I don’t know about you, but I get so frustrated when I need just a quick pan of enchiladas and the store-bought red sauce tastes like… well, faintly of metal and too much salt. Ugh! We deserve better than that, especially for a staple like this! After years of tweaking my collection of Mexican pantry heroes, I finally hammered out the absolute best **Easy Homemade Enchilada Sauce** you will ever dip a tortilla into. The best part? It comes together faster than delivery. Seriously, we are talking under 20 minutes total. That speed, combined with the depth of flavor from toasting spices—it just can’t be beaten. Forget those cans; this is the real deal, and I’m so excited to share it with you!
Why This Easy Homemade Enchilada Sauce Recipe Works So Well
So many recipes promise perfection but deliver thin, boring sauce. Not this one! My goal when making an **Easy Homemade Enchilada Sauce** was speed without sacrificing that deep, foundational Mexican flavor. You get both here, trust me. This sauce is the reliable cornerstone of any great weeknight Mexican meal. If you loved that rich creamy texture in my white sauce recipe, you’ll appreciate the simple quality here, too. Check out that other sauce for when you need something different!
Here are the big wins you get when you ditch the can:
- Incredible Flavor: We bloom the spices right in the oil—a step that makes all the difference!
- Speed Freak Approved: It’s on the table in about 16 minutes flat. Seriously, grab your whisk!
- Total Control: You decide exactly how spicy or salty things get.
Speed and Simplicity of the Easy Homemade Enchilada Sauce
You don’t need a fancy blender or a high-powered mixer for this. We are doing everything right in one medium saucepan. That’s it! Five minutes of prep, about 11 minutes of active cooking, and bam—you have rich, flavorful red enchilada sauce ready to go. It’s stovetop magic, plain and simple, making it perfect for busy days.
Flavor Depth in Your Easy Homemade Enchilada Sauce
The secret sauce, pun intended, is what happens right after we create that oil-flour base (the roux). We add the spices—real chili powder, cumin, oregano—and we cook them for about 60 seconds. This process is called toasting or blooming, and it wakes up those dried herbs! Store-bought stuff skips this crucial step, which is why everything tastes flat. A good quality chili powder is your best friend here; it provides that earthy, warm base note we’re aiming for.
Gathering Ingredients for Your Easy Homemade Enchilada Sauce
Okay, the beauty of this recipe is that it relies on pantry staples, but we treat those staples right! You don’t need to run to a specialty store for this sauce. What you really need is just a few minutes and quality basics. The flavor comes from using the right ratios—especially with the spices—and using a good, rich broth. If you make your own broth, that’s fantastic! If not, a good quality low-sodium chicken or veggie broth really shines through here. I even have a hack for making amazing bouillon if you’re ever in a pinch!
The Spice Blend for Perfect Easy Homemade Enchilada Sauce
This is where we define the structure of this **Easy Homemade Enchilada Sauce**. We need four key earthy players, plus the powders for depth. You absolutely must grab chili powder—and I mean the kind labeled ‘Chili Powder,’ not hot cayenne pepper powder! We are building comfort flavor, not emergency heat right now. You also need cumin, a little dried oregano, garlic powder, and onion powder. These work together to give you that authentic, recognizable Mexican red sauce taste. Don’t skip the salt and pepper either; they bring everything else into focus.
Liquids and Thickener for the Easy Homemade Enchilada Sauce
To get that glossy thickness that clings perfectly to a rolled tortilla, we start with a tiny bit of vegetable oil and equal parts flour. That mixture is our roux, and it’s essential for texture. Once that’s done, the liquid comes in slowly: 2 cups of broth is the magic number you’ll be whisking in until everything is silky smooth. Finally, that tablespoon of tomato paste? It’s not just for filler; it adds a tiny bit of acidity and deep, beautiful red coloring. It makes the sauce look intensely cooked, even though we only spent minutes on it!
Step-by-Step Instructions for Making Easy Homemade Enchilada Sauce
This is the easy part, friend! I promise you, if you can stir a pot, you can make this sauce. I keep the instructions super straightforward because nobody wants to stress out when making a pantry staple. We focus on timing here. A minute too long here, a minute too short there, and the flavor profile changes completely. I’ve kept my process simple so you can whip this up even if you’re feeling a bit frazzled. If you want more quick sauce inspiration, you have to check out my big sauce collection!
Creating the Roux Base for Your Easy Homemade Enchilada Sauce
First things first: grab your medium saucepan and set it over medium heat. Pour in your 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil. Once that oil is nice and warm—you should see it shimmer just a tiny bit—whisk in the 2 tablespoons of flour right away. Now, this is critical: you need to cook this flour-and-oil mixture, which we call a roux, for exactly one minute while stirring constantly. If you skip cooking that flour, your **Easy Homemade Enchilada Sauce** is going to taste chalky or raw. We want it nutty, not nasty!
