Easy Enchilada Sauce Recipe

5 from 13 votes

My quick and easy Enchilada Sauce recipe is made using simple pantry ingredients and takes less than 20 minutes to make

Prep Time5

Cook Time12

Total Time17

Course: condiment, Sauce

Cuisine: Mexican, mexican-american

Servings:

Calories: 76kcal

Author: Chef Dennis Littley

Add the vegetable oil to a saucepan over medium heat, then add the all-purpose flour and mix well. Turn down the heat to low and allow the flour/oil mixture to cook for a few minutes.
This is a roux that will help thicken the sauce.
Add the tomato sauce, chicken broth, spices, and brown sugar to the saucepan and mix well using a wire whisk. Increase the temperature to medium-high heat.
Bring the mixture to a light boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer and allow the enchilada sauce to cook for 10 minutes.
Let the sauce cool, then store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
*Leftover red sauce can be stored refrigerated in an airtight container for up to two weeks or frozen for up to three months.

For gluten-free sauce, use gluten-free cup-for-cup flour instead of all-purpose flour. You can also use cornstarch or arrowroot to thicken the sauce.

Do you want a spicier sauce? That's an easy fix. You can add your favorite hot sauce to kick up the heat. Or use chipotle or ancho chili powder to make the spicy sauce. You can also add cayenne pepper. Just be careful; a little goes a long way.

Can I make a mild enchilada sauce? To cut back on the spicy flavor of the sauce, simply reduce the amount of chili powder. Start with one tablespoon of chili powder and see how that tastes. You can always add more.

To add a smoky flavor to the sauce, use chipotle chili powder instead of plain chili powder. You can also add a teaspoon of smoked paprika to the sauce if you don't want to add any additional heat.

If you like creamy sauces, add a quarter cup of heavy cream or sour cream to the sauce. This will also cut back on the heat level.