A super easy Homemade Red Enchilada Sauce that comes together in less than fifteen minutes and is so much tastier than store-bought! Use it to make enchiladas, in chili or so many other things!
Making Homemade Red Enchilada Sauce is so easy that I don’t know why I didn’t try it sooner! It’s not something I use super often in my cooking, but I would use store-bought when I did. The canned versions have ingredients that I didn’t like. The Frontera brand was my usual pick because the ingredients in it were better than the canned ones.
I love that I now have my own recipe for Homemade Red Enchilada Sauce that is delicious and has a much better ingredient list. And with it being so easy, why not make your own? You can even make this a day or two ahead and have it ready to go in the fridge on enchilada night!
Of course, this doesn’t have to just be for enchiladas. Try this in place of tomatoes in your chili recipes. Use some of it as the sauce to make Tex-Mex Sloppy Joe’s. Or you can use it an upcoming recipe that I will be posting! However you choose to use it, it will be delicious!
*The heat level of chili powders can vary from brand to brand, so you can adjust the amount you use if necessary. Mine was a mild chili powder.
Homemade Red Enchilada Sauce
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp ghee , bacon drippings or fat of choice
- 2 tbsp all purpose flour (or gluten-free blend such as Bob's Red Mill)
- 2 tbsp mild chili powder
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp dried oregano
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 2 cups water or low sodium chicken stock
- 1/2 tsp fine sea salt (or salt to taste)
Instructions
- Have all of your ingredients measured out into bowls and measuring cups ready to go before beginning to make the sauce. In a medium saucepan, heat the ghee or oil of choice over medium heat. Once hot, add the flour and the seasonings and immediately begin whisking together for about 1 minute. Slowly pour in the water (or stock) while whisking constantly, until combined and mixture is free of any lumps. Whisk in the tomato paste. Bring to a simmer, reduce heat to medium-low and let cook, stirring often, until liquid has thickened some, about 10 minutes. Use immediately or store in an air-tight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.