Easy Enchilada Sauce
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This quick & easy enchilada sauce recipe is ready in just 10 minutes! It’s made with pantry staples and easily adjusts to be as mild or spicy as you like. Recipe includes a how-to video!
The Easiest Enchilada Sauce Recipe
I’m back with another kitchen staple! Like my homemade taco seasoning, this enchilada sauce recipe will save you in a pinch. It’s quick, simple, and it tastes great on beef, cheese, veggie, or chicken enchiladas. Personally, I use it in my chicken enchiladas (recipe coming soon 😉!).
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- So fast. Almost as fast as opening a can from the store! But it tastes so much better than that stuff that has been sitting on the shelf for who knows how long.
- Customizable heat level. Keep it mild if you’re serving to kids or someone with a heat sensitive palate, or add a bit more spice for spice lovers. Psst…if you love spicy food, give my arrabiata sauce a try next!
- Not just for enchiladas! Use it as a sauce for a Mexican pizza (with my pizza dough, of course), layer it in a Mexican lasagna, pour it over your scrambled eggs, or use it to flavor enchilada soup or my chicken tortilla soup.
- Freezes well. I include instructions for this in the recipe notes.
- Just the right amount (though you can easily double if needed!). This recipe makes a bit over 2 cups of sauce, which is what many recipes call for.
Table of Contents
Ingredients
Lots of spices, a little flour, and some chicken broth…let’s talk ingredients! And also a quick but important note: Classic, authentic enchilada sauce uses real dried chilis and takes longer to make. My recipe is meant to give you that bold, deep flavor but it’s also a quick and accessible shortcut that’s much faster and easier for busy nights.
- Spices. Including chili powder, ancho chili powder, onion powder, cumin, oregano, and cayenne pepper. I like using the ancho chili powder (a favorite from my potato soup recipe!) for a deeper, subtly sweet/smoky flavor, but you can swap this with another tablespoon of regular chili powder and still have excellent results.
- Oil. I like avocado oil and have been using it for just about everything lately, from my key lime cake to my turkey chili. Really any neutral oil will work though–I touch on this more in the FAQ section below.
- Tomato paste. This helps with depth of flavor. If you don’t want to buy a whole can, you can buy a tube of tomato paste instead! It will keep in the fridge for a bit.
- Flour. Regular all-purpose flour is all you need. I haven’t tried it, but I suspect a 1:1 gluten-free flour would also work just fine here.
- Sugar. Just a bit to balance the flavor. I’ve tested this recipe with light brown sugar, granulated sugar, and coconut sugar–all work just fine!
Remember, this is just an overview of the ingredients I used and why. For the full recipe please scroll down to the bottom of the post!
SAM’S TIP: If you want to turn up the heat in this enchilada sauce recipe, simply increase the cayenne. Just proceed with caution if you do this–it can get hot pretty quick!
How to Make Enchilada Sauce
- Step 1: Make the roux & toast the spices. Heat oil over medium heat, then add your garlic and let cook until fragrant. Add the flour, whisking constantly until it begins to toast and change color, then whisk in your spices. Toasting the spices like this really develops the flavor, but it’s very important that you keep whisking during this time so nothing burns. The mixture will be thick, but keep it moving!
- Step 2: Add the tomato paste. Whisk in the tomato paste for about a minute or two until it begins to darken.
- Step 3: Add the chicken broth. Drizzle in your chicken broth while whisking (do this gradually so it incorporates smoothly). Once combined, keep stirring and cooking until the sauce starts to thicken.
- Step 4: Taste test & enjoy! Remove the pan from the heat and add your lime juice. Make sure you give the sauce a taste before using in your recipe –it might need some more salt.
SAM’S TIP: If your sauce thickens too much (sometimes this happens after it cools), you can just whisk in a bit more broth. Easy peasy!
Frequently Asked Questions
While there are a few variations, the two most common are red and green. Red sauce is what I’m sharing here today, and green would be what you’d use for enchiladas verdes (recipes vary but usually include green chiles, tomatillos, cilantro, spices, and lime).
Here in the US, you’ll also see mole on many menus; this is a darker sauce made with chocolate, nuts, smoked chilies, and spices. It has a unique depth of flavor and is very different from the sauce I’m sharing today.
I like avocado oil, but really any neutral cooking oil would work. Avoid oils with a strong flavor, like coconut oil, as those will come through in the final product and can change the overall taste.
Burning the roux/spices/garlic, cooking the sauce too long or on too high of a heat (causing the sauce to get too thick), not cooking long enough (too thin), and forgetting to taste testing before serving (always taste test!).
Serve Your Enchiladas With:
Stay tuned for my recipe for chicken enchiladas–coming very soon!
Enjoy!
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Easy Enchilada Sauce
Equipment
Ingredients
- 3 Tablespoons avocado oil, or other neutral cooking oil
- 1 garlic clove, pressed
- 3 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons chili powder
- 1 Tablespoon ancho chili powder, (may substitute with an additional Tablespoon of regular chili powder)
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon light brown sugar, granulated sugar, or coconut sugar
- ¾ teaspoon table salt, (plus more to taste, if needed)
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- Pinch of cayenne pepper, if desired
- 2 Tablespoons tomato paste
- 2 cups (473 ml) chicken broth
- 2 teaspoons lime juice
Instructions
- Pour oil into a small saucepan and warm over medium heat. Once warmed, add garlic and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 30 seconds.3 Tablespoons avocado oil, 1 garlic clove
- Sprinkle flour over the oil and whisk until light golden in color (about 60 seconds).3 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
- Add spices, sugar, and salt and whisk together for 30-60 seconds (will be very thick and quite dry, this is normal! Keep it moving so it doesn’t burn).2 tablespoons chili powder, 1 Tablespoon ancho chili powder, 1 teaspoon onion powder, 1 teaspoon ground cumin, 1 teaspoon light brown sugar, granulated sugar, or coconut sugar, ¾ teaspoon table salt, ½ teaspoon dried oregano, Pinch of cayenne pepper
- Add tomato paste and cook, stirring, until paste deepens in color (about 1-2 minutes).2 Tablespoons tomato paste
- While whisking, slowly drizzle in chicken broth. Continue to cook, stirring constantly, until slightly thickened.2 cups (473 ml) chicken broth
- Remove from heat and stir in lime juice. Taste-test and add additional salt as needed. Use as indicated with your favorite enchilada recipe!2 teaspoons lime juice
Notes
Storing
If not using immediately, allow the sauce to cool completely then store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. If you’d like to freeze it, this sauce will freeze for up to a month or two. I recommend thawing overnight in the fridge before using (though you can also thaw it in a saucepan on low heat!).Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Like this? Leave a comment below!
I made this for my family tonight. We really liked it. I think my personal preference would be just a bit less onion or to sauté them before adding. My husband insisted on adding extra cheese. I’m looking forward to making my own sauce for next time. Thanks for the yummy and easy recipe.
I’m so glad everyone enjoyed it, Sarah! 🙂
This enchilada sauce is easy to make and flavorful. It’s not too spicy. I followed the recipe as written, except I had lemons so I used them. They added a nice brightness to the enchiladas.
Thanks for giving it a try, Gina! Enjoy 😊
Hi Sam! So excited for the chicken enchiladas recipe. Enchiladas are the ONE dish my hubby can make better than me, but hopefully with your next recipe and tutorial the title will be mine 🙂
Ah, hopefully you can claim the winning title with our recipe! 🥳