it is as written.ย
Don’t know why I wondered how good this would come out and I was pleasantly surprised! Think I will use this recipe often now that I tried it…Very good!
Made with coconut oil, chili and flour plus whatever I had in spices close enough. I really liked the coconut oil with the heat. Big hit here at home. Thank you
How long can this last in the fridge?
You could store it for three to five days. Or freeze it for up to six months.
I went looking for this recipe because my income has been heavily impacted by the stay at home orders due to Covid-19 and I wanted to see if I could make enchilada sauce with ingredients I already have on hand.
ย This is not really comparable to the canned sauces I have used in the past because its flavor profile and color were completely different from what I am accustomed to.
It came out looking more like a mole sauce to me (although it didnโt taste much like one), and tasted more like a chili gravy than the red enchilada sauce I am used to in Tex-Mex/ Americanized Mexican food. I will probably continue to use my preferred brand of canned sauce for some recipes.
That being said…. this was absolutely delicious and although I was surprised by the outcome, we all chowed down. My 22 year old daughter (also a foodie like myself) declared tonightโs dinner โthe best enchiladas she has ever hadโ, my professional chef son-in-law asked for the recipe, and my Mexican-born and sometimes hard to impress stepfather was wowed!ย
We will definitely be using this again! Thank you for sharing this recipe, I am glad I found it!
Homemade for the win! So much better than anything from a jar!
can you jar this recipe?
Hi James! We haven’t canned this recipe ourselves. I think it would can great, but I’d recommend following instructions in the Ball Book of Canning or contacting your local extension office.
Wow!! Awesome Sauce. I can’t believe how good this is. seriously took less than 10 minutes to make and blows canned sauce so far out of the water. Thank you, Thank you for sharing Beth. Never using canned again. Incredible!!
Love this sauce! So easy and I always have the supplies on hand…I won’t be buying store bought any longer when I can make it so easily.
I think the flavor and spice of this will vary greatly based on the chili powder you use wo u used my freshest, most flavorful chili powder on hand.
I liked the flavor of this sauce even more after it was baked into the enchiladas and best the next day on leftovers.
Thanks!
Love this recipe! ย We made this last night along with homemade flour tortillas for wet burritos. ย I didnโt have any canned enchilada sauce and didnโt want to have to run to the store. ย This was super-easy and I had all the ingredients in my pantry. ย I will never buy canned sauce again!
This was excellent and very easy. I did opt for vegetable broth in place of the water to give a little more depth to the flavor. Thanks for a great recipe!
Very tasty and quick recipe with just the right amount of spice. I doubled it so i have another meal prepped for another time. Great meal for a stay in home order as i had all items in the house.
And to follow up on Kitty’s remarks :) I had left-over roasted chicken that I shredded. Then I also had a chicken gravy mix packet! (Yes, store shelves are bare! but didn’t even go to the store!) I used the gravy as a base and then all other ingredients in this recipe and made some chicken enchiladas (added some sour cream, too) and they turned out great! Minor modifications – no water/flour/oil since I used the Pioneer Roasted Chicken Gravy mix and also no salt…. again, gravy mix. But all the other spices. Really good!
I was kind of freaking out because I needed enchilada sauce and the store shelves were wiped clean (due to coronavirus shopping) and then I remembered this excellent recipe, which I’ve made before. I had everything I needed at home to make it. Problem solved. Thank you a million times!
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This is my go-to enchilada sauce recipe! It is so easy, requires ingredients I always have on hand, and is 100% better than anything you can buy in a can. Thank you for this amazing recipe that I have been using for at least six years now.
I love how easy, fast, and inexpensive this enchilada sauce is to make. It may not be authentic Mexican enchilada sauce, but it uses standard kitchen ingredients and can be cooked in one pot in 10 minutes and tastes great! Yay for simple budget-wise cooking! Thank you, Beth!
I started making this recipe when I got tired of canned sauce. It’s been my go to recipe for the last few years and it’s gets better and better everytime. I definitely recommend using the broth option instead of water it provides more depth of flavor. I’ve found that each container of chile powder I buy have differing levels of heat so some batches end up being more spicy than others. I also have found that I like using chipotle powder instead of cayenne. My wife and kids tend to like the smokier flavors. Thank you for this outstanding recipe!
I love this recipe and use it all of the time. The last time I made it I froze some (8 oz.) in a freezer jar. When I went to use it after it had thawed, it was very watery but also seemed to have chunks in it even after I stirred it with a fork. It looks very pale in color compared to when it is freshly made. Have you frozen this before? I am not sure I want to use it.
We haven’t frozen this sauce before. Sometimes flour thickened sauces tend to separate after the freeze-thaw cycle, so Iโm not sure what happened!
The same thing happened to me, Iโd say donโt use it…while I found it canโt be frozen by itself, Iโve always had success freezing recipes Iโve used it for (like an extra pan of enchiladas). Just make sure not to use corn tortillasโthey absorb too much sauce during thawing and get super mushy…
Wow, a new go to. And I used bacon drippings instead of veggie oil. Not for every recipe but perfect for the sauted beef bites I was making tonight that had a roasted potato side. I am a new fan of this site!
Oh man delicious! Thanks Jeanne!
Thank you so much for this recipe! I had no idea it was so easy:) It takes all the mystery and guesswork out of buying it at the store because I never know what I’m getting there in terms of heat and flavor. This is perfect!
Happy to hear it Esther!
This has been my go to sauce for years. I just tried it with almond flour and it works just as good !!
That’s great to know Rose!
I have been using this recipe for years and have not commented or complimented until now – sorry! It is easy to make and works out perfectly every time. I do reduce the water to 1 1/2 cups and add an envelope of beef OXO powder (personal preference).
Thanks Karen!
I added a little sugar to help balance out the flavor a little bit more, too….
This is a great enchilada sauce. I won’t be buying canned again. My only question is how long will it store in the refrigerator?
Only about 4-5 days.
Freeze it!!
Would it work to use gluten free flour just the same? I use this sauce all the time but recently converted to gluten free and want to make sure it wonโt mess up the sauce!ย
Unfortunately I’ve never worked with gluten-free flour, so I’m not sure how it might affect the outcome here.
Gluten-free cornstarch works well to thicken. Add 2 Tblsp cornstarch when you add the water, and whisk well. It will need to simmer for a short period.ย
Thanks for the tip Kim!
