This easy recipe makes a delicious homemade enchilada sauce. Made with simple store-cupboard ingredients and flavourful spices, it adds authentic Mexican flavour to your favourite enchilada dinners.
We love enchiladas.
To be honest, store-bought enchilada kits are pretty good, whether they are branded or not.
But we are Aldi shoppers (this was something you’d have been bullied for in my school, but it is now quite a boast!), and while they often have fajita and taco kids, they rarely have enchilada kits.
Even when we can get kits, my kids aren’t massive enchilada fans, so the kit is always a bit big for just two of us.
So we usually make our own.
My homemade enchilada sauce recipe is a little spicier and creamier than a store-bought version.
Why I Love Homemade Enchilada Sauce
It’s better than canned enchilada sauce.
That’s not the only reason!
- Making your own enchilada sauce means that you can adjust the spice level to suit you.
- This recipe is about perfect for one lot of enchiladas.
- You can make it in advance or save leftovers.
- It’s really, really lovely!
- You can just add it to your favourite enchilada recipe.
Ingredients For Enchilada Sauce
When I make my homemade red enchilada sauce, I use:
Olive Oil
Plain Flour (or all purpose flour)
Chilli Powder
Cumin
Oregano
Cinnamon
Salt
Garlic Puree – You can use a teaspoon of garlic powder, or fresh garlic cloves too. If you use powder, mix it in with the dry ingredients.
Tomato Puree
Vegetable Stock – You can use chicken stock if you don’t have veg.
Apple Cider Vinegar
Freshly Ground Black Pepper
You’ll Also Need
All you really need to make this recipe for enchilada sauce is a whisk and a small saucepan.
A jug and a small bowl to mix other ingredients are useful.
How to Make Easy Enchilada Sauce – Step-by-Step Instructions
Full, easy-to-follow instructions and quantities are available in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
Step One
Mix the dry ingredients (except the pepper) in a small bowl. Keep this close to your pan.
Step Two
Pour the oil into a small pan. Warm this small saucepan over medium heat on the hob.
Step Three
After around 2 minutes, toss a small pinch of flour into the oil. It should sizzle on impact. If it doesn’t, heat the oil for a bit longer and try again.
Step Four
When the oil is hot, reduce the heat, tip in the flour mixture, and whisk constantly for 1 minute.
Step Five
Add the tomato and garlic purees and whisk until combined. It will be lumpy, but that’s fine.
Step Six
Slowly pour in the stock, whisking in a bit at a time to avoid lumps.
Step Seven
Once all the stock has been incorporated, increase the temperature back to medium and bring it to a simmer, whisking constantly.
Step Eight
Simmer while whisking for 5-10 minutes until the sauce has reduced. Five minutes is usually enough, but if you have any doubts, going to ten shouldn’t hurt unless it feels super thick.
Step Nine
Remove from the heat.
Step Ten
Whisk in the vinegar and black pepper and leave to cool. Unless you are using it straight away, then just give it about 10 minutes to thicken further and use it straight from the pan while still warm.
Variations
Adjust the Spice Level
When I taste this sauce, I think, “Oh, that’s a bit spicy!” But actually, once you’ve added cheese and other enchilada ingredients, it’s pretty mild.
If you prefer very spicy enchiladas, add more chilli, a pinch of chilli flakes or some cayenne pepper.
If you like them mild, use less chilli.
Use Garlic Powder
Garlic powder is great. Add a teaspoon to your flour if you prefer.
Use Chicken Stock
Chicken stock is quite a mild flavour and can be swapped for vegetable stock if that’s what you have in.
Leftovers
Homemade enchilada sauce will last for up to a week.
Maybe longer, there’s no dairy or anything like that, that might go bad quickly.
But I don’t recommend keeping it for longer than a week.
Use your leftovers on more enchiladas or as a simple pasta sauce. You could also add chopped tomatoes to spice up a pizza sauce or any other tomato sauce.
Storage
Pour the cold leftover enchilada sauce into an airtight bowl or bottle, seal it, and refrigerate it for up to a week.
I don’t recommend freezing homemade enchilada sauce. Just because I’ve never tried it. We never have any left!
FAQ
This enchilada sauce has tomato puree but not fresh tomatoes.
No, this enchilada sauce doesn’t have dairy. This is a dairy free recipe.
While some of the ingredients may contain sugar (hello, tomato puree), I don’t add any extra.
Yes, pourable, but relatively thick.
Other Recipes
If you like this homemade enchilada sauce recipe, you might also want to try:
- Air Fryer Enchiladas
- Homemade BBQ Sauce
- Crunchy Coleslaw
- Halloumi Tacos
- Leftover Chicken Tacos
- Leftover Lamb Tacos
- Fajita Traybake
- Chicken Fajita Pasta
Homemade Enchilada Sauce
Ingredients
- 3 Tablespoons Olive Oil
- 3 Tablespoons Plain Flour
- 1 Tablespoon Chilli Powder
- 1 Teaspoon Cumin
- 0.5 Teaspoon Oregano
- Pinch Cinnamon
- Good Pinch Salt
- 1 Teaspoon Garlic Puree
- 2 Tablespoons Tomato Puree
- 500 ml Vegetable Stock
- 1 Tablespoon Apple Cider Vinegar
- Pinch Freshly Ground Black Pepper
Instructions
- Mix the flour, spices and salt in a small bowl.
- Pour the oil into a small pan and warm over medium heat on the hob.
- After around 2 minutes, toss a small pinch of flour into the oil. It should sizzle on impact. If it doesn’t, heat the oil for a bit longer.
- When the oil is hot, reduce the heat, tip in the flour mixture, and whisk constantly for 1 minute.
- Add the tomato puree and garlic puree and whisk until it all comes together.
- Slowly pour in the stock, whisking in a bit at a time to avoid lumps.
- Once all the stock has been incorporated, increase the temperature to medium and bring it to a simmer, whisking all the time.
- Simmer while whisking for 5-10 minutes until the sauce has reduced.
- Remove from the heat.
- Whisk in the vinegar and black pepper and leave to cool.
Notes
- If you want to use it immediately, you can use it when warm, straight from the pan; just leave it for 10-15 minutes to thicken further. If not, leave it to cool completely before pouring into a bottle, jar, or bowl and sealing.
- If using garlic powder, mix it in with the spices and flavour.
Nutrition
Any nutritional information is given as a general guide only and may not be accurate. The information is provided using an online calculator and is specific to my ingredients. Please make your own calculations if you want precise information.
