Best Homemade & QUICK Enchilada Sauce (Top 10 Ways to Use It!)
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!
MY OTHER RECIPES
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
Best Homemade Enchilada Sauce (And Quick!)
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
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Heat the canola oil in a saucepan on medium heat.
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Add the flour and chili powder and stir.
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Cook until the bright red color turns a bit brown while stirring.
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In a small bowl mix the tomato sauce with the rest of the ingredients until it is fully blended.
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Add to your saucepan and whisk until fully mixed.
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Cook for 8-10 minutes on medium heat until thickened.
Recipe Notes
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Wow does this enchilada sauce look amazing! And your 10 list is spot on! Although, I think I would want to put this sauce on EVERYTHING! 🙂
Jess, you go right ahead and do that!
Those top 10 ways to use the enchilada sauce sound great! I can’t wait to see the Chicken Tamale Bake.
Thanks Wendy!
That is so perfect! I love enchiladas and tacos. I actually put enchilada sauce on my taco instead of taco sauce or salsa. I’ll get some major use out of this recipe.
Thanks! It’s called enchilada sauce, but it’s flavorful enough it can be used in a lot of different ways!
We are big fans of Mexican food in our house. We eat it as much as possible.
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!
Agreed!
I have been using one for a while, but this one looks better I think I might try this one next time!
Thanks! Let me know how it turns out!
We’ve never had enchilada’s so this would be nice to have on hand for when we do! My husband has talked about them often but I’ve never made.
It is so easy and inexpensive to make you’ll love it!
I want to make some of this right now! I love that you included different ways to use it too – I’m thinking taco sauce a lot for us!
It’s really easy to make and so flavorful!
What a wicked good sauce — and so many ways to use it!! Delicious and the photos just POP OUT at me! 🙂
Thanks Levan!
You are right, this is super easy and so much cheaper. I cannot wait to make some this week for Taco night!
Mmm. Now I want tacos! I shouldn’t do blogging stuff when I’m hungry! Haha.
I’ve had a couple recipes lately that called for enchilada sauce, but I had to pass on them since I don’t usually keep it stocked in my cabinet. I’ll definitely be making this so I’ll (finally) have some on hand when I need it!
Awesome, hope you love it Chrisy!
Looks amazing! I am also going to make this sauce. Hmmmmmmm
Thanks!
So easy to make! So many tasty ways to use the sauce, but especially love the idea of using this over egg!
It is great on eggs with come griddled chorizo sausage and peppers!
Now this would be fun to try out. I’m willing to bet it’s delicious if you’re using it in so much of your home cooking! I’d love to try it with tacos or as a marinade!
Yes! I use it SO much!
Thanks for the recipe. I always make tomatillo but I never knew how to make red sauce from scratch. I have to try this!
Yes! So easy and inexpensive! No buying tomatillos or getting that sticky residue all over your hands when cleaning them!
YUM! This looks great! Pinning!
Thanks for the pin!
You know, you are totally right about spiciness an kids, and I love how versatile this recipe is, we like our food spicy, and we introduced our baby gradually too. Now he is a 2 year old toddler and eats spicy meals with us, such a relief, it makes cooking so much easier.
You’re so lucky Katalina, I wish I could get my oldest to enjoy spice.
This enchilada sauce looks so delicious. I love making Taco Salad and this would be perfect for it. I am going to try this recipe on the weekend.
That is a great recipe! I would have never thought about using it for a dip!
Thanks Autumn! When I like a sauce I get creative!
This will be perfect for our family movie nights. I love that this is easy to make.
I would love to mix it with sour cream. This looks like a YUMMY sauce with a kick!
and easy!
I was just about to start looking online for homemade enchilada sauces today when I decided to come to your blog. I love the simplicity of the ingredients and can’t wait to make this. Yay!
Yay! It was my lucky day!
My boyfriend and I made these (after I cleaned up the kitchen he shares with 3 other guys) and put them on quesadillas because we were college students and wanted as few ingredients as possible. It was delicious! Little spicy, but not too bad. Thanks, Sabine!
So glad to hear it!
