This homemade Enchilada Sauce can be made in just 15 minutes. It has the perfect blend of simple spices to make the best enchiladas ever! It’s not a hot and spicy sauce unless you want it to be. And this recipe can easily be doubled or tripled if you are making a lot of enchiladas.
I don’t know about you, but I don’t really care for the enchilada sauce that you buy in the can. It always seems to have a bit of a metal taste to it. The flavor isn’t there. It’s just not good. My enchilada sauce recipe been a very popular recipe for a good number of years! Skip the canned stuff and make this homemade enchilada sauce (double the recipe, if you’d like). Use it in all of your recipes that call for canned enchilada sauce.
The best enchilada sauce recipe:
Here’s a quote from a reader (and if you read all of the comments below that people have left over the years, you’ll see similar sentiments!)
“I googled a recipe and this one popped up. After a quick check of the ingredients, I realized I had everything I needed, so I made it and OMG, I could not stop “sampling” it! I have now made it four times…so much flavor, but not too spicy OR mild. I will never buy enchilada sauce again – this is the BEST sauce!”
How to make Enchilada Sauce:
This recipe is super simple. First you’ll heat oil in a pan and then whisk in flour and chili powder until lightly browned. Next, you’ll whisk in chicken broth and tomato sauce. Ground cumin, garlic powder, onion salt and salt are mixed in too. All is simmered for about 10 minutes, and that’s it!
But how can it be homemade when you’re using canned?
This sauce is not made from fresh tomatoes, so you’ll see canned chicken broth and canned tomato sauce in the ingredient list. But it’s combined with the right amount of spices, and it turns out a delicious enchilada sauce! I don’t mind canned tomato sauce, but canned enchilada sauce is just awful. This sauce will have a much better flavor than canned enchilada sauce from the store.
How to freeze enchilada sauce:
Transfer the sauce to freezer-safe jars or containers. Freeze for up to 3 months. Be sure to label so you know what you’ve got in there!
Substitution suggestions:
For a spicy sauce, add cayenne pepper or chipotle chile powder. If you want to make a vegetarian enchilada sauce, use vegetable broth in place of chicken broth. It’s okay to use whole wheat flour in place of all-purpose flour. And you can use olive oil in place of canola/vegetable oil.
If you’ve never been a fan of canned enchilada sauce, or if you are in a part of the world where it’s difficult to find… then this recipe is for you! It’s so easy to make, and I think you’ll be impressed with the results. Enjoy!
Here are a few recipes where you will need enchilada sauce:
- Easy Beef Enchiladas
- Beef and Cheese Enchiladas
- One Pan Enchilada Pasta
- Beef and Bean Enchilada Casserole
- Chicken and Spinach Enchiladas
- Zucchini Beef Enchiladas
Homemade Enchilada Sauce
Ingredients
- ¼ cup vegetable or canola oil
- 2 tablespoons all purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons chili powder
- 1½ cups low sodium chicken broth
- One 8-ounce can tomato sauce
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon onion salt
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a large skillet to medium heat. Whisk in the flour and chili powder. Reduce heat to medium and continue to whisk until lightly browned. Gradually whisk in the chicken broth, tomato sauce, cumin, garlic powder, onion salt and salt. Stir until smooth, and continue simmering over medium heat about 10 minutes, or until slightly thickened.
- Serve immediately, or keep in a covered bowl in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Notes
- If you are preparing this recipe as GLUTEN FREE- just be sure to substitute an alternative thickener in place of the all purpose flour. Some people use a good GF flour (like Bob's Redmill), and others like to use sweet rice flour. And make sure you are using a brand of chicken broth that is designated as GF (or use water instead).
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This is my second time making this sauce. For my husbands Birthday. We don’t like the store can enchilada sauce. This was a great recipe to find, so easy to make. Thanks for taking your time to post this. My children loved it too not too spicy and one can always add more or take some spice depending on taste. I don’t make enchiladas that often only for a treat and with your sauce it is really a treat better than restaurants for me at least. Have a great day.
Awesome recipe! My first attempt at enchilada sauce and I was extremely pleased. Don’t forget to kick it up a notch with a little cayenne pepper!
Amazing!! Made this tonight and my husband says the best enchiladas ive ever made…and has banned me from buying canned versions. Thank you!!! (I used home made chicken broth)
Made this and your beef enchilada (with zucchini) recipe for my family yesterday and they love, love, loved it. Apparently we are never going back to can or jarred sauce again. Thanks!
I am so excited to try this new dish. Thank you so much for sharing your ideas.
Nickcole Jackson A.S.
I made this today and it was delicious. So much better than the can stuff and easy too. Make sure you double the recipe, its that good.
Oh my goodness! I followed your link from the enchilada recipe and decided to make the sauce fresh since you made it look so easy. The whole shabang was incredible. Even my 19month old gobbled them up. It wasn’t spicy, just super flavorful!
Thanks for sharing!
LOVE this recipe! I won’t buy canned again. Only substitution I made was I used olive oil instead of veg. oil. You can’t tell the difference except it is way healthier than veg. or canola oil. It is perfect for my family since it is flavorful without being spicy.
Made this last night to use with “Angela’s Awesome Enchiladas (allrecipes.com), and it was absolutely DELICIOUS!! SO much better than the canned stuff, and easy! Thank you, recipe girl! I’ll be using this often.
I WANT TO SAY THANK YOU FOR THE EXELENT ENCHILADA SAUCE EASY AS IT GETS GREAT TASTING LOW COST RECIPE ! WE ENJOY IT A LOT