Inspired by authentic red enchilada sauce, our recipe combines dried chilies, garlic, onion, and spices to make a rich, flavorful sauce perfect for enchiladas. Skip the store-bought cans. Our recipe is simple, quick to make, and can be made well in advance.
My family loves enchiladas, and this red enchilada sauce made with dried chilies is our favorite sauce to make them with. I love the process of making enchilada sauce. It’s simple to do, fun and makes the kitchen smell incredible.
Our goal was to recreate an authentic enchilada sauce at home. This sauce beats anything I’ve bought from the store. It’s honestly so good that I’m sad when we run out. If you are looking for a recipe without chilies that calls for chili powder and spices, see our quick and easy enchilada sauce.
Key Ingredients
- Dried Chili Peppers: These are readily available, inexpensive, and last long in your pantry, so don’t hesitate to stock up! You’ll find a wide variety, from the sweet and fruity ancho, mulato, and pasilla peppers (with aromas of raisins, chocolate, and coffee) to the smoky chipotle and guajillo peppers and even the hotter cascabels, sequins, and arbors. For our enchilada sauce, we recommend a combination of ancho and guajillo for a rich, savory flavor with a hint of spice. But feel free to experiment! Add a hotter chili like a 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 little since we blend them into the sauce.
- Spices: I add ground cumin, coriander, oregano (preferably Mexican oregano), and salt.
- Cocoa Powder, Sugar, and Vinegar: These might sound unusual for enchilada sauce, but trust me! The cocoa makes the sauce taste extra rich, the sugar balances some heat from the peppers, and the vinegar brings all the flavors together.
How to Make Authentic Enchilada Sauce
Most of the recipe is prepping the peppers. Here’s what you need to do (it’s easy):
Step 1: Remove the stems and seeds from each chili pepper. I use kitchen shears to cut the stems away and then tap the peppers on the counter to shake the seeds out. If the seeds aren’t cooperating, cut down the length of the pepper and scrape them out.
Step 2: Lightly toast the peppers in a dry skillet. Just like toasting nuts and seeds, toasting the dried peppers reinvigorates the oils in the skins and makes them come alive. You do want to be careful during this step and only want to lightly toast until fragrant. I keep my heat around medium-low and stir the peppers often. This prevents scorching the peppers, which makes the enchilada sauce taste bitter.
Step 3: Rehydrate the toasted peppers in hot water for 20 minutes. This step takes 20 minutes, but it’s all hands-off time for you. Simply add the toasted peppers to hot water and cover. In 20 minutes, the peppers will have swelled and rehydrated. I do this in a deep pot with a lid, but a large bowl with a plate placed on top to stop 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 peppers along with some sautéed onions and garlic, spices, and liquid to a blender and blend until your desired consistency. Then use to make chicken enchiladas, veggie enchiladas, and more! If you do plan to make enchiladas, I highly recommend homemade corn tortillas!
Our Favorite Red Enchilada Sauce
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Inspired by authentic enchilada sauce, our recipe combines dried chilies, garlic, onion, and spices to make a rich, flavorful sauce perfect for enchiladas. Many dried chilies will work in this homemade enchilada sauce. We love the combination of guajillo and ancho chilies. Guajillo chilies have a natural smokiness and are moderately hot, while ancho chilies are mild and have a fruity, chocolate-like aroma. When combined, the enchilada sauce tastes rich and savory with just a hint of spice. Add one or two hotter chilies like New Mexico or Cascabel for a spicier sauce. You can also make the sauce spicier by adding a pinch of cayenne pepper.
You Will Need
2 ounces dried guajillo chiles (8 to 10 peppers)
1 ½ ounces dried ancho chilies (4 to 5 peppers)
Hot water, plus more for sauce
1/2 tablespoon neutral oil like grape seed, safflower or walnut
3 medium cloves garlic, 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 unsweetened cocoa powder
Sugar, optional for balancing sauce
Apple cider vinegar, red wine vinegar or white wine vinegar, optional for balancing sauce
Directions
- Prepare Chilies
1Cut the stems and remove the seeds from the peppers. The seeds can be bitter, so get rid of them. Use kitchen scissors to cut the stem away and then shake or scrape the seeds inside each pepper. (If you have sensitive skin, wear gloves to prevent the oils from getting on your hands. Also, be careful not to touch your eyes during or after working with chili peppers).
2Add the cleaned chilies to a dry skillet over medium-low heat. Toast them, stirring occasionally until fragrant, 3 to 5 minutes. Be careful not to scorch the chilies, as this can make the sauce taste bitter.
3Transfer the toasted chilies to a large pot or bowl and cover with hot water. Cover with a lid to prevent steam escaping and set aside for 20 minutes. (A large plate works well as a lid when using a bowl.)
- Make Enchilada Sauce
1While the chilies soak, place the skillet used to toast the peppers back over medium heat. Add the oil, sliced onions, and whole garlic cloves. Cook, stirring often, until the onions have softened and have a few brown spots all over, about 5 minutes.
2Place the onions and garlic into a blender. Add the cumin, coriander, Mexican oregano, 1/2 teaspoon of salt, and unsweetened cocoa powder. Set aside until the peppers are ready.
