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This easy enchilada sauce is easy to make in only 10 minutes and requires no dried chiles! All you need are a few staple herbs and spices in your pantry, and you’re good to go!
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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 as 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 Needed
- Olive 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. (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!
Storing and Freezing
You can use this enchilada sauce immediately or store it in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 1 week.
You can also freeze the sauce for up to 3 months and use it for later, which is perfect if you make a double batch.
Be sure to check out my recipe for green enchilada sauce, too!
Easy Enchilada Sauce
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive 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 is definitely a keeper and will go into my rotation. I used fresh salsa instead of canned tomatoes and added cheese to the inside of the enchiladas. Yummmmm.
I love those substitutions! So glad you liked it 🙂
Love this sauce! It was a little spicy for me so the second time I made it I used 3 TBS of chili powder instead of 4.
Very good! My phone only let me put 4 stars. I would have put 5!
I made this one night because I didn’t have any store-bought. I haven’t bought any since!
Easy and amazing!!!!
Thanks a million 😊 🙏
Delicious AND easy! Perfect. I need no more enchilada sauce from the grocery store for the rest of my life!
THANK YOU ISABEL!!
I am coming back here for more of your recipes!!
I love your authentic enchilada sauce I use it all the time it’s delicious I give it a five star. I can’t wait to try your other recipes.
I have used this recipe a lot… thanks so much
Great sauce. My whole family loved it. Kids too. I would like to give it 5 stars but my phone won’t let me.
Awesome Recipe! Thanks! Did make a few substitutions though, as I was making steak enchiladas:
-I substituted a can of enchilada sauce from the grocery store for the tomato paste. It was plenty thick enough with the roux.
-I substituted 1 tablespoon of the chili powder with chipotle pepper powder and added some cayenne powder to spice it up.
– I substituted beef bouillon for chicken bullion. I felt this went better with my sliced up steak.
– When I whisk the roux I included a little bit of masa to give it the flavor we like.
Yum.
How much masa did you use? That sounds good!