Homemade Enchilada Sauce
Total Time
10 minutes
Prep Time
3 mins
Cook Time
7 mins
Rating
4.8 out of 5 stars
(1.82k)
Ingredients
2 cups
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 3 tablespoons flour (whole wheat flour, all-purpose flour, and gluten-free flour blends all work!)
- 1 tablespoon ground chili powder (scale back if you’re sensitive to spice or using particularly spicy chili powder)
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon dried oregano
- ¼ teaspoon salt, to taste
- Pinch of cinnamon (optional but recommended)
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 2 cups vegetable broth
- 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar or distilled white vinegar
- Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
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Preparation
Step 1
Measure dry ingredients (flour, chili powder, cumin, garlic powder, oregano, salt, and optional cinnamon) into a small bowl and place them near the stove. Place the tomato paste and broth nearby as well.
Step 2
In a medium-sized pot over medium heat, warm the oil until it’s hot enough that a light sprinkle of the flour/spice mixture sizzles on contact. This might take a couple of minutes, so be patient and don’t step away from the stove.
Step 3
Once it’s ready, pour in the flour and spice mixture. While whisking constantly, cook until fragrant and slightly deepened in color, about 1 minute. Whisk the tomato paste into the mixture, then slowly pour in the broth while whisking constantly to remove any lumps.
Step 4
Raise heat to medium-high and bring the mixture to a simmer, then reduce heat as necessary to maintain a gentle simmer. Cook, whisking often, for about 5 to 7 minutes, until the sauce has thickened a bit, and a spoon encounters some resistance as you stir it. (The sauce will thicken some more as it cools.)
Step 5
Remove from heat, then whisk in the vinegar and season to taste with a generous amount of freshly ground black pepper. Add more salt, if necessary (usually another pinch or two).
Step 6
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Chef's notes
Storage suggestions:
Extra enchilada sauce will keep well in the refrigerator for up to 5 days, or freeze it for up to 3 months. Let it cool to room temperature before transferring to a wide-mouth mason jar, leaving some room at the top for expansion (don’t screw on the lid completely until the mixture is fully frozen), or a freezer bag (remove excess air before sealing).
Make it gluten free:
Use a gluten-free all-purpose flour blend. Bob’s Red Mill brand works well.
Make it tomato-free:
Omit the tomato paste. You might want to up the spices a bit. The sauce won’t taste quite like the enchilada sauce you might buy at the store, but it will still be good!
Change it up:
The chili powder, cumin, and garlic powder are essential here, but feel free to change up the other spices to suit your preferences.
If you love this sauce:
Check out more of my Mexican recipes here!
