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Easy Homemade Enchilada Sauce

4.95 from 18 votes
Total 15 minutes
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An easy and quick enchilada sauce recipe that's bold on flavor, better than store-bought, and made with pantry ingredients you likely have on hand!

A pot of thick red sauce with a white spoon resting inside.

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This easy homemade enchilada sauce is packed with flavor and is a delicious alternative to store-bought sauce. I created this recipe to offer a quick, customizable, homemade enchilada sauce that can be used right away, refrigerated for a week, or frozen for later.

Table of Contents hide
1) Why You’ll Love This Recipe
2) Ingredients You’ll Need
3) How to Make Enchilada Sauce
4) Recipe Tips and Variations
5) Serving Suggestions
6) 📖 Recipe
7) Easy Homemade Enchilada Sauce

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

  • It’s incredibly budget-friendly and uses basic pantry staples.
  • The bold flavor is amazing for something that comes together so quickly.
  • You control the salt and it uses very little sugar compared to store-bought sauce.
  • Whips up in just 15 minutes, perfect for busy nights.
  • Versatile enough to use for enchiladas, tacos, burritos, and more.

Ingredients You’ll Need

  • Vegetable Broth: The liquid base that ties all the flavors together while keeping the sauce light.
  • Cornstarch or Arrowroot: A thickener that creates a smooth and velvety texture.
  • Avocado Oil or Neutral Oil: Helps bloom the spices for maximum flavor and adds a rich component to the sauce.
  • Chili Powder: Adds smoky, bold flavor and a deep red color.
  • Oregano: Provides a subtle earthiness to balance the spices.
  • Ground Cumin: Brings warm, nutty undertones to the sauce.
  • Garlic Powder: Enhances the savory and aromatic flavor profile.
  • Dehydrated Onion or Onion Powder: Adds depth and a slight sweetness without the need for fresh onion.
  • Tomato Paste: Adds richness and a concentrated tomato flavor.
  • Brown Sugar (Optional): Balances acidity and adds a touch of sweetness if desired.
  • Sea Salt: Enhances the overall flavor.
  • Black Pepper: Adds a mild kick to round out the spices.
Various labeled ingredients on a gray surface, including broth, chili powder, granulated garlic, corn starch, oregano, oil, dehydrated onion, cumin, tomato paste, pepper, brown sugar, and salt.

How to Make Enchilada Sauce

  1. Whisk together all ingredients in a 3-quart saucepan.
  2. Set the pan over medium heat and bring the mixture to a boil, whisking as needed to break up clumps.
  3. Once boiling, reduce the heat and simmer for about 10 minutes, or until the sauce thickens. Continue whisking occasionally to keep the texture smooth.
  4. Remove from heat. The enchilada sauce is ready to use.

Recipe Tips and Variations

  • Customize Spice Levels: This enchilada sauce is naturally mild. To make it spicy, add pinches of cayenne pepper as needed until it's spicy to your liking.
  • Sweetness Adjustment: Brown sugar balances the flavor, but can be omitted if desired.
  • Broth Substitutes: Chicken broth or beef broth can replace vegetable broth if desired.
  • Reheating: Gently warm over medium-low heat, adding a splash of broth or water if the sauce is too thick after refrigeration.
  • Uses: Perfect for enchiladas, tacos, burritos, or as a dipping sauce for tortilla chips.
A pot of thick red sauce with a white spoon resting inside.

Serving Suggestions

This enchilada sauce is perfect for:

Easy Mexican recipes

📖 Recipe

A pot of thick red sauce with a white spoon resting inside.

Easy Homemade Enchilada Sauce

This quick and easy enchilada sauce is bold on flavor, better than store-bought, and made with pantry ingredients you likely have on hand!
Prep Time5 minutes
Cook Time10 minutes
Total time15 minutes
Yield 3 cups
Author Traci
4.95 from 18 votes
Print Pin it for later 📌

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Note about scaling

When scaling, the light gray ingredient notes after the comma don’t change. Adjust as needed.

