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Skip the can of red enchilada sauce and make your own in less than 15 minutes! This homemade sauce has an authentic Mexican flavor and is so easy to make with household ingredients currently in your pantry! It’s not hot or spicy unless you want it to be! This can easily be doubled or even tripled if you’re making a lot of enchiladas.
I don’t really care for the canned enchilada sauce that’s in stores. I only buy it when I’m pressed for time and need to make dinner quickly one night. The one night I tried to make my own enchilada sauce from scratch turned out to be so much better than the canned stuff! It was super easy to make. There’s an art to making great enchiladas, and the sauce is the biggest key component to any enchilada recipe. When you try my recipe, you’ll never go back to the canned stuff again. The canned sauce has unnecessary processed ingredients and sometimes, MSG (monosodium glutamate, which isn’t the best for you.)
When it came to creating the perfect enchilada sauce recipe, I tried every which-way to make it. I thought “it’s red, so tomato sauce has to be it!” Turns out, I was very wrong. The sauce was goopy and tasted off. I tried it without any tomato ingredients, and it just wasn’t good. It tasted nothing like the sauce at the Mexican restaurants. I knew enchilada sauce was a bit thick, so I just tried it with tomato paste, thinking it would thicken. It came soupy and pooled at the bottom of the baking dish. After many attempts, I started to give up. I had the spices right, but the texture kept defeating me.
Up until the other night, I decided to cross-reference a few other recipes and found my problem. The key to a perfect enchilada sauce is vegetable broth and a roux of flour and oil! The red color comes from the spices and tomato paste, so it didn’t need any tomato sauce at all! I finally created what has to be the best enchilada sauce that’s comparable to the sauce in a Mexican restaurant.
How to make Red Enchilada Sauce
Ready in less than 15 minutes, you can have the perfect enchilada sauce for your Mexican night! You can double or even triple this recipe if you’re planning on making a lot of enchiladas. This sauce comes together quickly so make sure you have everything measured out before starting. Use this recipe for Smothered Burritos! (Full ingredient amounts and complete instructions are available in the recipe card down below).
- Vegetable Broth: The base of the enchilada sauce. You can use chicken broth if you’d like! I just think it tastes better when vegetable broth is used.
- Flour and Extra Virgin Olive Oil: Used for the roux. You can use gluten free flour if you’re gluten sensitive. It works just as well!
- Chili Powder, Salt, Pepper, Cumin, Garlic Powder, Oregano: The spices for the enchilada sauce. You can add a bit of cayenne pepper if you want a little spice.
- Apple Cider Vinegar: This amps up the flavors for that true authentic taste.
- Tomato Paste: Helps give the enchilada sauce the red color and a great hint of umami flavor.
Mix together the dry ingredients. Heat the oil over medium heat in a small saucepot. To check if the oil is hot, sprinkle a pinch of the flour mix into the oil. If it sizzles on contact, then it’s hot enough. Add in the flour/spice mixture and whisk constantly. Cook until fragrant and slightly deepened in color. Whisk the tomato paste into the mixture, then slowly pour in the broth, whisking to remove any lumps. Raise the heat to medium-high and bring the sauce to a simmer, then reduce the heat, making sure to maintain a simmer. Cook, whisking often until the sauce has thickened a bit. The sauce will thicken more as it cools. Remove from the heat, then whisk in the vinegar. Add more salt and pepper, if necessary. Serve with your favorite enchilada recipe.
Tips & FAQs
- Storage: Keep in a mason jar in the fridge for up to 5 days. Freezing the sauce will cause it to separate, so I don’t recommend freezing it.
- Make it Gluten-Free by using your go-to gluten-free flour. Usually, an all-purpose flour blend will work, such as Bob’s Red Mill.
- You can change up the spices. The chili powder, cumin, and garlic powder are essential in an enchilada sauce recipe. However, you can change up the other spices to suit your preferences.
Want the recipe? Click print below! Let me know how it came out for you by tagging me on Instagram (@missravenskitchen) and using #missravenskitchen! Follow my Facebook page for updates as well! Let me know if I need to tweak anything.
Red Enchilada Sauce
Ingredients
- 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 3 tbsp flour
- 2 tbsp chili powder
- 2 tsp cumin
- 3/4 tsp garlic powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp oregano
- Ground black pepper, to taste
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 2 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
- 1 tsp apple cider vinegar
Instructions
- Make sure everything is measured out since this sauce comes together quickly. Combine together the flour, chili powder, cumin, garlic powder, salt, oregano, and pepper, to taste. Set aside.
- Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a small saucepot. Lightly sprinkle some of the flour mixture into the oil. If it sizzles on contact, then it’s hot enough.
- Add in the flour mixture, whisking constantly. Cook for 1 minute or until deepened in color and aromatic.
- Whisk the tomato paste into the mixture until combined, then slowly pour in the vegetable broth, whisking to remove any lumps.
- Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, then reduce to a simmer over medium-low heat to maintain a gentle simmer. Cook, whisking often, for 5-7 minutes or until the sauce has thickened a bit.
- Remove from the heat then whisk in the apple cider vinegar. The sauce will thicken more as it cools. Season with salt and pepper, if needed. Serve with your favorite enchilada recipe.
Notes
Storage: Keep in a mason jar in the fridge for up to 5 days. Freezing the sauce will cause it to separate, so I don’t recommend freezing it.
Make it Gluten-Free by using your go-to gluten-free flour. Usually, an all-purpose flour blend will work, such as Bob’s Red Mill.
You can change up the spices. The chili powder, cumin, and garlic powder are essential in an enchilada sauce recipe. However, you can change up the other spices to suit your preferences.
Nutrition Facts
Calories
69.11Carbs (grams)
4.36 gCholesterol (grams)
0 mgFat (grams)
5.68 gFiber (grams)
1.12 gProtein (grams)
0.95 gSat. Fat (grams)
0.78 gSodium (milligrams)
106.68 mgSugar (grams)
0.42 gThe nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and the brands of ingredients used.
Miss Raven's Kitchen 
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