Homemade Enchilada Sauce Recipe (from scratch)
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Make your own Homemade Enchilada Sauce for all your recipes! Skip the canned store bought sauce and enjoy this delicious and easy recipe in under 10 minutes. Made with pantry ingredients, you’ll love the epic flavor!
Step-by-step photos and instructions are below, but you can jump right to the recipe card if you wish!
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I love to make my own sauces and seasonings and this is no exception. Making any kind of Southwestern food means you are into flavor and lots of it!!
This red enchilada sauce recipe comes together FAST and is ready to use in all your favorite recipes.
Why you’ll love this recipe:
- Uses pantry ingredients.
- Done in under 10 minutes
- It’s an ingredient in lots of recipes, and if you don’t have a can hanging out in the pantry, you’d need to make a trip the store. Skip THAT and just make this!
- It is far, far superior in taste to anything in a can.
Recipes to use Enchilada Sauce in:
- Chicken Enchilada Pasta
- Sour Cream Chicken Enchiladas (switch out the white sauce for red!)
- Mexican Stuffed Shells
- Easy Cheesy Taco Soup from House of Nash Eats
I have included step-by-step photos and instructions, as well as tips and tricks in the post. If you’d rather skip all that, scoot right on down to the full recipe card located at the bottom of the post.
Key Recipe Ingredients
Remember: this is just an overview and the why of the ingredients I choose here. The full list of ingredients and amounts is found in the printable recipe card below.
- Oil. I use olive oil, but any vegetable oil works. Butter can also be used.
- Flour. Plain, all-purpose flour.
- Chili Powder. Whenever “chili powder” appears in my recipes, it refers to a prepared chili powder BLEND, not pure ground chilies.
- Cumin, garlic powder, oregano and salt. These flavor up your enchilada sauce. Feel free to experiment with different amounts to suit your tastes.
- Tomato sauce. This is NOT ketchup (I have to say this for the Aussies and Kiwis – it’s tomato puree for you guys!)
- Chicken Stock. Grab a carton, or make your own. You can easily use vegetable broth (make your own, or use my recipe)!
How to make this recipe
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This next part is only a photo tutorial of the recipe steps. The full list of ingredients, quantities and instructions can be found in the printable recipe card below.
- Heat the oil in a large skillet or saucepan to medium heat.
- Whisk in the flour and chili powder and cook until lightly brown.
- Reduce heat to medium and continue to whisk until lightly browned.
- Add the cumin, garlic, oregano, and salt.
Gradually whisk in the chicken broth and tomato sauce until well combined.
Bring to a simmer and cook (whisking constantly) over medium low heat until the sauce is thickened.
Kylee’s Notes
What to do with leftovers
Store in a small bowl in the refrigerator for up to 7 days.
Additions/substitutions
If you like spicy food, add a little cayenne pepper to the sauce witht he other seasonings.
Freezing instructions
This recipe can also be frozen. You can freeze it in freezer safe tubs, bowls or even zip lock bags laid flat and frozen til solid.
Do you love making your own kitchen basics? Try these!
- How to make Gravy. Step by step instructions that will show you how to make gravy from scratch. Pan drippings not required!
- Homemade Bisquick Mix. A super quick, easy and versatile recipe, this shortcut is similar to Bisquick and is perfect for using in recipes!
- Homemade Pancake Mix. Make a delicious, fluffy, vanilla-y batch of pancakes that taste WAY better than boxed. YOU can be the breakfast super-hero!
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Homemade Enchilada Sauce (from scratch!)
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon prepared chili powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon salt to taste
- 8 ounces can tomato sauce
- 1.5 cups chicken stock
Instructions
- Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet to medium heat.
- Whisk in 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour and 1 tablespoon prepared chili powder and cook until lightly brown.
- Reduce heat to medium and continue to whisk until lightly browned.
- Add 1 teaspoon ground cumin, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano, and 1/2 teaspoon salt.
- Gradually whisk in 1.5 cups chicken stock and 8 ounces can tomato sauce until well combined.
- Bring to a simmer and cook (whisking occasionally) over medium low heat until the sauce is thickened.
Notes
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Nutrition
Nutritional information is an estimate and provided to you as a courtesy. You should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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About Kylee Ayotte
I am a born and raised New Zealander (a Kiwi), now living in Phoenix, Arizona. I’m happily married to the love of my life – a hot American boy I met while traveling the world. I’m a mama to 2 awesome little boys and love red things, rugby, cheesecake, and bacon. Mmmmm. Bacon. Meet Kylee
Oh, thank you heaps. Not necessarily for the recipe overall (I do have a few cans in the cabinet, Mexican and South-West cuisine are some of my favourite cuisines), but with the tidbit about tomato sauce.
For so long, I got confused seeing it as an ingredients in cooking. That is, in particular a big quantity like with this recipe. In the case it was ketchup, I would use banana ketchup; in the case it was tomato puree, a simple can of tomatoes.
While definitely a mark above them, this will sit alongside the “cream of [x] soup” that I have saved in the bookmarks.