Enchilada sauce is one of my very favorite things, ever. I love when it soaks into tortillas while baking and makes everything all tangy, spicy, and good. Mmmmm. 🤤 But when the selection at my local grocery store was less than impressive, I decided it was high time to try making some myself. This Easy Red Enchilada Sauce is a total game-changer, and now I can never go back to store-bought. It has ten times more flavor than anything I’ve ever had from a can and literally takes minutes to make. It’s a total winner.
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“INCREDIBLE! Super easy, made with common pantry staples, and way tastier than store bought.”
Sarah
Easy Enchilada Sauce Recipe
This EASY enchilada sauce is not an authentic recipe made with dried chile peppers that you’ll find in Texas or Mexico, but it’s a quick and easy version that anyone can whip up in their kitchen using basic pantry staples. But I promise, once you taste it, you won’t regret the shortcuts. It’s still bursting with flavor, and you’ll want to pour it over everything. However, if you want a made-from-scratch sauce with dried chiles in the mix, check out this Authentic Enchilada Sauce recipe from Isabel Eats.
Easy Red Enchilada Sauce
Servings 8 ¼ cup eachIngredients
- 2 Tbsp cooking oil ($0.08)
- 2 Tbsp all-purpose flour ($0.02)
- 2 Tbsp chili powder ($0.60)
- 2 cups water ($0.00)
- 3 oz. tomato paste ($0.47)
- 1/2 tsp ground cumin ($0.05)
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder ($0.05)
- 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper ($0.02)
- 3/4 tsp salt or pepper (to taste, $0.03)
Instructions
- Add the cooking oil, flour, and chili powder to a sauce pot. Turn the heat on to medium and whisk the ingredients together. Continue to whisk as the mixture begins to bubble. Whisk and cook the mixture for one minute once it begins bubbling.
- After one minute, whisk in the water, tomato paste, cumin, garlic powder, and cayenne pepper until smooth. Allow the sauce to come up to a simmer. Once it reaches a simmer it will begin to thicken slightly.
- Starting with a 1/2 teaspoon, add salt to taste. I used about 3/4 teaspoon total. The sauce is now ready to use!
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Notes
A Note on the Spice Level
The “chili powder” listed in this recipe is a store-bought mix of spices used to season chili. It is not straight chile powder, or pure ground chile peppers, which can be extremely spicy. The brand of chili powder I use is completely mild, but other brands can sometimes carry some heat. If you are using a spicy chili powder, simply reduce or eliminate the cayenne powder from this recipe to compensate. The heat level of this recipe, using McCormick’s chili powder, is medium spicy, like a medium salsa.Nutrition
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How to Make Enchilada Sauce Step-By-Step Photos
Toast the flour: Start by adding 2 Tbsp flour, 2 Tbsp chili powder, and 2 Tbsp oil to a pot. I use McCormick’s chili powder, which is not spicy, just flavorful, so don’t be frightened by the large quantity in the recipe. All of the heat comes from the cayenne pepper.
Whisk these ingredients together and allow them to come up to a bubble over medium heat, whisking the whole time. Whisk and cook for one minute. This will toast the flour and chili powder, adding to the flavor depth and making sure that the flour doesn’t taste like paste.
Add the wet ingredients: After one minute, add 3oz. tomato paste, 1/2 tsp ground cumin, 1/2 tsp garlic powder, 1/4 tsp cayenne, and whisk in 2 cups water (or broth).
Simmer: Let the sauce come up to a simmer and it will begin to thicken. Taste the sauce and add salt to your liking. Start with about 1/2 teaspoon and add more if needed. The salt will really help bring out the flavors. If you’re using broth in place of water, you might not need to add any at all.
And now you’re good to go! Drizzle this thick and flavorful enchilada sauce over all of your favorite foods and enjoy!
How to Use Enchilada Sauce
Of course, the main thing you can make with this sauce is enchiladas! (Chicken enchiladas are a favorite). But I’m here to tell you that’s not the only thing you can make. Here are some other great ways I like to use my red enchilada sauce:
- as a simmer sauce for meat (in a slow cooker or skillet)
- as a rich sauce to smother burritos
- combined with eggs and fried tortillas for Migas
- combined with sour cream to make a creamy and spicy dip
- as a replacement for taco sauce
- a soup base (chicken enchilada soup or 30 minute posole)
- to sauce up casseroles like Mexican lasagna, enchilada casserole, or taco stuffed shells
How to Store
Keep any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3-4 days, or portion out and freeze for up to 3 months. Let the sauce thaw overnight in the fridge (or, if you forget to set it out, run the freezer bag/container under hot water until it thaws!) Use it as directed in your chosen recipe.
Try These Enchilada Recipes
Our Enchilada Sauce recipe was originally published 8/4/12. It was retested, reworked, and republished to be better than ever 4/25/25.
Awful lot of recycled recipes lately
So easy with rich flavor. Never going back to canned. Thank you.
I just wanted to share a heartfelt THANK YOU for this sauce recipe. I cook for friends often and never have any of them asked for a recipe more than enchiladas with this sauce. My own Latina mother asked me where I got the recipe. I add a squeeze of lime juice when it’s off the heat for some balance. Costco roasted chicken, a can of diced green peppers, green onions, pepper jack cheese and enchilada sauce to chicken filling and you’ve got a delicious meal. Thank you for your great recipes and inspiration and for keeping things delicious and affordable!!!
Can you substitute tomato sauce for tomato paste.
Unfortunately I think that would change the flavor and consistency too much!
Yes! You can actually reduce it way down to more of a paste, I use google for everything! 😆
INCREDIBLE! Super easy, made with common pantry staples, and way tastier than store bought.
Is there a way to make this recipe less sweet? I made it. It’s good. But it’s too sweet for me. Maybe I cooked the chili powder too long
I’d day it’s probably from the tomato paste which can be pretty sweet! You could always try adding something acidic like lime lime juice or vinegar to try and balance the sweetness if it’s too sweet for you.
I’ve made this recipe several times! It is so good! And not too hot for my non-spice, loving family! Thank you so much! Super fast to throw together for enchilada night!
The sauce was amazing, I never tasted anything else like it, this recipe is great. Thank you for sharing.. love love love this recipe
Delicious and so easy. I didn’t realize.i didn’t have a can of enchilada sauce and was in a pinch. This was such a simple recipe. Saved my supper. Thank you!
Can you make a large batch to save for later?
You should be able to double the recipe just fine and it freezes wonderfully!
So good! Hands down the best from scratch enchilada sauce I’ve made and I’ve tried several over the years! While totally not necessary but I feel it adds a subtle something-tasty to it, is I add about a tsp or so of raw cocoa powder as well, otherwise I’ve always followed it precisely. I always forget just how easy this is to make, really need to include it in my usual rotation:) too bad the actual making of the enchiladas isn’t as easy tho definitely not hard lol :)
I’m i’m a white man Been married to my wife’s Mexican family for 45 years i made this easy enchilada sauce And I received good compliments I made it for enchilada casserole cheese enchilada casserole and tonight I’m gonna make a mushroom spinach onion cheese enchilada casserole
Such a delicious (and easy) recipe!! No more store bought enchilada sauce for me!!
This was just as easy as written. I had all ingredients and needed to down-spice it for my husband who has a sensitivity to apiece at the moment. Great flavor. I also used the chicken broth suggestion for water substitution.
So easy and so good. Thank you my husband said to put this on our monthly menu!!!