Name: Homemade Enchilada Sauce (Quick & Easy!)
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 15 min
Yield: 8 servings
Cuisine: Mexican-American
Ingredients: 2 tablespoons unsalted butter; 2 tablespoons vegetable oil; 3 tablespoons chili seasoning (see note); 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour; 1 cup chicken broth (see note); 1 (8-oz) can tomato sauce; 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

Learn how to make homemade enchilada sauce. This 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. You only need a few simple ingredients to make it!

close-up up photo of a wooden spoon stirring enchilada sauce

In this Post (Click to Jump Ahead!)

What I Love about this Recipe
How to Make Homemade Enchilada Sauce
Ways to Use Homemade Enchilada Sauce
Homemade Enchilada Sauce (Quick & Easy!)

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, homemade 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 enchiladas for a birthday dinner (one with green sauce and another with red) I consulted the interwebs for an easy enchilada sauce.

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.
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. If you’ve been following along in the last few months you’ve probably noticed I’ve been using chili seasoning in a lot of recipes. Instead of mixing chili powder, cumin, garlic 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 the mainstream 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. You can freeze the enchilada sauce for months.

How to Make Homemade 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 and stir to combine. 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.

Ways to Use Homemade Enchilada Sauce

Use your homemade enchilada sauce to make:

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

Happy cooking,

💌 Never miss a recipe! Sign up for the Weekly Newsletter to get recipes straight to your inbox.