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!
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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 I’m not sure what happened!
The same thing happened to me, I’d say don’t use it…while I found it can’t be frozen by itself, I’ve always had success freezing recipes I’ve used it for (like an extra pan of enchiladas). Just make sure not to use corn tortillas—they 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 won’t mess up the sauce!
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.
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 American‐whitewashed recipe that is very bland. You really need to use real peppers and soak them to make a decent sauce. No bueno.
Who cares!!!!
I love how easy this is and totally adaptable to Whole30!