Our favorite stovetop enchilada sauce! The perfect savory sauce to smother over your beautiful enchilada creations. (Vegan, gluten-free)
*Note: this is not an authentic enchilada sauce; merely my own favorite stovetop version/adaption of one.
Have you tried making your own enchilada sauce? I love making fresh, homemade versions of sauces & seasonings. (Such as our favorite Taco Seasoning or creamy Thai Peanut Sauce.) By making your own, you can control the ingredients and also leave out any funky additives & preservatives. Plus I feel like it just tastes so much better than the canned or packaged alternatives!
I’ve made this enchilada sauce countless times and it’s been great on a variety of different enchiladas (like these Black Bean Spinach Enchiladas & also the Protein Monster Vegan Enchiladas).
The sauce is mild as written, so if you prefer spiciness try a little chipotle or cayenne pepper to kick it up. My favorite variation is adding smoked paprika (usually about 1/4 – 1/2 tsp.) and a touch of chipotle powder so it has a wonderful, smoky kick. It’s fun to play around with different spices and I’d love to hear your variations if you give it a try!
Come join The Garden Grazer on Instagram and share a photo if you make this! I love seeing your recreations. (Also please leave a review & star rating below if you give it a try. Your feedback is greatly appreciated – thank you!)
Enchilada Sauce
Ingredients
- 3 cups vegetable broth
- 1/4 cup tomato paste
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour (I use GF all-purpose)
- 2 tsp. cumin
- 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp. onion powder
- 1/4 tsp. chili powder
- 2 Tbsp. olive oil
- Salt/pepper to taste
- Optional: 1/4-1/2 tsp. smoked paprika, dash of chipotle powder, etc.
Instructions
- In a small bowl, combine flour, cumin, garlic powder, onion powder, and chili powder. (Or other spices of choice.)
- In a medium saucepan over medium heat, add olive oil.
- Once oil is hot, carefully add tomato paste and the bowl of flour/spices.
- Cook for 1 minute, whisking continuously. (It will form a very thick mixture – just go with it!)
- Slowly whisk in broth. Then increase heat and bring to a light boil.
- Once lightly boiling, reduce heat to medium-low. Let sauce lightly simmer for about 8 minutes (or until thickened) whisking occasionally to break up clumps.
- Salt/pepper to taste.
Notes
Nutrition Per Serving (estimate)
Feel free to also check out the full “Mexican-Inspired” recipe archives for more plant-based inspiration!
This is seriously the BEST sauce ever. I had stopped making enchiladas when I ditched processed foods because I could never make it taste the way the canned stuff tastes. This? Tastes even better. I love it!! THANK YOU!
So great to hear! Thank you!
oooh this looks so good! i must try it!
Hope you enjoy!
Omg, this is awesome! I will definitely be trying this one out soon!
Enjoy Elana! 🙂 Would love to hear what kind of enchiladas you try it out on!
Looks Wonderful and very nice Presentation.
Thank you!
Where could I go and get an enchilada recipe so I could try this wonderful sauce
Hi Tish! This is great on a variety of different enchiladas, but our favorite is the Black Bean Spinach Enchiladas seen here:
https://www.thegardengrazer.com/2012/03/black-bean-spinach-enchiladas.html
Thank You! 🙂
Sauce recipe sounds great…one little recommendation…it looks like you use flour torts in the picture, try using corn tortillas next time. I'm from San Antonio TX, the Tex Mex capitol of the world and my family is from Mexico so that should lend to my street cred on this topic 🙂 Anyway, using corn tortillas is the traditional way to make enchiladas and you will find that the corn tortillas hold up much better than flour. I can only imagine that the flour tortilla get a little mushy or gummy when drenched in sauce and thru the baking process. That won't happen with corn it's a much better texture and tastes AWESOME! Just an idea. Also, if you wrap the corn tortillas in a damp paper towel and nuke em for 2 min. to heat them up, they become very soft and easy to roll without having to lightly fry them before rolling. It reduces the fat and makes the tortillas nice and pliable so they don't break when rolling.
Hi Patty! Thank you for sharing!
I love enchiladas but I'm more a green enchilada sauce person. Can you tell me how you would change this if I used tomatillos instead? Thanks!
Hi Emmy! I’d suggest using a different sauce recipe altogether if that’s your preference! Salsa verde/tomatillo salsa would be great!
My sauce got lumpy with the flour and very thick 🙁 what did I do wrong?
Oh no! Did you be sure to whisk it well enough?
could you possible substitute the olive oil for veg. oil?
Sure!
OOOOH MY GOODNESS. Just made my first ever homemade enchiladas. Checked out this recipe of yours and, boom baby, this is the business. I never leave comments but I had to thank you for this so simple recipe. I will never order this at a resturant again.
Haha, so great! Congrats on your first homemade enchiladas. Glad they worked out for you!
Whaaaaat?! These are burritos smothered in tomato sauce! If you want a REAL enchilada "sauce", use dried red chile pods. Red chile is much better for you as well. I'm from New Mexico and if we know anything, it's definitely enchiladas. You'll never use a tomato sauce for these again. Sick!
