Enchilada sauce before Thanksgiving? Yep! And you’ll find out why later this week when I post a delicous recipes perfect for all of your leftovers!
I have to admit that my Grandmother would probably kill me if she knew I was making enchilada sauce without oil, flour, or real dried chiles.
However, sometimes you find shortcuts that just work as delicious as the real thing. So while this isn’t authentic enchilada sauce, it is still absolutely lip-smacking delicious, flavorful, healthy and SUPER easy to make. Yep, we’re talking in 10-15 minutes you can have the best enchilada sauce ever!
When I was swinging around my grocery cart through the aisles like a maniac because I forgot my grocery list (again), I stopped by the canned section and reached for a familiar brand of enchilada sauce. I took a look at the ingredients as I normally do, and immediately put it back. I couldn’t pronounce half of what was in there! And modified corn starch never sounds appetizing.
If you aren’t already aware, many brands of enchilada sauce contain gluten, so for those of you with a sensitivity, pay attention to that.
This easy enchilada sauce is made on the stovetop and is rich with flavor. I like to use a mild chili powder, but you can use whatever you’d like if you’re a fan of spicy sauce!
Please save your comments about this not being authentic. I get it! But it’s often what I use when I want to make weeknight enchiladas and don’t feel like running out to the store to grab a can. Try it out — I think you might just love it.
Add this homemade enchilada sauce to these recipes:
Skinny Chicken & Refried Bean Enchiladas
Jalapeño-Cheddar Stuffed Enchilada Turkey Meatloaf
Black Bean, Corn & Quinoa Enchilada Bake
Layered Roasted Veggie Tortilla Pie
Cheesy Chicken Quinoa Enchilada Meatloaf Muffins
Ambitious Kitchen
Cookbook
125 Ridiculously Good For You, Sometimes Indulgent, and Absolutely Never Boring Recipes for Every Meal of the Day
How to Make 10 Minute Homemade Enchilada Sauce!
Ingredients
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- 1 small white onion, finely diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 1/2 tablespoons chili powder
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 - 15 oz can tomato sauce
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1/2 cup water (or broth of choice)
- 1/2 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
- Salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Heat oil in a medium pot over medium high heat. Add in onions and garlic and sauté for 5 minutes or until onions become translucent.
- Add in chili powder, cumin, oregano, salt and stir for 30 seconds to allow the spices to cook a bit.
- Stir in tomato sauce, tomato paste, water and apple cider vinegar then bring to a boil.
- Reduce heat to low and simmer for about 5-10 minutes. Season with additional salt and pepper to taste, if necessary. Makes about 2 cups.
Recipe Notes
Nutrition
18 comments
I need this in my life ASAP. I’ve never made my own OH EM GEE.
My husband used to hate enchiladas (!) because he hated the taste of canned enchilada sauce. Once I made enchiladas with your homemade sauce, there was no going back for either of us. He now loves enchiladas, and yours is the only sauce I will use when I make them! It is so delicious!
It’s so great that this can be made with ingredients we always have kickin’ around. (Anything better than processed crap too right)! Love it and cant wait for your next recipe 😉
WOW! Awesome tips and ideas. Thank you for sharing this valuable information. It is very distinctive and well written.
This was delicious! But I suspect European chili powder is not the same as US chili powder. I used 2 teaspoons rather than tablespoons and four times (!) the amount of tomatoes and it was still almost too spicy to eat. Next time I will use half a teaspoon of chili and add more to taste.
I’m glad you enjoyed it! And yes, feel free to use less chili powder 🙂
This is fantastic! I double recipe and freeze. I love your website and use recipes often. Just made tahini cc cookies. Delish!
Love using this recipe instead of the canned stuff.
Hey Monquie! This sauce was so good. I did add a tsp of sugar and I used roasted tomatoes instead of the tomato sauce and it turned out amazing!
Hi Lisa! Great – glad you enjoyed!
I had never thought about making homemade enchilada sauce before… couldn’t believe how quick and easy it was! I used it for the Chipotle Black Bean Roasted Veggie Enchilada Casserole recipe!
never made my own enchilada sauce before–this recipe was super easy and i already had everything in my pantry. i am so weak when it comes to spiciness/heat but this was perfect for me 🙂 xo
Love it! Such a great go-to 🙂
hi again Monique, trying your leftover sweet potato and turkey enchilada skillet recipe as my daughter is a huge fan of Mexican. im just curious to ask as I myself am not particularly a spicy food critic, and therefore do not use such spices as chili. is 2 1/2 tablespoons correct in the above recipe? it seems such a lot and when I put a little chili powder on my finger to taste, it was hot!!
You can definitely adjust the sauce to your spice preference, You could start with 1T and work your way up. Hope you enjoy!
thankyou so much Monique… I started with only 1/4 tsp chilli and tasted.. I ended up only using 1/2 tsp in total. a very delicious sauce I must say! thankyou
Wow! I just made the butternut squash and black bean enchiladas with rhe home made sauce. I couldn’t stop eating it right out of the pan. My first time cooking with butternut squash and first time making enchilada sauce. This combo is awesome. I wanna stop writing this to go get another bite. Yummy! Thank you so much.
Wow! I just made the butternut squash and black bean enchiladas with rhe home made sauce. I couldn’t stop eating it right out of the pan. My first time cooking with butternut squash and first time making enchilada sauce. This combo is awesome. I wanna stop writing this to go get another bite. Yummy! Thank you so much.