I’ve grown tired of paying $1.50 $1.75 for a 10 ounce can of enchilada sauce, so I thought I’d explore a homemade version. Your recipe stood out, so my wife and I decided to give it a shot. Bullseye! We didn’t have any chicken broth on hand, so we made some beef stock using base, and added some habanero chili powder for a little more kick. I will be hard pressed to buy canned sauce again, and look forward to trying this with chicken broth as well. Thank you, well done!
This made my day! Thank you so much for coming back and telling me what you thought of it 🙂 I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
Made this sauce tonight for ground beef and black bean enchiladas and it was perfect – just as good as the sauce from our favorite Mexican place, and worlds above the canned sauce from the store!
Awesome!! So glad you enjoyed it, thank you for coming back and letting me know. 🙂
Is it ok to use vegetable oil i,stead of canola? That’s the onky thing I don’t haveon hand!
absolutely! I think they are totally interchangeable. I just defer to canola.
This is really good enchilada sauce but I have one exception… I couldn’t stop tasting it (you know, quality control and all) don’t know if I have quite enough. So YUM!
Best review ever! Thank you so much for coming back and commenting! 🙂
It’s wondering why you use canola oil? I try to use better for you oils, or at least ones with better flavor. I’m trying this recipe using 1/2 butter and 1/2 avocado oil. Hope it turns out!
1/2 butter and 1/2 avocado oil sounds delicious! I use canola as my basic cooking oil as a matter of personal preference, but I would LOVE to know how your version turns out.
I used all avocado oil and it turned out wonderful. Also used fresh minced onion (1 1/2 tsp) and garlic.
Maybe I’m just a wimp, but do you really use 3 tablespoons of chili pepper? I tried it tonight with 3 tablespoons and it was delicious, but extremely hot. My nose is still running from the heat.
Did you use chili pepper or chili powder? Chili powder isn’t nearly as hot as chili pepper.
I know this is an old post, but you’re not a wimp, Mrs. Hotdog. I’m honestly baffled by Sabrina’s response, in that she sticks by the 3 tablespoons. I’m not trying to be antagonistic, here – but I feel this is dishonest. I’ve been cooking & baking (very successfully) for nearly 30 years – and I could tell by looking at the recipe – that a couple things were off. But most notably – the amount of chili powder. Especially for a mere 8 oz. of tomato sauce (batch size). The pictures, which I presume are meant to be an actual capture of Sabrina’s recipe outcome, given the way they are presented & multiplied throughout this page – cannot possibly be a real example of her recipe. It would be dark brown with that amount of chili pepper. Aside from the fact that this amount would require dumping nearly half your bottle of chili powder (of standard size, anyway) into this small batch…an absurdity, to be sure – the reasonable amount would be closer to 1/3 of what she says. I have a savory tongue, and like to be generous in my own use of herbs & spices – so I’m not being conservative, here. Of course, it is a matter of taste – but there are still thresholds; a such thing as (way) too much. It’s not that 3 tablespoons would be too hot – at least, not for me; but it would be heartburn inducing, and pretty much ruin the dish. You wouldn’t taste or see, hardly anything – but chili powder. Just my two cents. I would only use this recipe as a starter for enchilada sauce, myself; it definitely requires some tweaking beyond mere personal preference.
Hi Angele,
I’m sorry the recipe seems off for you, but I can assure you I am not being dishonest nor would I have any reason to be. What would be the benefit for me to try and blow out your palette with a dish too spicy to eat? As you can see from other people’s posts about their experiences with it, this recipe is tried and tested by many people. I’ve used this recipe for clients for YEARS. That includes kids who’ve enjoyed the enchiladas made with it. Perhaps your chili powder is different than the one I use, but I can assure you my toddlers enjoy and eat this enchilada sauce on a regular basis.
I’ve been looking for a homemade enchilada sauce recipe and I would like to try this. Around how much sauce does this yield? My recipe for enchiladas calls for one 28 oz. can of pre-made enchilada sauce and 2 cups of chicken broth, which gives me the perfect amount. Thank you!
I would say you should be good replacing the enchilada sauce with a doubled version of this recipe in addition to the two cups of broth. Depending on how much you let it cook down you may be a tiny bit over or under but you should have plenty. 🙂 I hope you love it!
Perfect! Thank you!