Really good! I didn’t notice your comment about not adding salt if you use broth until it was too late! but I just added some more water and it was fine. Thanks! Will be making it again!
Unfortuntely a Americanโwhitewashed recipe that is very bland. You really need to use real peppers and soak them to make a decent sauce. No bueno.
Who cares!!!!ย
I love how easy this is and totally adaptable to Whole30!
I have avoided this recipe for YEARS because I am an enchilada sauce snob. Coming from Arizona, itโs hard to beat any enchilada sauce (and there are plenty of options to choose from). Now that Iโm living in the northwest and sorely missing decent Mexican food, I thought to myself โwhy not?โ And took the plunge. I am a believer now! ย Next time Iโll try out chicken broth to bring out the flavors a bit more. ย But this is SO GOOD!
Yay! I’m so glad it passed your test! :)
I will never buy enchilada sauce from the store again! This recipe is amazing!!!! I discovered your recipe after I started dinner only to realize I didn’t have a can of enchilada sauce so I pulled your recipe up and after using it with our enchiladas, quickly decided we don’t need to look any further. So yummy!!!! Thank you!
Has anyone made this gluten free? I’m doing Whole 30 for the month of January and I’ve read Arrowroot powder is a good thickener. Beth do you have other suggestions?
Unfortunately I haven’t tried this with any other types of thickeners. :(
I brought a few tamales home from a family Christmas party. Tomorrow I will be making this red exchilada sauce to top the tamales.
Layers:
Tamales
Enchilada Sauce
Avocado Slices
To put in the oven at 350ยฐ
Until Warm.
So looking forward.
I love so many of your recipes, but this is one of my favorites. I make a double batch and store the extra in the freezer. It is so good and easy!
I always thought I didin’t care for red sauce, until this recipe. I’ve been making this for probably 3 years and we LOVE it. There is just so much flavor and it tastes so fresh compared with canned sauce. Thank you!
And I love those ideas from Cynthia Ann Garza, I’ll be making bone broth for the first time day.
This sauce was excellent! Thank you!!!
I’ve always used this recipe for the past 5 years or so, but I finally wanted to comment and say THANK YOU! <3
I'm on a super, super tight budget as of right now, and was about to buy 2-3 cans of Enchilada sauce for $1.50/each. Then it came to me… That I should just use your receipt! Instead, I bought a can of tomato paste (41 cents!) and made 4 cups from scratch with spices that was already in the pantry.
Thank you, thank you for saving me $4.50!
Awesome!! That makes me so happy to hear! :)
Just used this recipe for dinner & it came out sooooo great. I prefer more garlic powder so I used a lot more than you suggested lol but itโs still so delicious!ย
Since tomato paste comes in 6 oz cans, I always just double the red enchilada sauce recipe. I always use one part of the double batch for enchiladas of different kinds, some discovered here.
I freeze the other half. I use it for adding spice kicks for other foods. This past few days, I have moved from the freezer to the refrigerator a single batch of the enchilada sauce and a few cups of chicken bone broth and a few cups of leftover slowcooker chicken–these 3 food items that I learned how to make here. I have used these 3 items to make quick I-have-a-respiratory-problem food. Semi-homemade chicken soup–bone broth, red enchilada sauce for tomatoe-y spice kick to which I added some Birdseye’s basic mixed vegetables. I added some instant brown rice. Could have been egg noodles or instant white rice or even just some crackers or croutons.
Tonight I used bone broth rather than just regular broth in my pantry-item tomatoe soup. To this I added some of the red enchilada sauce to give my soup a spice kick. I topped with some cheese but anything that the cook prefers to top his/her tomatoe wpsoup would work.
Just in case anyone is interested.
Such a wonderful recipe! ย I made a tweak though because I had no Tomato Paste. ย I drained a can of tomatoes including using a masher to get the juice out. ย The 2 cups of resulting juice I heated up and added (2) chicken bouillon (organic with no salt) while the tomatoes were put on a baking tray with parchment paper and into a 350degree oven for about 45minutes stirring them a couple of times. ย This dried the tomatoes out including roastingย them for extra special smells and flavours. I then added everything (juice and dried tomatoes) into the flour roux and blended it until smooth (using a hand blender) along with the other ingredients on the recipe. ย The dimension of flavours is totally awesome! ย Thank you for such a great recipe!
I was forced to make some alterations. I thought I had cumin, turned out I was wrong. I did not have tomato paste, but I did have tomato sauce, so I altered the water mix and added granulated sugar to taste when I found it was full of flavor and not quite sweet enough… due to lack of tomato paste. Also, while I was measuring the ‘dark’ chili powder, as I had to choose between ‘mild’ or ‘dark’ with my supplies… the chili powder broke loose and hard telling how much I actually wound up with. A LOT. It turned out kind of dark and quite spicy. I was worried about how chunk it seemed, but I let it cool and put it in the fridge and when I pulled it out and heated it back up it was quite smooth and ABSOLUTELY AWESOME. I will never ever buy enchilada sauce again. I will be buying some tomato paste and cumin and trying the actual recipe in the future… but the way it came together was FABULOUS. Thank you!
I’ve been making this sauce for…5 years now? I found it when I was just figuring out how to cook, and I’ve never bought a can of enchilada sauce since. I have my own tweaks; I use chicken broth instead of water and adjust the salt accordingly. I also use butter instead of oil and cornstarch instead of flour. It’s the magic I crack out for first-time company and it never fails to impress. Thanks for posting this so many years ago. I’ll never deviate!!!
LOOKS YUMMY
Omg, we love it!!!
Never again going to buy enchilada sauce in a can !!!! Nope!!!
I’m going to use this easy red enchilada sauce recipe from now on!
This is my fourth time making it! !! Lol
Thank you!!!
Thank you you. You mentioned mild chili powder. Do you make your own?
I really enjoy a Pepper from north of Santa Fe. Name escapes me right now but is a exelent chili and chili powder.
Nope, I just use the McCormmick blend. The ingredient is linked to the product page so you can see what I’m talking about. :) It’s chili seasoning, not ground chiles.
This recipe is so quick, easy, and delicious! I use chicken or veggie broth instead of water and I add a teaspoon of white vinegar at the end. I WILL NEVER AGAIN BUY ENCHILADA SAUCE IN A CAN
Thanks Beth!
