Homemade Red Enchilada Sauce

This easy enchilada sauce recipe puts store-bought sauce to shame! With simple pantry ingredients like tomato paste, spices, flour, and water, this homemade red enchilada sauce is way better than canned!

As soon as the weather turns cooler, we naturally think of soups and stews (find all my soup recipes right here).

Me though? I’m thinking of expanding my repertoire of enchiladas.

My Chicken and Spinach Enchiladas are REALLY good, but I’ve got my eye on some variety.

But first, I need an awesome red enchilada sauce recipe. Because in my house, the best enchiladas are saucy!!

Now, if you’re new to this blog, you might be wondering why in the world I would make my own enchilada sauce when I could BUY enchilada sauce.

I agree that store-bought enchilada sauce is fairly cheap – about $1.50 per 10-oz can. But as I teach in my course Grocery Budget Bootcamp, eating real food on a budget isn’t always about the price.

WHY I LOVE THIS RED ENCHILADA SAUCE RECIPE

Why do I like making enchiladas sauce homemade?

• I am in control of the ingredients. My local Kroger has 5 different brands of enchilada sauce. Flip over any can of sauce for enchiladas, and you’ll find hydrogenated oils, MSG, and sugar. I avoid these ingredients whenever possible.
• It tastes amazing! This enchilada sauce recipe tastes just like the authentic kind they made in the Mexican restaurant in my hometown. It’s apparently really hard to find an enchilada sauce that has minimal ingredients AND tastes good. … all the more reason to make this one!
• It’s cheap. One batch of red homemade enchilada sauce makes about 2 cups. Your total cost out of pocket? $0.60… FOR THE WHOLE BATCH. Making it yourself saves 75% over the store-bought enchilada sauce.
• It’s ready in 10 minutes. I’m all about quick recipes, especially if I’m making ingredients that go into another dish. No dried chiles or complicated steps here!

Whether your food priorities are focused on budget, better ingredients, or just eating good food, this enchilada sauce recipe checks all the boxes. Figure out your food priorities in my course, Grocery Budget Bootcamp!

Enrollment is currently closed, but you can join my FREE Fight Inflation Workshop to learn simple yet proven strategies to save money on food week after week, even when prices keep going up. Read more here.

BEST ENCHILADA HOMEMADE SAUCE INGREDIENTS

Ready to make enchilada sauce? Here’s what you need (ingredient amounts are below in the recipe card):

• Healthy Fat. Butter, avocado oil, or palm oil are my top choices for enchilada homemade sauce.
• Flour. All-purpose flour works fine. Einkorn, whole wheat flour, or a gluten-free flour blend all work too – use what you have!
• Tomato Paste. Tomato paste has that concentrated tomato flavor you need for red enchilada sauce.
• Spices. Chili Powder + Ground Cumin + Garlic Powder + Cayenne Pepper + Black Pepper + Dried Oregano + Cinnamon
• Salt. Add to taste or omit for low-sodium enchilada sauce.
• Water or Chicken Broth or Chicken Stock. Liquid to thin out the tomato paste.
• Vinegar. A bit of white distilled vinegar or apple cider vinegar helps balance the flavors.

As you can see, you probably already have everything you need in the kitchen.

Unless, by some freak accident, you forgot about that half can of tomato paste in the fridge, and you JUST tossed it yesterday, you should be good to go here.

(PSST! Here’s how to freeze tomato paste so it doesn’t happen again!)

HOW TO MAKE ENCHILADA SAUCE INSTRUCTIONS

Step 1: In a medium-sized saucepan, melt the butter over medium-high heat.

Step 2: Add flour and, stirring occasionally, cook for one minute.

Step 3: Add the tomato paste, 2 Tbsp chili powder, and the remaining spices. Whisk well until a gorgeous deep red color forms.

Step 4: Very slowly, add the water or stock, stirring constantly.

Step 5: Bring the sauce to a simmer and cook until it thickens slightly.

Step 6: Taste and add additional chili powder if more heat is desired.

Step 7: Add the vinegar and pour on your favorite enchiladas!

This recipe is perfect for beef enchiladas, simple chicken enchilada recipes, or even meatless enchilada recipes!

HOW TO FREEZE ENCHILADAS SAUCE HOMEMADE

Unless you’re feeding a crowd, you might not need 2 cups of sauce. Homemade sauce for enchiladas keeps in the fridge for about a week, but if you won’t use enchilada sauce by then, go ahead and freeze the extra sauce in an airtight container or freeze it in a jar (here’s how to freeze in jars without them breaking).

Or you can make a double batch of red sauce enchiladas and put half in the freezer.

Or you can make that big batch of enchiladas and invite me over for dinner (← I choose this option).

TIPS FOR MAKING THE BEST HOMEMADE SAUCE FOR ENCHILADAS

• Chili powder varies across the globe, but I’m using “American” chili powder, which is NOT the same thing as cayenne pepper or crushed red chilies.
• Play around with different seasonings like onion powder or dried chilis for a kick of flavor.
• Use vegetable broth and coconut oil to make this enchilada sauce vegan.
• Swap out the flour with a gluten free flour mix if you need to cut out the wheat.
• Do not use tomato sauce in this recipe. You want the thick tomato paste for a full red enchilada sauce flavor.

HOW TO USE EASY HOMEMADE ENCHILADA SAUCE RECIPE

If you’re not heaping sauce on your tacos, you can pick a favorite enchilada recipe:

• Enchilada Casserole
• Black Bean and Sweet Potato Enchiladas
• Traditional Enchiladas made with Ground Beef Taco Meat, Homemade Tortillas, and cheese!

Looking for a green enchilada sauce recipe? Try my Chicken and Spinach Enchiladas with a salsa verde sauce!

MACRO-FRIENDLY RECIPE FOR ENCHILADA SAUCE

Enchilada sauce itself will add a small amount of fat, carbs, and protein to your totals for the day, but it doesn’t have a lot of any of them. What you pair it with is going to make up your macros for the meal.

Typical enchiladas will likely have protein from the meat, beans, or cheese in the filling, carbohydrates from the tortillas, and fat from any cheese or sour cream that might be added.

You can tweak these to fit your macros for the day.

Lower carbs: Load up a single enchilada with extra filling and low-carb toppings like shredded lettuce, diced tomatoes, and fajita vegetables [link] to keep your carbs in check. Or make an enchilada casserole with double the filling or half the tortillas.

Lower fat: Skip the higher fat toppings like shredded cheese, sour cream, or diced avocado.

For a protein boost: Focus on the filling! Use meat AND beans, stir in some low-fat cottage cheese or Greek yogurt, or add a higher-protein veggie like spinach or chopped mushrooms.

RED ENCHILADA SAUCE FAQS

MORE MEXICAN-INSPIRED RECIPES

• Slow Cooker Mexican Potato Soup
• Tortilla Soup
• Spicy Shrimp Tacos with Slaw
• Tex-Mex Migas
• Ground Beef Taco Meat
• Enchilada Casserole
• Sweet Potato and Black Bean Enchiladas