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This fan-favorite red enchilada sauce is one of our most popular sauces. You’ll never buy canned sauce again!
Use this enchilada sauce for Cheese Enchiladas, Empanadas, or a casserole. Once you go homemade, you’ll never buy store-bought again!
Homemade Is Better!
Homemade enchilada sauce may seem hard to make, but the sauce we are sharing today is simple and a family favorite for our Mexican recipes.
We’ve made homemade enchilada sauce my entire life and use it to make our classic cheese enchiladas or poured over chicken enchiladas, Beef Enchiladas, or Burritos!
Yes, you can buy sauce in the can, but it doesn’t compare to this homemade version.
Why we love it:
- Common ingredients. This delicious sauce takes just a few simple pantry ingredients, most of which you probably have on hand!
- Freeze for later. You can easily make a big batch and freeze or store it for later use, saving time and effort in future dinner recipes.
- Adjust the spice level. The chili powder does have some spice, but you can change the amount of powder used based on what your family likes.
Enchilada Sauce Ingredients
- vegetable oil – canola oil works as well
- all-purpose flour
- chili powder – we prefer Gebhardt’s chili powder. Note that how much chili powder and which brand you use will determine the color of the sauce. Generic chili powders tend to be darker which will create a darker sauce.
- garlic powder
- oregano
- salt
- cumin
- chicken broth – or vegetable broth
How to Make Enchilada Sauce
- ROUX. Add oil to a pot and heat on medium heat. Pour in flour and create a roux by whisking them together for 1-2 minutes.
- SEASONINGS. Add chili powder, garlic powder, salt, cumin, and oregano and mix until clumpy.
- THICKEN. Pour in chicken broth, whisking the entire time, until there are no more lumps. Heat for about 15 minutes or until the sauce is thickened.
Pro Tip
The sauce is thick enough when it coats the back of a wooden spoon well.
In the pictures below, on the left, the sauce looks watery and doesn’t stick to the spoon. The picture on the right shows that the sauce is thick and sticks to the back of the wooden spoon showing that it’s ready.
Variations
- Make it creamy. Whisk in ½ cup of heavy cream. This is especially nice when you want to use the sauce as dressing for Nachos, Tacos, or a dip for Quesadillas.
- Spice it up, or not. For a more mild sauce, decrease the chili powder. For a spicier sauce, increase the amount used or use a spicier brand of chili powder such as ancho chili powder or chipotle chili powder.
- Tomatoes. To add a blend of tomato into the sauce, simply stir in 1-2 tablespoons of tomato paste or tomato sauce. Note that this will thicken the sauce as well.
- Thicken. To thicken without changing the taste, use a cornstarch slurry. In a separate bowl combine 1 teaspoon cold water and 1 teaspoon cornstarch. Once smooth add it to the pot of sauce. Simmer and stir for a few minutes to thicken. Repeat if necessary.
- Thinner. If the sauce is too thick add a little more chicken broth to thin it out to the desired consistency.
Storing Tips
- Make ahead of time. Quadruple the batch of seasonings, or even the homemade red enchilada sauce recipe to use for later. Combine the following ingredients and keep them in a jar in the cabinet:
- ¾ cup Gebhardt chili powder
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- Spoon out 3 heaping tablespoons of the mixture which is equivalent to about one batch of red enchilada sauce. Makes for easy cooking.
- STORE. Keep it in a jar in the fridge for up to 4 days.
- FREEZE. Divide the sauce into 3-4 airtight freezer-safe containers, label, and freeze for up to 2 months. Take out the sauce the day before and let it thaw overnight in the refrigerator. Heat it on the stove until it is smooth.
For More Mexican Dips and SAuces:
Enchilada Sauce
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 4 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 3 tablespoons chili powder, (we prefer Gebhardt’s)
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon oregano
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon cumin
- 2 cups chicken broth
Instructions
- Add oil to a pot and heat on medium heat. Pour in flour and create a roux by whisking them together for 1-2 minutes.
- Add chili powder, garlic powder, salt, cumin, and oregano and mix until clumpy.
- Pour in chicken broth, whisking the entire time until there are no more clumps. Heat for about 15 minutes or until the sauce is thickened. The sauce is thick enough when it coats the back of a wooden spoon well.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Can a person make this and can it
You can keep it in the freezer for up to 2 months or in the fridge for 4 days. I like to make more & freeze it 🙂
This is seriously so much better than the store bought stuff! So Easy tO make too! Thanks for the RecipE @ liLluna!
You are so welcome!! So glad you like it, as much as I do! Thank you!
I’ve made this twice and my family is crazy about iT! I doubled the recipe this time, because the single batch wasn’t quite enough for our cheese enchiladas. This will definitely be a go-to recipe for me now.
That makes me so happy to hear!! Thank you so much for letting me know & trying it!
Life changing! It may sound corny but seriously, this sauce was soooo delicious and super easy! I have been using another blogs homemade recipe for the last few years and decided to give this one a try. So glad I did!!
I am glad you did, too! Thank you for trying it!
Lovely sauce!! Thank you for making it so eAsy to do! WondEring how much a serving size is for the 100 cals And also do you think you could do a variation for the chili powder, like adobo maybe? Thank you!
sauce came out dark brown for me and just tastes like chili powder. what did i do wrong? recipe calls for 3 tablespoons of chili powder, but it seems like way too much.
It is 3, but you can use less, depending on what your family likes.
i substituted masa corn flour for regular flour, letting it lightly browned before adding remaIning ingredients. It gave the sauce a wonderful roasted corn flavor!
Perfect! Thank you for sharing that!
This sauce us ABSOLUTELY amazing!!! I will never use any other saUce for my enchiladas!! My kids loved it!!!
Yay!! I love hearing that! Thank you for sharing that!
Love it. I am now making your sauce. Thank you for sharing.
You are so welcome!! I am so happy you like it! Thank you!
Excellent sauce! Clear directions. I used vegetable broth due to having a vegetarian eater. I was a little concerned that i had not taken into Account the salt in the Broth, but it turned Out great. I skipped the oregano becaUse i didn’t think my diners would be expecting that flavor. To make 18, i doubled the recipe. They were plenty saucy, but might triple next tIme and make tWo dozen and have some sauce ledt over for drizzLing on top before baking.
Thank you for sharing that!! Glad you liked it!!
I just spent the last two hours trying to re-find this website amongst all the imposters! I absolutely love this recipe and it will be passed down from generation to generation in my family forever!!! Thank you for sharing.
You are so welcome!! I am glad to share what I love & I am glad you found me!!