I tried it a couple times… when I combined the flour, oil and chili powder it was almost like paste. Any suggestions? We’ve made a ton of other recipes from your site and all turned out perfect. Not sure what I’m doing wrong on this one.
It should still work if it’s a bit thicker like a paste. Just keep stirring and cooking that paste for a couple of minutes to toast the flour and spices and then whisk in the water and continue as normal. :)
This is a great recipe and so easy. The only change I made was 1 tablespoon of Chile Powder and 1 tablespoon of Chipotle powder and added 1/2 teaspoon of Spanish paprika. It came out wonderful I plan on using this from now on. My Husband loved it!
I really enjoyed your recipe. Talk about quick and easy! This was my first time making enchilada sauce from scratch and it worked out really well. Thank you. I didn’t have tomato paste on hand and did use a can of Pato Sauce and used 2 cans of tomato sauce. I ended up with 4 cups of sauce instead of 2, which was fine since I wanted to make a larger quantity and it still turned out thick enough. Since I knew I was using tomato sauce in place of paste, I did add an extra tablespoon of floor in the beginning but no additional oil (trying to watch those calories). Any way, thank you very much for sharing this recipe. My family really enjoyed it! Have a great day!
Beth I’ve made this sauce so many times! As I was literally licking it off my sauce pan while dinner cooked…. I realized I had to comment. This recipe rocks!
Thanks, Angelica! I’m glad you’re enjoying it. :)
Do you have to have cummin and can you use tomato sause
Yes, you definitely want to use cumin and unfortunately tomato sauce will not work the same as tomato paste for this recipe. :(
I normally don’t comment on recipes but I had to on this one. I made this recipe exactly as stated and my husband and I agree that this is the best enchilada sauce we’ve ever had. Thanks Beth for making such a great and simple recipe!
Hi Beth! Would this sauce freeze well if I wanted to keep a stock of it on hand for quick weeknight meals?
Sometimes flour thickened sauces tend to separate after the freeze-thaw cycle, so I’m not sure. I do believe someone else mentioned that they freeze this sauce on a regular basis, though.
I have made a similar sauce recipe calling for 1-8oz can tomato sauce and 2 cups water lots of times and frozen that with good results. Just give it a good whisk or two while reheating. I am going to try the BB tomato paste version, as sometimes I have only one or the other on hand. I definitely agree that I will never buy canned red enchilada sauce again!
I’ve frozen this twice with great results!! Do itttt! I freeze everything in old jars (this’ll go in a jam jar) so I just have to shake it a bit after it is thawed in the fridge overnight.
I recently used it to marinate tofu for burrito bowls – yummmmmmm!!!
Tried this tonight and it was amazing! No more canned sauce that tastes like poison. I’ll be making this from now on. Thank you!
Omg I’m in love with this sauce ! I have celiac so instead of flour I used bobs red mill all purpose gluten free flour and a bit of corn starch !
If you have any on hand, use corn flour (Masa). It’s delicious.
We absolutely love this stuff, my boyfriend said it’s so good he could drink it. We put it on omelettes, fajitas, tacos, chili bowls, chili cheese dogs and of course when we make our enchiladas. the only change we make is decreasing the water and using el pato (mexican tomato sauce) in replace of the tomato paste.
(I forgot the stars! oh my! Since I’ve made the posole twice, and the base for posole is this enchilada sauce, I feel confident rating)
Good for you, Sylvia!!
I’m going to try this! Definitely with more dried, crushed cayenne! I’ve made Beth’s 30-minute posole to RAVE reviews (my hubby, a lady from his church, and my church!). That recipe led me to the enchilada sauce recipe. Which I’ve been craving! It looks really, REALLY good! And since the posole was so amazing, I’m going to overlook the fact that Beth is so white and thinks enchiladas are made with flour tortillas!! I have seen them that way (Stouffer’s) but in New Mexico, we used CORN tortillas, so that’s what I’ll use here in Tennessee!
THANK YOU, BETH!! Your recipes are easy enough for a new homemaker like me, so tasty I serve with PRIDE!!
This reply is six months later, but damn you sound racist! Maybe she likes flour tortillas better? Or she can get them cheaper? Possibly she is even allergic to corn. Just because she is white, doesn’t mean she doesn’t know that enchiladas are made with corn tortillas. Maybe you shouldn’t make assumptions?
Now, my past butt is gonna go make some enchiladas. And yes Latin American food queen, with corn tortillas.
I strongly agree with Veronica. You definitely sound racist, Sylvia! Beth uses both corn and flour tortillas for recipes, so who are you to judge? Although she’s white, you can’t make assumptions about a person. You don’t anything about her.
I recently made Weeknight Enchiladas using corn tortillas. It was delicious, despite what you think. No one forced you to cook recipes from Budget Bytes.
You’re good Sylvia, you don’t sound racist at all. Saying someone is “so white” and calling out the ‘error’ of flour tortillas in enchiladas is not racist, in the least. Not at all. LMAO. Sounds like the two other white women here are just super insecure and not used to hearing white people talked about, because they consider themselves the “default.” I’m white, have no problem with your comment and think the other two commentors can go suck a lime.
My insecure White self will definitely go suck a lime. :-)
LOL!!!!!
Silly question, but I’d like to make this sauce asap, but have no whisk….would just a fork do? – Thanks!
You might be able to do it with a fork. Just stir a lot and stir fast! :)
This is my go -to enchilada sauce too. I love it. I have all the ingredients on hand, and tastes way better than any store bought one. I sustituted one tomato soup this time with one can of water, becauae I didn’t have any tomato paste on hand. It still turned out delish! Thanks for sharing.
How do I make this sauce with fresh tomatoes?
You’d have to cook a lot of them down until they’re as concentrated as tomato paste. :)
Naw..just select 3 or4 maters, boil til skin slips off, stew them up and add..back off on water/liquids to accommodate texture in needed. gotta love fresh tomatoes in anything :)
The homemade sauce was SO delicious!
I have made these many times. Today, I squeezed some lime on mine! Perfection!
Im going to try this recipe
Thank you for posting this recipe! I’ve always wanted to make my own enchilada sauce and due to convenience I always used store bought. NO MORE!!! I’ve taken this recipe and bookmarked it! It turned out exactly how you pictured it! I can’t wait for my husband to try it give him the surprise of knowing it’s homemade! Thank you!!
