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    Home » Sauce Recipes

    Enchilada Sauce

    BY: Ben Rayl UPDATED: February 12, 2025 3 Comments

    RecipeVideoPrintComments
    5 from 2 votes

    This homemade enchilada sauce recipe is easy, tastes fantastic, and is a million times better than store-bought. This enchilada sauce is packed with flavor and ready to give your enchiladas, stews, and soups an authentic Mexican flavor.

    enchilada sauce spoon

    Try the best enchilada sauce recipe on my whole enchilada pie, or my beef enchilada casserole to get you started.

    Contents
    • 🏠 Homemade enchilada sauce
    • 🍞 Is there gluten in enchilada sauce?
    • 🍽 What you need
    • 🔪 How to make
    • 💭 Top tips
    • 📖 Variations
    • 🥗 What to serve with
    • 🥫 Storage
    • Related Enchilada Recipes
    • 👪 Serving size
    • 🎥 Video
    • 📋 Recipe
    • 💬 Comments

    🏠 Homemade enchilada sauce

    Once you try this homemade red enchilada sauce recipe, why would you ever buy sauce again! This homemade sauce is bursting with flavor that can be used on a variety of Mexican recipes from fajitas, tacos, burritos, and of course enchiladas like my favorite enchilada pie and beef or chicken enchiladas.

    After making this recipe more than 1,000 times, I can safely say I've perfected it. This recipe has a nicely balanced tomato flavor with spices like cayenne pepper and chili powder that'll make your taste buds dance. Check out my easy roasted red pepper sauce recipe that also pairs fantastic with any dish.

    Sauce recipes like this demand quality spices. I recommend Mexican oregano, light or dark chili powder, and smoked paprika.

    🍞 Is there gluten in enchilada sauce?

    Yes, most enchilada sauces contain gluten. If you wish to make this recipe gluten-free, remove the wheat flour. Flour is added to thicken the sauce early to make a roux. In comparison, cornstarch requires a shorter cooking time and higher heat to activate the thickening properties. For this reason, add cornstarch at the end while you simmer the sauce.

    🍽 What you need

    Making enchilada sauce from scratch is pretty easy, and you likely already have the ingredients needed. For an authentic Mexican flavor, make the roux by mixing the flour and chili, then mixing the other ingredients until it is combined well and thickened nicely. Choose the strength of heat you want by adding in a spicy chili powder or a milder variant and adjusting the quantity of cayenne pepper.

    Equipment

    If you're missing kitchen equipment or need to replace a worn item, take a peek at the list below for the best kitchen deals.

    • Large skillet
    • Large spoon

    Ingredients

    Find the best ingredients at the best prices online. And when it comes to hard-to-find ingredients, this is the best option.

    • 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
    • 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
    • 2 tablespoons chili powder
    • 2 cups water
    • 1 can tomato paste - (8 ounces)
    • 1 teaspoon dried oregano - preferably Mexican oregano
    • ½ teaspoon cumin
    • ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper - or to taste
    • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
    • 1 teaspoon onion powder
    • ½ teaspoon salt

    🔪 How to make

    Learn how to make homemade enchilada sauce with my step-by-step instructions and full recipe video. You can easily make a double batch of this easy enchilada sauce to use on other dishes throughout the week. This sauce is also excellent for quick and easy meal planning.

    enchilada sauce steps
    1. Heat a large skillet with the vegetable oil over medium-high heat,
    2. Add the flour and chili powder.
    3. Whisking constantly to coat the flour, then stir in the water, cumin, garlic powder, cayenne, tomato paste, oregano, onion powder, salt, and pepper to taste.
    4. Continue to whisk the sauce together until it has a smooth consistency. Then, simmer the sauce over medium heat for 10 minutes until it thickens perfectly. 

    Let the red enchilada sauce cool before adding it to your enchiladas, or serve it warm as a spicy tomato sauce over your favorite meal.

    💭 Top tips

    • If your sauce is too thick, add water.
    • If your sauce is too thin, simmer longer.
    • For a more intense flavor, simmer the sauce for 4 hours, adding more water to the pot every hour to keep the consistency right. Great option when making large batches.
    • Give your homemade enchilada sauce a smokey feeling by adding a teaspoon of smoked paprika.
    • If the homemade enchilada sauce contains lumps of flour from making the roux, whisk vigorously until dissolved completely or pour the sauce through a sieve and carry on simmering it.

    📖 Variations

    • Give the sauce extra flavor by adding a flavored broth instead of water. You can add chicken broth when preparing chicken enchiladas, vegetable broth for vegetarian enchiladas, or beef broth for beef enchiladas, etc. Adjust the salt and freshly ground black pepper accordingly, as the broth will likely contain salt.
    • For a full-on tomato taste, try grilling 3 or 4 plum tomatoes for 15 minutes and then blending them with the other ingredients. You may need an extra spoon of flour to keep the red enchilada sauce at the right thickness.