I just ran across your blog this morning. I was looking for a recipe for enchilada sauce as I am making them for dinner. I bought a can of sauce yesterday knowing that I would have to settle for it as I’ve never been able to find a recipe for it that I liked. After reading this I jumped up (coffee in hand, pj’s still on) and made it. Had to pump up the spice a little for us but it is soooo very good! Thank you! Thank you! Now to send it to my son and daughter they will love it!
Just found you blog this AM. I am making enchiladas for dinner. After reading over the recipe I decided to try it as we hate the flavor of canned sauce. OMG! This is so very good! We pumped the spices up a bit for our taste, use fresh minced onion and garlic and avacado oil. Perfection!!! Thank you! Now to send this to my son and daughter, they too will love it.
Wonderful!! So glad you enjoyed it and thank you for coming back to tell me you liked it 🙂
Hi Sabrina
I will be making this tonight! It sounds perfect. Do you freeze it in glass jars? I’m trying to eliminate plastic in my kitchen. It’s a challenge!
No, I let it cool completely and freeze in ziploc bags and lay them flat to freeze, so they end up looking like thin squares. Then to reheat I drop it on the floor or tap against counter to shatter, add it to a small glass bowl and cover with a wet paper towel and microwave for 2-3 minutes on half power. 🙂
@Sabrina, I too am trying to eliminate plastic from my kitchen. I froze my leftover in a glass jar. I have found that freezing in glass jars works but expect to have some crack/break. I try not to over fill so this doesn’t happen but… I have had success with freezing in ice cube trays or muffin pans freezing overnight then putting in whatever kind of container you want. Good luck!
I used to freeze in trays, but its sort of the same process since you’re freezing in plastic. I normally don’t freeze in glass but when I have, I use pyrex and find I don’t get any breakage. I know people like to avoid plastics *and I totally agree with why* but I still do it for now until I can find an alternative that uses as small amount of space as possible. I tend to freeze a lot of sauces since I cook in volume, and freezing this way in my deep freeze I have a whole rack of sauces and because of the space saving, there are over 50 portions saved in one small hanging basket. If I could find a good plastic free alternative I would be all about it though.
Wow! I have never left a comment about a recipe before today, and I have cooked a lot of them! Just made this sauce and it is fabulous! I could almost eat it as a soup! In fact, I am thinking this would be a good base for chili. Thanks so much for the great recipe! Making enchiladas tonight and can’t wait!
Thanks for coming back to let me know! I’m so glad you enjoy the recipe!
So glad you enjoyed it! Thank you so much for coming back to comment! PS, it would be AWESOME as a chili base!
I LOVED your enchilada sauce recipe. I cheated and used frozen chimichangas. Hubby love, Loved, LOVED it. I will be making again with homemade enchiladas, along with all the other recipes you have. It was super easy and I will be tripling my batch next time. Too good to just make one batch at a time. Thanks so much for posting this recipe.
I’m so glad you enjoyed it so much! Thanks for coming back and letting me know about it!
A lot like my father-in-law taught me except he used to add 4-5 canned (blended) tomatillos and a couple teaspoons of sugar. I didn’t have tomatillos but I did add the sugar. Made some basic changes: used one tablespoon less oil, sautéed the garlic in the oil then added the chili powder and cooked for a bit, added the liquid ingredients, then the spices and thickened at the end with cornstarch. I only had ancho chili powder so it was some very spicy enchilada sauce but the flavor was out of this world. Very good enchilada sauce recipe. For some reason it wouldn’t let me rate the recipe five stars. It would only highlight two stars and this recipe was much better than that so I left the stars completely off.
Your revisions sound delicious! Thanks for pointing out the issue with the rating – I’ll get in contact with my recipe plugin developer to see if they can figure out what happened there.
Wow this is the best I’ve ever made
I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
A-M-A-Z-I-N-G!!!!! I’ve tried several homemade enchilada sauce recipes that were a complete failure and vowed to not mess with it anymore. But I only needed a small amount for a Tamale Pie recipe I wanted to try last night, so my search began! The “QUICK” part of the title caught my eye and boy am I glad it did. You’d think that I’d slaved over it for hours! It truly was the easiest sauce I’ve made and taste better than ANYTHING I’ve ever had.
I didn’t have any problems with it thickening, I actually had to add about 1/3 cup water to thin it out just a bit.
Thank you SO much for authoring this jewel! It is definitely going in my HAND WRITTEN recipe book; that book is reserved for only the best!
