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Smoky Chipotle Enchilada Sauce

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Homemade Smoky Chipotle Enchilada Sauce Recipe | Easy homemade chipotle enchilada sauce made with spices, tomato paste, tomato sauce, chipotle peppers, and vegetable broth - ready in less than 30 minutes. Perfect in Black Bean Enchiladas or with my Baked Enchilada Sweet Potatoes.

Red enchilada sauce in a bowl.
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This homemade enchilada sauce is not authentic because:

  • I am not from Mexico
  • I don't have easy access to specific ingredients like certain dried pepper all year round. (I'm only in Mexico for 2 months a year).

I imagine a lot of people don't have easy access to the ingredients or to canned enchilada sauce.

My small Canadian town just doesn't sell it.

But, I like making my version of things, that's what my website is all about! And I love sharing the results - like this slightly spicy, smoky, enchilada sauce. Get ready to let all of your enchilada dreams come true!

This sauce is great in baked chicken or black bean enchiladas and I love using it to make a topping for Enchilada Baked Sweet Potatoes or in my Vegetarian Enchilada Pasta Skillet.

What is enchilada sauce made of?

Red enchilada sauce is a Mexican sauce made with dried chilies, onion, garlic, tomatoes, spices, and broth. Enchilada sauce is most commonly used to coat tortillas for enchiladas before baking.

Ingredients

See the recipe card for exact amounts.

Ingredients for red enchilada sauce on a white marble counter.
  • flour: this helps thicken the sauce.
  • spices: I use a blend of spices that I like and that go together well in this sauce like chili powder, cumin, garlic and onion powder, dried oregano, smoked paprika for some extra smoky flavor, and a dash of cinnamon for some extra depth.
  • onion and garlic: for a base flavor. Don't worry about chopping too neatly, this sauce gets blended in a blender after cooking to make it silky smooth.
  • chipotle pepper: I use a chipotle pepper from a can of chipotle peppers in adobo sauce. This is easily accessible for me and gives great flavor to this sauce.
  • tomato: I use both tomato paste and tomato sauce for this recipe. The tomato paste gives a concentrated punch of tomato flavor and the tomato sauce adds flavor and liquid.
  • broth: This gives volume to the sauce and also contributes flavor. Use chicken or vegetable broth.
  • vinegar: A small splash of vinegar helps balance the sauce at the end of cooking.

Substitutions

  • spices: I recommend the blend I've written in the recipe card, but you can use your favorite spices or try leaving out ones that you don't like.
  • chipotle peppers: try chipotle pepper sauce instead.
Red enchilada sauce in a bowl.

How to Make Smoky Chipotle Homemade Enchilada Sauce

Prep Tips

  • Measure the spices and mix them together with the flour.
  • Mix the tomato sauce, broth, vinegar, and adobo sauce together.
  • Chop the chipotle pepper, onion, and garlic.
Add chopped chipotles to a pan of onions.

Cook the onion over medium heat for about 5-7 minutes, until soft. Add garlic and chipotle pepper and cook for about a minute.

Stirring spices into a pan of spices.

Add the spices and flour and cook, stirring, for about a minute until fragrant and there is no sign of raw flour.

Adding water to a pan of spices and onions.

Add water or stock, tomato sauce, vinegar, and adobo sauce, and mix well.

Adding tomato sauce to a pan of onions and spices.

Cook for about 8-10 minutes at a high simmer. The sauce will thicken.

A pan of enchilada sauce bubbling.

The sauce will have thickened and the flavors will have combined. Cook longer for even more flavor.

Enchilada sauce in a blender.

Add the sauce to a blender and blend carefully. The sauce is hot and can burn you. It helps to open the spout in the lid and cover it with a towel. Hot liquids can make the lid pop off.

Red enchilada sauce in a bowl.

Tips for making chipotle enchilada sauce

  • cook the flour: the flour and oil combine to make a roux to thicken the sauce. Be sure to cook the flour for a good minute or two to get rid of the raw flavor of flour before continuing with the sauce.
  • cook the spices: cooking spices for a minute helps wake them up and release their flavors. Don't skip this step. Make sure the heat isn't too high, and stir often so you don't burn the spices.
  • cook the tomato paste: cooking tomato paste will take it from a bright red color to a darker red color and bring out it's flavor.
  • layer flavor and let simmer: When making this sauce from scratch, it's important to follow the first three steps and to cook each of those items individually for better flavor. Let the sauce simmer to build even more flavor.

