Enchilada Sauce Recipe
This homemade enchilada sauce recipe is so flavorful, it will take your enchiladas to a new level of deliciousness. There is a lot of flavor in this sauce and it only takes about 20 minutes to make. You can easily make it ahead of time and adjust the spice level according to your taste.
I have made so many different Enchiladas, we can’t possibly narrow down to the best one. For many enchilada variations, I made its own sauce to compliment the filling but when it comes to the classic chicken enchiladas or beef enchiladas, I make the classic sauce. This sauce is made with a base of canned crushed tomatoes and onion and in addition, it’s flavored with chipotles in adobo sauce, chili powder, garlic, and a few other spices.
You can also easily adjust this recipe if you plan to make beef enchiladas or chicken enchiladas. For beef enchiladas, use beef stock in the sauce and for chicken enchiladas, use chicken broth.
Tips For Making Homemade Enchilada Sauce
- This is a pretty quick recipe, so have all of you ingredients ready before starting to cook.
- Chipotles in Adobo Sauce – Chipotles in adobo sauce provide a great flavor boost but don’t overdo it. If you add too many chipotles, the sauce will become more bitter. I add a little bit of sugar to balance out the slight bitterness from the peppers.
- When cooking the sauce, make sure to gently simmer it over medium-low. Don’t boil.
- Transfer the content of the pot into a blender and blend well until smooth. PRO TIP: if you choose to blend the soup in a blender or a food processor, make sure it is heat resistant and especially made for hot foods! (This is the Hot/Cold Blender I have but it is not available at the time, you can look at this alternative blender.)
- If your food processor is not heat resistant, not a problem, just give it time to cool down so it’s not hot.
- Adjust spice level: To make it more spicy, you can add more chili powder and/or add spicier fresh chili peppers with the onions. You can use habanero or serrano. To make enchilada sauce less spicy, start with 1 tsp of chili powder and just the chipotle pepper without the extra adobo sauce. Once the sauce is blended, taste it to see if you want to add the 1 tablespoon of adobo sauce from the peppers and a little more chili powder. (I don’t recommend adding another chipotle pepper in adobo sauce because they can add a lot of bitterness.)
Make Enchilada Sauce Ahead of Time
- This Enchilada Sauce is very easy to make and takes about 20 minutes but you can still prepare it ahead of time and store it in the refrigerator until ready to use.
- To store Enchilada Sauce – Prepare the sauce according to the recipe, take off heat, and let it cool to room temperature. Pour cooled sauce into a glass jar and close it with a lid. Store it in the refrigerator for 5-7 days.
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Enchilada Sauce Recipe
This homemade enchilada sauce recipe is so flavorful, it will take your enchiladas to a new level of deliciousness. There is a lot of flavor in this sauce and it only takes about 20 minutes to make. You can easily make it ahead of time and adjust the spice level according to your taste.
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Servings: 3 (Makes about 3 cups)
Calories: 207kcal
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp canola oil or vegetable oil
- 1 yellow onion
- 2 tbsp all purpose flour
- 14.5 oz can crushed tomatoes
- 1 cup beef stock
- 1 chipotles in adobo sauce
- 1 tbsp adobo sauce from chipotles
- 1/2 tbsp chili powder
- 2 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 2 tsp white granulate sugar
- 2 tsp garlic powder
- 2 tsp smoked paprika
- salt
Instructions
- Prep your ingredients so it’s available when needed. Preheat a medium sauce pot over medium heat and add oil.
- Chop onion and add it to the pot. Saute onion until softened.
- Sprinkle flour over the onion and stir until onions are evenly coated.
- Slowly pour in beef stock while stirring. Add can of crushed tomatoes and all remaining ingredients.
- Stir well and bring the mixture to simmer. Let it simmer for a few minutes.
- Transfer the content of the pot into a food processor and blend well until smooth. The sauce is ready for making enchiladas!
- To store Enchilada Sauce – Prepare the sauce according to the recipe, take off heat, and let it cool to room temperature. Pour cooled sauce into a glass jar and close it with a lid. Store it in the refrigerator for 5-7 days. To freeze Enchilada Sauce – pour cooled sauce into a zip-lock freezer bag, let all the air out, and close it tight. Label the bag with a date and what is inside and lay flat on a cutting board. Let it freeze for about 2 hours and then you can stand it up or stack it in the freezer. Frozen sauce can be stored for 2-3 months.
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Notes
- Make Ahead – This Enchilada Sauce is very easy to make and takes about 20 minutes but you can still prepare it ahead of time and store it in the refrigerator until ready to use.
- To store Enchilada Sauce – Before storing, make sure to let the sauce cool to room temperature. Pour cooled sauce into a glass jar and close it with an air-tight lid. Store it in the refrigerator for 5-7 days.
- To freeze Enchilada Sauce – pour cooled sauce into a zip-lock freezer bag, let all the air out, and close it tight. Label the bag with a date and what is inside and lay flat on a cutting board. Let it freeze for about 2 hours and then you can stand it up or stack it in the freezer. Frozen sauce can be stored for 2-3 months. Note: you can also make a double batch of this sauce and portion it into 2-4 freezer bags. To thaw – pull the bag of frozen sauce out of the freezer and into the refrigerator about 24 hours before you need to use it. Let it slow-that in the refrigerator until thawed, up to 24 hours.
- Gluten Free – Since there is an addition of flour, the original recipe is not gluten free. To make this Enchilada Sauce gluten free, simply substitute all purpose gluten free flour.
Also, double check the can of chipotles in adobo sauce to make sure that the brand you are using is gluten free. (The brand I use is La Costena and it has not gluten ingredients.)
Nutrition
Calories: 207kcal | Carbohydrates: 26g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 10g | Sodium: 493mg | Potassium: 707mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 11g | Vitamin A: 1865IU | Vitamin C: 15.3mg | Calcium: 84mg | Iron: 4.2mg
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Storing Instructions
- To store Enchilada Sauce – Before storing, make sure to let the sauce cool to room temperature. Pour cooled sauce into a glass jar and close it with an air-tight lid. Store it in the refrigerator for 5-7 days.
- To freeze Enchilada Sauce – pour cooled sauce into a zip-lock freezer bag, let all the air out, and close it tight. Label the bag with a date and what is inside and lay flat on a cutting board. Let it freeze for about 2 hours and then you can stand it up or stack it in the freezer. Frozen sauce can be stored for 2-3 months.
- Note: you can also make a double batch of this sauce and portion it into 2-4 freezer bags.
- To thaw – pull the bag of frozen sauce out of the freezer and into the refrigerator about 24 hours before you need to use it. Let it slow-that in the refrigerator until thawed, up to 24 hours.
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Disclaimer: Nutrition information shown is not guaranteed to be 100% accurate as most ingredients and brands have variations.
Can you can this and processes this in a water bath?
I was wondering, do you think that this recipe would do well sealed in canning jars? I have a packed freezer, but a ton of mason jars and lids.
Can you use fresh garden tomatoes instead of canned?
Hi Beth,
Yes you can! You can use about 1lb of fresh tomatoes to make this sauce. It will take a little longer and taste a little different (lighter, crisper, and not as rich). I would recommend cooking the sauce for a longer period 2-3 hours on low, stirring occasionally. Make sure to leave room when covering with lid for steam to escape.
Is there a certain brand you use for chipotle peppers in adobo sauce?
Can you use chicken or vegetable stock instead of beef?