Inspired by real red enchilada sauceour recipe combines dried peppers, garlic, onions, and spices to make a rich, flavorful sauce perfect for enchiladas. Skip the store-bought cans. Our recipe is easy, quick to make, and can be made ahead of time.
My family loves enchiladas, and this red chili enchilada sauce is our favorite sauce to make. I love the process of making enchilada sauce. It’s easy to make, delicious and makes the kitchen smell amazing.
Our goal was to recreate an authentic enchilada sauce at home. This sauce beats anything I’ve bought at the store. It’s honestly good that I’m sad when we end. If you’re looking for a chili-free recipe that calls for chili powder and spices, check out our quick and easy enchilada sauce.
Key Ingredients
- Dried Chili: These are easy to find, inexpensive, and last a long time in your pantry, so don’t hesitate to stock up! You’ll find a wide variety, from sweet and fruity ancho, mulato, and pasilla peppers (with aromas of dried raisins, chocolate, and coffee) to smoky chipotle and guajillo peppers and even hot cascabels, sequins, and arbors . For our enchilada sauce, we recommend a combination of ancho and guajillo for a rich, nutty flavor. But feel free to try! Add a hot chili like New Mexico or cascabel or a pinch of cayenne for extra heat.
- Garlic and Onion: These add sweetness to our sauce and thicken it up a bit as we mix them into the sauce.
- Spices: I add ground cumin, coriander, oregano (preferably Mexican oregano), and salt.
- Cocoa Powder, Sugar, and Vinegar: This may sound strange for an enchilada sauce, but trust me! The cocoa makes the sauce taste rich, the sugar balances the heat from the chilies, and the vinegar brings all the flavors together.
How to Make an Authentic Enchilada Sauce
Most of the recipe prepares chili. Here’s what you need to do (easy):
Step 1: Remove the stems and seeds from each pepper. I use kitchen shears to cut the stems and tap the peppers on the counter to shake off the seeds. If the seeds don’t stick, cut the length of the pepper and remove it.
Step 2: Lightly grind the pepper in a dry dish. Like roasting nuts and seeds, applying dried chilies stimulates the oil in the skin and makes it healthy. You want to be careful during this step and you want to make a little toast until it smells good. I keep my heat at medium and stir the peppers frequently. This prevents the peppers from burning, which makes the enchilada sauce taste bitter.
Step 3: Return the roasted peppers to the hot water for 20 minutes. This step takes 20 minutes, but it’s all your free time. Simply add roasted peppers to hot water and cover. In 20 minutes, the peppers will have swollen and rehydrated. I do this in a deep pot with a lid, but a large bowl with a plate on top to stop the steam from escaping works just as well.
Now that the peppers are ready, you can make the sauce! From here, it’s easy peasy. Add the pepper and chopped onion along with the garlic, spices, and liquid to the blender and blend until desired. Then use to make chicken enchiladas, veggie enchiladas, and more! If you plan to make enchiladas, I highly recommend homemade corn tortillas!
Favorite Red Enchilada Sauce
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Inspired by real enchilada sauce, our recipe combines dried peppers, garlic, onions, and spices to make a rich, flavorful sauce perfect for enchiladas. Most dried chilies will work in this enchilada sauce. We love the combination of guajillo and ancho chilies. Guajillo peppers are naturally smoky and moderately hot, while ancho peppers are mild and have a sweet, chocolatey flavor. Together, the enchilada sauce is rich in flavor and tastes with just a hint of spice. Add one or two hot peppers like New Mexico or Cascabel for a spicier sauce. You can also make the sauce spicier by adding a pinch of cayenne pepper.
Makes 4 cups
You will need it
2 ounces dried guajillo chiles (8 to 10 peppers)
1 ½ ounces dried ancho chilies (4 to 5 peppers)
Hot water, and other sauces
1/2 tablespoon of neutral oil such as grape seed, safflower or walnut
3 medium garlic cloves, peeled
1/2 medium white onion, sliced
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon dried Mexican oregano
1/2 to 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
1 tablespoon of unsweetened cocoa powder
Sugar, optional to balance the sauce
Apple cider vinegar, red wine vinegar or white wine vinegar, optional to balance the sauce
Directions
- Prepare the chilies
1Cut the stems and remove the seeds from the peppers. The seeds can be bitter, so remove them. Use kitchen scissors to cut off the stem and scoop out or scrape out the seeds from inside each pepper. (If you have sensitive skin, wear gloves to protect the oil from getting on your hands. Also, be careful not to touch your eyes during or after working with the pepper).
2Add the cleaned chilies to a dry skillet over medium heat. Fry, stirring occasionally, until fragrant, 3 to 5 minutes. Be careful not to burn the chilies, as this can make the sauce taste bitter.
3Transfer the roasted chilies to a large pot or bowl and cover with hot water. Cover with a lid to prevent steam escape and set aside for 20 minutes. (A large plate works well as a lid when using a bowl.)
- Make the enchilada sauce
1While the chilies are soaking, put the skillet used to roast the chilies back on medium heat. Add oil, sliced onion, and whole garlic cloves. Cook, stirring often, until the onion is soft and has a few brown spots all over, about 5 minutes.
2Place the onion and garlic in a blender. Add cumin, coriander, Mexican oregano, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and unsweetened cocoa powder. Set aside until the chili is ready.
3When the chilies are ready, use tongs to transfer them to the blender with the onions and spices.
4Taste the soaking liquid. If it tastes bitter, it is better to use plain water or stock as the sauce liquid. If the dipping liquid tastes good, use it.
5Add 1 ½ cups of liquid (water, stock, or soaking liquid), and mix. While the chilies are still hot, remove the center of the blender lid and hold a paper towel folded a few times over the opening while blending – this helps release some of the steam and prevents the blender lid from coming off (which would be a big, hot mess).
6If the mixture is too thick, add more liquid, 1/4 cup at a time, until desired consistency.
7Taste the sauce. If it tastes a little, add salt and a teaspoon of vinegar. If it tastes bitter, add a teaspoon or so of sugar to balance it out.
Tips from Adam and Joanne
- To save: Store homemade enchilada sauce in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. To freeze, divide the sauce into small bowls (or ice cube trays) and store in the fridge for up to 3 months. Chill the frozen sauce in the refrigerator before using.
- Mexican oregano: This is different from the Mediterranean oregano that is often found in the spice aisle. They come from different plants. Mexican oregano has grassy, citrusy undertones, while Mediterranean oregano is sweeter with anise undertones. We buy our Mexican oregano from a Mexican grocery store, but you should be able to find it online. If you can’t find it, don’t worry, the flavor profiles may not be exactly the same, but you can substitute marjoram, dried verbena and Mediterranean oregano for Mexican oregano.
- The nutrition facts given below are estimates.
Food Per Serving
Serving Size
1/4 cup
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Calories
28
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Perfect Oils
0.9g
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Saturated Fats
0.1g
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Cholesterol
0 mg
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Sodium
78.8 mg
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Carbohydrate
5.2g
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Dietary fiber
2g
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Total Sugar
2.8g
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Proteins
0.8g
