Homemade Enchilada Sauce (Quick & Easy!)

Learn how to make easy enchilada sauce. This homemade recipe is quick, easy and delicious! You can easily double or triple this recipe and freeze the sauce to have on hand for enchiladas, burritos, and tacos. Plus, you only need a few simple ingredients to make it.

I’m not opposed to short-cuts, but when I find myself using an ingredient a lot, my practical self kicks in and I like to go DIY. In this case, enchilada sauce. 

In the past, I might go the store-bought route or just cobble together a sauce with whatever I have on hand. But, back in August, when I wanted to make two batches of chicken enchiladas for a birthday dinner (one with green sauce and another with red) I consulted the interwebs for an easy homemade enchilada sauce recipe.

I found a recipe on Dinner, Then Dessert and it was everything it promised to be – quick, easy, and delicious. I, of course, have since played around with it and have settled on a version that is now my go-to homemade enchilada sauce.

You can make a single batch in about 15 minutes, you can make a big batch and freeze it for later and you can use it on all the enchiladas, tacos, and breakfast burritos.

What I Love About this Recipe

• First, it’s easy! Like, 15-minutes easy and it calls for ingredients you probably already have on hand in your pantry.
• It has a touch of butter. Instead of using all oil, I add some butter which gives the sauce a touch of richness and buttery flavor. It’s not authentic, but it’s delicious.
• You don’t need a bunch of spices. Instead of mixing chili powder, ground cumin, garlic powder, and onion powder to make chili seasoning, I use a premade chili seasoning blend. It has everything in it so no need to dig through the spice cabinet looking for different spices. You can find chili seasoning blends at the store – sometimes local brands are better than national brands, so try a few and pick a favorite.
• If you make a lot of recipes with enchilada sauce, you can easily double or triple this recipe and make a big batch. 
• For storage, you can keep it in the fridge or it will keep in the freezer for several months.

Ingredients

• Unsalted butter
• Vegetable oil
• Chili seasoning or taco seasoning
• All-purpose flour
• Chicken broth
• Tomato sauce
• Kosher salt

Want it spicy? Choose a spicy chili seasoning or add a few pinches of cayenne pepper.

💌 Sign up for the Girl Gone Gourmet Newsletter and get recipes delivered straight to your inbox!

How to Make Easy Enchilada Sauce

• Heat vegetable oil and butter together in a saucepan. Once the butter has melted add the chili seasoning and stir to combine.
• Add all-purpose flour to make a roux to thicken the sauce. Stir to combine and cook the mixture for a minute or so.
• Add the tomato sauce and chicken stock and stir. Simmer the sauce for 5 to 10 minutes or until it’s thickened.
• Taste the enchilada sauce and add salt, to taste.

Want to join me in saying goodbye to store-bought enchilada sauce? I hope you give this easy recipe a try!

Happy cooking,

Ways to Use Homemade Enchilada Sauce

Use your homemade enchilada sauce to make:

• Black bean enchiladas
• Breakfast enchiladas
• Mexican rice casserole
• Enchilada pie
• Stuffed Poblano Peppers
• Beef Burrito Bowls
• Taco Rice Casserole

📣 Do you love this recipe? I would love to know! Leave a comment below the recipe along with your recipe star rating.

Print

The nutrition is an estimate only. It was calculated using Nutrifox, an online nutrition calculator.

Post updated from the archives. First published in September 2019.