Making homemade red enchilada sauce at home might be easier than you think, well at least when you use this method!
So what is enchilada sauce? Enchilada sauce is a red sauce sometimes called salsa rojo made from simmering chiles, garlic, tomatoes (tomato paste) and other seasonings. It has many variations.
Quite frankly, I don’t have time for tomato paste from scratch. I can tell you from experience, making tomato paste is time consuming. So here is how to make enchilada sauce using tomato paste.
After the base of tomato paste, vegetable or chicken broth and flour to thicken it up a little, then comes the seasoning.
Why You’ll Love This Homemade Enchilada Sauce
My Easy Homemade Enchilada Sauce recipe has two major benefits.
- Control the heat – The first, you control the heat to keep it cool for kids or spicy and sweat inducing for adults who like it hot, hot, hot!
- Super quick and easy – Secondly, it only takes 10 minutes…. 10 MINUTES!
- Readily available ingredients – Four spices you should already have in your pantry: cumin, chile powder, onion powder and garlic powder.
What You’ll Need for Red Enchilada Sauce
Traditional enchilada sauce is made from fresh or dried chiles simmered with tomato sauce or paste, garlic, oregano, cumin and other spices. It simmered, reduces and intensifies. This recipe simplifies things a little.
- Extra virgin olive oil – Or another neutral oil.
- Tomato paste – Plain tomato paste is a thick, reduction but without any other flavorings, leaving you room to season it however you’d like.
- Flour – Flour helps to thicken the mixture. Cornstarch or arrowroot can also be used.
- Cumin – A savory and nutty flavor, it is a very common dried spice in Latin cuisine. It can be omitted or substituted with ground coriander, ground caraway seeds or even ground fennel, other robust dried spices.
- Garlic powder and onion powder – Both add flavor, adjust volumes based on personal preference.
- Chili powder – Chili powder differs slightly from specialty chile powders. It is a blend of common dried chiles and can vary in heat intensity. Feel free to use one of your favorite single note chile powders like ancho or chipotle if these suit you.
- Low sodium broth – Chicken or vegetable broth are welcome, as long as they are low sodium. This allows you to control the salt.
- Coarse Kosher salt – coarse kosher salt gives the best, clean salt flavor without being too salty. Taste test the sauce before adding to make sure it needs it al all.
- Black pepper – Adds peppery goodness. Use freshly ground for best results.
Variations
There are plenty of ways you can make this homemade enchilada sauce recipe your own.
- Spice it up – If you like your spicy enchilada sauce, add more chili powder or even a dash of cayenne.
- Make it more mild – If you prefer a milder version, cut it in half. The other seasonings won’t impact heat as much.
- Smoky – If you want super smoky homemade enchilada sauce, try blending it in the food processor with one or two ancho chiles in adobo sauce or using ancho chile powder.
How to Make Enchilada Sauce
Making this homemade enchilada sauce is as easy as one, two, three!
- Create paste. Heat the oil over medium heat in a medium saucepan. When hot, add the tomato paste, flour, cumin, garlic powder, onion powder and chili powder. Whisk until a paste forms.
- Add broth. Pour in the broth and whisk until smooth. Increase the heat and continue to whisk until the sauce starts to thicken and provide resistance. Season with the salt and pepper, bring to a very low simmer.
- Reduce heat and use. Reduce heat as soon as you see bubbles and serve or store.
Storage and Freezing
Enchilada sauce will stay fresh in an airtight container, refrigerated for up to one week. Use it on enchiladas, tacos, burritos, nachos and more.
I’ve even used it in a pinch for chips and salsa. You can even make homemade chips (no, I didn’t make the tortillas)!
Can you freeze enchilada sauce?
It sure can! Use an airtight container or plastic bag and freeze for up to 3-4 months.
Does enchilada sauce go bad?
Yes! It contains vegetables, which can go rancid.
Canned enchilada sauce contains preservatives and additives to keep it good on the shelf, but my version doesn’t have those, so it is only good refrigerated for up to one week.
Homemade Enchilada Sauce FAQs
Yes and no. Taco sauce is typically a bit thicker and spicer, resulting in not needing as much quantity. You can easily thin it by adding a little chicken or vegetable stock.
