This homemade Enchilada Sauce can be made in just 15 minutes. It has the perfect blend of simple spices to make the best enchiladas ever! It’s not a hot and spicy sauce unless you want it to be. And this recipe can easily be doubled or tripled if you are making a lot of enchiladas.
I don’t know about you, but I don’t really care for the enchilada sauce that you buy in the can. It always seems to have a bit of a metal taste to it. The flavor isn’t there. It’s just not good. My enchilada sauce recipe been a very popular recipe for a good number of years! Skip the canned stuff and make this homemade enchilada sauce (double the recipe, if you’d like). Use it in all of your recipes that call for canned enchilada sauce.
The best enchilada sauce recipe:
Here’s a quote from a reader (and if you read all of the comments below that people have left over the years, you’ll see similar sentiments!)
“I googled a recipe and this one popped up. After a quick check of the ingredients, I realized I had everything I needed, so I made it and OMG, I could not stop “sampling” it! I have now made it four times…so much flavor, but not too spicy OR mild. I will never buy enchilada sauce again – this is the BEST sauce!”
How to make Enchilada Sauce:
This recipe is super simple. First you’ll heat oil in a pan and then whisk in flour and chili powder until lightly browned. Next, you’ll whisk in chicken broth and tomato sauce. Ground cumin, garlic powder, onion salt and salt are mixed in too. All is simmered for about 10 minutes, and that’s it!
But how can it be homemade when you’re using canned?
This sauce is not made from fresh tomatoes, so you’ll see canned chicken broth and canned tomato sauce in the ingredient list. But it’s combined with the right amount of spices, and it turns out a delicious enchilada sauce! I don’t mind canned tomato sauce, but canned enchilada sauce is just awful. This sauce will have a much better flavor than canned enchilada sauce from the store.
How to freeze enchilada sauce:
Transfer the sauce to freezer-safe jars or containers. Freeze for up to 3 months. Be sure to label so you know what you’ve got in there!
Substitution suggestions:
For a spicy sauce, add cayenne pepper or chipotle chile powder. If you want to make a vegetarian enchilada sauce, use vegetable broth in place of chicken broth. It’s okay to use whole wheat flour in place of all-purpose flour. And you can use olive oil in place of canola/vegetable oil.
If you’ve never been a fan of canned enchilada sauce, or if you are in a part of the world where it’s difficult to find… then this recipe is for you! It’s so easy to make, and I think you’ll be impressed with the results. Enjoy!
Here are a few recipes where you will need enchilada sauce:
- Easy Beef Enchiladas
- Beef and Cheese Enchiladas
- One Pan Enchilada Pasta
- Beef and Bean Enchilada Casserole
- Chicken and Spinach Enchiladas
- Zucchini Beef Enchiladas
Homemade Enchilada Sauce
Recipe Details
Ingredients
- ¼ cup vegetable or canola oil
- 2 tablespoons all purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons chili powder
- 1½ cups low sodium chicken broth
- One 8-ounce can tomato sauce
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon onion salt
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a large skillet to medium heat. Whisk in the flour and chili powder. Reduce heat to medium and continue to whisk until lightly browned. Gradually whisk in the chicken broth, tomato sauce, cumin, garlic powder, onion salt and salt. Stir until smooth, and continue simmering over medium heat about 10 minutes, or until slightly thickened.
- Serve immediately, or keep in a covered bowl in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Notes
- If you are preparing this recipe as GLUTEN FREE- just be sure to substitute an alternative thickener in place of the all purpose flour. Some people use a good GF flour (like Bob's Redmill), and others like to use sweet rice flour. And make sure you are using a brand of chicken broth that is designated as GF (or use water instead).
I was just setting up tomorrow’s dinner and didn’t have enough canned enchilada sauce. A quick Google search landed me here. I whipped up a batch of this sauce and got everything ready and now I CAN NOT WAIT to have dinner tomorrow night. Thanks for a delicious, quick, not to mention much cheaper, alternative. I will never buy canned enchilada sauce again.
Funny how you say that you don’t like the taste of canned enchilada sauce yet your recipe calls for canned tomato sauce. Hmmm…….
Yeah, I can handle canned tomato sauce- use it in all kinds of recipes, of course. But for me, canned enchilada sauce = yuck.
I’ve made enchiladas countless times, but never thought to put zuchinni in them. What a great idea! I noticed, but the family was surprised after they ate and I told them. Thanks!
I’m on a low-sodium diet and can’t eat most canned products like enchilada sauce. I tried your recipe, with a few minor adjustments, and it was wonderful! Thank you so much! You helped bring delicious back into my life!
yay!
