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This authentic enchilada sauce recipe is made with dried chiles and Mexican chocolate and is full of traditional Mexican flavor that’s better than any store-bought sauce. It’s the perfect way to elevate your enchiladas with its rich and savory flavor. It’s a total game-changer!
One funny thing about Hispanic moms, including my own, is that they never seem to measure anything when they’re cooking. They just taste as they go, and it comes out delicious every time.
My mom makes her famous cheese enchiladas using this rich enchilada sauce, and I asked her to walk me through the recipe while I measured all the ingredients so I could share it with you. Here’s why I love it:
- It’s unique. Adding a small piece of Mexican chocolate is what brings this sauce to the next level. It pairs well with the dried chiles and gives it a complex flavor that sets it apart from more Tex-Mex recipes that are made from mostly spices (like my easy enchilada sauce).
- It’s versatile. I love to use this sauce in other recipes that call for enchilada sauce, like soups or casseroles.
The Secret Ingredient
The secret to this savory, rustic, and perfectly spiced enchilada sauce? Mexican chocolate!
It seems unexpected, but Mexican chocolate has a slightly bitter and rustic taste, making it perfect for sauces, moles, and other Mexican dishes.
My mom puts it in her enchilada sauce, mole, and sometimes chile colorado. My favorite brand to use is Abuelita, which you can find online, in Mexican grocery stores, or even in the international section of big-chain grocery stores.
Authentic Enchilada Sauce Ingredients
- Dried chiles: I use a combination of ancho, guajillo, and árbol chiles that give a rich, savory, and complex flavor. You can find them in Mexican grocery stores or online.
- Roma tomato: I used only half of a large Roma tomato for a hint of sweetness and to help thicken the sauce. If you don’t have a fresh tomato, you can use 1 tablespoon of tomato paste.
- Water: A mixture of the chile-soaked water and a splash of fresh water adds thins out the sauce without diluting the flavor of the chiles and chocolate.
- Garlic: A must-have in any enchilada sauce.
- Mexican chocolate: This ingredient sets this enchilada sauce apart from the rest and makes it truly authentic. One small tablet of Mexican chocolate adds a small amount of sweetness and rich flavor. Mexican chocolate is not overly sweet like American chocolate bars and is used in both sweet and savory recipes. I used Abuelita brand.
- Kosher salt: I start with 1 teaspoon of kosher sal, but you can adjust depending on your taste.
- Olive oil: Simmering this authentic enchilada sauce in oil helps thicken the sauce and cook the raw tomato flavor. I like to use olive oil, but you can also use any oil you prefer.
How to Make Authentic Enchilada Sauce
Rehydrate the dried chiles. Add the guajillo, ancho, and árbol chiles and enough water to cover them completely into a saucepan or pot. Bring to a boil over high heat. Remove the pot from the heat, cover, and let the chiles soak for 10 minutes to soften.
Blend the sauce. Transfer the softened chiles to a blender using a slotted spoon. Add 1 cup of the chile-soaked water, ¼ cup of fresh water, and the tomato, garlic, salt, and Mexican chocolate. Blend until completely smooth. This step may take a few minutes depending on the power of your blender. Add more water if needed.
Simmer the sauce. Heat the olive oil in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Pour in the sauce and bring it to a simmer. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 3 minutes.
Cover and store in an airtight jar until ready to use.
Recipe Tips
- Adjust the heat. This enchilada sauce has a mild-medium spice. To make it extra mild, make sure to discard all the seeds from the dried chiles and omit the chile de árbol.
- Don’t have Mexican chocolate? You can use 1 teaspoon of unsweetened cocoa powder and 1 teaspoon turbinado/raw sugar instead.
Recipe Variations
This recipe gets its authentic and delicious flavor by using the recommended ingredients, but if you’re in a pinch, you can make some slight variations:
- Dried chiles: You can swap out chile guajillo for chile pasilla for a slightly smoky flavor.
- Tomato: Use 1 tablespoon of tomato paste instead of a fresh Roma tomato.
Ways to Use Authentic Red Enchilada Sauce
This enchilada sauce is delicious and can be used in so many different ways! It’s great in all types of enchiladas, like chicken enchiladas, black bean enchiladas, beef enchiladas, and breakfast enchiladas.
It can also be used as a sauce in chilaquiles, chicken enchilada soup, enchilada meatballs, and chicken tamale casserole.
Storing and Reheating
- Storing: Store the sauce in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a week.
- Freezing: Freeze in portions for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before using.
- Reheating: Reheat on the stovetop over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until warmed through. You can also reheat it in a microwave.
