This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.
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.
I am going to make a big batch this week. The last time I tried, I had too many skin pieces that did not rehydrate fully. And, I was too chicken to use arbol. Not this time! I think I will just have to make sure the water is hotter, right? Thank you for this recipe, it’s an inspiration and your blog is bookmarked! Fantastico!
I forgot to mention that I water bath canned my sauce. Works great but I would recommend using within 8 months
Yes! Make sure the water is hot. I also find it helpful to blend the sauce a little longer than you think. So even though it may look fully blended, let it go for another minute or so to really get all those pieces.
I used only unsweetened cocoa powder because of my high blood sugar. It is a bit bitter by itself, but on top of the enchiladas, it was fantastic! Thank you for this really great, easy to make recipe.
Thank you for this! Every year my son and I invite anyone who has nowhere else to go, anyone who WANTS somewhere else to go, and anyone I happen to meet in the weeks before Christmas to our “Orphans Christmas Eve dinner. When my kid was young and it was just the two of us he could choose the menu and it could be as fancy as he wanted and I would make it happen, no matter what! It is always a special evening, no matter who is there — from two to ten! This year my newly single friend Marcela (from Costa Rica) is bringing tamales and an 80-something year old nun. I grew up in San Antonio, Texas and loved getting tamales on Christma Eve but no one in my world now does this so I became inspired to create a festive meal in the Mexican traditions of my Tex-Mex youth anfd am so happy to have stumbled upon your authentic site. Moments ago I just started soaking the chilis for the enchilada sauce for our dinner tomorrow which will consist of a Guacamole and pomegranate wreath, with queso dip, and blue tortilla chips, your christmas eve salad, Marcela’s tamales, your chicken posole, some ginger pigs and rum-infused pots de chocolates with a cardomum whipped cream and something sparkling to drink for dessert! I’m so excited and my kitchen already smells like my happiest San Antonio Christmas memories! I thought I would share our plans and the joy you’ve already brought me and my friend– and will share the outcome later! Feliz Navidad!
Thank you so much for sharing this, Gina! I hope you had an amazing Christmas!
I absolutely love this recipe! This is how my mom makes her enchilada sauce except now I have measurements to go by. My mom would always just tell me what I needed and to go by taste (never worked for me). By the way my mom’s from Durango, Mexico, so I’m confused as to why the negative comments on adding the chocolate as this is exactly how my grandma and mom make theirs. I’m excited to try other recipes of yours!
My typically picky 11 year-old ate enchiladas made with this sauce and exclaimed “what is this sauce on this?! It’s amazing!” He’d never eaten my homemade enchiladas before—but I had been using jarred sauces too! I love this recipe because it’s easily scalable. It freezes beautifully as well. Kept for several months!
Thanks, Isabel! Off to try your other recipes!
I’m so happy you and your little one loved it, Cari! It’s one of my favorite recipes, especially since I got it straight from my mom 🙂 Cheers!
I have made this several times now. I toast the dried chiles first. I have added 1 California Negro chile, 1 Chipotle in adobo (seeded), switched to Ibarra brand Mexican chocolate, and leave out the half cup of water. I would use more chipotle and arbol peppers as I like the heat from them, but my kids can’t handle the heat. I may start making two separate dishes of enchiladas. To compensate for now, I puree the remaining chipotles and drizzle that on top of mine.
You have inspired me to make this the summer of Mexican cooking. I typically prefer Asian and Mediterranean. I have tried some Mexican recipes before, but they were time consuming. Sometimes, it’s worth the wait. Sometimes, I don’t have time. Your recipes are fresh, tasty, and easy to follow! Thank you!
Thank you so much, Jason! This message means so much to me and I’m honored that I’ve inspired you to cook more Mexican food. 🙂 Cheers!
How much sauce does it take to make a dozen enchiladas, is the amount in this recipe enough or should it be doubled or tripled. Thank you!
Yes, this enchilada sauce recipe is enough for a dozen enchiladas. I typically use about 2-2.5 cups of enchilada sauce when making a dozen, but some people like it less saucy so it just depends on your preference.
This is freaking amazing! And WAY too easy!
Dear Isabel . Im looking at several recipes for Enchilada sauce, some fry the sauce , is that a good thing also if i want to make 4 cups would i just X2 everything ? T U
Hi there. Yes, you can fry the sauce if you prefer. It adds a different touch of really great flavor but it’s not completely necessary. And yes, you would just double everything.
Dear Isabel my name is Glenn thank you very very much for the idea of the chocolate to cut out some of the bitterness I used two pieces of Hershey’s chocolate down because I double the recipe thank you again for putting it out there for all of us to get a foundation to build on you take care and God bless and all the best to you and your family
For years I have tried to learn the secret of a good red/enchilada sauce. I had a kind neighbor allow me to “learn” from her, but there were no measurements or specifics and it didn’t stick, lol. When I saw the chocolate addition in yours, I was hesitant but intrigued. But because it looked so simple to make, I decided to give it a try, and made it just as written.
The results? Let’s just say that I will never, ever, EVER go back to settling for a canned sauce again. This was sheer perfection and as authentic as this South TX to SoCal girl has ever tasted!! Whatever hassle you faced trying to recreate your Mom’s sauce was absolutely worth it! Honored and grateful that you have shared this with us!! Thank you!!
P.S. Going to try this on your Vegetarian Spinach Enchiladas (subbing Mex grey squash for the mushrooms, and lots of cotija!)
Oh my goodness, this is the best comment every! I’m so happy you like it. Thanks for all your kind words! Cheers!