Can you use this enchilada sauce as a red sauce for a burrito? Otherwise, what is the red sauce served over an individual burrito?
Yep, I would use it that way. :)
This was delicious! I substituted gluten-free flour for regular and added extra cayenne.
This enchilada sauce is so good and easy to make. Thanks for sharing.
Hi Beth. I made this for my parents who have been talking about homemade enchiladas. Hint. Hint. I did the best I could. Made a fresh double batch of sauce using your recipe, using vegetable broth and no cayenne pepper. At first they acted as though the enchilada sauce was okay. Yet I noticed when I checked on tjem today, they had eaten all the enchiladas and the extra sauce. They used it to micro some enchiadas.. Theu just couldn’t wait for me to get there to fry the tortillas and put them in the oven. That’s because they were only okay ๐
This was a delicious lifesaver! I’m allergic to onion- carry an epipen kind of allergic. We just moved, and the one brand of packaged sauce I could use is not available here. I was thrilled with this recipe- and my significant other said this is even better than the sauce I was purchasing. I used ancho chili powder and whole wheat flour, because I didn’t have any all-purpose flour- worked perfectly. Thanks again for a delicious recipe!
I’ve always done ground dried New Mexican Red Chiles so I know what chile I’m getting. Chile powder often times has other spices in it. I used to use the brand you show on the recipe, but one time it had so much sand in it to prevent caking, that I could have used it to refinish furniture. I wrote the manufacturer and told them the lot number to help them out and received a terse note saying that the amount of silica in that lot met government standards. Need I say I have never bought McCormick spices again.
WOW! That’s just crazy. Definitely a manufacturing error, but still frightening!
Amazing flavor! I usually buy Fromtera enchilada sauce because it has authentic flavor and does not contain red dye. I will be using this recipe instead from now on. It’s loaded with great flavor and super easy to make. I used the chicken broth.
I made this because I could not find my tried and true recipe. My family and I didn’t care for it. I did make exactly as stated, but a double batch. Wasted money. Thankfully I have found my recipe and will stick to it.
Made this sauce months ago. I loved easy it was it make! also tasty! I hear it will taste even better using chicken broth. Has anyone else tried this?
OMG, I had to ad lib, which is fine, but I had a little left over and I totally sat there at the sink with the pan and a spoon eating this sauce. It’s that good. I’m so glad I’m old enough to not care:)
Can you store this or do you use all in one sitting?
You can store it in the refrigerator for probably about 4-5 days, but I’m not sure how well it will freeze. I usually use the entire batch for one recipe.
The texture changes a bit after freezing and thawing…kinda clumpy instead of smooth. It tastes the same, though. I’ve added it to chili and soups, and the additional cooking seems to help it even out again. But if you pour it on enchiladas, it might look a little weird.
This recipe is perfect. I will never buy a mix or canned enchilada sauce again.
The real home made Mexican enchilada Sauce is not made with chilli powder, it is made with just chiles guajillos, garlic, oregano water or chicken broth and salt thats it.. please try it and trust me you will have the best tasting enchiladas.
There is no wrong or right way to make enchilada sauce. BIG DEAL!!!!!!!!!!!
Hi there! I don’t have tomato paste – do you think I could use the can of pureed tomatoes in my pantry? Thanks!
No, unfortunately the tomato paste is highly concentrated so it delivers a lot more tomato flavor than tomato sauce. It also helps thicken the sauce, whereas tomato sauce would probably thin it out a bit more.
I used 8 oz canned tomato sauce instead of the paste and loved it. I just simmered it longer.
Love it!
Made this tonight, tasty but very spicy for me! I did a quick search for how to save overly spicy dishes so I added a good spoon size of full fat sour cream, did a taste test, still too spicy, and then two splashes of 2% milk. Still spicy, but it was more of that hit-your-belly-in-the-right-spot spicy. I THINK what may have happened is that I bought both cayenne and chili powder from the bulk section of my local grocery store last night, and maybe I mislabeled the baggies??? LOL, i have no idea! Is there a way to tell what is cayenne and what is chili powder? My chicken and bean (black & pinto) enchilada casserole is in the oven now and can’t wait to try it. Thanks, super excited to have a REAL enchilada sauce recipe.
Chili powder is usually a much darker red color. It’s also possible that the chili powder sold in the bulk section at your local store is a hot chile powder, rather than the mild chili powder blend that most major spice manufacturers sell.
try buying chiles guajillos at a mexican market just bring them to a boil remove seeds and blend with garlic oregano salt water or chicken broth..that is
a recipe from guanajuato mx.
The best all time enchilada sauce, bar none! Very easy and quick to prepare, plus hardly any cleanup. I tripled the recipe for a big batch of chicken enchiladas, and it turned out perfect. As someone here suggested, I added onion powder and smoked paprika, which were good additions, but the recipe is great without them. Who knew top shelf restaurant quality enchilada sauce could be so easy and made at home in minutes by a total amateur?
There is a spice blend called Tajin that we love as a mild substitute for chili powder. It is dehydrated lime juice, salt and chili powder, and it is delicious on everything. We especially love it in this recipe!
I have to tell you I make this at least once a month. It’s one of my kids’ favorite meals! My 11 year old has at least 4 helpings and I’ve had to double the recipe just for him!
What if I can just use garlic and not the powder??
One clove would probably do it. :)
I live in NZ and we don’t really have chilli powder here. Do you know what it’s made up of to substitute it?
It’s mostly crushed mild red chiles, with a little cumin and maybe a small amount of other spices. So, if you can find a mild red chile powder, that would be the closest.
Love this sauce. I, too, am a refugee from the canned sauce. I did add about 1/4 tsp of nutmeg a 1/4 tsp of cinnamon to give it that restaurant taste. But it was wonderful! Thank you so much for this recipe.
Excellent! Thanks for sharing. Simple, easy, and delicious. I modified mine just a tad by also adding 1/2 tea. of onion powder, and about 1/2 tea of smoked paprika (more or less depending on mood). I also only fried the flour and chili powder on low-med heat long enough to make the aromatics pop – only until the mixture had a very slight toasted aroma. Very good indeed!
Can I use a can of tomato sauce instead of water/paste? I have that on hand.
