Red Enchilada Sauce

You’ll love this quick and easy Red Enchilada Sauce! Ready in 10-minutes and the perfect topping to drizzle over your favorite Mexican food dish – cheese, beef enchiladas or tamales!

Red enchilada sauce being drizzled over cheesy enchiladas.

It comes together in 10-minutes and is delicious served over your favorite nachos, enchiladas or tamales!

This Texan loves her Tex-Mex and this red enchilada sause, or “salsa roja” is just like you get at your favorite Mexican restaurant-only better!

Why you’ll love it!

Once you make this, you’ll never buy canned enchilada sauce again!

The flavor is similar to national brands like Old El Paso™ , La Victoria™, La Preferida™ and Las Palmas™ enchilada sauces-but with no additives, preservatives or fillers. 

  • Quick and easy -takes 10-minutes to make
  • Stores well in the fridge or freezer – make a big batch to add later to your homemade chili!
  • All-natural ingredients – no additives, preservatives or yucky stuff
  • Contains no tomatoes! No tomato sauce or tomato paste.

I like to make this in big batches and freeze it so I have it on hand anytime I want to put a Mexican, Tex-Mex or South of The Border spin on my tacos, enchiladas or tamales.

Ingredients

Simple, all-natural ingredients are the secret to this Tex-Mex red enchilada sauce! Serve this over your beef, chicken or cheese enchiladas with a side of authentic Mexican rice and a side of refried beans.

  • Oil – vegetable or canola
  • All-purpose flour
  • Chili powder – ground; you will want to make sure it’s fresh ground chili powder
  • Cumin powder
  • Garlic powder
  • Oregano- ground oregano, not oregano leaves. You can use “normal” oregano or Mexican oregano if you have it
  • Chicken broth
  • Salt to taste
  • In a large saucepan on medium-low heat, heat the oil, sprinkle in the flour and whisk (the mixture will be clumpy); whisk in chicken broth
  • Add half of the chili powder and the rest of the dry seasonings ( garlic powder, cumin, oregano and a pinch of salt.)
  • Turn the heat up a little on the stove and continue to cook 5-8 minutes, stirring constantly until the red enchilada sauce begins to thicken.
  • Remove from heat, taste for salt and seasonings. If you want the sauce a little more spicy, add in the remaining chili powder in 1/2 teaspoon increments.
Enchilada sauce dripping off wooden spoon
Cook sauce until it thickens enough to stick to a wooden spoon

Make it as mild or spicy as you like! If you want to add a little heat to it, start with a little more chili powder and/or ½ teaspoon of cayenne pepper. 

  • To thicken, pour one cup of warm water into a measuring cup; add 2-3 tablespoons of all-purpose flour; whisk until there are no lumps; add this mixture to sauce and allow to cook for a few minutes.
  • If you prefer a really thin sauce, add more broth and adjust seasonings according to your palate.
  • If you accidentally make it too spicy, add more broth or add a little cream or half-n-half to it. The dairy will reduce the heat.

Make ahead and storage

Store in a secure container in the fridge for up to a week or, freeze it for up to 3-months.

I usually freeze it in a plastic storage bag so when its time to heat it up, all I have to do is place the bag in warm water.

Red enchilada sauce over cheese enchiladas.

Serve this quick red enchilada sauce as a topping for your favorite Mexican or Tex-Mex enchiladas, tamales, or as a warm dip for quesadillas!

If you make this recipe, please scroll down and leave a rating and comment! I love to hear from you!

Red Enchilada sauce drizzled over enchiladas

Red Enchilada Sauce

Restaurant-quality Mexican red enchilada sauce with no tomatoes
5 from 8 votes
Print Rate
Course: Sauce
Cuisine: Mexican, Tex Mex
Prep Time: 0 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 10 minutes
Yield: 4 cups
Author: Anecia Hero

Ingredients 

  • ¼ cup oil , canola or vegetable
  • ½ cup flour , all-purpose
  • 4 cups chicken broth
  • 6 tablespoons ground chili powder (¾ cup) See recipe notes
  • ½ teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • ¼ teaspoon ground oregano
  • salt to taste

Instructions 

  • In a medium saucepan on medium low heat, add oil; whisk in flour (the mixture will be clumpy)
    ¼ cup oil, ½ cup flour
  • Whisk in chicken broth; whisk till the mixture is smooth
    4 cups chicken broth
  • Add dry ingredients: add chili powder (see recipe notes), garlic powder, oregano and cumin; combine well
    6 tablespoons ground chili powder (¾ cup), 1 teaspoon garlic powder, ¼ teaspoon ground oregano, ½ teaspoon ground cumin
  • Turn the heat up to medium or medium-high, and stir constantly for 5-8 minutes until sauce thickens and sticks to the spoon. DO NOT BRING THE SAUCE TO A BOIL.
    salt to taste
  • Season to taste with salt
  • Serve or refrigerate for later

Notes

 
Chili powder – this recipe as written, calls for 6 tablespoons (or ¾ cup) of chilii powder and is mildly spice. However, since not all chili powders are the same  (some are stronger than others), I recommend you start with 4 tablespoons of chili powder; once the other ingredients are added and the sauce has thickened, taste it for salt and seasonings. If you want it more spicy, add the remaining chili powder in ½ teaspoon increments, until you get the sauce to taste as strong as you like.
No oregano? substitute with marjoram
  • Note: this recipe yields 4 cups of sauce; nutrition is calculated for one cup. It’s unlikely anyone would consume a whole cup of sauce, so for more accurate nutrition info, divide by 4, allowing 1/4 cup sauce per person.
  • Divide by 2 for 1/2 cup per person.
  • Want it spicier? Add more chili powder and/or cayenne pepper?
  • Want it thicker? Add a flour slurry at the end: 1 cup warm water with 2-3 tablespoons of flour; whisk together, pour into sauce; cook a few minutes until thick

Nutrition Estimate

Serving: 1cupCalories: 231kcalCarbohydrates: 20gProtein: 4gFat: 16gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 1gSodium: 1059mgPotassium: 458mgFiber: 5gSugar: 1gVitamin A: 3571IUVitamin C: 17mgCalcium: 63mgIron: 4mg
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