I am an American of Hispanic descent and I have been trying for years to learn how to make the enchilada sauce. It always sucks when I make it.
Thank you so much for this recipe! I will try it this weekend (0:
It sounds good!
Thanks again!
I made this sauce for the first time the Wednesday night before Thanksgiving. My husband grew up in the city and his mom made everything from a can or a box…she worked fulltime. I grew up on a Iowa farm and everything came from the garden or the barn. 🙂 I’ve made enchilladas for years but used the canned stuff so I wasn’t sure if my hubby would like the homemade. It was a HIT. I am keeping all the ingredients on hand and storing lefttover sauce in a mason jar in the frig. Thanks for this recipe…it is excellent!
This is an amazing enchilada recipe and this sauce is soooo delish!!!! This has become a weekly dish in our house!!
YESSS! This sauce is a winner. Me and the gf survived frankenstorm thanks to this bad boy.
I made this tonight and really WOWed all of my guests. It was great! I wasn’t sure when I tested it before baking, but it really transformed with the baking and cheese. It was awesome! Thanks!
I rarely leave a review but this enchilada sauce was AWESOME! I had to make chicken enchiladas for some friends, so I went to the store and bought some sauce. After reading the recipe, I thought let me try it and see. Well, it was great and my enchiladas were a HUGE success. I truly believe the chicken broth and onion salt make it very flavorful. However, the recipe does’t make enough for 10 enchiladas, so the second time I added 2 cups of broth and added more spices.
Enjoy!!
I live in Australia and absolutely crave GOOD Mexican food. I have stop going to Mexi here, its is always a huge disappiontment!!!
I tried this enchilada sauce recipe and my zucchini beef enchilada’s were to die for!!!!!
I am looking forward to tasting this one. I used to buy Old El Paso Enchilada Sauce but the quality has diminished so much that I refuse to buy it. I’ve been looking for a good recipe without luck so far but this one looks like exactly what I’ve been wanting. Thank you for posting!
I got some inspiration from your recipe and some others that I found on Pinterest. I went ahead and linked yours to my post :0)
We increased the amount of spice that the recipe called for and added smoked anaheim and jalopeno peppers for some more heat
Fabulous sauce. I threw this together with the ingredients in my cabinet. The only thing I was missing was onion powder, but it was still very good. My boyfriend and I loved it. This will be added to my mexican food repertoire.
Lori-your enchilada sauce recipe is AMAZING. We’re American expats currently living in Germany where it’s really hard to find Mexican food. THANK YOU for a great recipe that I can use when we’re craving enchiladas!!!
Awesome!
I MADE THIS TONIGHT IT WAS SO GREAT MY KIDS LOVED IT AND EVEN SAID IT WAS BETTER THEN THERE SCHOOLS. ITS THE BEST I HAVE EVER HAD 😉 THANK U
I made this tonight for dinner. YUM! & Thank You! My hubby LOVES mexican food but doesn’t like the canned sauce. I usually make green chili w/chicken. This was a HUGE HIT w/him & my girls. ( I only used 1 1/4+ Tbsp of chili powder.)
I love enchiladas but don’t like the canned sauce because it usually is too spicy. This recipe is fabulous and I’m so glad to have it! Thanks a million for sharing.
I cooked this…OMG this was the best sauce I ever made..I used less chili power to make it milder..The family loved it..Thanks for posting your recipe
This was absolutely amazing !!! Thank u soo much !! I had remnants of the sauce left in the pan and I made rice w it and used the broth from the chicken I had boiled. It was just the right amount of flavor to make Spanish rice !! Great meal !
Me, My fiance and his little brother tried this for the first time tonight and we absolutely adored it, no one talked while eating this! It was not spicy which my fiance liked. And it was perfect for my taste. And my brother in law actually ate 3rds he is now begging me to make this once a week! Thankyou for such a perfect recipe
I have been looking for a great enchilada sauce recipe for a while now. This is really the most important piece of the dish. It will definitely make or break it. Looking forward to trying it out tonight! 🙂
Just a little curious on why you use chicken broth a opposed to beef or vegetable broth? I am making enchiladas with minced ground beef, won’t the two tastes conflict?
You absolutely cannot taste the chicken broth in the sauce. Use vegetable, beef or chicken broth- the flavor does not come through so much.
This all looks so good but I was wondering if it is spicy my husband can’t stomach spicy foods at all but seems to love Mexican I make him taco and fajitas all the time but I love enchiladas and was wondering if there might be a way to make them not spicy thanks for all your time.
I would not characterize this sauce as spicy. My 10 year old eats it all the time, and he can’t do spicy so I would think it would be okay for your husband.