This homemade red enchilada sauce is rich, smooth, and packed with flavor, yet tastes surprisingly familiar. Made with pantry staples like chili powder, tomato sauce, and simple seasonings, it comes together in about 15 minutes and is perfect for enchiladas, casseroles, skillet meals, burritos, and more. If you’ve tried homemade enchilada sauce before and found it too strong or overly spicy (as I have), you’ll appreciate this balanced version, which has the classic red enchilada flavor many of us grew up enjoying.
Jennifer’s Notes from the Maker Farm Kitchen
A few reasons I love this version:
- It uses ingredients I almost always have on hand in the pantry and does not rely on fresh or unusual items.
- The tomato sauce softens the sharpness of the chili powder and creates a smoother flavor.
- It’s inexpensive and fast to make.
- It freezes beautifully for future meals.
- It works equally well in enchiladas, soups, casseroles, and rice skillets.
- It’s way better than the more-expensive canned stuff, plus I know exactly what goes into it!
- It tastes familiar and comforting to my American tastebuds.
Many homemade enchilada sauce recipes are more intensely chili-forward than the enchilada sauces most Americans are accustomed to eating. The red sauces commonly found in restaurants, grocery stores, and family recipes are often balanced with tomato products, which mellow the spices and create a smoother, more familiar flavor. When I developed this recipe, I found that adding tomato sauce made a dramatic difference, transforming it into something much closer to the red enchilada sauce I knew and loved.
Helpful Tip
Many Midwestern families like mine grew up eating in Mexican restaurants or using canned enchilada sauce, which is significantly more tomato-forward and slightly sweeter than the chile-centric sauces you may encounter in fancy recipes these days. I consider this the comfort food version of enchilada sauces.
Ingredients That Matter
Chili Powder – The chili powder is the primary flavoring in this sauce, so its quality matters. I use standard American-style chili powder, which is a blend of ground chiles and seasonings such as cumin, oregano, coriander, garlic, allspice, and cloves. Be aware, too, that American-style chili powder (the seasoning blend commonly sold in U.S. grocery stores) is not pure ground chile pepper, as it may be outside the states. If using pure chile powders, you’ll need to adjust the seasonings and amounts accordingly.
I use Simply Organic Chili Powder, but any American-style chili powder blend should work. Different brands vary in strength and flavor, so you may want to adjust the seasonings to taste.
Tomato sauce – The tomatoes are what makes this recipe unique compared to many homemade enchilada sauce recipes. It mellows the chili powder, adds body, and creates the smooth, familiar flavor that many people associate with red enchilada sauce from restaurants, family recipes, and canned sauces.
Tomato paste – While it isn’t the star ingredient, the tomato paste adds richness and depth that helps the sauce taste slow-cooked even though it comes together in about 15 minutes. Don’t skip it if possible.
Chicken broth – This gives the sauce a fuller, more savory flavor than water alone. If you have broth on hand, I highly recommend using it. Water will still work, but the finished sauce won’t have quite the same depth. I have a recipe for a really good chicken broth here.
Red Enchilada Sauce Recipe
Equipment
- 1 sauce pan
- 1 whisk or fork
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons oil or butter
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons chili powder American seasoning blend, not 100% pure chile powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ¼ teaspoon dried oregano
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 1 15-ounce can tomato sauce
- 1 teaspoon salt or to taste
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in the flour and cook for about 1 minute, stirring constantly, until the mixture is bubbly and lightly golden.2 tablespoons oil or butter, 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- Add the chili powder, cumin, garlic powder, onion powder, and oregano. Cook for about 30 seconds, stirring constantly, until the spices become fragrant. Stir in the tomato paste and cook for another 30 seconds.2 tablespoons chili powder, 1 teaspoon ground cumin, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, ½ teaspoon onion powder, ¼ teaspoon dried oregano, 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- Slowly pour in the chicken broth while whisking continuously to prevent lumps from forming. Bring the mixture to a gentle simmer and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until slightly thickened.2 cups chicken broth
- Stir in the tomato sauce, salt, and pepper. Return the sauce to a gentle simmer and cook for another 3 to 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until smooth and heated through. Taste and adjust the seasoning as needed.1 15-ounce can tomato sauce, 1 teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- Use immediately in enchiladas, casseroles, soups, rice skillets, or burritos, or allow the sauce to cool completely before storing in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. The sauce also freezes well for up to 3 months.
How to Use this Sauce
It’s perfect for any dish that calls for enchilada sauce, and not just enchiladas! Use it for casseroles, soups, burritos, nachos, skillets, tamale pie, huevos rancheros. I used it to make an amazing Chicken Enchilada Rice dish!
Variations
- To make it gluten-free, substitute the all-purpose flour for a gluten-free flour
- To increase the heat level, stir in a pinch of cayenne pepper, a dash of hot sauce, or additional chili powder until the sauce reaches your desired heat level
- To decrease the heat level, use a milder chili powder (such as McCormick’s) and add an extra 1/2 to 1 cup of tomato sauce
- To make it vegan, use vegetable broth instead of chicken broth
- To make it heartier, use beef broth
- To make it smokier, use smoked paprika or a pinch of chipotle powder
- To give it a more complex flavor, replace a portion of the chili powder with ancho chili powder. Start with 1 teaspoon and adjust to taste
Nostalgia
If you also remember and loved the Chi-Chi’s restaurant from the ’80s and ’90s, and you can make your sauce taste more like what you remember from there by reducing the chili powder by half, doubling both the tomato sauce and tomato paste, adding a 1/2 teaspoon of sugar, increasing the cumin by 50%, and adding 1/2 teaspoon of white vinegar.
Storage
Allow the enchilada sauce to cool completely before storing. Transfer it to an airtight container or mason jar and refrigerate for up to 5 days. The sauce may thicken slightly as it chills; if needed, stir in a splash of chicken broth or water before using.
Can You Can This Sauce?
This recipe is designed for immediate use, refrigeration, or freezing and has not been tested for home canning. Because it contains flour and other ingredients that can affect heat penetration, I recommend freezing any extra sauce rather than canning it.
Freezing
This sauce freezes beautifully. Let it cool completely, then transfer it to freezer-safe containers or freezer bags, leaving a little room for expansion. Freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator and stir well before reheating.
Reheating
Reheat the sauce gently in a saucepan over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until warmed through. If the sauce has thickened during storage, add a small amount of broth or water until it reaches your desired consistency. Avoid boiling vigorously, which can cause the sauce to become too thick.
Tried and loved this recipe?
If you loved it, please leave a 5-star review below! Your reviews mean a LOT to me, and feed my soul. If you’ve got any questions, please let me know in a comment.
Meet Jennifer
Jennifer cooks and experiments in the kitchen at Maker Farm, where she focuses on simple pantry cooking, homemade staples, and practical recipes that make everyday meals easier. Over the years she has tested many ways to make cooking simpler and more dependable, and shares the methods that work best in her own kitchen, occasionally showing them on her Heart to Home at Maker Farm vlog.