I don’t think that would work well because tomato paste is just SO much more concentrated than tomato paste. You’d need a lot of sauce to equal the tomato power of that paste. Well, okay, you probably could use it but the flavor of your enchilada sauce will not be quite as rich. :)
I’m standing here in my mother’s kitchen reducing tomato sauce to make paste…it’s possible, but it’s annoying. You have to reduce the sauce by half (according to the internet) to get paste…
I made this after finding another recipe for which I needed a can of enchilada sauce. In thinking about it, I thought I might try and make my own, and found your recipe. Easy and inexpensive! Thank you.
Made this tonight, but had to make some changes. Somehow I have no regular flour in my house that I can use, so I had to use Wondra, and I cooked it kinda too long before adding the broth and remaining seasonings, so it’s darker than intended, but all my kids declared it a raging success, so I’m okay with it, thanks so much for the recipe! :)
loved it!
Man, was this ever good! It was a little thick so i added a about a half cup more water. The only thing that was kind of weird was that when i added the oil, flour and chili powder, it didnt bubble it was more of a paste. The recipe turned out great though, I just had to make sure to take it off the heat while I grabbed the other ingredients so that it wouldn’t burn before I got the water in. Making this with the Chicken and Black Bean Enchiladas :)
Froze a batch back in February and now just used it for some enchilada pasta. Tastes even better after all that time!
This is a great and simple recipe to follow!
I absolutely LOVE this sauce. We actually don’t do much with enchiladas but it’s perfect for a wet burrito and we make extra ahead of time then freeze it for a quick meal in the middle of the week.
Some how I discovered your blog and this is the first recipe I made. All these years I’ve been buying the thin, “tinny” flavored can stuff and your recipe is many times superior, easy, and inexpensive. Wonderful stuff (I did use some chicken broth). It never occurred to me to make enchilada sauce, and I’m 64–who said you can’t teach a dog new tricks?! I used it on my own chicken enchiladas, and then tried your chorizo and sweet potato recipe, to which I added some frozen corn, and that was great, too!
can you double/triple this? I think it would water bath can just fine. If can do meatless sloppy joe sauce in a water bath. There should be no trouble with this
Yes, there should be no problem doubling or tripling it. :)
Can this be frozen?
I find that it separates just a little after thawing.
I wanted to make tacos this week without making another trip to the store, but I need taco sauce. It never even occurred to me that I could make taco sauce! Thanks so much!
This sauce is THE BEST! The whole family loves it. I used it for Beef & Bean Burritos and Turkey (ground) & Bean Burritos. I will never again buy enchilada sauce in a can. Thank you for this recipe!
Beth, this sauce has ruined all canned enchilada sauces for me! This one turns out nice and thick and really “sticks” to whatever you use it on…the canned stuff is just way to runny after being spoiled by this stuff. So good!!
I wasn’t expecting to love this. It seems too simple. But I needed something in a pinch and WOW. I am amazed! So yummy!
Thank you this sauce came out perfect. I added some diced green chilies and a little jalepeno, nice and spicy!
Made chicken enchiladas for the first time last night and stumbled on this sauce recipe. Thanks to your sauce they were the best enchiladas I have ever had. I can’t wait for the next potluck at work!
This is the best sauce to use on tortillas, pasta bakes, and anything, really. I LOVE this sauce!
In case anyone’s wondering, you can use a slurry of a tablespoon of cornstarch and some cold water to thicken, for a gluten-free option. I did this for a friend and there was no noticeable taste difference. Love this recipe!
I added about a tsp of balsamic vinegar for a bit of zing and it goes well with the cayenne….it was seriously awesome before this little addition. Great job on the recipe…thank you! We are having this tonight on our chicken enchiladas!
Whoa. Just made this recipe for the first time, and when I tried it, my eyes widened. This is REALLY, REALLY good stuff. Lots of depth from the roux! My husband just tried some, and he gave me the wide-eyed look, too! I made it ahead of time and doubled the recipe — I plan to make a pan of enchiladas tomorrow and freeze half the sauce for another batch later in the month, but only if there’s enough left over. My husband just stole some to make a soft taco with some leftover chicken!
My husband and I love this sauce .I doubled the recipe and made 24 enchiladas. My husband being Spanish and all is very picky we never found a can sauce we liked yet so glad I ran across your recipe will definitely make again.
Loved the thought of a chili powder roux. Super tasty. Metairie reader here. Trying the enchiladas for the first time with some leftover roasted chicken.
I’ve made this recipe nearly ten times now. I always double it, so that I use up a whole can of tomato paste (but I have frozen 1T blobs of tomato paste before, and that’s useful, too).
It is FANTASTIC. Love the flavor. Thanks SO much!
How much sauce does this make? Thanks!
About two cups. :)
Oh wow, this looks so good! I ended up here from the SNAP Creamy Enchilada recipe you just did. I’ve never liked canned enchilada sauce. I use verde sauce instead. I will have to try this and maybe I can start using red enchilada sauce.
Out of the ball park good. Didn’t use cayenne pepper. I had NO clue enchilada sauce could be this good.
This is my new favorite sauce. Seriously amazing.
thank you SO much! i made an enchilada dish for a crowd (15) this week and really didn’t want to buy the canned stuff, either. this recipe was perfect, so easy, and i did the chicken broth substitution. delicious!
How many enchiladas did you make for a crowd of 15? Did you have to double or triple the recipe? I’ll be making enchiladas for the same amount of people soon, so I was just wondering if you had to make extra sauce.
so sorry–i didn’t see your comment until today! i hope your batch turned out well.
i didn’t make individual enchiladas–it was more of a layered dish, almost like unrolled enchiladas stacked like a lasagna…know what i mean? i made 2 large baking dishes and i used about 1.5 batches of the sauce.
hope that helps somewhat. :)
Do you think it could be pressure canned (or even done in a water bath) for longer storage? That is what u sm considering. Thanks so much for the great recipe.
I’m not sure. Unfortunately I have no experience with canning. :P
Beth, you and this recipe are a lifesaver! I once swore I hated enchiladas because I’d gotten used to that gross ashy taste of canned sauces and was relieved when I finally started making enchilada sauce from scratch and found that it was delicious.This has been my go-to recipe for the past two years. Thank you so much!
Did you mean 6oz can paste?
I used half of a 6oz. can, or about 3 ounces.