More Mexican Recipes
Authentic Enchilada Sauce
Ingredients
- 4 guajillo chiles, rinsed, stemmed, and seeded
- 2 ancho chiles, rinsed, stemmed, and seeded
- 1 árbol chile, rinsed and stemmed
- Water, as needed
- ½ large Roma tomato, plus more if desired
- 1 clove garlic
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste
- ⅛ tablet Abuelita Mexican chocolate (about 12 grams)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
Instructions
- In a medium pot, add the guajillo, ancho, and árbol chiles and enough water to cover them completely. Bring to a boil over high heat. Remove the pot from the heat, cover, and let the chiles soak for 10 minutes to soften.
- Using a slotted spoon, transfer the softened chiles to a blender. Add 1 cup of the chile-soaked water, ¼ cup of fresh water, and the tomato, garlic, salt, and Mexican chocolate. Blend until completely smooth. This step may take a few minutes, depending on the power of your blender. Add more water if the sauce is too thick for your liking.
- Heat the olive oil in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add the sauce and bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 3 minutes.
- Cover and store until ready to use. It’s perfect for making chicken enchiladas, red chilaquiles, and chicken enchilada soup.
Notes
- Dried chiles: If you’d like to make this sauce as mild as possible, I recommend removing and discarding the seeds of the dried chiles in addition to the stems.
- Mexican chocolate: If you don’t have Mexican chocolate, you can substitute 1 teaspoon unsweetened cocoa powder and 1 teaspoon turbinado/raw sugar instead.
- Storage: Enchilada sauce can also be stored in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks or in the freezer for up to 6 months.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
The post was originally published in October 2016 and has been updated with new photos and new recipe tips and tricks.
Photography by Ashley McLaughlin.
What about California Chile pods, would those be ok to use?
Hi Shannon, I think using those instead of the Guajillo dried chiles would be okay. You may need to use 5 or 6 though to get the same amount of flavor and heat. I don’t think they’ll make a good substitute for Ancho chiles though. That being said, if all you have is the California chiles, then I think you should go ahead and try it! The flavors won’t be exactly the same as my recipe but I think it will still be delicious!
Cannot wait to make my own enchilada sauce at home. Thank you so much for sharing this recipe!
Thanks, Billy! Let me know how it goes!
YUM! I came to this recipe via your Mexican Slow Cooker Chicken Posole recipe, and I’m so glad I did! My first attempt at enchilada sauce from scratch, and I tripled the recipe. Ha. I like that it’s really tasty with a nice warmth—not super spicy so it’s really versatile. I don’t have a standard blender, but an immersion blender got the mixture perfectly smooth. Mine does look a little thinner than the pics and than I think of red enchilada sauce, which might be because I just straight up made a triple batch. I think next time I’ll add the fresh water incrementally to adjust thickness. Maybe my peppers were a little small 🙂 Excited to try this sauce in ALLL the things!
Love this recipe! Just made a large batch and canned it so that we always have some on hand.
So glad you liked it, Alison!
I just made it and my family LOVED it….thank you for sharing.
Thank you, Terry!
I made this and it was crazy good!!! Best sauce ever. Husband loved It. he was so impressed and i think it is one of his favorite things now, no joke.
So glad you guys liked it! Thanks 🙂
Pretty good recipe. I used 3 arbol chili’s and it still wasn’t even slightly spicy, so if you like spice I would definitely use more of those and maybe even some cayenne.
DEFINITELY make sure you strain this sauce. I knew I should have as I was pouring it, but I was in a hurry! Had to pull out tiny pieces of the chilis from my mouth and I know it wasn’t my blender because it’s brand new.
Other than that, it does taste authentic and delicious! Especially with a fried egg on top and Spanish rice on the side 🙂
I made this tonight. It was delicious. Due to living in the arse end of England, I had to substitute the chilli so used 2 ancho, 3 arbol and 2 unidentified dried red chillies. I also used basic dark chocolate. Followed method exactly.
Was amazing. It was hot but flavoursome. Even the 9 yr old devoured it, albeit with a large glass of water.
Thanks
I’m so happy you liked it! Yeah, it can be tough to find some of the chiles needed. Amazon is always a good option for me.
This sauce was so easy to make and the end result was delicious! I’ve been using canned enchilada sauce but now will always use this recipe. I actually tried another sauce recipe which was more time consuming and was hugely disappointing. I will stick with this one!
Made this sauce tonight, with slight changes. Instead of the water to soak the chilies in, I used the cooking liquid from pressure cooking a chuck roast for the enchiladas I’m going to make tomorrow. I also caramelized some onions and put that in too. The texture of the sauce is perfect, and the flavor is smoky, and peppery, and I’m so excited to use it! Thank You!
I just made this sauce in preparation for the enchiladas tomorrow.i also wondered if it was a bit watery and read someone’s comment about reducing it a bit. So I cooked it for a while on the stove top. It turned very bitter- completely inedible and I can’t figure out why,
So I am starting again. Very frustrating! I’m sure it will be delicious but this was a setback.
It’s hard to rate the recipe just just yet.
…So I cooked it for a while on the stove top..
That is why, overcooked chiles become bitter. If you want it less watery just add less water