Eww! No need to be rude….
No worries. This recipe was easy cause I already had everything. Now I gotta be authentic. Get a clue. There is always someone who does it better. Thanks again for the simplicity.
Fantastic recipe! Thank you, Do you think I can make a large batch and freeze it? Have you ever tried that?
Hi! I've haven't personally tried freezing it yet, but a reader of mine has and here was her comment:
"I froze the enchiladas and the sauce separately. Thawed the sauce in the fridge overnight, then when I was ready to bake, I heated the sauce slowly in a saucepan – whisking helped keep it smooth. Then poured the sauce over the frozen enchiladas, added some cheese, and baked @ 400, covered for 30 minutes and uncovered for 15 minutes."
Hope that helps! 🙂
Yum! This sauce is delicious! Much better than the canned stuff. I added a little smoked paprika and cayenne and the family loved it. My little ones who love to "help" me cook even tried licking the pan! Lol thanks for posting. This one is going in my recipe box.
Hi Mary! Glad you and your little ones loved it. Thanks for sharing!
I want to substitute corn starch for the flour (we are wheat free) Do you suppose it would be equal amounts?
Hi Merry! Use only half as much corn starch (1/8 cup) in place of the flour, and mix it with a little water before adding. I use Bob’s Red Mill all-purpose gluten free flour with success if you have any of that!
This is exactly what I need in my life! I've been making smothered burritos a couple times a month since the folks I cook for love them. However, I've been stuck using canned sauce, much to my chagrin. That's all going to change next time I serve up smothered burritos, and I'm really looking forward to it! Thank you!
Wonderful!
How many ounces does this recipe make? I want to use this recipe for some slow cooked tostadas and the recipe calls for 20 ounces. Thanks!
Hi! This is somewhere in the vicinity of 24 oz. so it should be just about perfect (with a little extra just in case!) Hope you enjoy 🙂
I made this tonight for some roasted vegetable enchiladas. I added a couple of minced chiles, a clove of minced garlic, a pinch of brown sugar, and a small handful of cheddar cheese to thicken it up. It was wonderful! I never knew how easy enchilada sauce was to make!
Sounds so great! Thank you for sharing!
This looks fantastic! Do you think it's possible to freeze some of the sauce for quick dinners?
Hi Hannah! I haven't personally tried freezing this yet, but a reader of mine did and left these instructions on reheating: "Thawed the sauce in the fridge overnight, then when I was ready to bake, I heated the sauce slowly in a saucepan – whisking helped keep it smooth." Hope that helps! 🙂
Would my kids be able to eat this? They don't like anything spicy.
Hi! This recipe is mild as written, so it should be okay for kids (my daughter really enjoys it) 🙂
Just came across your recipe and can't wait to try it! I live in Beijing where we can't find canned enchilada sauce, and I need some for my slow-cooker sweet pork barbacoa recipe!! Just a question – how much sauce does this recipe make? I'm guessing about 3.5-4 cups? Thanks! 🙂
Hey Carrie! I’ve never measured it exactly but you’re on track with your estimate 🙂 Hope you enjoy!
Great recipe! Have you ever tried canning it? A few summers back I made a different enchilada sauce recipe and it canned well. I assume I could can as I would any other sauce with tomatoes?
What a great idea! I’ve never tried canning this before, so I’m not sure how it would do. Would love to hear if you give it a go! 🙂
This is the BEST! I've stopped buying sauce from the stores cause they are all pretty awful, this is just like restaurant enchilada sauce. Thank you
So great to hear!
Just made it. Awesome! Thanks
Fantastic! Thank you for sharing 🙂
I've been using this recipe, changing up a few ingredients as my fridge/pantry allows. Like roasted garlic, beef or vegetable stock, and some fresh lime juice and zest. I will never buy enchilada sauce again. It's easy, fast, less expensive and tastes better than store bought. My only suggestion is to make a roux with the olive oil and butter, combine stock, paste and spices then whisk it into the roux. You won't have any lumps or sticking. So glad I found it! Thanks
Hi Cyndi! Thanks for sharing!
Absolutely love this sauce. Way better than the canned stuff! Mine too gets a little clumpy when I put flour mixture in, I whisk but it continues to clump. Once I add in the broth and turn up the heat, whisk a little more, it all combines.
Wow I tried this because I didn’t want to drive an hour into town to get the canned stuff. LOL. Wow was I surprised my whole family kept commenting on how good the enchiladas were this time. That what ever I did different write it down and do it again. Yep I’ll be making my own sauce from here on out.
Awesome!! So lovely to hear you enjoyed it Fawn! It’s definitely a great recipe to play around with depending on the spices you enjoy 🙂 Thanks so much for the kind feedback and leaving a rating/review! Wishing you a great rest of the week! -Kaitlin
Is there a way to use tomato sauce instead of paste with this recipe?
Hi! I haven’t tested that with this recipe, but my best guess would be:
-Use 1/2 cup tomato sauce in place of 1/4 cup tomato paste
-Then slightly decrease the amount of vegetable broth by about 1/4 cup to compensate
Would love to hear if you give it a go 🙂