Tried these out tonight. Very good, although I prefer something a little thinner so the tortillas really soak up all the sauce. Added some chicken broth (from the shredded chicken I made) and added some good extra flavor. Can’t wait to eat the leftovers tomorrow.
I made the Easy Red Enchilada Sauce and Chicken Enchilada Pasta this week. Can the extra cup of sauce be frozen?
It tends to separate after thawing, but if you’re going to toss it anyway I would suggest freezing it and then thawing to see if the texture changes bother you.
I LOVE this enchilada sauce. It’s so perfect! I just have one question, Beth; how long does it keep and how can I store it? I’d love to make a big batch and stash a couple of jars away for last-minute dinners.
I tried freezing it and that doesn’t work well (it separates). All of my other portions I’ve used immediately, so I’m not sure how long it lasts in the refrigerator. Probably a 5-7 days?
Oh my goodness….this is so delicious. I will never buy the can again. I used olive oil because it’s what I had on hand…I also omited the cayenne because I’m cooking for kiddos as well. Just wow. So good.
Can you substitute the vegetable oil for olive oil?
Yep!
Long-time follower, first time commenting!
Beth – you have no idea how HAPPY this sauce made me! I got diagnosed with a wheat and corn allergy last year so many beloved recipes got purged from my diet. And I couldn’t find a single store brand of enchilada sauce that didn’t have a corn derivative in it.
I made your sauce last night (with potato flour and 1T ancho + 1T reg chili pwd) and was blown away! Might have started eating it out of the pan straight :)
Threw half of it with ground hamburger and cheese, stuffed some bell peppers, and then drenched the whole thing in the rest of the sauce. Was seriously doing a happy dance when they came out of the oven!
Cannot wait to adapt your chorizo-sweet potato recipe next!
Wow, I got hungry just reading that! And I love the idea of potato flour, thanks for sharing it! I have a lot of people ask me what they can replace the flour with, so I’m glad to know that works. Thanks!
This recipe is so easy and so very tasty. I’ve used it multiple times. I usually double the recipe Thank you for sharing it
This is so delicious!! I will definitely be making this again.
Definitely going to give this a try. Store bought enchilada sauce is a bit pricey. I have been using Macayo brand enchilada sauce and add a can of cream of chicken soup which reduces the “grainy” texture of the sauce.
I used this sauce to make your sweet potato and chorizo enchiladas, and it was great. I especially like that I had all the ingredients at home, even after a week long trip!
Thanks for this recipe. Thanks for the pictures. In step one, the ratio of liquid to solids didn’t seem right enough to get anything to “bubble”, but I saw from the pictures we are just browning the oil and flour/chili powder. I added some brown sugar because it wasn’t quite sweet enough for my taste. Very easy, better than store bought, and better for you.
How I wish I had discovered this recipe sooner. I just used it today and my enchiladas turned out the best I’ve ever tasted (even better than at the hundreds of Mexican restaurants in which I’ve eaten).
I’ve been making enchiladas for years, using the canned sauce. Sometimes it’s hard to find. It’s always overpriced. This recipe is easy to follow and the results are much richer than canned. Remember, in the final step, add salt to taste as the recipe recommends. I didn’t need to use the full amount. Also, you’ll want to double this recipe (as I did) to make a 9 x 13 pan of six or seven enchiladas covered in sauce. Be sure to use corn tortillas! (Prep tip: zap each tortilla individually for 10 seconds in the microwave to soften them before filling and rolling up.)
I love this recipie. My enchiladas come out perfect with this sauce. And the best part is, it’s not expensive at all.
Thank you so much for posting it up for everyone to see.
I love all your recipes! My boyfriend and I only cook from your list of delicious recipes every week. I want to make your famous enchiladas with rotisserie chicken, but my boyfriend and I preferr a green verde sauce instead of a red enchiladas sauce. Do you have your own homemade recipe for that sauce as well?
I don’t… YET. I want to make one, but I don’t have a good source for the tomatillos yet.
This makes me glad I live in Arizona. I can’t imagine not being able to find tomatillos!
Awesome! I subbed chicken stock (cuz I had it) for the water, wisked the flour into the stock and left out the oil. It’s got a nice kick! Flavors meld nicely and it tastes even better the next day.
I haven’t bough enchilada sauce in a year. This recipe is great. I tried a lot of other enchilada sauce recipes and did not like them, so I thought I would forever have to buy it. I didn’t like that plan because it is so expensive. Plus this recipe allows me to tweak things to my family’s tastes and I always have everything on hand. Thanks!
Excellent! I make this all the time now!
which would be better to replace the vegetable oil with — olive oil or butter? thanks!
Thank you, you are definitely saving the world one recipe at a time! Cannot wait for your book to come out.
This sauce DOES freeze well. I added a bit of cooking wine to thin it out a bit, then threw it on some chorizo sweet potato enchiladas. Tasted fantastic!
Yum! So good and so easy to make. I made some basic bean burritos and poured this sauce over them. It made them *almost* gourmet haha!
Use butter instead of oil and eliminate the tomato paste. It’s like any other sauce and starts with a basic rue then add the spices and chili powder of your choice. I like the bite of the chipotle pepper but mild red chili powder works too.
Love your website – everything I’ve cooked has been AWESOME – including this! Don’t know if anyone else had this issue, but the 2 tbsp oil to 2 tbsp flour/2tbsp chili powder resulted in dry clay. Had to add more oil to get it to look like picture. (SO appreciate of all the photos!
Beth-
This has to be the best enchilada sauce recipe I have found! Due to chronic migraines I cannot use most premade sauces. This tasted so good and I cannot wait to make more.
Katie K.
I made your honey wheat pizza dough and used this as the sauce with black beans, cilantro, red onion, chard, and cheese. Enchilada pizza was a big hit in my house!
I have most of the leftover sauce in the freezer now, so I’ll report back in a few weeks on whether or not it freezes well. :)
This is the best thing ever! No more canned , not so great enchilada sauce for my family. Thank you!!!!
delicious but for the people who are not doing siracha sauce in shot glasses way to spicy! I already reduced it to 1tbsp chilli powder and it’s still very spicy (not sure who you can take it). I had to add some of everything else to make it edible to me (and I do like spicy normally)
Make sure the chili powder you’re using is not cayenne pepper. The basic kind of “chili powder” sold in most U.S. stores is a blend of mild dried chiles, cumin, and other spices. So, you get a lot of flavor, but no heat from it. Different brands may have more heat, though.
yeah, I think I have “chilli” chilli powder, (UK) , it burns my tongue off. I have to go back and try teaspoons instead of tablespoons.
