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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.
I made this once and loved it but now need to NOT use any flour. Could I use cornstarch as a thickener instead and maybe put it in when the liquid is added to the spices?
Hi Maria! I’m not sure about that, but it’s worth a try. Let us know how it turns out!
So delicious and easy to make!!
Made the shredded chicken and easy enchilada sauce using the chicken broth from the shredded chicken. Sauce is great!! @isabeleats
great recipe for chicken enchiladas and enchiladas sauce
This was delicious! I made the roux using butter instead of OO, used McCormick Chili powder, and for broth I used Better Than Bullion disolved in water. I added a bit of pepper and smoked paprika. The proportions were just perfect and made a velvety smooth sauce that I used for beef enchiladas, with enough leftover to drizzle over eggs in the morning. So yum, so easy. Thank you!
I used tomatoe sauce in this recipe as I was out of tomatoe paste. Turned out fabulous! After cooking, removed from heat and stirred in black pepper to taste and 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar.
Very tasty!!
Thank you so much!!!
Very good sauce. Thank you. I fiddled with it a little bit. We like a little more tomato flavor so I doubled tomato paste, used a little sour cream, added black pepper, and finished with a little vinegar. Fantastic. I used corn Tortillas for my enchiladas and dipped them in the sauce before filling and rolling. So good. Thanks again.
Simply the best I have ever tasted.
THANKS
Delicious
I love spicy food and this was too delicious