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This easy enchilada sauce recipe comes together in just 10 minutes and requires no dried chiles! All you need are a few staple herbs and spices you’ve probably already got in your pantry, and you’re good to go.
5-Star Review ★★★★★
“Wow, this made my best batch of enchiladas yet. Thank you! So delicious and easy to make.” -Kerie
When you’ve got a craving for some Mexican food but don’t have a jar of enchilada sauce in the pantry, this recipe will save the day.
Ready in only 10 minutes, this recipe is a quick and easy version of the authentic enchilada sauce my Mom taught me how to make using whole dried chiles and Mexican chocolate.
Since posting that recipe a few years ago, I’ve realized that not everyone has easy access to those ingredients like I do. So I’ve decided to create a good alternative version that tastes very similar to what I grew up eating and is made with easy-to-find ingredients that you likely already have.
Let’s get to it!
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Oil and all-purpose flour: These two ingredients are cooked together to make a roux, which thickens up the sauce just a tad and gives everything a good mouthfeel. I used olive oil, but avocado oil, grapeseed oil, or your preferred oil works. (You could also use a gluten-free flour blend instead of all-purpose flour if you want.)
- Seasonings: Chili powder, onion powder, garlic powder, salt, cumin, and dried oregano.
- Broth: Chicken or vegetable broth both work.
- Tomato paste: This provides a nice velvety tomato flavor without making it too watery like tomato sauce can sometimes do.
How to Make Enchilada Sauce
- Make a roux by whisking the flour and oil together over medium-high heat. Cook it for about a minute to eliminate any raw flour flavor.
- Add all the spices and herbs to the roux, and whisk it up. Cook for about 30 seconds. To make the process easier, I like to put all the spices into a small bowl so I can dump everything in all at once.
- Slowly add the broth while continuously whisking to make sure no big lumps form.
- Add the tomato paste and continue whisking the sauce until it’s completely smooth.
- Bring the sauce to a simmer, remove it from the heat, and that’s it!
Recipes Using Enchilada Sauce
- Chicken Enchiladas
- Cheese Enchiladas
- Beef Enchiladas
- Black Bean Enchiladas
- Turkey Enchiladas
- Breakfast Enchiladas
- Chicken Enchilada Soup
- Chicken Tamale Casserole
- Chicken Enchilada Casserole
Be sure to check out my recipe for green enchilada sauce, too!
Storing and Freezing
- Storing: Use the sauce right away, or keep it in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 1 week.
- Freezing: It freezes really well, too. Store it in an airtight container or freezer bag for up to 3 months. I like to make a double batch just so I’ve always got some on hand.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Can I use this in place of canned enchilada sauce? Definitely. A 10-ounce can is a little over 1 cup, and this recipe makes about 2 1/4 cups, so one batch is roughly two cans’ worth. It swaps in anywhere you’d use the canned stuff, and it tastes way better.
- Why is my sauce too spicy? Chili powder brands vary a lot, so some are hotter than others. If you’re afraid it’ll be too spicy, start with half the amount and then add more as needed. If you already made it and it came out too hot, try stirring in a spoonful of sour cream or a little crema to cool it down. It’ll make a “creamy” enchilada sauce that’s delicious!
- What kind of chili powder should I use? Regular chili powder from the spice aisle, not pure ground Mexican chiles. Regular chili powder is a blend (chile plus things like cumin and garlic), which is exactly what gives this sauce its flavor. Here’s the one I use.
- Can I make it gluten-free? Yep. Swap the all-purpose flour for a gluten-free flour blend or cornstarch and it works great. Lots of readers have made it this way.
Easy Enchilada Sauce
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil (or avocado oil)
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour (or gluten-free flour blend)
- 4 tablespoons chili powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground cumin
- ¼ teaspoon dried oregano
- 2 ¼ cups broth (chicken or vegetable)
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil in a small pot over medium-high heat.
- Add the flour and whisk together for 1 minute.
- Add the chili powder, onion powder, garlic powder, salt, cumin and dried oregano and whisk together for 30 seconds.
- Slowly pour in the broth while whisking constantly to make sure no big lumps form.
- Add the tomato paste and whisk the enchilada sauce until completely smooth.
- Bring to a simmer, remove from heat, and serve.
Notes
- Storage: This sauce can be stored in an airtight jar in the fridge for up to 1 week or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
- Concerned this may be too spicy? Start with using only half of the chili powder and add more to taste.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This post was originally published in October 2019 and has been updated with more helpful information to help you make the recipe the best it can be the first time! Hope you love it!
I am shocked everyone likes this, from my research 4 teaspoons is typical… 4 tablespoons is wild but if you like heat go for it… I would never trust this author again because I suspect this is a typo or else should be labelled hot spicy enchilada sauce
Thanks for your feedback! I totally get where you’re coming from – 4 tablespoons can sound like a lot at first.
This recipe is designed to have a bold, flavorful base, but the spice level can actually vary quite a bit depending on the brand of chili powder you’re using. Some are much milder than others.
If you’re sensitive to heat, you can absolutely start with less (even 2 teaspoons or 1–2 tablespoons) and adjust to taste. That’s actually what I recommend in the notes as well.
Very good and easy enchilada sauce! I used blending flour to ensure no lumps, I did halve the chili powder as we have people who don’t like spicy and it was very good.
Really tasty! Used 2T chili powder; 1small clove garlic crushed (~1/2 t), finely diced shallot (~2 T minus) in place of powdered. Sauteed onion and garlic with oil for 2 min. Followed rest of receipe. Thank you.
I was criticized for not making enchilada sauce with dried peppers as I am a home chef. So I tried, and yours is hands down the best and so much easier. I triple this and freeze in glass jars, the only thing is after defrosting it’s a little clumpy just put it in a pot and warm it up and whisk it and it’s PERFECT, you will NEVER buy store canner enchilada sauce again.
Wow, this made my best batch of enchiladas yet. Thank you! So delicious and easy to make.
Amazing recipe!! The layers of flavor is incredible! First it’s flavor and then spicy, then it hits the back of your throat…then it mellows out. Sooo good! And I can’t handle spice but this, THIS recipe had my thinking and feeling like a Mexican! This recipe deserves 10 stars!
Why’d you give only 4 stars then man
Sauce is too salty
It turned out pretty good! I had to use tomato sauce I didn’t have any tomato paste.
We just finished having this for dinner. We had left over chicken. So we made the enchiladas and the sauce. Along with Spanish rice and refried beans. The enchiladas and sauce are amazing. You won’t regret making this recipe.
So good! I worked in a great authentic mexican restaurant years ago and always missed their enchilada sauce. This is the closest I have had to it, but this is so much easier being that no need to soak and blend chili pods. I made it for quests, they loved it. Hated to share the recipe, they now know how easy it was to make! Thank you:)
Tried this sauce tonight and it was absolutely wonderful!!! Thank You