Blooming the Spices in the Easy Homemade Enchilada Sauce
Once that roux is looking pale gold and smooth, dump in all your spices: chili powder, cumin, oregano, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and pepper. Keep stirring like crazy for just one more minute. This is the ‘magic’ bloom! You’ll instantly smell the difference—the aroma will deepen and become richer, totally transforming the flavor before we even add liquid. If you’re looking for one secret for better sauce overall, it’s cooking your spices in fat like this.
Simmering the Final Easy Homemade Enchilada Sauce
Okay, here comes the whisking part! Slowly, slowly, whisk in those 2 cups of broth. Go splash by splash at first. If you dump it all in at once, you’ll end up with flour clumps, and nobody has time for that mess. Once it’s completely smooth, stir in the tablespoon of tomato paste until the color is uniform. Bring the whole thing up to a gentle simmer. Then, turn the heat down low and let it hang out for about 10 minutes, just stirring every few minutes. It should thicken slightly so that when you drag a spoon through it, it leaves a nice trail. That’s when you pull it off the heat and get ready for enchilada glory!
Tips for Customizing Your Easy Homemade Enchilada Sauce
The best part about making your **Easy Homemade Enchilada Sauce** from scratch is that you are the boss! Seriously, don’t feel shackled to my exact measurements if your tastebuds demand something a little different that day. I’ve been making Mexican sauces for years, and the consistency or heat level sometimes needs a small nudge depending on what I’m using the sauce for. It’s so easy to tweak this base recipe without worrying about ruining the whole batch.
Adjusting Heat Levels in Your Easy Homemade Enchilada Sauce
If you like things spicy, jump right in! Remember how I mentioned the chili powder is for flavor, not fire? Well, if you want some fire, just add a pinch of cayenne pepper right when you’re blooming the other spices in that hot oil. I start small—maybe just an eighth of a teaspoon—and taste test after the simmer. If you accidentally grab hot chili powder instead of mild, don’t panic! Just thin it out with an extra splash of broth, and you’ve successfully toned down the heat without starting over.
Achieving the Perfect Thickness for Your Easy Homemade Enchilada Sauce
Consistency is totally personal, isn’t it? Some of you might want a super thin sauce that soaks right into the tortillas, while others want a thick coating, almost like paste, so your filling stays put. If you taste it after the 10-minute simmer and it feels too thick—maybe it looks like gravy—just whisk in a tablespoon of broth at a time until it loosens up to exactly what you want. If, heaven forbid, it’s too thin, just turn the heat back up to low and give it another 5 minutes on the simmer. It’ll thicken right up!
How to Use This Easy Homemade Enchilada Sauce
You’ve got this incredible, vibrant red sauce simmering on the stove—what now? While rolling up some cheese and chicken in tortillas is the classic move, don’t stop there! This **Easy Homemade Enchilada Sauce** is fantastic in so many other dishes. Because we took the time to bloom those spices, the flavor is robust enough to stand up to anything you throw at it.
It’s just perfect for coating ground beef for quick tacos—makes the filling taste richer instantly. My family absolutely loves when I use it in a big casserole. I actually use this same sauce base when I make my famous easy taco bake; it brings tremendous flavor to that dish! It also pairs beautifully with black beans or shredded pork. Honestly, if a recipe calls for mild chili liquid, this sauce is the upgrade you didn’t know you needed. Just remember to have extra on hand!
Storage and Reheating Instructions for Easy Homemade Enchilada Sauce
Now that you’ve made this incredible batch of **Easy Homemade Enchilada Sauce**, you need to know how to keep that fresh flavor locked in. Fortunately, this recipe stores beautifully! Pop any leftovers into an airtight container, and it will keep happily in the refrigerator for about a week. That’s perfect for quick weeknight toppers!
If you made a double batch (which you totally should have!), freezing works like a charm. Pour it into a freezer-safe bag or ice cube trays first. Once frozen, you can transfer the cubes to a larger bag. When you need just a little sauce later, reheat what you need gently on the stovetop over low heat. Don’t crank that burner up high, or you risk scorching the bottom and losing that lovely flavor we worked so hard to build upon that roux!
Frequently Asked Questions About Easy Homemade Enchilada Sauce
You’ve made it this far, so you must be serious about your Mexican cooking! That’s fantastic. Sometimes when you change up a classic, little questions pop up. Don’t worry, I’ve got the answers right here to make sure your **homemade sauce** performs perfectly the first time!
Can I use water instead of broth for this easy homemade enchilada sauce?
Oh, absolutely, you can substitute water if you’re completely out of broth or counting calories very strictly. But here’s the thing: using water means you are missing out on a huge punch of flavor! Broth is seasoned liquid, and when we cook down our spices, the broth carries all those earthy chili notes deep into the sauce. With water, your **red enchilada sauce** will be thinner in taste and you might need to sneak in an extra pinch of salt or garlic powder to compensate. If you use water, remember to taste constantly!
