Quick and easy, hands down the BEST sauce ever! Made with warm, spicy chili powder, earthy cumin and bright oregano. This authentic enchilada sauce makes every dish taste that much better.
This will be your favorite homemade sauce - you'll never use canned again!
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Easy enchilada sauce
This is hands down the best red chili enchilada sauce you will ever try! What makes it so different from what you get in a can? It is thick and and has a wonderful smoky flavor. The flavorful sauce clings to corn or flour tortillas. It is so good!
Unlike the canned stuff, this homemade authentic Mexican recipe has no preservatives and it's just like your favorite Mexican restaurant! It doesn't take long to make and will become your favorite enchilada sauce recipe, I promise you!
I've made this red chile sauce several times now! The first night I made stacked cheese homemade enchiladas and tonight rolled chicken enchiladas - both were just amazing! Your meal will equal those of your favorite Mexican restaurants!
Easy Red Enchilada Sauce Recipe
Ingredients
- ¼ cup chili powder
- 1 tablespoon flour
- 2 tablespoon oil olive, canola or avocado oil
- 2 cups chicken broth can substitute vegetable both
- 1 6 oz. tomato paste
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon sugar
Instructions
- In a large saucepan or skillet mix flour and chile powder together. Whisk it together well until it's thoroughly combined.
- Add oil, and whisk to combine. Heat on low for 2 minutes, or until fragrant.
- Turn the heat up to medium, add broth, tomato paste, oregano, and cumin, stirring to combine.
- Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low and cook uncovered, for 10 minutes, until sauce thickens and smooths out.
- Add salt and sugar, and taste for seasonings, adjusting to taste.
Notes
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Nutrition
It's easy to make and just has the BEST flavor! The warm, spicy chili powder, earthy cumin and bright oregano are the perfect combinations. This makes an authentic enchilada sauce that is thick, rich and luscious!
FAQ's
Enchilada sauce gets it's heat from chilis where taco sauce is spicer! It's heat comes from cayenne peppers!
The difference between green enchilada sauce and salsa verde is enchilada sauce is cooked, where the majority of the ingredients are raw. Enchilada sauce is blended with stock or water. Salsa verde doesn't not have stock added.
Be sure to fry the corn tortillas shells briefly in oil. It creates a barrier and keeps the shells from soaking up too much sauce and getting soggy.
Deb's top tips
After adding your chili powder, cumin, garlic powder, and other spices to the saucepan, give them 30-60 seconds to sizzle in the oil before adding the liquid. This wakes up the flavor. Kind of like coffee before conversation! And gives your sauce a deeper, more complex taste. It's a simple step that makes a big difference!
Add a tablespoon of cocoa powder; it will enrich the sauce and give it incredible flavor.
Serving suggestions
I know once you make this delicious authentic red enchilada sauce recipe you'll never buy the stuff in a can again. It's easy to make and delicious on just about everything! Here are some great recipes and ideas!
- Black bean or cheese enchiladas, chicken or beef enchiladas stacked or rolled - well I guess that goes without saying, right?!!! 🤣
- Drizzled over spicy nachos along with Cilantro Lime Sauce!
- Make a spicy Tex-Mex Pizza!
- Swim some tamales in this heavenly sauce.
- Turn an ordinary pork roast into a fiesta with this braising liquid!
- How about lasagna Mexican style?!!
- Ddd to your Spanish rice for authentic flavor!
- Make an amazing cheese enchilada casserole - yum!
- Huevos rancheros - doesn't that sound delicious?
Related Recipes
Still hungry? Here are more yummy Mexican food recipes try next time!
- Roasted Salsa Verde Recipe - delicious and authentic
- Chicken Pozole Verde - so savory and delicious
- Authentic Posole Recipe; Mexican Stew - easy and SO fabulous!!
- Mexican Albondigas Soup (Meatball Soup) - one of my favorites!
So are you planning something fun for the weekend? Are you going to a fiesta or will you be having some cervesas at home? I'd love to hear what your plans are!
If you love this sauce as much as we do, be sure to comment below and give it a five star rating!
Recipe backstory
This recipe was part of a blog hop and a recipe I shared from Life Currents! I was able to peruse her blog to choose which recipe I would be sharing which is always so hard to do!
Would it be her recipe for Mexican Corn Salad or Mushroom Asada? Honestly this Avocado Sauce is totally to die for! I finally nailed it down to her recipe for this delicious sauce! Read more about the blog hop below under the recipe card.
Boo says
While I love the idea of a tablespoon of cocoa powder for added rich flavor, 6 oz. tomato paste threw me for a loop, there is no tomato in this Enchilada Sauce, nor chili powder which is suppose to come from the different kinds of ground chilies. It was a strange recipe. Well. I'll give it a try & see how it works out.
Camden says
I need to make this authentic enchilada sauce ASAP. With how often we buy it from the store, I know we would save a ton of money using this recipe!
Debra Clark says
Save money and better flavor, 100%. Enjoy!!
Debbie says
Thank you for this authentic enchilada sauce recipe. Making DIY sauces and spice blends is one of my favorite things of all time.
Debra Clark says
Wonderful Deb, there are plenty of good spice blends on the blog.
Alyssa says
Enchiladas are one of my favorite meals. I will definitely be making this authentic enchilada sauce next time!
Debra Clark says
This is the BEST enchilada sauce - enjoy!
Brittany says
I can't believe how easy it is to make authentic enchilada sauce at home! I love being able to make foods from scratch so I can control the ingredients and flavor. I don't know why I haven't tried this before. So good!
Bowl Me Over says
Wonderful, I hope you really enjoy the recipe Brittany.
Kristen says
I bet that this authentic mexican enchilada sauce recipe is way better for you (and tastier!) than anything you will find on the shelves at the store! This year I am trying to become more self-reliant on making stuff like this, instead of grabbing it from the store! Save money, and eat a bit healthier, too!
Bowl Me Over says
You will love the flavor of this sauce. You're right, it's SO MUCH BETTER than store-bought. Enjoy!