Homemade Enchilada Sauce
This homemade red enchilada sauce has authentic Mexican flavor! It’s so good and easy, you’ll never go back to store-bought sauce again. You can even make a double batch and freeze half of it for later. Recipe as written below yields about 2 cups (16 o
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| Category: | Sauces |
| Cuisine Type | Mexican |
Ingredients
Ingredients
| 3 tbsp Olive Oil |
| 3 tbsp Flour (or cornstarch, xanthan gum, aero root. Adjust accordingly) |
| 1 tbsp Chili Powder |
| 1 tsp Ground cumin |
| 1/2 tsp Garlic powder |
| 1/4 tsp Dried Oregano |
| 1/4 tsp Salt |
| Pinch of cinnamon (optional) |
| 2 tbsp Tomato Paste |
| 2 cups Vegetable Broth |
| 1 tsp Apple Cider Vinegar |
| Freshly ground black pepper to taste |
Homemade Enchilada Sauce Directions
- This sauce comes together quickly once you get started, so measure the dry ingredients (the flour, chili powder, cumin, garlic powder, oregano, salt and optional cinnamon) into a small bowl and place it near the stove. Place the tomato paste and broth near the stove as well.
- In a medium-sized pot over medium heat, warm the oil until it’s it’s hot enough that a light sprinkle of the flour/spice mixture sizzles on contact. This might take a couple of minutes, so be patient and don’t step away from the stove!
- Once it’s ready, pour in the flour and spice mixture. While whisking constantly, cook until fragrant and slightly deepened in color, about 1 minute. Whisk the tomato paste into the mixture, then slowly pour in the broth while whisking constantly to remove any lumps.
- Raise heat to medium-high and bring the mixture to a simmer, then reduce heat as necessary to maintain a gentle simmer. Cook, whisking often, for about 5 to 7 minutes, until the sauce has thickened a bit and a spoon encounters some resistance as you stir it. (The sauce will thicken some more as it cools.)
- Remove from heat, then whisk in the vinegar and season to taste with a generous amount of freshly ground black pepper. Add more salt, if necessary (I usually add another pinch or two). Go forth and make enchiladas!
Notes
STORAGE SUGGESTIONS:
Extra enchilada sauce will keep well in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Or, freeze it for up to 3 months. Let it cool to room temperature before transferring to a wide-mouth mason jar, leaving some room at the top for expansion (don’t screw on the lid completely until the mixture is fully frozen), or a freezer bag (remove excess air before sealing).
MAKE IT GLUTEN FREE:
Just use gluten-free all-purpose flour blend. I tried with Bob’s Red Mill brand and it worked great.
MAKE IT TOMATO FREE:
You can omit the tomato paste. You might want to up the spices a bit. The sauce won’t taste quite like the enchilada sauce you might buy at the store, but it will still be good!
CHANGE IT UP:
The chili powder, cumin and garlic powder are essential here, but feel free to change up the other spices to suit your preferences.
