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
This is fabulous! It’s the only enchilada recipe I use for enchiladas. No more cans!
Thank you so much for coming back to let us know!
Simple to make and delish too!
This is hands down the best homemade enchilada sauce. I will never buy can sauce again! Thank you for a great recipe!
This recipe is absolutely amazing I do add a little extra garlic powder and chili powder . Made this many many times I’ve even made double and triple batches and froze it. It freezes well. You just have to thaw and mix very well to to get a good consistency and it’s just like you made it the first time. My family absolutely lives it.😊
Thanks so much!
I tried this recipe out because I was out of store bought cans and holy moly I have not looked back and it’s been years! Sorry it’s taken so long to comment, I’ve been busy being in Heaven with this sauce 😉 but thank you so much for every delicious bite since I first made this (and there have been MANY, haha!)
Yay! That is what we love to hear and thank you for coming back to let us know!
Hi. I want to make this recipe but I want to know if I can make a batch and process it in canning jars in a hot water bath for 15 minutes to seal the lid? I’d like to have this handy, on the shelf. Thanks.
Hi Darlene,
I am not a canning expert, but there shouldn’t be any reason why you can’t can this.
Thanks for your quick response! I’m going to give it a go and I’ll let you know how it went.
Better than the store bought sauce and easy to make!
Thanks so much for coming back to let us know!
Just finished making this homemade enchilada sauce and it reminds me of my trip to Arizona where we ate at an authentic Mexican restaurant. This sauce is marvelous and I will be making it many many times more and I will pass this recipe on to love ones and friends. Mucho gracias!!!!
De nada! And thank you for taking the time to come back and let us know! <3
My family’s new FAVORITE enchilada sauce!
Thank you 😊 sooo good! You have to like cumin and not spices which is perfect for us!
Awesome! Thank you for coming to let us know! The cumin is certianly a primary flavor. 🙂
Turned out great! I added some chili paste to add some extra flavor.
Nice! I love that addition!