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 as well and adjust the spice level according to your taste.
ENCHILADA SAUCE RECIPE
Enchiladas is one of our favorite meals for a weekend and even a week night dinner. It’s made by rolling meat and vegetable mixture inside a tortilla, covering them in sauce and cheese, and baking rolled tortillas with sauce. Between the sauce, soft tortillas, cheese, and meat filling it is a very flavorful and comforting dish.
I have made so many different Enchiladas, we can’t possibly narrow down to the best one. Although some of our favorite ones include Shrimp Enchiladas and Beef Enchiladas Verde.
For many enchilada variations, I made its own sauce to compliment the filling but when it comes to the classic chicken 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 chpotles 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.
WHAT INGREDIENTS ARE IN ENCHILADA SAUCE
Crushed tomatoes
Onion
Chipotles in Adobo Sauce
Flour
Beef stock/broth
Chili powder, cumin, smoked paprika, oregano, garlic powder, salt
Sugar
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.
CAN ENCHILADA SAUCE BE MADE AHEAD
Absolutely! 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.
HOW TO STORE ENCHILADA SAUCE
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.
HOW TO MAKE ENCHILADA SAUCE SPICY
It’s pretty easy to adjust spice level of the Enchilada Sauce. To make it more spicy, you can add another 1/2 tablespoon of chili powder and/or add another chipotle in adobo sauce.
This recipe is actually pretty mild but some people may still find it spicy. 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.
HOW TO MAKE ENCHILADA SAUCE 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.)
SOME MORE RECIPES TO TRY
Skillet Enchiladas with Corn and Beans
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Enchilada Sauce Recipe
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 cumin
- 1 tsp 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.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Tina Harpel says
Can you use chicken or vegetable stock instead of beef?
Mallory says
Is there a certain brand you use for chipotle peppers in adobo sauce?
Beth says
Can you use fresh garden tomatoes instead of canned?
LyubaB says
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.