Red Enchilada Sauce Recipe

My favorite homemade enchilada sauce recipe is easy to make with pantry ingredients, it only requires about 5 minutes of prep time, and it tastes so flavorful and delicious.

This recipe for Southwestern-style red enchilada sauce has been the starring ingredient in my favorite enchilada recipe for years and years. And every time I bake up a batch of enchiladas for a gathering, friends always ask for the recipe.

By contrast to many Mexican-style enchilada sauces, this recipe does not include tomatoes but rather centers its flavor around a rich blend of seasonings that you likely already have in your pantry (chili powder, cumin, garlic and oregano). On its own, the sauce is naturally fairly mild, although you are welcome to amp up the heat if you’d like. And its deliciously warm, toasty, earthy flavors pair perfectly with any variety of enchilada recipes.

The good news too is that this recipe only takes about 5 minutes to prep, plus an additional 15-ish minutes to simmer on the stove. It’s naturally vegetarian, vegan and can also be made gluten-free if you’d like. It’s made entirely with pantry ingredients, and can be customized to be more spicy, smoky, tomato-y, or even creamy if you prefer. And I must say — it’s a million times better than the canned stuff!

Thousands of our readers have made and loved this recipe over the years. So if you have yet to give it a try, I say it’s time!

Homemade Enchilada Sauce

This homemade red enchilada sauce has authentic Mexican flavor! It’s so good and easy, you’ll never go back to store-bought sauce again. You can even make a double batch and freeze half of it for later. Recipe as written below yields about 2 cups (16 ounces) sauce.

Prep: 3min

Total: 10min

Yield: 2

Serving Size: 1/2 cup

Nutrition Facts: servingSize 1/2 cup, calories 133 calories, Sugar 1.8 g, Sodium 540 mg, Fat 11.1 g, Saturated Fat 1.6 g, Trans Fat 0 g, Carbohydrate 8.9 g, Fiber 2.7 g, Protein 1.8 g, Cholesterol 0 mg

Ingredients:

• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 3 tablespoons flour (whole wheat flour, all-purpose flour and gluten-free flour blends all work!)
• 1 tablespoon ground chili powder (scale back if you’re sensitive to spice or using particularly spicy chili powder)
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• ½ teaspoon garlic powder
• ¼ teaspoon dried oregano
• ¼ teaspoon salt, to taste
• Pinch of cinnamon (optional but recommended)
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 2 cups vegetable broth
• 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar or distilled white vinegar
• Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Instruction:

1. This sauce comes together quickly once you get started, so measure the dry ingredients (the flour, chili powder, cumin, garlic powder, oregano, salt and optional cinnamon) into a small bowl and place it near the stove. Place the tomato paste and broth near the stove as well.
2. In a medium-sized pot over medium heat, warm the oil until it’s hot enough that a light sprinkle of the flour/spice mixture sizzles on contact. This might take a couple of minutes, so be patient and don’t step away from the stove!
3. Once it’s ready, pour in the flour and spice mixture. While whisking constantly, cook until fragrant and slightly deepened in color, about 1 minute. Whisk the tomato paste into the mixture, then slowly pour in the broth while whisking constantly to remove any lumps.
4. Raise heat to medium-high and bring the mixture to a simmer, then reduce heat as necessary to maintain a gentle simmer. Cook, whisking often, for about 5 to 7 minutes, until the sauce has thickened a bit and a spoon encounters some resistance as you stir it. (The sauce will thicken some more as it cools.)
5. Remove from heat, then whisk in the vinegar and season to taste with a generous amount of freshly ground black pepper. Add more salt, if necessary (I usually add another pinch or two). Go forth and make enchiladas!

Red Enchilada Sauce

My favorite homemade enchilada sauce recipe is easy to make with pantry ingredients, it only requires about 5 minutes of prep time, and it tastes so flavorful and delicious.

Prep: 5min

Total: 20min

Yield: 1

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons avocado oil or olive oil
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup chili powder (see note below)
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
• 2 cups chicken or vegetable stock
• fine sea salt, to taste

Instruction:

1. Heat oil in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Add flour and cook for 1 minute, whisking constantly. Add in the chili powder, garlic powder, cumin and oregano and cook for 1 more minute, whisking constantly.
2. Gradually pour in the stock, whisking constantly to combine until no lumps remain. Continue cooking until the sauce reaches a simmer. Then reduce heat to medium-low to maintain the simmer (the sauce should continue lightly bubbling) for about 10-15 minutes, uncovered, until the sauce has slightly thickened.
3. Give the sauce a taste and season with salt, as needed. (I typically add 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt, but the saltiness of the sauce can vary depending on the brand of stock that you use.)
4. Use immediately in your favorite recipe and enjoy!

Enchilada Sauce Recipe

This fan-favorite red enchilada sauce recipe is one of our most popular sauces. You’ll never buy canned enchilada sauce again!

Prep: 5min

Total: 20min

Yield: 1

Serving Size: 1 serving

Nutrition Facts: calories 215 kcal, Carbohydrate 39 g, Protein 10 g, Fat 5 g, Saturated Fat 1 g, Cholesterol 9 mg, Sodium 3303 mg, Fiber 10 g, Sugar 4 g, unSaturated Fat 3 g, servingSize 1 serving

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 4 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 3 tablespoons chili powder ((we prefer Gebhardt’s))
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/4 teaspoon oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin
• 2 cups chicken broth

Instruction:

1. Add oil to a pot and heat on medium heat. Pour in flour and create a roux by whisking them together for 1-2 minutes.
2. Add chili powder, garlic powder, salt, cumin, and oregano and mix until clumpy.
3. Pour in chicken broth, whisking the entire time until there are no more clumps. Heat for about 15 minutes or until the sauce is thickened.
4. TIP: The sauce is thick enough when it coats the back of a wooden spoon well. In the picture above, on the left, the sauce looks watery and doesn’t stick to the spoon. The picture on the right shows that the sauce is thick and sticks to the back of the wooden spoon showing that it’s ready.

Mexican RED CHILE SAUCE Recipe for Tamales, Enchiladas, Asado, Chili con Carne & More

FAQ

What is the red sauce on enchiladas made of?

What is authentic enchilada sauce made of?

Is there a difference between red enchilada sauce and enchilada sauce?

What is the difference between red chile sauce and red enchilada sauce?