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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.
Love this recipe!!! This is perfect sauce!
Thank you! I’m so glad you loved the sauce. It’s our favorite!
Being a mother of 5 I didnt stress out about getting dinner on the table. I grew up with can sauce and with covid it totally gave me a chance to venture out more. Super easy and ingredients I already have in hand !! Lil Luna is trusted and this family aprroves
Thank you!! That means so much! I’m so glad you love the recipes!
Sorry that is not enchilada sauce.all you need is guajillo chiles,soaked to hydrate or boiled to soften.garlic onion salt to taste,blend all heat cooking oil then fry the chile sauce until cooked…add water to determine sauce thickness- not flour-…that’s all folks
Your recipe for enchilada sauce sounds great too. There are lots of ways to make recipes, aren’t there? 🙂 Thanks for sharing!
Great sauce and quick! I grew up in the Southwest and had a lot of friends with little grandma’s who made us authentic Mexican food this sauce reminds me of that food.
Oh my gosh, the best red sauce I have ever had. No more can sauce for me. Easy to make and the entire family loved the flavor.
I’m not sure how you got to a calorie count of 100…
2 tbsp of vegetable oil = 240 cal
4 tbsp of flour = 128 cal
2 cups chicken broth =25 cal
Should be around 400 cal per jar…
Still, fantastic recipe. Delicious.
Great content can’t wait to experiment
Hope you enjoy!!
Bar none the Best enchilada sauce ever had!
Thank you! So glad you love the sauce too!
Made this for some ground beef enchiladas to take to work. I also made another batch with a jarred sauce (which is a good sauce BTW) and it was voted that this homemade sauce was better by 90% of my team! Win Win!
Yes!! That’s so awesome. So glad everyone enjoyed the sauce! Thanks for sharing.
My hispanic mother made her sauce like this. So glad I found you.
Is this sauce very spicy? Hers wasn’t. Hers was mild for the grandkids to eat. Dad and the rest topped it off with Chile if they wanted hotter. I’m now 76 and I have to watch hot food.
I live in Oregon now and I can not find this brand mom used it also.
Where can I find it?
We to had Xmas eve with Mexican food. Especially tamales! I want to do Mexican for Xmas eve this year.
Love and have made several of your recipes.
Thank you Merry Christmas
We love Mexican for Christmas Eve too! Such a fun tradition. I don’t think the recipe is overly spicy. You can adjust the heat depending on how you and your family like it by how much chili powder you put in it. I have found this brand at Walmart or my local Kroger store. You can find it on Amazon as well. Merry Christmas!