Ingredients 

  • 3 cups Vegetable Broth, or other broth
  • 2 tablespoons Cornstarch, or 3 tablespoons Arrowroot
  • 3 tablespoons Chili Powder
  • 1 tablespoon Oregano
  • 1 tablespoon Dehydrated Onion, or onion powder
  • 1 teaspoon Ground Cumin
  • ½ teaspoon Garlic Powder
  • 1 tablespoon Avocado Oil, or other neutral oil
  • ⅓ cup Tomato Paste, about half of a 6-ounce can
  • 2 teaspoons Brown Sugar
  • ½ teaspoon Sea Salt
  • ¼ teaspoon Black Pepper

Instructions

  • Add ALL ingredients to a 3-quart saucepan and whisk until smooth.
  • Set over medium heat and bring to a boil, whisking occasionally to prevent clumps.
  • Reduce the heat and simmer for about 10 minutes, whisking as needed until the sauce thickens.
  • Remove from heat. Your enchilada sauce is ready to use.
    Note: I like to let the sauce cool for about 15 minutes before layering it with cheese in enchiladas. This helps prevent the cheese from melting too early during assembly.
  • To store, cool completely and refrigerate in an airtight container for up to five days, or freeze for up to 90 days.
Did you make this? We'd love your feedback!!Please rate and review it here or below ⤵️

Recipe Notes

Customize Spice Levels: This enchilada sauce is naturally mild. To make it spicy, add pinches of cayenne pepper as needed until it's spicy to your liking.
Sweetness Adjustment: Brown sugar balances the flavor, but can be omitted if desired.
Broth Substitutes: Chicken broth or beef broth can replace vegetable broth if desired.
Reheating: Gently warm over medium-low heat, adding a splash of broth or water if the sauce is too thick after refrigeration.
Uses: Perfect for enchiladas, tacos, burritos, or as a dipping sauce for tortilla chips.

Equipment

Nutrition

Serving: 0.5cups | Calories: 21kcal | Carbohydrates: 2g | Protein: 0.2g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 0.2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 183mg | Potassium: 29mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 364IU | Vitamin C: 0.2mg | Calcium: 9mg | Iron: 0.3mg

Nutrition facts are estimates and may vary based on brands, ingredients, and portions.

Course Sauce
Cuisine Mexican
Diet Gluten Free, Low Salt, Vegan, Vegetarian
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Traci

About Traci

I’m the recipe author, photographer, and videographer behind The Kitchen Girl food blog established in 2013. I test and share all of my original recipes here so you can make great food with simple ingredients for everyday meals and special occasions.

Reader Interactions

Comments

    4.95 from 18 votes (3 ratings without comment)

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  1. Neraka says

    Is nutrition info per serving?

    Reply

    • Traci says

      Hi Neraka, thanks for your question! It prompted me to review and update the calculation, as it was set to the whole yield instead of per serving. As always, I recommend consulting a trusted professional tool or resource for the most accurate nutrition details. Thanks again, and enjoy! xoxo

  2. RJC says

    5 stars
    Excellent! Used no salt added tomato paste and unsalted vegetable stock! This is my go-to sauce when making a enchilada casserole!

    Reply

    • Traci says

      Yay!! I'm so glad to hear you're enjoying my recipe. It's my go-to also! And now you have me craving it lol. Thanks so much for sharing your experience. Enjoy!

  3. Ellie Henry says

    5 stars
    I use this recipe for gf Turkey and onion enchiladas and black bean and spinach enchiladas, it goes so well with it. It turns out Great every time!!!
    Definitely recommend this recipe!!

    Reply

    • Traci says

      Yayy! I'm so glad you're using my sauce for your enchiladas. Sounds like you have some great combos. Thanks for sharing your experience. Enjoy!!!

  4. Ellie Henry says

    5 stars
    I use this recipe for gf Turkey and onion enchiladas and black bean and spinach enchiladas, it goes so well with it. It turns out Great every time!!!
    Definitely recommend this recipe!

    Reply

  5. Kathy says

    5 stars
    Made this to pour over burritos. It was delicious and easy to make. I use sodium reduced vegetable stock but otherwise did the recipe as written. Highly recommend this!

    Reply

    • The Kitchen Girl says

      Yay! Thanks for the feedback and I'm glad you enjoyed it 🙂

  6. Roxanne says

    5 stars
    Absolutely delicious. Made using no salt tomato sauce and no salt added diced tomatoes and corn due to dietary restrictions.

    Reply

    • The Kitchen Girl says

      Yayy! So glad to hear you enjoyed it. This enchilada sauce is definitely customizable like that. Thanks for taking the time to leave feedback 🙂

  7. Donna says

    5 stars
    Enchiladas sauce was awesome, great spice,elevated my enchiladas to another level.
    I will definitely use this recipe whenever I make enchiladas. So much better then canned kind. Easy to follow directions and all ingredients I had on hand.

    Reply

    • The Kitchen Girl says

      Donna, this makes me so happy, especially because it's such a unique enchiladas recipe 🙂 Thanks for taking the time to let me know...I really appreciate it

  8. Shelby says

    5 stars
    Will water work as a sub for the broth ?

