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!
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.