I always have a big jar of Penzeys Chili 9000 on hand. That plus this recipe made absolutely the best enchilada sauce I’ve ever had. Delicious!
I’ve made this two to three times a month for the last year and it is AWESOME! So much cheaper then the Enchilada Sauce I used to buy at Trader Joe’s; thank you for sharing.
This was amazing. My 17 year old daughter would have eaten it like soup if I had let her :) We were low on groceries but had the ingredients for this as well as tortillas, black beans and a little cheese. I was surprised at how good it was. I don’t usually buy enchilada sauce because of the cost. I have made it before with dried chilies which was good but time consuming, and my family liked this simple, inexpensive recipe better. Thank you.
This was waaay to easy, and waaaay too good. I will truly never buy sauce again. Tried both with and without cocoa powder and you can’t go wrong either way. I’m seriously kicking myself for not doing this sooner. Thanks for sharing!
I used this sauce in your vegetable tamale pie, which I’ve made twice before with the canned sauce. This was SO much better! I had some leftovers of extra sauce and some cornbread that hadn’t fit in the pie, and so this morning I gently fried an egg in the sauce and drenched the cornbread in it. DELICIOUS! My new favorite breakfast. Thanks for your work!
Ooh, I love that idea! I’m totally going to have to make that.
I want to make this, but have a question about chili powder. Can one simply use Ancho Chili Powder? I know chili powder contains other stuff, but would this work in this recipe?
Hmm, I’ve never used ancho chili powder so I can’t say for sure. I’m not sure how spicy it is. The chili powder that I used isn’t spicy at all… So maybe give it a taste and as long as it is mild, you could probably sub it for the chili powder that I used. The other ingredients in the “chili powder” that I use are in such small quantities that I don’t think it makes a huge difference.
I wish I’d had this recipe a million years ago. This is so good! I didn’t realize I didn’t have garlic powder so I just used minced garlic instead. It was absolutely delicious and so so so easy to make!
Since you posted it, I started using this recipe every time I needed enchilada sauce for something. It’s saved me so much money, and I always have those spices on hand, so it’s pretty easy for me to just grab a can of tomato paste and go to town.
I tend to double the batch, cut the salt, and also chuck in a cube or so of chicken or veggie bullion, whichever I have (this is why I cut the salt). I think it makes a big difference. I haven’t tried making it with actual stock yet, I don’t often have that on hand. It’d be pretty good, though, I bet.
We are right now using this as a slow cooker sauce for pork tri tip. My house smells divine!
Jil – No I haven’t. So far I’ve only made when needed for a recipe and in the amount needed :P
Beth, have you tried freezing this yet? I’m anxious to know if I can make it in bulk and freeze it for a rainy day.
..well, less for a rainy day and more for the fact that I’m very lazy.
Yum. This was great!
Yum. This was great!
Seriously? This may be one of my favorite things I have found on this site so far. I am stock piling recipes that utilize making things myself rather then purchasing. Thanks for a fantastic find!!
Adding a small piece of very dark chocolate (90-99% cocoa) is an excellent addition and I would imagine a small amount of good quality unsweetened cocoa powder would accomplish the same thing. The strong chocolate flavor doesn’t come through, just a nice earthy type of depth which I find allows me to add more heat (which I love) and it stays balanced. I have actually never had the canned variety, just in restaurants and homemade.
I just made this and it was awesome! Also great for a poor college student. I’ve always had a thing for a little bit of ‘tang’ in my enchilada sauce, so I added a couple splashes of vinegar. But this was great barring any additions.
thanks for sharing..
Bonnie – I don’t think so because this uses red chile powder and green enchilada sauce uses green chiles, which are quite different. Try doing a google search, though, there might be an easy way to fix green enchilada sauce (I just haven’t looked into it yet).
Can this recipe be transformed a green enchilada sauce? That our favorite! Looks yummy though, this may be our new favorite!
This looks delicious! I’m so lazy, I just use the immersion blender on our favorite jarred salsa and use that. :D I’ll have to give this a shot though.
This is fab, you can’t buy jarred/canned enchilada sauce in NZ in the supermarkets and so many recipes ask for it so thanks heaps for this recipe :)
Gillian – Hmm, most chili powder blends are only made with mild spices, but I suppose its possible that some brands include some spicy chiles in their mix. I would suggest tasting a bit of your chili powder to see if it’s spicy and if it is, you could probably skip the 1/4 tsp of cayenne pepper that is listed in the ingredients. I hope that helps!
Mine turned out extremely spicy, and I was wondering if that is how is should be?
Thanks, Gillian
Um, just so you know, you aren’t supposed to use flour tortillas in enchiladas. Actual Mexican enchiladas use corn tortillas. A few regions in the US use flour, which makes no sense to me, because the texture is unpleasant. Corn tortillas have a much better mouthfeel when soaked in sauce.
~Kali
OMG – I just stumbled across your blog. LOVE it.
Can’t wait to try out some recipes once my freezer has been defrosted and moved to its new location.
First on the list – this recipe, the stuffed taco shell, slow cooker marinara sauce and all your Indian recipes.
Jane D.
Wow!! Wouldn’t change a thing. I was literally scraping the dish clean to get every last bite of this!!
Followed the recipe as described and it turned out great! Next time I think I’ll even spice it up a little more. Thanks for this–it is in the oven as I write–ladled it over chicken enchiladas and covered it in cheese. Will be serving with brown rice and fresh picked garden peppers. Great weekend meal!
This is the best ‘DIY’ item in the kitchen I discovered about a year ago (besides making my own cream of mushroom/chicken). Canned enchilada sauce is expensive!! I make a version of this recipe and freeze half for another meal. It freezes great! Though, after its thawed, you may have to put it back on the stove and add a little a little chicken stock/veggie stock to thin out.
Anon – tomato paste and tomato sauce are slightly different. In addition to having more water, tomato sauce also has some salt and a small amount of seasoning (usually onion powder). That being said, you could use either and I’m sure it would still be great :)
What is the purpose of using 2 cups water plus tomato paste vs using 2 cups of tomato sauce? Is it just due to the price difference? For me, I think it would be convienent just to use 2 cups canned tomato sauce if it produces the same end result.