3When the chilies are ready, use tongs to transfer them to the blender with onions and spices.
4Taste the soaking liquid. If it tastes bitter, it’s best to use plain water or stock as the liquid for the sauce. If the soaking liquid tastes good, use it.
5Add 1 ½ cups of the liquid (water, stock, or soaking liquid), and then blend. Since the chilies are still hot, remove the center insert of the blender lid and hold a paper towel that’s been folded a few times over the hole while blending — this helps to release some of the steam and prevents the blender lid from popping off (which can be a big, hot mess).
6If the mixture is too thick, add more liquid, 1/4 cup at a time, until your desired consistency.
7Taste the sauce. If it tastes flat, add more salt and a teaspoon of vinegar. If it tastes bitter, add a teaspoon or so of sugar to balance it out.
Adam and Joanne's Tips
- Storing: Store homemade enchilada sauce in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. To freeze, portion the sauce into small containers (or ice cube trays) and store it in the freezer for up to 3 months. Thaw frozen sauce in the refrigerator before using.
- Mexican oregano: This differs from the more common Mediterranean oregano found in the spice aisle. They come from different plants. Mexican oregano has grassy, citrusy undertones, while Mediterranean oregano has more sweet with anise undertones. We buy our Mexican oregano from a local Mexican grocery store, but you should also be able to find it online. If you cannot find it, don’t worry, the flavor profiles might not be exactly the same, but you can substitute marjoram, dried verbena and even Mediterranean oregano for Mexican oregano.
- The nutrition facts provided below are estimates.
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Do you know if this recipe is safe for waterbath canning? If not as is, do you know the adjustments to make it safe? It sounds great.
Hi Deb, We are not experts on canning and recommend you look for a recipe that’s specifically been tested for this. I would imagine that you can, but you need to do a little research to make sure you are doing it safely. Good luck!
Great tips on the salt, sugar and vinegar. 1/2 tsp of each really balanced it out to my liking. Thank you!
I am making this right now! Currently letting my peppers soak. I’m an amateur chef, meaning, I have mostly tried and true recipes I make for my family of five but don’t venture out of my comfort zone too often. I love enchiladas but I’ve never cared for the store bought sauce so I only ever eat them at a Mexican restaurant occasionally. I thought this recipe would be a good try at finally liking enchiladas from home. I was nervous about the steps because I NEVER use dried whole Chili’s but it was surprisingly simple and I can’t wait to taste my sauce!
Is the sauce really spicy?
The spice level is going to depend on the combination of chilis you use. There are tips in the recipe to help you figure out your favorite heat level. The fun part is that you can make it mild or spicy.
Anaheim and New Mexico chiles aren’t the same thing. Hatch (from New Mexico) are spicier by far.
Your instructions are some of the best I’ve come across. My mother always strained her sauce after the blending to get rid of any small pieces of Chile peeling or seeds left in the sauce. Then,she would fry (cook) the competed sauce in the same skillet with a teaspoon of hot oil for about five minutes.This last step makes the sauce more flavorful and authentic,especially if you add a whole clove of garlic and saute it together with the sauce.
Love your website! The recipes are diverse and accessible! I love the option of watching the short video or skipping to the directions! I can’t wait to try out so many! First up, hummus then the homemade enchilada sauce!
This recipe sounds amazing! I’ve been making my own enchilada sauce for a long time oh, what a difference than the store bought! This recipe is a little different than the one I use, can’t wait to try it! I have used cocoa powder in the past and I’m not a fan, I would hate to make a big batch of this and not like it. Is there an alternate ingredient or should I just omit it? Thank you in advance..
Hi Carol, I’d just leave the cocoa powder out. The sauce will still be very tasty.
Amazing recipes! yummy n delicious
Muchas gracias por compartir tan maravillosas recetas!!! y explicarnos con tanto detalle todos los trucos para que salgan al 100!
Aquí en México también en veces agregamos a la salsa del chile un pedazo de tostada ( tortilla tostada en el comal o tostada comprada), hay gente que le agrega masa de maíz, o inclusive algo de ajonjoli o pan duro, Yo prefiero la tostada! lo hace mas espesito! Se parece un poco más al mole pero queda rico! también se le puede agregar algo de canela y en vez de cacao en polvo un pedazo de chocolate abuelita.
También a la hora de guisar las especies pueden probar con algo de mejorana y/o tomillo seco le da un gran sabor!!
Aquí también pasamos las tortillas por un poco de aceite caliente antes de remojarlas en la salsa, así las tortillas no se parten y se doblan muy bien! y también esto hace que se les pegue mejor la salsa!!
Provechito!!
Thank you so much for all of you extra tips! For those of us who do not speak Spanish, I’m going to share a few that you mentioned in your comment: “In Mexico we also sometimes add a piece of toast to the chili sauce (tortilla roasted on the griddle or purchased toast), there are people who add corn dough, or even some sesame or hard bread, I prefer toast! It makes it thicker! It looks a bit more like mole but it is delicious! You can also add some cinnamon and a piece of chocolate instead of cocoa powder. Also try some marjoram and / or dried thyme it gives it a great flavor!!”