    🥗 What to serve with

    While originally created for enchiladas, this sauce is fantastic on hotdogs, sandwiches, pasta, burgers, basically anything that requires a bit of heat and needs some extra flavor. You can also use enchilada sauce as a base for spaghetti Bolognese, chili con carne, lasagna, or other tomato-based dishes.

    It is a great utility sauce that enhances any dish and can be used to create delicious recipes.

    enchilada sauce in skillet

    🥫 Storage

    Homemade enchilada sauce can last 4 to 5 days in the fridge and around 3 months frozen, unlike store-bought enchilada sauce that can last years in a jar or can because of the preservatives. The taste, though, is incomparable, and it's worth making a double or triple batch to use some during the week with other meal prep recipes and freeze for the future.

    Fridge

    All you need to do is pour your enchilada sauce into an airtight bottle, let it cool, and then store it in the fridge for 5 days maximum. Stir the sauce or shake before using.

    Freeze

    What I like to do when freezing enchilada sauces is to pour the sauce into several freezer bags, lay them flat in the freezer, and freeze them. Once frozen, they are easy to stack and organize. Making frozen blocks of enchilada sauce is excellent for meal planning and quick and easy meals.

    Reheating

    The best and most convenient way to reheat enchilada sauce is by microwaving it for 2 minutes. Still, you can also heat any leftover sauce in a pot until warm.

    Related Enchilada Recipes

    • Sour Cream Chicken Enchiladas
    • Authentic Enchilada Sauce
    • Enchiladas Verdes with Chicken

    👪 Serving size

    This recipe makes 2 full cups, enough to pour over 10 portions of enchiladas. Consider doubling or tripling this recipe for quick and easy meals or use it for meal planning throughout the week.

    🎥 Video

    Make this delicious bright red enchilada sauce for your next Mexican food night to feel the real taste of Mexico. Once you try my homemade enchilada sauce, I'm positive you'll never buy canned sauce every again.

    📋 Recipe

    enchilada sauce

    Enchilada Sauce

    This homemade enchilada sauce recipe is easy, tastes fantastic, and is a million times better than store-bought. This enchilada sauce is packed with flavor and ready to give your enchiladas, stews, and soups an authentic Mexican flavor.
    5 from 2 votes
    Print Pin Rate Save Saved! Share
    Course: Sauces
    Cuisine: Mexican
    Prep Time: 5 minutes minutes
    Cook Time: 10 minutes minutes
    Total Time: 15 minutes minutes
    Servings: 2 Cups
    Calories: 278kcal
    Author: Ben Rayl

    Ingredients
     

    • 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
    • 2 tablespoons flour
    • 2 tablespoons chili powder
    • 2 cups water
    • 1 can tomato paste - (8 ounce)
    • 1 teaspoon oregano
    • ½ teaspoon cumin
    • ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper - or to taste
    • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
    • 1 teaspoon onion powder
    • ½ teaspoon salt

    Instructions

    • Heat the oil in a skillet over medium high heat.
    • Stir in the flour and the chili powder, then reduce the heat slightly, and stir constantly until starting to brown.
    • Stir in the water, tomato paste, oregano, cumin, cayenne, garlic and onion powders and salt, and mix until smooth.
    • Simmer over medium heat until thickened, about 5 - 10 minutes.

    Video

    Notes

    • If your sauce is too thick, add water.
    • If your sauce is too thin, simmer longer.
    • For a more intense flavor, simmer the sauce for 4 hours, adding more water to the pot every hour to keep the consistency right. Great option when making large batches.
    • Give your homemade enchilada sauce a smokey feeling by adding a teaspoon of smoked paprika.
    • If the homemade enchilada sauce contains lumps of flour from making the roux, whisk vigorously until dissolved completely or pour the sauce through a sieve and carry on simmering it.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 278kcal | Carbohydrates: 34g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 16g | Saturated Fat: 12g | Sodium: 1623mg | Potassium: 1373mg | Fiber: 9g | Sugar: 15g | Vitamin A: 4333IU | Vitamin C: 26mg | Calcium: 102mg | Iron: 6mg

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

      5 from 2 votes (2 ratings without comment)

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      Recipe Rating




    1. Audre moore

      July 13, 2017 at 7:04 pm

      Can I put in jars and can this?

      Reply
    2. Betty

      October 03, 2017 at 10:17 am

      You have purée in the ingredients and paste in the directions. Which is it?

      Reply

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    Chef Ben Rayl

    Hi, I'm Ben!

    I believe comfort food unites us, and I want to inspire you to cook at home with everyday ingredients. It is easier and takes less time than you think, costs less than eating out, and tastes a million times better.Read More

    Feel free to share our recipes on your blog using a photo and link back to the original recipe.

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