My recipe for enchilada sauce is not gluten free because it uses flour. You can substitute flour for cornstarch or arrowroot, although you’ll need less than 1/4 cup. Start by using 2 tablespoons and add as needed. I do not recommend using almond flour for this recipe.
This particular enchilada sauce is vegan if you use vegetable broth instead of chicken broth.
My recipe for enchilada sauce is dairy free.
It is a tomato based stain, so use a pre-treatment or Oxyclean before putting it through the wash cycle.
Not all enchilada sauces are bitter and certainly not this recipe. But everyone’s taste buds are different.
You can counteract bitterness with something sweet like honey, sugar or brown sugar and salt, like adding a small amount of Kosher salt.
What is a good substitute for enchilada sauce? It really depends on the recipe and how it is being used. Here are some common substitutions, use your best judgement for the recipe you are creating.
Salsa
Green enchilada sauce
Taco sauce
Hot Sauce
Plain tomato sauce (canned, not marinara sauce)
Ketchup (in rare cases….)
Enchilada sauce can be thickened by using a small amount of flour or cornstarch mixed with water to make a slurry.
Many enchilada sauces have a tomato base, but not all. Some are just get their red hue from low simmered chiles.
More Latin Inspired Dishes
Everyone loves a dish with a little Mexican or Latin flair. Here are a few of our favorites that we know you’ll love too.
Easy Chicken Tortilla Soup
King Ranch Chicken Casserole Recipe
Red Enchilada Sauce Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons neutral oil
- 1/3 cup tomato paste
- 1/4 cup flour
- 2 teaspoons cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/4 teaspoon chili powder
- 3 cups low sodium vegetable or chicken broth
- 1/8 teaspoon coarse kosher salt
- 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Heat the oil over medium heat in a medium saucepan. When hot, add the tomato paste, flour, cumin, garlic powder, onion powder and chili powder. Whisk until a paste forms.
- Pour in the broth and whisk until smooth. Increase the heat and continue to whisk until the sauce starts to thicken and provide resistance. Season with the salt and pepper, bring to a very low simmer.
- Reduce heat as soon as you see bubbles and serve or store.
- If you've tried this recipe, come back and let us know how it was in the comments or star ratings.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Very good
Thank you! And thank you for stopping by to let us know!
Hi Jessica,
I too thought the sauce was a little bland for my taste so I followed your suggestion and added a couple of shakes of Louisiana Hot Sauce. It added the perfect amount of heat! Thanks for the suggestion! This is a delicious homemade enchilada sauce! Yum! 😋
Awesome! I like to start mild and then move up- you never know how hot people think “hot” is. And for the kiddos 🙂
I love this recipe! It’s been my go-to for a couple years now, since I first found it. Thanks for sharing this recipe!!!
Thanks for stopping by to let us know, Laura! We love it too, in fact I just made it the other night for homemade tamales- maybe I’ll post that recipe on the blog too.
This sauce was the best enchilada sauce I have ever made. It had a great taste and flavor all those spices together were so delicious .
I’m glad you loved it, Maria!
Awesome recipe..i will try it ..recipe is now saved and shared
Great! Let me know how you like it!
How is it without onion powder. Allergies in my house
I would think it would be fine. Maybe add a little more of something else to add flavor. 🙂
Thank you for this recipe! I’ll try this along with your chicken, spinach, and black bean enchiladas!
I have one question about the recipe: the 3 tablespoons of olive oil. It says divided, but it looks like you put it all in at once. Is that correct? Thanks in advance.
Hi Amy! Thanks for pointing that out. I just changed recipe formats and that is actually a mistake. Removing it now. Use all 3 tablespoons of olive oil. 🙂
Thank you! I appreciate the reply…and the recipes! 🙂
You are very welcome! I appriciate you reading 🙂
What do you do with the other 2 tsp. of cumin?
Julie, thanks for pointing that out! It was actually my mistake. A while back I separated this recipe from my actual “quick and easy enchilada” recipe which also takes 2 teaspoons of cumin and clearly forgot to update this amount. Thanks for catching it and it is all fixed!
This sounds perfect Jessica!!! So simple to make too!
This looks delicious and can’t wait to try Jessica!
I can’t wait to try your homemade recipe. I usually buy it in a can or bottle!