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 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!