Easy Red Enchilada Sauce

A small wooden spoon pressing into a jar of enchilada sauce.

5 from 7 votes

This homemade Red Enchilada Sauce recipe is fresh, flavorful, and so much better than canned sauce. It takes just minutes to make and can be made as mild or spicy as you'd like!

Prep Time2

Cook Time8

Total Time10

Course: Sauces

Cuisine: Mexican, Southwest, Tex Mex

Servings:

Calories: 43kcal

Author: Valerie Brunmeier

Ingredients

3 tablespoons canola or vegetable oil
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons chili powder
1 ½ teaspoons cumin
1 teaspoons paprika sweet or smoked (see notes below)
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
½ teaspoon dried oregano
½ teaspoon dried coriander
2 cups low sodium broth beef, chicken, or vegetable
15 ounce can tomato sauce
⅛ teaspoon salt or to taste
⅛ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper or to taste
cayenne pepper optional and to taste (see notes below)

Instructions

Add the oil to a large saucepan and place over medium heat. Whisk in the flour and cook for 1 minute. Reduce heat to LOW, add the spices and cook, whisking occasionally, for 30 seconds. Whisk in the broth a little at a time and then add the tomato sauce and whisk until smooth and thickened.
Bring to a simmer and then reduce heat to LOW and simmer for 5 minutes to intensify the flavor. Add salt and pepper, to taste.

Notes

Using the Sauce to Make Enchiladas

This recipe yields just shy of 4 cups of enchilada sauce. This is the perfect amount for two 13- x 9-inch baking dishes full of enchiladas. Just spread 1 cup of sauce on the bottom of the baking dish, add your enchiladas, and spoon 1 cup of sauce over the top. Top the enchiladas with cheese and bake them as directed in your recipe. If you don't want to make a second batch of enchiladas you can freeze the remainder of the sauce for a future meal.

Paprika

For classic enchilada sauce use sweet paprika or substitute smoked paprika for a smoky enchilada sauce that's delicious in Mexican or Southwest recipes.

Controlling the Spice Level

Mild Enchilada Sauce - Be sure you are using a mild, light chili powder like McCormick Chili Powder which adds robust flavor but almost no heat at all. Omit the optional cayenne pepper for a very mild red sauce.
Medium Enchilada Sauce - Add ¼ to ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper for a moderately spicy enchilada sauce.
Spicy Enchilada Sauce - Increase the amount of cayenne pepper to make it as spicy as you'd like.

Storage Tips

Refrigerate homemade enchilada sauce for up to 4 days or freeze in a freezer-safe container for up to 3 months. Allow frozen enchilada sauce to thaw in the refrigerator overnight before using.

I recommend storing acidic, tomato based sauces in glass containers or zippered plastic storage bags since they may transfer color to plastic storage containers. I like to use mason jars which have tight fitting lids and are also freezer-safe. Plastic storage bags can be stacked flat after they are frozen which is a great space saver.

Nutrition