Yep, you use the same enchilada sauce recipe that I do! It’s cheap, easy and it’s tasty!
Delicious! I used the sauce to make some cheese and onion enchiladas, and they were fantastic.
Love this!… and your sweet potato/chorizo has become a family favorite- even had it at a few pot lucks and no one believe how simple it was. With this sauce what is the storage time if we were wanting to make ahead? Thank yoU!
I made this for a small casserole of chicken enchiladas and froze the rest… It was awesome! An perfect and easy recipe made from everything I already had on hand!
I also make my own sauce……is even better with glug of beer. I also like to mix a little velveeta with mild cheddar for the enchiladas. Yum
I have to tell you – I didn’t have much faith in myself after I poured the water in and saw how runny it was. I figured I mismeasured something. THEN! Then, I lt it simmer {just like you said} and now I can’t stop eating it with a spoon. Thank you x100!
this is awesome- made it tonight and I will no longer be buying this from a can- thank you!!
I freeze tomato paste in an ice cube tray with a cover that I got from Daiso for $1.50. Recipes usually only call for like 1 or 2 tbsp. Heck, what do you do with the rest of the can? They say “buy the ones that come in a tube, but where the heck do you find those? So this is what I do, and I end up always having some.
Nice! Aren’t homemade sauces and condiments the best? So easy and so much better than commercial!
I made a similar enchilada sauce recently for my eggplant enchiladas on my blog, except it didn’t have flour in it and used tomato sauce instead of paste. The homemade stuff is so much better, and with it being so easy, I don’t think I can even convince myself to buy a can of it again(especially since the cans are always so salty)!
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I made enchilada sauce once, but I don’t remember how I made it! I think I used tomato sauce instead of tomato paste. Glad to have this recipe.
I’ve not read all the comments, so maybe someone has mentioned this. When I freeze tomato paste, I freeze it in one tablespoon portions.
Anon – I *think* you can freeze it, although I haven’t tried it yet.
Molly – Without flour or cornstarch, the sauce will be quite watery. It might still taste okay, but it will be quite soupy rather than sauce-like.
Ashley – probably about 5 days in the fridge, but I suggest making it right when you plan to use it. I haven’t tried freezing it yet, but I suspect that it will freeze well.
How long would this keep? Looks delicious!!
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I make my enchilada sauce with a mix of dried chiles that are soaked to soften, but I don’t add tomato to it. Just salt, oregano, garlic, cumin, and some onion then blend it up.
That’s the way to make it! Tomato DOES NOT BELONG in enchilada sauce.
Can I leave out the flour? My husband needs to be gluten free. We are trying to follow a more primal/paleo diet and keep processed flours out, including cornstarch type thickeners too. I’m betting it will be fine.
I’ve made a chili sauce with dried chilis before but this sounds easier in a pinch!
can you make in bigger batches and freeze?
I tried making my own enchilada sauce one time and it came out HORRIBLE! This one looks more promising though :)
Thanks for posting this! I’m leery of all of the canned enchilada sauces, they always tastes very processed/artificial and I had no idea the recipe was so easy! Definitely will do myself next time.
mmmm mmmm!!!!!! We often make our own as well.. mine is very similar but I puree up a chipotle pepper and lots of onions and some garlic. So delicious! I think we’ll be making some chicken enchiladas this week for sure! Thanks :)
This is perfect! I have ground beef thawed in the fridge as i was just thinking beef enchiladas. but i needed a good RED enchilada sauce recipe. this sounds almost authentic, enough for me. I always did like a little tomato flavor added to my enchilada sauce. but then I am a gringo. and i also perfer to use cheddar cheese rather than monterey jack &/or mexican cheeses. Ah well to each her/his own. it’s just a matter of what we like. P.S. do you have a recipe for the GREEN Enchilada sauce? I like it best for Chicken/Pork enchiladas Thanks, for the great recipes!!!!!!!!!
Great red enchilada sauce! I also make my own, I’ve often had the same problem as you, there just isn’t much of a selection at the grocery stores around here. I still buy pre-made green enchilada sauce, but I’d love to learn to make that myself too!
This is genius. Thank you for posting this recipe. I am going to make this. I always buy the Trader Joes Enchilada sauce but I need two bottles every time. This will save me so much mullah.
Hey there great recipes but just wanted to add to the other anonymous guajillo! :) throw out the chili powder…make my own at home all the time:) never will go back to canned…great recipes
Thanks for this! I have a friend who lives in Canada who has a hard time finding enchilada sauce. I make enchiladas all the time and can’t wait to make this!
I’ve always wondered how to make enchilada sauce, I never realised it was so easy or I’d have been making it all along! Thanks for the recipe :)
I used to live in NOLA, I could find Hatch enchilada sauce at the Rouse’s on Carrollton Ave. It is my favorite, I moved to a little town outside Baton Rouge and I can’t find Hatch anywhere. I tried this and it is excellent, really gave ol’ Hatch a run for it’s money and kicked Old El Paso’s bland and tasetless butt.
That’s it?? This is amazing! Definitely not going to buy the can anymore. Love this!
No way – that’s too easy not to try. Excellent – thanks a bunch!
The stores near my house don’t have canned enchilada sauce. I was making mine before you posted this recipe so I looked online for another one. I ended up making one that had cocoa powder in it. I highly recommend giving that a shot. I think it might have been more of a mole sauce but I didn’t really care as it was delicious. Thanks for the awesome enchilada recipe! I will be making it regularly from now on!
Hi, I saw your enchilada recepie in fb and inmediately came to your blog to see it, It looks great and economical, but I was expecting to see the true Mexican sauce…. I’m not sure of the price of the guajillo dried peppers but i dont think it would be that expensive…. I usually let the guajillos soak over nite then blend them the next day, I add cumin, s&p, oregano, garlic and onion… i dip the corn tortilla in the sauce and then i put it in a skillet with some oil…I just wanted to express my opinion…. You have wonderful receipes and i have tried many of them….specially your not fried beans… your Mexican friend :)
I was just thinking as I read your post for tamale pie about trying to figure out how to make my own enchilada sauce. This is great! Thanks!
Awe I am sad now, I wish you had this posted earlier today. I wanted your chorizo & sweet potato enchiladas today but the store had no sauce. This looks amazing and means I will have to try it next time I make those.