This Enchilada Sauce is super easy, quick and no-fuss. This sauce is made from scratch and will be ready in under 20 minutes! Ditch the canned enchilada sauce and make your own!
I love a rich, flavorful enchilada sauce. Packed full of complex flavors like cumin, chili, garlic, and acidic tomatoes, this sauce will become your new go to in the fridge. It’s rare that you find a sauce so deep in flavor that is so simple to make but luckily I have delivered this secret to you all! So what do you say, should we get a little saucy today? I think yes!
What is Enchilada Sauce?
Enchilada sauce is a staple in Mexican cooking. It’s full of well developed smokey flavor, a hint of heat, and is so simple to pour over any dish you want to add a little oomph to. The thing that really sets this enchilada sauce over the top is that it’s not full of preservatives like the store bought varieties, it’s nice knowing exactly what’s going into your food huh? We’re going to be working on some cooking techniques today for this enchilada sauce, such as developing a roux. So let’s get to it!
Ingredients
Detailed measurements and instructions can be found on the printable recipe card at the bottom of the page.
- Oil – Just some vegetable oil that is neutral and flavorless is what we need today. Canola is always a good option.
- Flour – Our key ingredient in making a nice roux to thicken up this sauce.
- Seasoning – Chili powder, cumin, onion powder, garlic powder, and salt & pepper is all we need today.
- Tomatoes – Crushed from the can, no need to drain!
How to make Enchilada Sauce
Detailed measurements and instructions can be found on the printable recipe card at the bottom of the page.
- Prepare the roux: Add the vegetable oil to a Dutch oven and heat it over medium-high heat. Add the flour and chili powder and whisk it for about 1 minute.
- Finish the sauce: Add the crushed tomatoes, water and the rest of the spices. Stir well and bring to a boil. Turn down the heat to a simmer and cook for about 10 minutes until thickened. Taste for seasoning and adjust with salt and pepper as needed.
And that’s it! So simple right? I recommend picking up a nice chili powder or ancho chili to really set this enchilada sauce off.
Storing leftover sauce
Store in jars or an air tight container in the fridge for up to 2 weeks. In the freezer this sauce will stay fresh for up to 3 months.
More great recipes to try:
- Enchilada Meatball Bake
- Cheesy Chicken Enchilada Soup
- Chicken Enchilada Rice Casserole
- Easy Chicken Enchilada Casserole
- Chicken Enchilada Quinoa Bake
- Chicken Enchilada Quesadillas
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Enchilada Sauce
Ingredients
- ¼ cup vegetable oil
- 3 tablespoon all-purpose flour
- 3 tablespoon chili powder
- 8 ounce crushed tomatoes or tomato passata
- 2 cups water
- 1 tablespoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- ½ teaspoon salt or to taste
- 1 teaspoon pepper or to taste
Instructions
- Add the vegetable oil to a Dutch oven and heat it over medium-high heat. Add the flour and chili powder and whisk it for about 1 minute.
- Add the crushed tomatoes, water and the rest of the spices. Stir well and bring to a boil. Turn down the heat to a simmer and cook for about 10 minutes until thickened.
- Taste for seasoning and adjust with salt and pepper as needed.
Video
Recipe Notes
- This will yield about 2 1/2 to 3 cups of sauce.
- Gluten-Free: For a gluten free version, try gluten-free flour or rice flour. Using cornstarch will make the sauce too thick. Another option is to use masa.
- Store in jars or an air tight container in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.
- Nutrition: Nutritional information assumes 1/4 cup per serving. Please keep in mind that nutritional information is a rough estimate and can vary greatly based on products used.
Hey Jo! This recipe looks delicious and I’d really like to try it, but first a quick question…..”My husband is gluten intolerant, is there anyway to make this sauce with cornstarch instead of flour without affecting the taste/consistency? Many thanks!
Hi Vicky! As mentioned in note 2 in the recipe card: Gluten-Free: For a gluten free version, try gluten-free flour or rice flour. Using cornstarch will make the sauce too thick. Another option is to use masa.
Easy to make with a very pleasant taste and aroma
Another hit and not hard to make. If I’d known how easy enchilada sauce was to make I would have done it years ago. Thank you Jo! Used this in your chicken enchilada rice casserole, which is in the oven now.
My pleasure, glad you liked it! 🙂
May I ask a silly question? I haven’t been into a lot of Mexican (or Mexican-ish foods. It’s not the norm here in Calgary. So, my question is… when you say chili powder do you mean the chili powder sold to make “chili” as in beans and ground meat, etc? I make chili often. I want to make this now. It sounds so perfect.
HI Suzanna,
Yes, that’s the one. Also, if you want to experiment a little bit more, you can even try making it at home as well. You can find the link to the recipe in the Enchilada Sauce recipe card or for even easier access, just follow the link below as well. Let us know how the sauce turns out!
Chili Powder: https://www.jocooks.com/recipes/chili-powder/
What brand of tomatoes do you use? I have been unable to find 8 oz cans of tomatoes and don’t want to double the recipe until I try it. Thanks.
I used Unico here. You can freeze any leftover crushed tomatoes.
Love this recipe, but no time today to defrost chicken. Can I make your enchilada sauce with frozen chicken?
Are you talking about the enchilada chicken casserole recipe, where you cook the chicken in the enchilada sauce, then yes you can use frozen chicken, it will just take longer to cook.
Delicious, easy and sooooo much better than the canned stuff – thank you Jo!
Totally better than the can! So glad you liked it 🙂
All my family and friends love when I make my enchiladas. My 6 year old is so fussy with vegetables so I always add peppers, onions and sweetcorn to my sauce and blitz it just so she’s still getting her veg in a meal that she loves just without seeing that she’s eating veg.
Loved it! Had to tweak a bit. Didn’t have tomatoes so subbed tomato sauce. Used chicken stock. Added extra cumin because we love cumin It was delicious!
This was wonderful and so easy. The perfect sauce to go with your Easy Chicken Enchilada Casserole. Did not change a thing. Glad I doubled the recipe so I can make the casserole again. Have never made one since the thought of canned enchilada sauce always stopped me. Thank you!
So glad you enjoyed it!
Oh my this is good! I love when I see one of Jo’s recipes on FB and I say I have all that! I made the Mexican rice and it needed enchilada sauce which I did not have so Jo to the rescue, she has a recipe for that! I made the recipe but I did not have crushed tomatoes so I just used a can of tomato sauce and it came out delish! This takes no time and is full of flavor. I highly recommend this especially with Jo’s Mexican rice recipe. I love when a recipe is easy and delicious.
Thanks Linda!! I love hearing this, so happy you enjoyed everything. 🙂
Is it supposed to be 28 oz crushed tomatoes?
Nope, it’s only 8 oz.
Thanks Jo. Very easy and tasty sauce.