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    Home » Recipes » Sauces and Drinks

    Easy Homemade Red Enchilada Sauce Recipe

    Dec 4, 2020 · 9 Comments

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

    Enchiladas are a staple in Mexican cuisine. What is the point of eating enchiladas if there isn't a good sauce? Very simple ingredients in this recipe, no tomato sauce or tomato paste needed! This sauce tastes good on beef enchiladas, cheese enchiladas, chicken enchiladas, and even seafood enchiladas. There is green enchilada sauce, and white enchilada sauce too, but you can never go wrong with red! You can make homemade red enchilada sauce as spicy or mild as you want it when you home make it. It allows for more individuality versus coming out of the can. This recipe makes about 3 cups worth.

    This post may contain affiliate links. This means if you click on a link and purchase something, I may earn a small commission from it. In the footer of this page is my full disclosure policy. 

    red enchilada sauce with a wooden spoon in a pan.

    Reasons to love making your own enchilada sauce:

    • Consistency - this sauce is not too thick or thin. If you do find it too be one or the other, the variations section below tells you how to correct it.
    • Spice - no tomato paste is used in this recipe so the flavor comes mostly from the spices. This is part of why making your own sauce is best because there is extra spice flavor.
    • No preservatives - not that store canned sauce has a lot of nitrates in it, but you know exactly what ingredients are in your sauce making it at home.
    • No need to plan - you don't have to plan for days ahead of time or make a special trip to the store to prepare for this sauce because the recipe uses common ingredients you can find in your home. If you are out of spicy chili powder (main ingredient), you can easily find it at your local grocery store.
    • Amount - 3 cups is plenty for enchiladas and for some reason if that is not enough, you can easily double the recipe.

    Homemade Enchilada Sauce Recipe Ingredients:

    • Flour and olive oil- helps create the roux to thicken the mixture
    • Seasonings - adds flavor
    • Chicken broth - I made mine with water and chicken bullion cubes. If you want more nutritious homemade chicken broth, click here.

    How to make red enchilada sauce:

    1. Stir together flour, oil, and spices. The flour is to make it thicker. If you were to add the flour later (I tried this), it does not make it as thick and ends up more clumpy. That is why the flour is in step 1. This steps is what makes the roux.
    2. Add chicken broth. This is what makes the sauce a liquid. Do not add liquid all at once or else it could splatter or be more difficult to whisk the clumps.
    3. Cook the sauce according to directions. This way the flavors blend together. Serve with your favorite Mexican dish!
    enchilada sauce pinterest image.

    Variations of the Mexican red sauce:

    • Spice - Obviously I am into spice, so I like to add more chile powder than what the recipe calls for. You can also make it more mild by decreasing the chile powder to suit your spice level. Chile powder is what gives the sauce distinctive flavor.
    • Liquid - If you want your flavorful sauce to be less thick, you can add more chicken broth! If you would like a thicker sauce, let simmer longer.
    • Stock - if making this vegetarian, you can use vegetable stock instead of chicken stock.
    • Gluten free - make this gluten free by adding a 1:1 gluten free flour

    Tips for the Best Homemade Enchilada Sauce:

    • Add flour gradually - this will reduce lumps of flour in the sauce
    • Prep in advance - if you are trying to make quick enchiladas, prep the sauce in advance

    FAQs

    What pot do I use?

    Any pot works as long as it can hold about 5 cups of liquid to ensure there is no overflow.

    Can I make this delicious sauce ahead of time?

    This sauce recipe does not take that long to make, so I personally just make it while my chicken is cooking for my enchiladas. If you wanted to make it a week in advance though you can do that! I do not see a point in myself doing that though because it is such a quick recipe.

    What are ways to use this sauce?

    • Soups - Mexican soups such as tortilla soup or enchilada soup that needs more spice
    • Baked dishes - casseroles such as enchiladas, tamales, etc
    • Mexican staples - chicken flautas, chile rellenos, etc

    What if I add too much chili powder?

