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.
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.
Substitutions
How to Make Smoky Chipotle Homemade Enchilada Sauce
Prep Tips
Cook the onion over medium heat for about 5-7 minutes, until soft. Add garlic and chipotle pepper and cook for about a minute.
Add the spices and flour and cook, stirring, for about a minute until fragrant and there is no sign of raw flour.
Add water or stock, tomato sauce, vinegar, and adobo sauce, and mix well.
Cook for about 8-10 minutes at a high simmer. The sauce will thicken.
The sauce will have thickened and the flavors will have combined. Cook longer for even more flavor.
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.
Tips for making chipotle enchilada sauce
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.
FAQs
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.
Yes, enchilada sauce can be frozen. Let it cool and then store it in a container with a lid for up to three months.
Smoky Chipotle Homemade Enchilada Sauce
Equipment
- Ninja Food Processor Blender Jug
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons chili powder
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- ¼ teaspoon smoked paprika
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- pinch ground cinnamon
- 2 tablespoons oil
- 1 small onion diced
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 canned chipotle pepper, in adobo sauce, chopped + 1 teaspoon of the sauce
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 cup tomato sauce
- 1 cup vegetable/chicken broth
- ½ teaspoon apple cider vinegar
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
Nutritional information is an estimate. Values vary based on products used. Read our full Nutrition Disclaimer.
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.
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A photo from the original post.
i freaking love this BBQ saucyness. Supermexican. good for bread.
Thank you so much dear!!
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!
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