10-Minute Homemade Enchilada Sauce

This easy 10-Minute Homemade Enchilada Sauce is the best! Made with fresh tomatoes, spices, and olive oil, this gluten-free, flavorful sauce makes every enchilada dish perfect.

It's very important to me that I enjoy my favorite foods while sticking to a healthy lifestyle. One of the first steps towards eating clean is staying away from over-processed foods whenever possible. And, the easiest way to do so is by preparing your meals at home. Then, you can always choose the ingredients that are best for you.

I'm not saying that eating in a restaurant is bad for you. Everything is good in moderation. It's just that when you eat at home more often than you dine out, you have more control over what you put in your body. That's because you know what goes into every part of the dish.

The next time someone tells you that cooking at home takes a lot of time and effort, invite them to dinner and make them enchiladas with this delicious 10-Minute Homemade Enchilada Sauce.

They'll say your shredded chicken enchiladas are amazing and ask, “it took you just 10 minutes to whip this sauce up?” And, you can answer, yes it did. Isn't that great?

So, enchiladas anyone?

WHAT ARE ENCHILADAS?

Enchiladas are fantastic! Take a tortilla of your choice, such as my homemade corn tortillas, and roll it around shredded chicken or beef to form the enchilada. Then, pour the tasty enchilada sauce over the dish and bake it. 

Plus if you prefer you can use it with vegan enchiladas as well.

I think enchilada sauce can make or break the recipe and that’s one of the reasons I decided to come up with a flavorful red sauce that I can make at home in minutes!

How To Make Homemade Enchilada Sauce

You've gotta make your own enchilada sauce. You won't regret taking the time, and will seriously wonder why you waited so long. It’s oh-so-good and makes SUCH a difference in the flavor and texture of your enchiladas.

Plus, the sauce will take you just 10 minutes to make and doesn’t require a ton of ingredients.  I used to use the canned stuff and, now, I'm a total homemade enchilada sauce convert.

Here’s how to make homemade enchilada sauce:

1. In a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium-high heat.
2. Add in the fresh tomatoes and garlic, and stir to combine and reduce heat to medium.
3. Stir frequently and cook for 4-6 minutes, until the tomatoes become softened.
4. Stir in the tomato paste, low sodium chicken broth, chili powder, onion powder, cumin, oregano, sea salt, pepper into the skillet, and continue to cook over medium-high heat for 5 minutes until slightly thickened.
5. Transfer to a blender or food processor and blend until smooth.

Done!

WHAT IS IN ENCHILADA SAUCE?

You mean other than pure deliciousness?

If you’ve ever been to a Mexican restaurant, you’ve probably enjoyed the thick, flavorful red sauce. When it comes to making this luscious, rich sauce at home, you can easily customize it to your own taste.

Traditionally, enchilada sauce is made of chilies, tomatoes, and a whole variety of seasonings. It can be red, like this homemade enchilada sauce, or it can be green, like my yummy salsa verde.  But really, the choice is all yours!

Enchilada sauce is a red chili sauce very similar to taco sauce, just thicker.  A restaurant recipe uses red chilis as a base, and then you add seasoning to make your sauce. Basically, enchilada sauce is blended red chilis or red tomatoes and seasoning.

WHAT INGREDIENTS ARE IN HOMEMADE ENCHILADA SAUCE?

Want to know exactly what ingredients are in homemade enchilada sauce?  To make 10-Minute Homemade Enchilada Sauce you will need the following:

• Tomatoes
• Tomato paste
• Minced garlic
• Olive oil
• Low sodium chicken broth (or vegetable broth to make it vegan)
• Chili powder
• Ground cumin
• Dried oregano
• Onion powder
• Sea salt
• Black pepper

Making Homemade Enchilada Sauce is very simple, and requires no fancy ingredients!

IS RED OR GREEN ENCHILADA SAUCE MORE SPICY?

The key difference between red and green enchilada sauce is that one is made from red chilies and the other from green chilies. With some exceptions, the red enchilada sauce is usually hotter than my homemade salsa verde, but it all depends on the chilies. Depending on the chilies and spices used, both green and red enchilada sauce can range from mild to really hot.

This homemade red enchilada sauce is not spicy at all, but it can be made spicier if you add in hot red chilies or cayenne pepper.

CANNED VERSUS HOMEMADE ENCHILADA SAUCE

Store-bought sauces tend to be full of refined sugar and unnecessary preservatives. That’s why I love making my own homemade enchilada sauce.  It’s easy and quick, and so much better for you.

If you're interested in how many carbs are in enchilada sauce, one serving (1 cup) of my Homemade Enchilada Sauce has only 9 grams of carbs, of which 4.8 grams is natural sugar.

Other reasons why this will become your favorite enchilada sauce recipe:

• It’s great to be able to control what goes in the recipe (no preservatives and artificial ingredients!)
• You can adjust the spiciness to your tastes ← Yay!
• It takes only 10 minutes to make
• The sauce stores and freezes well
• I love the combo of chili, garlic, and cumin and you can try other spices. too

HOW TO THICKEN HOMEMADE ENCHILADA SAUCE

If your homemade enchilada sauce ends up too runny, it comes in handy to know some quick methods that will help you save the sauce (and the day!). If I want to thicken my enchilada sauce, I’ll use one of the following methods:

• Masa harina paste (this is basically a mixture of corn masa flour and water)
• Arrowroot starch
• Cornstarch

Start with 1-2 tablespoon of thickener and mix with a little water or chicken broth before adding to the sauce.  You could also add it to the blender and mix it together that way.  The idea is to avoid making the sauce lumpy from the added starch.  Also, keep in mind the sauce will thicken when baked in the oven. So don't worry too much if it seems a little runny when you're adding it to your enchiladas.

HOW TO STORE, FREEZE, AND REHEAT ENCHILADA SAUCE

• Storage: Properly stored in an airtight container or mason jar, this delicious sauce will last up to 4-5 days in the fridge. Not only does that make Homemade Enchilada Sauce (and enchiladas!) great for meal prep, but it also means that when you make a batch, you can make extra enchilada sauce to keep in the fridge.
• Freezing: You can also freeze this sauce in a freezer-safe sealable plastic container and store it in the fridge for up to 3 months.  You can also freeze it in a mason jar, but remember to leave room at the top for expansion when it freezes.
• Reheating: When you're ready to use, just thaw overnight in the fridge, reheat in the microwave or in a saucepan on the stove and you're good to go!

HEALTHY ENCHILADA RECIPES

Nothing makes me happier than when I find a way to make healthier versions of my favorite restaurant meals. These enchilada dishes are flavorful with a nice kick of spice!

• Spicy Quinoa and Black Bean Vegan Enchiladas
• Ground Beef Enchiladas
• Green Chile Chicken Enchiladas
• Shredded Chicken Enchiladas

This post contains affiliate links for products I use regularly and highly recommend.