    If too much chili powder gets added to the pot by accident, you can increase the amount of chicken stock to mellow out the spice. The more broth you add though, the more liquid-y it will be. How spicy is enchilada sauce is up to you in this recipe by the amount of chili powder put in.

    How to store:

    I typically just use the sauce right away, but it can be stored in an air tight container such as a mason jar in the fridge for about a week. This sauce also keeps for up to 3-4 months in the freezer if using a freezer safe container. Do not store in plastic because the red will stain.

    Recipe

    red enchilada sauce

    Tasty No Tomato Red Enchilada Sauce

    You can make this easy red enchilada sauce it as spicy or mild as you want it. It allows for more individuality being homemade enchilada sauce. You can use this sauce recipe for red chili enchiladas, or any other Mexican dish that needs red sauce!
    5 from 8 votes
    Print Recipe
    Prep Time 2 mins
    Cook Time 7 mins
    Course sauce
    Cuisine Mexican
    Servings 3 Cups
    Calories 69.54 kcal

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    Ingredients
      

    • 4 tablespoon olive oil
    • 2 tablespoon flour
    • 3-4 tablespoon chili powder depending on how spicy you want it
    • Spices to add at personal preference: oregano, cumin, garlic powder, basil, parsley, onion powder
    • 3 cups chicken broth

    Instructions
     

    • Pour oil into a large pot on medium heat. Stir in flour with a pancake turner. Add in chili powder and spices. Keep stirring constantly to avoid it burning and sticking to pan.
    • Slowly pour in the chicken broth while stirring to avoid lumps. Cook for about 5-7 minutes. Can add extra water if it turns out too thick for your preference. Serve your Easy Red Enchilada Sauce over homemade enchiladas or any other Mexican dish that needs red sauce!

    Nutrition

    Calories: 69.54kcal

    All information presented on this site is intended for informational purposes only. Nutritional facts listed are a rough estimate and should only be followed as a general idea.

    Keyword red enchilada sauce recipe red enchiladas classic enchilada sauce recipe homemade red enchilada sauce mexican enchilada sauce enchilada rojas enchilada sauces
    Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Andrea says

      April 21, 2022 at 10:18 pm

      5 stars
      love how easy this sauce is to make! so tasty and full of flavor!

      Reply
    2. Jean says

      April 21, 2022 at 11:00 pm

      5 stars
      super tasty and easy to make enchilada sauce.

      Reply
    3. Marcellina says

      April 22, 2022 at 1:30 am

      Easy and so good!!

      Reply
    4. Nora says

      April 22, 2022 at 1:38 am

      5 stars
      The sauce turned out perfectly! Thank you for sharing this recipe!

      Reply
    5. Alexandea says

      April 22, 2022 at 3:25 am

      5 stars
      Such a delicious, full of flavour sauce.

      Reply
    6. Andréa Janssen says

      April 22, 2022 at 4:01 am

      5 stars
      Great and Easy sauce recipe. Thank you!

      Reply
    7. Sue says

      April 22, 2022 at 7:05 am

      5 stars
      I never realized enchilada sauce could be so easy - thank you!

      Reply
    8. Audrey says

      April 22, 2022 at 8:58 am

      5 stars
      I never knew how easy it was to make red sauce!!

      Reply
    9. Dana says

      April 22, 2022 at 9:05 am

      5 stars
      I didn't realize how easy it was to make this sauce.

      Reply

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    About Tyanne

    Tyanne is a self-proclaimed foodie, spicy food connoisseur, pasta lover, and a family woman who believes in easy, flavorful recipes that bring the family together around the table. Her blogging journey began in November 2019 when she decided that she wanted a digital notecard to keep her recipes on. She built her food blog www.cookingwithtyanne.com to not only save her own recipes, but to share them with the world as well. Today, she still runs her food blog, but also has a cookbook titled "Deliciously Fresh Freezer Meals" on Amazon. Read More…

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