This Enchilada Sauce comes together in just ten minutes. When you see how easy it is to make homemade enchilada sauce, you will never get the store-bought stuff again. The flavor is out of this world!
THE BEST HOMEMADE ENCHILADA SAUCE
Made with spicy chili powder and fragrant cumin, all you need is a few simple pantry ingredients to make this bold and rich homemade Enchilada Sauce. Once you taste it, you are going to want to keep this recipe on hand for forever and a day.
The wonderful thing about making your own Enchilada Sauce is that you can control the ingredients and keep the bad stuff out. THAT, and the fact that you can also make my Ground Turkey Black Bean Enchiladas whenever hunger strikes.
I often make a double batch and keep half of the sauce in the freezer for future use. AND to keep it away from my husband who will dip all-the-foods in his favorite red sauce. He says it’s his “special ketchup”… 🧐
INGREDIENTS FOR ENCHILADA SAUCE
- Vegetable Oil
- All-Purpose Flour
- Chili Powder
- Paprika
- Ground Cumin
- Water OR Chicken Broth
- Tomato Sauce
- Tomato Paste
- Garlic Powder
- Onion Powder
- Ground Cinnamon
- Salt
- Fresh Ground Pepper
HOW TO MAKE ENCHILADA SAUCE
This recipe goes real fast so I suggest you prepare all the ingredients before you start: Scroll down for the FULL RECIPE
- Grab a large skillet and heat up the oil over medium heat; whisk in the flour, chili powder, paprika, and cumin, and cook for a minute, stirring constantly.
- Add some water, whisk until it all turns into a thick paste.
- Whisk in remaining water or chicken broth, tomato sauce, tomato paste, garlic powder, onion powder, cinnamon, salt, and pepper.
- Continue to cook for 5 minutes, or until the sauce thickens; whisk frequently. (In this recipe, the whisk is your BFF.)
- Remove from heat; let cool before putting it away.
My disclosure: While this may not be a 100% authentic recipe, my easy red enchilada sauce is quick, SO incredibly flavor-FULL, and can be made ahead of time. 🙃
HOW TO STORE ENCHILADA SAUCE
- Enchilada Sauce can be stored in the fridge for up to 1 week.
- Store Enchilada Sauce in freezer bags and keep in the freezer for up to 3 months.
HOMEMADE CONDIMENTS
IF you haven’t noticed, I love making Homemade Sauces, and Homemade Spices, and Salad Dressings, and whatnot. Here’s a few to start making at home, A.S.A.P.
- Homemade Honey Barbecue Sauce
- Homemade Alfredo Sauce with Basil Pesto
- Homemade Catalina Dressing
- Chicken Seasoning Blend
- Homemade Fajitas Seasoning Mix
- Homemade Salad Dressings
ENJOY!
TOOLS USED IN THIS RECIPE
Enchilada Sauce
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 2-1/2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons chili powder
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 2 cups water or chicken broth
- 1 can (8 ounces) tomato sauce
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
Instructions
- Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat.
- Whisk in flour, chili powder, paprika, and cumin.
- Cook for 1 minute while constantly whisking.
- Add 1/2 cup water and whisk until it all turns into a thick paste.
- Pour in the rest of the water (or chicken broth), tomato sauce, tomato paste, onion powder, garlic powder, ground cinnamon, salt, and pepper; whisk until thoroughly combined.
- Bring mixture to a boil; reduce heat to medium-low and continue to cook for 5 minutes, or until the sauce thickens; whisk frequently.
- If sauce is too thick for your liking, add a bit more water or broth to thin it out.
- Taste for seasonings and adjust accordingly.
- Remove from heat; let cool before storing away.
- Store in an airtight container or a jar; keep in the fridge for 1 week.
Notes
- Enchilada Sauce can be stored in the fridge for up to 1 week.
- Store Enchilada Sauce in freezer bags and keep in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Nutrition
Nutritional info is an estimate and provided as courtesy. Values may vary according to the ingredients and tools used. Please use your preferred nutritional calculator for more detailed info.
This is now our go to recipe. The fact that we know what is going into our food is reassuring and the taste is perfectly authentic.
I am very glad you enjoyed it! Thank YOU! 🙂
Really great taste, easy to make. I had tried another site’s recipe but it was very earthy tasting and left an after taste that was not good. This is now my go to recipe. Make it and freeze it!
I just finished making this and I can’t stop test-tasting it. It’s fantastic! I am going to use it with a “Leftover Steak Enchiladas” recipe I also just found. It may even be better than my favorite Mexican restaurant. I did not adjust the recipe.
VERY happy you loved it! I must have made/tweaked this recipe over 10 times before publishing it, so I’m super glad to hear that others love it, too! 😊 Thanks so much!
Thank you so much for the tips! This is so easy to make!
I love how easy this was to make and how absolutely delicious it tasted!
I love that this is so flavorful and quick! Way better than the store bought brands!
I make enchiladas all the time. I’ve never thought about making my own sauce before! DELISH!
SO much better than store-bought sauce. And easy, too! Yum!
This sauce look so delicious! So glad to make it at home now!
I love making my own sauces so I’ve got to try this one too. The flavors from homemade taste are so much better.
I seriously did not realize how easy it was to make enchilada sauce until your recipe. I was always buying the can before and I definitely like that I can now control what’s in the sauce! Thank you!
Homemade enchilada sauce is always ten times better then what you get at the store. It’s one of those things we always have to make ourselves! I want to make some of this right now!
Best easy enchilada sauce, ever! We were blown away by the flavor!
This homemade sauce is so much better than the canned stuff. Great recipe!