A very flavorful, restaurant-style red enchilada sauce recipe that gets ready in 15 minutes only. It's much better than store-bought canned sauce.
Use this homemade enchilada sauce to make the most delicious enchiladas, casserole, soups, nachos, and more!
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❤️About This Recipe
Is this an authentic Mexican enchilada sauce? NO, it’s not. It’s similar to what you get in Mexican restaurants here in the USA.
Authentic version: It is made with dried chilies like ancho, pasilla chiles along with few Mexican spices, fresh tomatoes and sometimes a small piece of chocolate. It requires around an hour and if you looking for its recipe, check out here.
Restaurant-style version: This red enchilada sauce I am sharing today and it’s made with different spices powders and tomato sauce. This is a quick and easy method of making homemade enchilada sauce that comes together in just 15 minutes.
Spice level: This enchilada sauce is medium spicy (not super hot. spicy).
🧾Ingredient Notes
All purpose flour: It is essential for thickening the sauce. It is mixed with oil to create a roux and cooked for a couple of minutes to remove the raw edge of the flour.
Chili powder: This is not the Indian red chili powder. This is American chili powder which is the mixture for few chilies with the addition of salt and other seasonings. Hence it is mild vs Indian red chili powder (which pure chilies only).
Depending on which brand of chili powder you are using, the color of homemade enchilada sauce may vary. Some generic brands tend to be darker in color.
Tomato sauce: It gives the enchilada sauce a strong, delicious tomato-based flavor. I prefer to buy 'no salt added' tomato sauce. So I can control the salt (Sodium level) in my recipe. Plus, make sure to buy the one which has no other flavors added.
Vegetable broth (Stock): Instead of buying veggie stock packs, I prefer to use ‘Better than Bouillon vegetable base’. I always keep a jar of it in the refrigerator. You just have to mix it up in hot water and your vegetable broth is ready. If do not care for vegetarian option, then go for low sodium chicken stock.
🎥Watch The Recipe Video
👩🍳Step By Step Photo Instructions
1) Heat the oil in a saucepan (or any deep pan) on medium heat. Once hot add flour.
2) Using a whisk, mix and cook for 1-2 minutes. Do whisk constantly.
3) Add red chili powder.
4) Mix and cook for 30 seconds only. (make sure not to burn)
5) Keep whisking and adding vegetable broth a little at a time. Make sure there are no lumps.
6) Now add the rest of the spices (ground cumin, garlic powder, onion powder, ground coriander, oregano, smoked paprika), salt and pepper. Whisk well until combined.
7) Add tomato sauce, cocoa powder and ground cinnamon. Mix everything really well.
8) Bring the mixture to a boil and then lower the heat and let it simmer for 5 minutes or until thickens. Do stir in between and make sure that it is not sticking to the bottom of the pan.
💭Expert Tips
- Make it spicier: You can add cayenne pepper or chipotle chile powder to make it spicy. Or just add some hot sauce.
- Make it milder: Reduce the amount of chili powder.
- Measure and keep the spices handy before start cooking. Since we are using quite a few different ones, it is smart to keep them ready and add them all at once.
- Make sure to cook the flour into the oil (roux mixture) for at least 2 minutes. Otherwise, the raw taste of flour may ruin the flavor of the enchilada sauce. But make sure not to let it brown.
- After adding chili powder into roux, cook for just 30 seconds otherwise it will burn. We just want to toast briefly to let the flavors bloom.
- Add vegetable broth little by little and keep whisking to avoid lumps.
🥣 Storage Instructions
- In the refrigerator: It stays good for 4-5 days. Store in an airtight glass jar or container.
- In the freezer: It stays good for 3 months. You can make a double/triple batch and store the leftover in the freezer for later use. Store in a freezer-safe container in smaller portions (around 1 cup).
- Thaw: Keep in the refrigerator overnight or until thawed completely.
Check Out Other Mexican Recipes
📋 Recipe Card
Red Enchilada Sauce
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons Oil
- 2 tablespoons All purpose flour (Maida)
- 2 ½ tablespoons Chili powder
- 1 teaspoon Cumin powder
- ½ teaspoon Garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon Onion powder
- ½ teaspoon Coriander powder
- ½ teaspoon Dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon Smoked paprika
- Salt to taste
- ¼ teaspoon Black pepper
- 1 ½ cup Vegetable broth
- 8 oz Tomato sauce (no salt added, unflavored)
- 1 teaspoon Unsweetened cocoa powder
- ⅛ teaspoon Ground cinnamon
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a saucepan (or any deep pan) on medium heat. Once hot add flour. Using a whisk, mix and cook for 1-2 minutes. Do whisk constantly.
- Add red chili powder. Mix and cook for 30 seconds only. (make sure not to burn)
- Keep whisking and adding vegetable broth a little at a time. Make sure there are no lumps.
- Now add the rest of the spices (ground cumin, garlic powder, onion powder, ground coriander, oregano, smoked paprika), salt and pepper. Whisk well until combined.
- Add tomato sauce, cocoa powder and ground cinnamon. Mix everything really well.
- Bring the mixture to a boil and then lower the heat and let it simmer for 5 minutes or until thickens. Do stir in between and make sure that it is not sticking to the bottom of the pan.
Notes
- Make it spicier: You can add cayenne pepper or chipotle chile powder to make it spicy. Or just add some hot sauce.
- Make it milder: Reduce the amount of chili powder.
- Measure and keep the spices handy before start cooking. Since we are using quite a few different ones, it is smart to keep them ready and add them all at once.
- Make sure to cook the flour into the oil for at least 2 minutes. Otherwise, the raw taste of flour may ruin the flavor of the enchilada sauce.
- After adding chili powder into the roux, cook for just 30 seconds otherwise it will burn. We just want to toast briefly to let the flavors bloom.
- Add vegetable broth little by little and keep whisking to avoid lumps.
- Freeze enchilada sauce: You can make a double/triple batch and freeze it for later. It stays good for 3 months. Once cools down, store the enchilada sauce in a freezer-safe container in smaller portions.
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