Ditch the can, this Homemade Enchilada Sauce will make you feel like you’re at your favorite Mexican restaurant in ten minutes!
This Homemade Enchilada Sauce (which I am actually surprised I hadn’t posted yet) is the base recipe I use in more than half of my recipes. You haven’t seen a lot of Mexican recipes on the blog to this point and that seems to be in spite of the fact that we eat it a LOT. It is so easy to make I usually have it in my fridge and ALWAYS have it in my freezer because truth be told, I make it in 8 times the size. I scaled it down so you could make a quantity for one meal, but trust me, after you make it once you’ll be doing in it bulk too!
It can be hard sometimes to introduce spice into the diet of young kids, so this recipe is a perfect one not only for our toddler, but even our infant who at grilled chicken that was marinaded in this sauce overnight for dinner on Sunday. I find that probably 35-40% of our meals on a weekly basis work off of one of my “mother” sauces. No not the original mother sauces, our family’s version of them.
We have a small pool of sauces that get repurposed into a dozen or so meals each. They’re so easy I keep them on hand at all times so when it is 6:00 pm and I am completely drawing a blank on dinner I can go into the deep freeze, grab a sauce and make dinner. Want another one of our favorites? Zankou Chicken Armenian Garlic Paste. We use that sauce on so much I need to write a love letter to Zankou thanking them for this recipe. When you find a good sauce that will get eaten by everyone in the house, trust me you will get creative and use it on as much as you can. Speaking of using it on everything, here are some of the ways we use this sauce!
Ways to use this enchilada sauce:
- Duh, enchiladas. I mean what else would’ve been #1?
- Mexican Lasagna (I make mine with homemade tortillas, recipe forthcoming…soon)
- Chicken Tamale Bake (coming tomorrow)
- Taco Sauce
- Burritos “Enchilada Style” (This is a throwback to Baja Fresh’s enchilada style burritos…SO GOOD) – top the burrito with the Homemade Enchilada Sauce, some shredded cheese and bake at 375 degrees for 10 minutes.
- Mix with sour cream for a creamy spicy sauce (top almost anything with this, like the Cheesecake Factory Tamale Corn Cakes)
- Mix with sour cream as a dip too, for things like taquitos
- Mix with Ranch Dressing for a taco salad
- Top your eggs with it for easy huevos rancheros
- Works as a great marinade for chicken/pork too. I sort of scrape off the excess and grill on my cast iron griddle.
So I was going to include photos of the process here, but as I edited them it felt so dull and not necessary. There are really no tricky parts to worry about here. This Homemade Enchilada Sauce is amazing and easy. That being said, if you have any questions, please feel free to sound off below! I am happy to answer any questions I can! 
PS, the glass in the picture is pretty much one of my favorite kitchen items (and from our wedding registry at Crate and Barrel no less!) They are old school French glasses that you buy with lids that you can put on the top and store. They are inexpensive and heavy duty (I haven’t broken one yet!) and they double for drinking glasses.S
Food Processor: Because pre-shredded cheeses contain an additive to avoid clumping they also don’t melt as well as you’d hope so I always shred my own
Recipe
Best Homemade Enchilada Sauce (And Quick!)
- Yield: 12 servings
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 15 minutes
- Course: Sauce
- Cuisine: Mexican
- Author: Dinner, then Dessert
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup canola oil
- 2 tablespoons flour
- 3 tablespoons chili powder
- 1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
- 1 cup chicken broth (water can work too)
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1 tablespoon garlic , minced
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
Instructions
Note: click on times in the instructions to start a kitchen timer while cooking.
- Heat the canola oil in a saucepan on medium heat.
- Add the flour and chili powder and stir.
- Cook until the bright red color turns a bit brown while stirring.
- In a small bowl mix the tomato sauce with the rest of the ingredients until it is fully blended.
- Add to your saucepan and whisk until fully mixed.
Cook for 8-10 minutes on medium heat until thickened.
Recipe Notes
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Nutrition Information
Yield: 12 servings, Amount per serving: 54 calories, Calories: 54g, Carbohydrates: 2g, Fat: 5g, Sodium: 153mg, Potassium: 60mg, Vitamin A: 595g, Vitamin C: 1.6g, Calcium: 12g, Iron: 0.7g
All images and text © for Dinner, then Dessert.
This was SO good and SO easy!! I’m never buying enchilada sauce again!! Thank you very much 🙂
You’re so welcome! I’m the same way, once you go easy-homemade, you never go back 🙂
Hi..can this recipe be frozen?..i have a Foodsaver and usually freeze portion sizes of things.
With just my Husband and me..i would not use this whole recipe at once..Sounds delish and can’t wit to try..tia for your reply..huggzz
You can absolutely freeze it. I usually double or triple the recipe and freeze a bunch at a time.
great ty for your quick reply..huggzz
You’re welcome! Love to hear how it turns out for you!
This has been my go-to for years, so I thought it was time I finally left a review. I sub gluten free flour and it’s perfect every time. Thank you!
Yay!! Thanks for taking the time Heather.
Was on the net looking for an uncomplicated enchilada sauce and found your site. Great sauce!! Thanks so much for the recipe. Did you ever post your Mexican Lasagna recipe?
Glad you like the sauce! The Mexican Lasagna is coming soon, but in the meantime you can totally sub the Enchilada Sauce for the Salsa (1:1 ratio) in my Cheesy Taco Stuffed Shells for that South of the Border inspired + Pasta fix!
Here’s the link to the recipe – https://dinnerthendessert.com/taco-stuffed-shells/
I don’t use canned tomato sauce.
If your going to offer a homemade enchilada sauce recipe , why do you use canned tomato sauce? Doesn’t make sense.
Feel free to make your own vs using canned. 🙂
Umm Matt, she’s making enchilada sauce not tomato sauce so just do it how you want it and be quiet, her sauce rocks!
Can you use arrow root or cassava flour in place of the flour?
Yes though you might only need 2 teaspoons of it to substitute. I hope you enjoy it!
Thanks so much, awesome sauce! I made homemade flour tortillas and stuffed them with white chicken chili no beans, cheddar rolled them up and then smothered them with your sauce and mozzarella and cheddar. Baked them for 10 then broiled for 5 to bubbly up the cheese. Definitely a keeper in my recipe list!
I’m so glad you enjoyed the recipe. Thanks so much for the 5 star rating.
OMG, SO spicy! (Probably my chili powder — it was a new one I just got from the bulk foods store. It was pretty brown to begin with, ending almost a chocolate color.) I had to dilute it. If you are used to more mild enchilada sauce or using a potent chili powder, be prepared to either use less chili powder or add more liquid. We’ll be serving our dish with LOTS of sour cream to cut the heat! Flavor is great though.
Now when I buy bulk chili powder I always taste it first. I’ve had some really ‘eye-watering’ surprises. I live in New Mexico, land of the Hatch chile, and have come to realize that all chili powder is NOT the same. 🙁
This is amazing! Why have I never made enchilada sauce before!?!? Thanks for sharing this!
I forgot to rate it 🙂
YUM! This recipe is so delicious and so easy. Nothing better than homemade enchilada sauce. I used bacon grease because that’s my preference (which I get that not everyone keeps) and I didn’t have chicken broth so I made some beef broth with beef base. Thank you! I’ll definitely be coming back 🙂
That does sound amazing!
I bought everything I needed…I thought to make my Frito Pie then I found I did not have any enchilada sauce, so I found this one and it was perfect! So quick, too!
Yay!! So glad you found it.