What to use Chipotle Enchilada Sauce for

I love to use this sauce for a pretty typical baked enchilada dish - it brings a great smoky flavor! I also mix this smoky sauce with sauteed vegetables to top baked sweet potatoes for an easy healthy dinner.

If you want to try a Mexican-inspired spin on pasta, try my Vegetarian Enchilada Pasta - an easy one-pan skillet dinner.

Storage

Store leftover sauce in the fridge for 4-5 days.

Freeze the sauce in a container with a lid for up to three months. Let thaw in the fridge overnight.

Reheat the sauce in the microwave or in a pan on the stovetop over medium low heat. Add a small amount of water if the sauce has thickened to a paste in the fridge.

Red enchilada sauce in a bowl.

FAQs

Is Chipotle Enchilada Sauce spicy?

Chipotle peppers are mildly spicy and the final sauce is smoky and only mildly spicy. You can cut down the number of chipotle peppers by half, using only half a pepper and skipping the chipotle chili powder to lessen the spiciness. Add more chipotles for a spicy sauce.

Can I freeze enchilada sauce?

Yes, enchilada sauce can be frozen. Let it cool and then store it in a container with a lid for up to three months.

Recipe

Red enchilada sauce in a bowl.

Smoky Chipotle Homemade Enchilada Sauce

author : Jacqueline Piper
5 from 2 votes
Easy, smoky chipotle homemade enchilada sauce made with spices, tomato paste, tomato sauce and vegetable broth.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe Save Recipe
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 25 minutes
Servings 8

Equipment

Ingredients
 
 

Instructions
 

  • Combine all of the spices together in a small bowl with the flour.
    Combine the tomato sauce, broth, adobo sauce, and vinegar in another bowl.
  • Heat oil in a pan over medium heat.
  • Add the onion and cook for about 5-7 minutes, until soft.
  • Add the garlic and chopped chipotle pepper, and cook for 30 seconds.
  • Add the spice + flour mixture, and tomato paste and cook a minute or so, until spices are very fragrant.
  • Add the tomato sauce, broth, adobo sauce and vinegar. Bring to boil, then simmer about 8-10 minutes.
  • Taste for seasoning and add water to get the consistency you prefer.
  • Remove from heat and add the sauce to a blender jug.
    Blend carefully as the sauce is really hot. It can be helpful to open the pouring hole in the lid and cover it with a towel so the lid doesn't pop off from the heat.
    Use the sauce immediately or cool it and then store it in the fridge or freezer.

Video

Notes

If storing in the fridge for use at another time, heat in a pan with water before using it in your dish. Start with maybe ¼ cup or so, adding as much as you need to get the right consistency, as it will thicken to a paste when refrigerated.
Makes 2 cups. The serving amount is for nutrition calculation.

Nutrition

Calories: 65kcalCarbohydrates: 7gProtein: 1gFat: 4gFiber: 2gSugar: 2gCalcium: 23mgIron: 1mg

Nutrition Disclaimer

Nutritional information is an estimate. Values vary based on products used.

Read our full Nutrition Disclaimer.
Did you love this recipe? Please consider Leaving a 5-Star Review!

Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links, meaning I get a commission if you decide to purchase through my link, at no extra cost to you.

This post was originally posted on March 5, 2018.

Red enchilada sauce in a bowl with text title for Pinterest.

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A photo from the original post.

Homemade Enchilada Sauce | Pipercooks
Homemade Enchilada Sauce | Pipercooks
Homemade Enchilada Sauce | Pipercooks
Homemade Enchilada Sauce | Pipercooks
Homemade Enchilada Sauce | Pipercooks
Homemade Enchilada Sauce | Pipercooks
Homemade Enchilada Sauce | Pipercooks

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Comments

    5 from 2 votes (1 rating without comment)

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  1. noneofyourbusiness says

    i freaking love this BBQ saucyness. Supermexican. good for bread.

    Reply

  2. yuzuka says

    Thank you so much dear!!

    Reply

  3. Mary Beth says

    This looks delicious! I have a quick question: The list of ingredients does not include chipotle pepper, but step 4 in the instructions does. Adobo pepper is included with the ingredients (along with the sauce) Do you mean adobo pepper instead? Please clarify! Thanks!

    Reply

    • pipercooks says

      Hi Mary Beth! Thank you for catching this typo. You're correct, I meant to put "chipotle pepper in adobo sauce' for the ingredients. And in step 4 you would add the chopped canned chipotle pepper. (And not ground chipotle pepper) I hope that clarifies! And thanks for your comment 🙂

      Jacqueline

      Reply