    Reply

    • The Kitchen Girl says

      Sure! If you feel like you need to add some flavor, feel free to add more seasonings 🙂

  9. Barbara says

    5 stars
    LOVED this enchilada sauce recipe, It’s the best I have found. Used it for a chicken & onion enchilada layered dish. I’m a native Texan who grew up on Tex Mex but all the sauces and salsas have way too much salt for my health issues. I swapped in my favorite ingredients to accommodate this. Then minimal shredded cheese in the casserole. Hubble was impressed. Toasting the spices with the oil really made a difference, deep and rich flavor. Thank you for the recipe!

    Reply

    • The Kitchen Girl says

      Yay Barbara! So glad you enjoyed it and did the ingredient swap. It's so made for that. Thanks for the feedback...I truly appreciate it!

  10. Deb says

    4 stars
    Just finished making this. It definitely needed the optional brown sugar. Thanks for suggesting it. It's sour without it. Wonderful easy recipe! Thank you for sharing.

    Reply

    • Traci Antonovich says

      Thanks, Deb. Yes, sometimes I add the brown sugar, sometimes not. It can taste bitter to some but everyone's tastebuds are different. Anyway, glad you enjoyed the recipe 🙂

  11. Kathleen says

    5 stars
    I just made a double batch of your sauce and it came out fantastic! I ran out of chili powder and substituted the rest with wahoo chili powder from Tastefully Simple and 2 cups of chicken broth mixed with 4 cups of vegetable broth. Omitted the pepper but the taste was spot on! I’m making beef enchiladas this week and next week chicken. Plus I love using the arrowroot fir a thickener! Thank you for creating this sauce!

    Reply

    • Traci Antonovich says

      Kathleen...this makes my day! I'm so glad you love it as much as I do 🙂 Your modifications sound perfect as this sauce really lends to swapping ingredients. Thanks for the feedback!

  12. Jane, The Heritage Cook says

    5 stars
    This is the bomb my friend - quick, easy, and totally delicious. Congrats on a real winner!!

    Reply

    • Traci Antonovich says

      Day...made! Love these words. Thank you for letting me know! 🙂

  13. Cheryl says

    5 stars
    Pretty darn tasty! LOVE your recipe. Doing keto, so used the arrowroot. Came out delish. Thanks for posting!

    Reply

    • Traci Antonovich says

      I'm so glad to hear it, Cheryl! Thanks for the feedback...I so appreciate it!

  14. Elizabeth Barrow says

    5 stars
    Ok I have only made enchiladas one other time and I bought a canned sauce to save time. I actually did not care for the sauce after it was all said and done. I am also trying to make low sodium meals and found your recipe so thought I would give it go. All I can say is this sauce is freaking amazing! Beats any can sauce by miles and tastes better than ones I have had in mexican restaurants as well! Will be making it many times.

    Reply

    • Traci Antonovich says

      Elizabeth...this makes my week!! I'm very picky about my canned enchilada sauce, which is why created this recipe. Sounds like you love it like I do...and I'm so glad! Thanks for your comment 🙂

  15. Adrianne says

    5 stars
    OMG!!! This sauce is soooo good. I will never used a canned sauce again. Even my pickiest eater loved it.

    Reply

    • Traci Antonovich says

      Adrianne...yessssss, I love hearing this b/c I feel the EXACT same way about this sauce! Please, stick around, I have so many more tricks up my sleeve 🙂 oxo

  16. Emily says

    Would this freeze well? Seeing as it makes more then what I require for a recipe

    Reply

    • Traci Antonovich says

      Oooo, good question. Haven't tried it, Emily, but you could cut it in 1/2 for a 14oz yield. Let me know if you end up experimenting with freezing. Thanks!

  17. Jenny says

    5 stars
    We're trying to cut our salt intake and tried this sauce for zucchini enchiladas. My husband is finicky eater but absolutely loved the dish, especially the sauce. It tastes so authentic and the (extra) salt is not missed at all. I am making more tonight to drizzle over anything that might need more flavor!

    Reply

    • Traci Antonovich says

      Jenny, thank you for letting me know about your experience, and for the 5-star rating! Your feedback means everything to me. I'm so glad your husband loved this. Seriously, you've made my day!!! Thank you 🙂

  18. Kristin says

    Would it work ok if I used unsalted beef broth instead? That is all I currently have in my pantry and don't have time to run to the store!

    Reply

    • Traci says

      Hi Kristin, I don't see any reason it would not work. You can always add salt to taste. But yeah, should work great! Hope you like the recipe...it's definitely not your canned enchie sauce 🙂