I’m so glad my recipe was the one that worked for you! I’m flattered that you have such high praise for it!
I made this ahead for my dinner party tomorrow. I (I work full time and a weekday dinner party is sometimes hard) I doubled the recipe for my beef enchiladas and it was so delicious. I can only imagine how great it will be tomorrow when the favors Meld! Thank you! Don’t think I’ll ever buy the canned stuff again. <3
So glad it was a hit!
I am so excited to find this recipe, because I can alter it by adding gluten free flour so my daughter can again enjoy enchiladas! I had to stop buying our favorite brand because of the wheat in it. And with the many good reviews, it sounds like this will be a keeper!
Quick question for you: dry minced garlic or fresh minced garlic…
fresh! Sorry, didn’t even think about dry minced garlic.
I made this for my beef enchiladas. I didn’t have any sauce on hand and found this recipe! So glad that I did!
Even my husband (who has a pallet of a 2yr old) LOVED IT!
Thank you for sharing.
Thanks! I’m glad it was a hit!
I am going to make this tonight. I have alot of recipes for enchilada sauce ( used to date a girl from Mexico ) and wanted to try something new that was a little quicker and easier tonight. Im going to use one tablespoon of chili powder ( Mc cormick ) one of Guajillo chili powder and one of Chili Ancho powder. Adding a little Mexican Oregano as well. Hoping it will turn out good. Will let you know.
Good luck, I’d love to hear how yours turned out!
I made this recipe tonight and it was a hit. I didn’t have tomato sauce, but I used tomato soup concentrate instead with chicken broth and added a smidge of cocoa powder. It was delicious!
Made this enchilada sauce tonight and it was a hit. It was simple to make and the herbs blend well together and not too spicy. Thank you for sharing.
I unfortunately don’t have cumin…will coriander work? I’m planning for turkey enchiladas with the inevitable leftovers we’ll have from (Canadian) thanksgiving and am hoping to avoid grocery stores in the days leading up to the holiday!
Cumin is a pretty strong part of the flavor in this. Coriander would work but just expect it to be a little different. It should still be delicious, I love turkey enchiladas after Thanksgiving too!
Thanks so much, I’ll be making this tonight… & I just happen to have all of the ingredients in the pantry…
My son and I made this last night. Best. Enchilada. Sauce. Ever.
Made this today with my 11 yr old son. I like how you started with an oil based roux of sorts. Really added a rich touch 🙂 I didn’t have quite enough chili powder so added a lot of paprika and adobo seasoning salt.
I’m 37 weeks pregnant and used this sauce to make a huge pan of ground beef and black bean enchiladas to freeze for after the baby is born.
We ate one pan tonight:) yum! Totally not too spicy.
I probably quadrupled the recipe here and have a 36 oz leftover to use at my leisure !
Thanks:)
Wonderful! Yes the oil and the heat helps bloom the spices too, so glad you enjoyed it and congratulations on your pregnancy! How exciting!!
Simple, delicious, quick and convenient! Who needs canned enchilada sauce anymore?! This sauce has a wonderful authentic Mexican flavor, and I always have these items in my pantry. Love it, love it!
Wonderful!! I am so glad you enjoyed it (we rely on this recipe for so many different meals) and that it was really easy and with things you had in your pantry already!
Just made this sauce using canned tomatoes since I didn’t have tomato sauce. A quick pulse in the food processor with everything then all into the chilli mixture. It was easy and delicious. Mine was a little darker than the photo because I left the oil and chilli on for a little too long. I will definitely make this again (and maybe just eat it with a spoon)
So glad you loved it! Thanks for coming back to let me know!
Fantastic enchilada sauce. I’ve made the sauce following this recipe and have always pleased myself and any guests. Now, I could live anywhere in the world and always have my favorite Mexican dishes! Thanks
David
You’re welcome, so glad you love it!! Thanks for taking the time to come back and let me know!
Have you tried to can this recipe?
Sorry, I haven’t. If you decide to try, I’d love for you to come back and let me know how it turned out.
Looks delicious, but you should never use regular Flour, or Canola Oil, those things are killing you!
Thanks Ole!
