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Tex Mex enchilada sauce is quick, easy, and fabulous. It’s made with American-style chili powder spice blend for tons of flavor without any fuss.
Why we love this recipe
There’s nothing more comforting than a pan of enchiladas. This quick and easy sauce makes homemade enchiladas achievable virtually anytime. It’s:
- Packed with flavor
- The perfect consistency
- Flexible — works with a wide variety of fillings
- Ready in under 20 minutes
- Just the right size for one generous pan of enchiladas
- Make-ahead and freezer-friendly
What you’ll need
Here’s a glance at the ingredients you’ll need to make this recipe.
- Chili powder refers to the American-style spice blend and not pure ground chili. The heat level of this ingredient varies dramatically by brand and will determine the spiciness of your sauce, so give it a taste. Different brands contain different spices, but most include at least ground chili, cumin, and oregano. Salt level also varies by brand.
- Use a good, lower-sodium chicken broth or, to keep things vegetarian, vegetable broth. Imagine No Chicken Broth is my favorite boxed veggie broth by far, since it somehow magically has the flavor profile of a good chicken stock rather than being weirdly red and tasting tinny or sweet, as some other vegetable broths can do.
- This recipe calls for all-purpose flour. Cooking it together with the olive oil makes a roux, which thickens the sauce as it cooks. To make it gluten-free, you can use a 1:1 GF flour blend. Check to make sure your chili powder is gluten-free, too.
- I forgot to picture apple cider vinegar in the ingredient photo. A tablespoon of this or freshly squeezed lime juice rounds out the flavor of the sauce with a gentle tang, so don’t skip it.
How to make it
Here’s an overview of what you’ll do to make a dreamy batch of Tex Mex enchilada sauce. You can see the steps in action in the video that accompanies this post, and get all the details in the recipe card below.
- First you’ll cook the olive oil and flour to make a roux (which will eventually thicken the sauce).
- Add the spices, then the tomato paste.
- Pour in the broth, bring to a boil, and then simmer until somewhat thickened.
- Off the heat, whisk in the vinegar. That’s it!
Expert tips and FAQs
The answer to this question has everything to do with the heat level of your chili powder blend. Some brands are extremely mild, and some are very spicy. Get to know your ingredients so you can customize the spice level according to your preferences.
It makes about three cups of sauce, which is perfect for one pan of most enchiladas. I spread one cup evenly across the bottom of the pan, sometimes use one cup in the filling (depending upon the enchilada recipe), and drizzle the rest on top before baking.
Yes! It will keep well in an airtight container in the fridge for a week or in the freezer for a year. You can even make a double batch, use half now, and freeze half for later.
More favorite ways with enchiladas
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Tex Mex Enchilada Sauce
Ingredients
- ¼ cup (60 ml) olive oil
- ¼ cup (30 grams) all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup chili powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
- ¼ cup (60 grams) tomato paste
- 3 cups (710 ml) lower-salt chicken or vegetable broth
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar or freshly squeezed lime juice
Instructions
- In a small pot, warm the olive oil over medium heat until thin and shimmering.
- Add the flour and whisk to incorporate. Cook, whisking constantly, for about 30 seconds.
- Whisk in the chili powder, onion powder, cumin, oregano, and salt, and cook 30 seconds more.
- Whisk in the tomato paste and cook 30 seconds more.
- Pour in the broth and whisk until perfectly smooth.
- Raise heat to high. Bring sauce to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer, whisking from time to time, for five minutes. Sauce will be somewhat thickened and will continue to thicken up quite a bit as it cools.
- Off the heat, stir in the vinegar or lime juice.
Notes
- Chili powder refers to the American-style spice blend and not pure ground chili. The heat level of this ingredient varies dramatically by brand and will determine the spiciness of your sauce, so give it a taste. Different brands contain different spices, but most include at least ground chili, cumin, and oregano. Salt level also varies by brand.
- Use a good, lower-sodium chicken broth or, to keep things vegetarian, vegetable broth. Imagine No Chicken Broth is my favorite boxed veggie broth by far, since it somehow magically has the flavor profile of a good chicken stock rather than being weirdly red and tasting tinny or sweet, as some other vegetable broths can do.
- This recipe calls for all-purpose flour. Cooking it together with the olive oil makes a roux, which thickens the sauce as it cooks. To make it gluten-free, you can use a 1:1 GF flour blend. Check to make sure your chili powder is gluten-free, too.
- Sauce will keep well in an airtight container in the fridge for a week or in the freezer for a year. You can even make a double batch, use half now, and freeze half for later.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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Thank you. It was good
ps. 3 cups is more than 200ml+, little mistake in recipe.
Argh, thank you! Fixed.