What is the difference between this sauce and a traditional mole?
That’s a great question that pops up a lot when people experiment with Mexican cooking! This recipe is a wonderfully simple, quick, chili-powder-based red sauce. It’s designed for speed and versatility—perfect for enchiladas on a Tuesday night. Traditional mole sauces, though, are incredibly complex! Moles often involve many ingredients like dried chilies that need rehydrating, nuts, seeds, and sometimes chocolate. They take hours, even days, to prepare properly. Think of this recipe as your fast, delicious weeknight hero, totally different from those slow-cooked traditional masterpieces. If you’re looking for some of my lighter dressing ideas!
How long does this homemade sauce last in the refrigerator?
Because we cook this sauce thoroughly and use sturdy ingredients like broth and tomato paste, it keeps really well! Once it’s cooled completely, store it in a sealed, airtight container in your refrigerator. I find that it tastes just as good, if not better, on day three! You can confidently keep this **homemade sauce** fresh for up to 5 days. After that, I suggest freezing any leftovers right away, as that’s when the quality starts to really dip.
Estimated Nutritional Snapshot for Easy Homemade Enchilada Sauce
When you’re whipping up your own **Easy Homemade Enchilada Sauce**, you’re already winning because you control the sodium and oil amounts! That’s the beauty of making things from scratch, right? You know exactly what’s going into your food. Now, remember that this information is just an estimate based on the standard quantities of oil, flour, and broth we used. Things can shift depending on the kind of broth or even the exact brand of chili powder you use, so please treat these numbers as a helpful guideline rather than strict science!
Based on a yield of about 2 cups total, here is what you can generally expect in a 1/4 cup serving size. It’s surprisingly light, making it perfect for coating those enchiladas without weighing down the entire meal:
- Calories: Around 65 calories. Not bad for deep flavor!
- Fat: About 4 grams of fat total. Since we use vegetable oil for the roux, most of this is unsaturated, which is great.
- Carbohydrates: Roughly 6 grams, mostly coming from the small amount of flour we use to thicken everything up.
- Protein: A modest 1 gram of protein per serving.
See? This **homemade sauce** is flavorful without packing a heavy nutritional punch. It lets the fillings in your enchiladas be the main event, which is exactly how it should be!
Share Your Success with This Easy Homemade Enchilada Sauce
Now that you’ve mastered the art of the **Easy Homemade Enchilada Sauce**, I really, truly want to know how it went for you! Sharing our kitchen wins makes the cooking process so much more fun, don’t you think?
If you tried this recipe, please take a moment to leave a star rating right down below. It helps other home cooks like you find reliable recipes, and honestly, I love seeing those five-star reviews—it keeps my enthusiasm high for testing new things!
And hey, if you swapped out the cumin for coriander or added a secret pinch of chipotle powder to pump up the heat? Tell me about it in the comments! I encourage all those little customizations because that’s how we make every recipe our own. If you snap a photo of your stunning enchiladas or taco night spread, tag me on social media!
We’re a small community here, and I love seeing your creations based on my kitchen advice. It makes me feel like we’re cooking together, even when we’re miles apart. If you have any last-minute questions that I missed, you can always send a direct message on my contact page. Happy cooking, and enjoy that amazing homemade red sauce!
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Easy Homemade Enchilada Sauce
- Total Time: 16 min
- Yield: About 2 cups 1x
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
A simple recipe for making flavorful red enchilada sauce from scratch.
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 3 tablespoons chili powder (not cayenne)
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
- 2 cups chicken or vegetable broth
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
Instructions
- Heat the vegetable oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat.
- Whisk in the flour and cook for one minute, stirring constantly.
- Add the chili powder, cumin, oregano, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and pepper. Cook for one minute, stirring to coat the flour mixture.
- Slowly whisk in the broth until smooth.
- Stir in the tomato paste.
- Bring the sauce to a simmer. Reduce the heat to low and cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the sauce thickens slightly.
- Remove from heat and use immediately or store for later use.
Notes
- For a spicier sauce, add a pinch of cayenne pepper with the other spices.
- If the sauce is too thick, add a little more broth until you reach your desired consistency.
- Prep Time: 5 min
- Cook Time: 11 min
- Category: Sauce
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Mexican
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/4 cup
- Calories: 65
- Sugar: 1
- Sodium: 350
- Fat: 4
- Saturated Fat: 0.5
- Unsaturated Fat: 3.5
- Trans Fat: 0
- Carbohydrates: 6
- Fiber: 1
- Protein: 1
- Cholesterol: 0
Keywords: enchilada sauce, homemade sauce, red sauce, easy recipe, Mexican sauce