I made this sauce last night to go with my One Pot Cheesy Mexican Lentils with Black Beans and Rice from Pulse Pledge and it was the star of the show! Now I have left over sauce and look forward to perhaps trying it in some burrito’s. Perhaps there will be a recipe from you that I could use it in as well. Cheers.
Wow! Star of the show sounds pretty good 🙂 Since you have leftover sauce, you should try my Classic Chicken Enchiladas recipe. It’s so good!!
forgot to rate it!
I made this over the weekend and it is friggin fantastic. Everyone raved about it.
In your top 10 ways to use this sauce you mentioned Mexican Lasagna ….recipe forthcoming…. I searched your site but can’t find it….can I talk you into posting the recipe? :):) love you for sharing!
Around my house you are know as the “Chef Chick” and whenever I announce that I will be making one of the “Chef Chick’s” meals everyone is on time for dinner LOL. We love your recipes and every single one I’ve made has been a winner and requested all the time.
I also want to thank you for posting affiliate links in your recipes. I live in a rural area with limited access to some ingredients so I truly appreciate the time you take to add links to products used in these delicious dishes. Many thanks Chef Chick!
Beth you made my day! I’m so glad I can help get people to the dinner table! I always hope that the links are helpful to readers, I know sometimes it can be hard to know the difference between similar sounding ingredients, so seeing a picture of the exact ingredient can be helpful too even if it is locally available.
Also, I do actually have one forthcoming, but probably in a couple of months 🙂
Do NOT use canola oil EVER! It is full of pesticides & herbicides since it’s mostly GMO now. Use good quality olive or coconut oil instead. And I would also use organic tomato sauce since tomatoes are on the dirty dozen list. Otherwise, it looks like a pretty good recipe.
This was actually my first time every having enchiladas…so i wasn’t sure about the sauce, but everyone loved it! Even my hubby, a grumpy retired Colonel approved! I used tomato paste with equal parts water in place of the tomato sauce, and added some cumin and oregano to it, too. Oh my! It was great! Thank you!!
Awesome! Now you’ll be craving them all the time!!
Can you can this?
I haven’t tried canning it yet but I do make large batches and freeze them to use later. If you decide to try, I’d love to hear your process and how it turned out!
My family and I absolutely LOVE this stuff!! I’ve been using your recipe for a couple years now! Always have to make a double batch, and when I do, the only thing I do different is not adding the extra 3 Tbs. of chili powder. Awesome recipe thank you!!
Thank you so much! I’m so honored to be your go-to recipe!!
I chopped up and sauteed an onion rather than adding the onion salt (something in onion salt makes my husband’s breath stink) and used avocado oil because that’s what we keep on hand, but otherwise followed this recipe and it was a HUGE hit! My kids couldn’t get enough and were literally eating it by the spoonful. I used it to top black bean and summer squash enchiladas, and my daughter said it actually made the squash (something she normally turns her nose up at) taste good, so that is really saying something! She asked if I’d saved the recipe for this sauce, so I figured I’d better come back and give it the 5 stars it deserves 🙂 Thank you for sharing this easy, delicious recipe!!!
Fantastic Anne! Such a bonus that your daughter was encouraged to eat something she normally wouldn’t go for just by putting the sauce on it…..I call that a parent win!!
I was on the hunt for a new homemade enchilada sauce. I stumbled on this one at 3am, haha. I read all the reviews. I cook every night. I make homemade seasonings. I’d like to think I know my seasonings.. I too was skeptical about 3 tablespoons of chili powder. I started making it this morning and used only 1 tbsp at first. It was flavorless. So I added a 2nd and a 3rd tbsp. It is so FLAVORFUL and just the right amount of spice. I had my 4 year old, 10 year old and 18 month old try it. My older two gave me a thumbs up. I had to make ANOTHER batch because 1 wasn’t enough. I also had to stick it in the fridge, because I couldn’t stop eating it!!! I will never make another enchilada sauce recipe again. I’m also calling this Enchilada Gravy. It’s truly amazing. Thank you!
I’m so happy you found me….even at 3am, haha! I take this as such a huge compliment and you’ve made my day! Thank you!!
This enchilada sauce was the best , it was a hit with my family ! It’s truly a keeper for this household ! Thank you so much for sharing…..
You’re welcome Lisa! Love that it made the “keeper” file 🙂