Our homemade taco sauce is easy to make and will kick up the flavor of your next taco night! It’s a delicious condiment that can be used on burritos, fajitas, quesadillas, nachos, and even burgers.
Tangy, spicy, and vinegary, our homemade taco sauce is so much better than the store-bought stuff. Its complex, rich flavor will definitely elevate the flavors of your favorite Mexican dishes.
The best part about making homemade taco sauce is there are no preservatives or ingredients you can pronounce, and you can control the amount of heat in the sauce.
If you love making Mexican sauces, try our Taco Bell copycat quesadilla sauce and adobo sauce recipes.
Ingredients to Make Taco Sauce
Let’s start by gathering the ingredients needed to make our easy homemade taco sauce recipe. In culinary terms, this is called the Mise en Place, which translates into “Everything in its Place.”
Setting up your ingredients not only helps speed up the cooking process but also helps ensure you have all of the ingredients on hand to make the recipe.
Can I make the Taco Sauce Spicier?
Absolutely. The cayenne pepper adds heat to the sauce, but if you want to kick up the heat, you can add chipotle powder, hot sauce, or red pepper flakes to the mixture. Jalapeno peppers, chipotle peppers, and serrano chiles can also be added to raise the heat level.
Add the heat a little at a time; you can always add more.
How to Make Taco Sauce
- Add the tomato sauce, water, apple cider vinegar, fresh lime juice, and water to a sauce pot.
- Whisk to combine and cook over medium heat until it begins to bubble.
- Add the cumin, garlic powder, onion powder, smoked paprika, chili powder, cayenne, and granulated sugar to the tomato sauce mixture.
- Whisk to combine and lower the heat to simmer. Continue cooking for 10-15 minutes. The sauce should be reduced and thickened during this time. Whisk during the process.
- Once the sauce has reduced, remove it from the heat and allow it to cool.
*You can use tomato paste or tomato puree instead of tomato sauce to make this recipe.
For best results, make the taco sauce a day ahead of time so the flavors have time to build.
You’ll love our homemade taco sauce, and so will your friends and family. Use this delicious sauce on all your favorite Mexican dishes: grilled chicken, pulled pork, and just about any meat you want to kick up the flavor.
Store refrigerated in a glass jar or airtight container for up to two weeks.
Recipe FAQ’s
To make the sauce creamy, add sour cream, Mexican cream, or plain Greek yogurt. You can add as much or as little as you like, depending on how creamy you want it. This will also mellow out the heat in the taco sauce.
The ingredients can vary depending on the region of Mexico you’re in. But traditional Mexican taco sauces are often chili-based, not tomato-based. Dried chilies (guajillo, ancho, or pasilla) are blended with garlic, vinegar, and seasonings. These types of sauces are earthy and richer in flavor than tomato-based sauces.
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Taco Sauce Recipe
Ingredients
- 15 oz tomato sauce Not spaghetti sauce– tomato puree can also be used
- ¼ cup water
- 2 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 2 teaspoon cumin
- 2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika or sweet paprkia
- ½ teaspoon chili powder
- ½ teaspoon cayenne (optional) more or less to taste
- 1 teaspoon granulated sugar brown sugar or honey
- 1 teaspoon lime juice
Instructions
- Add the tomato sauce, water, apple cider vinegar, lime juice, and water to a sauce pot.
- Cook over medium heat until it begins to bubble.
- Add the cumin, garlic powder, onion powder, smoked paprika, chili powder, cayenne, and granulated sugar to the tomato sauce mixture.
- Lower the heat to simmer and continue to cook for 10-15 minutes. The sauce should reduce and thicken during this time. Whisk during the process.
- Once the sauce has reduced, remove it from the heat and allow it to cool.
- Store in an airtight container until needed
- For best results, make the taco sauce a day ahead of time so the flavors have time to build.
Henry T says
Can you say Taco Tuesday! Made this for dinner tonight. It has great flavor! I love that it does not have all the preservatives that store bought has. Thanks Chef!
Chef Dennis Littley says
You’re welcome, and I’m happy to hear you enjoyed the taco sauce!