Homemade Red Enchilada Sauce
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This recipe for homemade red enchilada sauce is soooo easy to make! It comes together in just a few minutes with ingredients you’ve already got on hand, and tastes way better than the canned stuff!
Need some enchiladas to choose from for this delicious sauce? Try my Turkey Enchiladas, Sweet Pork Enchiladas, and Vegetarian Enchiladas!
Happy Homemade Red Enchilada Sauce Day!Okay that’s not an “official” holiday – but I’m voting that it should be. Anyone feel like petitioning with me?? Or, and maybe this is the better, less crazy option… we could just all agree that April 30th will forever and always be Homemade Red Enchilada Sauce Day. Yes? Good. It’s decided.
And soon, we shall have Homemade Green Enchilada Sauce Day. But for today, let’s focus on the red stuff. This sauce is basically a Mexican cuisine staple – and this homemade version is now a staple in my house. It is soooo easy and quick to make, uses just a few ingredients (which are all probably sitting in your pantry this very moment), and tastes 10bazillion times better than the canned stuff. It has a little kick with just a hint of sweetness – just how red enchilada sauce should! And you can store it in the fridge for a couple of weeks so if you don’t use it all up at once, let it show up the next week in a new dish. Enchiladas, nachos, tacos, dips (got a real good one coming your way!), salsas…. the possibilities are endless with this sauce!
Homemade Red Enchilada Sauce
Ingredients
- 28 ounces diced tomatoes , (1 28-ounce can)
- 1 chipotle pepper in adobo sauce , (these can be found near the canned jalapeños at most grocery stores)
- 1 small white onion, diced
- 2 teaspoons cumin, divided
- 2 teaspoons minced garlic
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 1 cup chicken or vegetable broth
- salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Drizzle a little bit of oil in a large sauce pan. Add the onions, garlic, and 1 teaspoon of cumin and cook over medium heat, stirring throughout 2-3 minutes until onions are translucent.
- Add tomatoes, chipotle pepper, remaining cumin, sugar, and cooked onions and garlic to a blender. Cover and puree mixture until smooth.
- Transfer mixture back to the large sauce pan, add the chicken (or vegetable) broth, and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook 10-15 minutes until thick and fragrant. Give it a taste test and season with salt and pepper according to preference. Store in airtight container in the fridge up to 2 weeks.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Can you freeze this? In soup cubes?
Yes, you can! But the sauce may separate a bit when thawing, just give it a good stir and heat gently and it will get back to it’;s original consistency.
This sounds so good. Thanks for sharing.
Hello, can this recepie for the enchilada sause be doubled or more for canning?
Can you preserve this recipe in a mason jar using traditional canning methods? Have you ever tried it?
Hi Lauren, I’m not sure if you can can this – I would think so but I’ve never tried it myself! If you do try it pLEASE let me know – I’d love to share that with my readers (and know for myself!)
I’m addicted to enchilada sauce. No joke. I first tasted it in TJ’s black bean & corn enchiladas, and I scraped the container clean with a spoon (and, umm, my finger… but shh, don’t tell!). I haven’t quite found a recipe that I loved and that was easy too, but this looks too good to pass up!
The recipe includes chicken/vegetable broth, but the instructions don’t say when it’s added. Halp!
Whoops!! Sorry about the panic!! You add the broth after you transfer the mixture back to the stove, before bringing it to a boil. I’ll update the directions pronto! 🙂
Thank you!
That looks good!