Red Enchilada Sauce
You’ll never buy the canned stuff again after tasting this easy-to-make homemade enchilada sauce! Ready in just 10 minutes!
Homemade Red Enchilada Sauce
Fresher, more authentic, and frankly just delicious, this homemade enchilada sauce recipe beats anything from the store!
Living in Texas, I’ve tried a lot of different enchiladas — both homemade and from restaurants. And one thing I’ve learned is that every sauce is different and everyone has their own idea of what makes the BEST enchilada sauce recipe.
However, I think that we’ve got a winner with this easy enchilada sauce recipe!
You might be wondering, “why would I bother making my own sauce when you can just buy it in a can from the grocery store?”
That’s totally a valid point, and it’s hard to beat canned foods for convenience. But hear me out…
Homemade always tastes better!
And this homemade sauce is surprisingly easy to make, with simple pantry ingredients. You can whip up a big batch in about 10 minutes and have enough for a couple meals! (And it freezes well too!)
Another benefit to making your own sauces is that you know exactly what goes inside them. No mystery ingredients, no artificial preservatives, and you can modify them to meet your own dietary needs (gluten free, vegetarian, etc.)
Try this incredibly flavorful red enchilada sauce on your favorite recipes: cheese enchiladas, enchilada casseroles, chicken enchiladas…you name it! (I’ll share a couple of my favorite enchilada recipes later in the post!)
Ingredients
Don’t be intimidated by the seemingly lengthy ingredient list! Most of these are simply common spices that are likely already in your pantry.
- 3 Tablespoon olive oil (or vegetable oil)
- 3 Tablespoon chili powder
- 2 Tablespoon all-purpose flour
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 1 cup crushed tomato
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 teaspoon coriander
- 1 pinch of ground cinnamon
- dash salt and ground black pepper
Instructions
- In a saucepan over medium heat, whisk together the four, chili powder and oil.
- Bring this mixture to a simmer for 15-20 seconds, stirring frequently.
- Whisk in the remaining ingredients and increase to medium-high heat to bring to a boil, stirring almost constantly. Once the sauce reaches a boil, reduce heat to low and allow to simmer for 5 minutes.
- Remove from heat and allow to rest for at least 5 minutes. If you have time, letting the sauce cool for 10 more minutes will give it time to thicken up beautifully.
Note: While it is still hot, the sauce will have a thinner consistency. It will thicken up as it cools.
How to Store
This recipe yields about 2 1/2 cups of sauce, which means you might have leftovers.
Allow to cool completely in the pot on the stovetop before storing. Once the sauce is room temperature, you can transfer to a mason jar or other airtight container to put in the refrigerator.
When refrigerated, your homemade enchilada sauce will stay good for 5-7 days.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Enchilada Sauce Spicy?
Enchilada sauce gets its unique flavor from a variety of spices and seasonings, but it is not usually what I would consider “hot” spicy. (Though you can make it spicy if you like!)
If you are sensitive to spicy foods, you can scale back on the amount of chili powder used. Try using half the amount listed in the recipe and seeing how that goes.
Can You Make Red Enchilada Sauce Gluten Free?
This recipe contains two Tablespoons of flour, so as written, it is not gluten free. You may be wondering if it is possible to just swap out that regular flour with gluten-free flour. The answer is YES, you can totally substitute a gluten-free flour blend to make your sauce.
As always, I recommend checking labels on the rest of your ingredients to be sure there is not potential for cross-contamination during manufacture, if that is a concern.
Is Enchilada Sauce Vegetarian?
Because the original recipe uses chicken broth, it would not be considered vegetarian friendly. However, you can substitute vegetable broth to make this enchilada sauce vegetarian and vegan! The flavor will still be quite similar (and most people probably would never know the difference!)
Try this red enchilada sauce on these recipes:
Printable Copy of our Red Enchilada Sauce Recipe
If you like this recipe, please rate it! We’d also love to hear your thoughts in the comments below.
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Homemade Enchilada Sauce Recipe
Equipment
- Saucepan
- whisk
Ingredients
- 3 Tablespoons olive oil
- 3 Tablespoons chili powder
- 2 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 1 cup crushed tomato
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 teaspoon coriander
- 1 pinch ground cinnamon
- 1 dash salt and ground black pepper
Instructions
- Whisk the four, chili powder and oil in a saucepan over medium heat.
- Bring to a simmer for 15-20 seconds, stirring frequently.
- Whisk in remaining ingredients and bring to a boil, stirring almost constantly. Once boiling, reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes.
- Remove from heat and allow to cool until the sauce has thickened to your liking.
Notes
Nutrition
Be sure to pin our authentic enchilada sauce recipe on Pinterest:
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I’ve always used canned enchilada sauce and for some reason, I wanted to amp up my enchiladas by making the sauce from scratch. I found this recipe and the enchiladas were the best I’ve ever had! Great recipe and will definitely have to make it again soon!
So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for letting me know!
Would I have to change the recipe at all if I wanted to can/store them?