This enchilada sauce is hands-down the best red enchilada sauce out there! It will definitely make you want to ditch that can of enchilada sauce for good! And it comes together in about 10 minutes! Win-Win!
We love Mexican food in our household – we are always making tacos, enchiladas, quesadillas, and other Mexican-inspired dishes. We just love all of those delish flavors. If you love Mexican food too – I have a treat for you today. The best red enchilada sauce out there. I know it’s a bold statement – but it really is!
I know that it is easy to just pick up a can of enchilada sauce at the store, but let me tell you, friend, this recipe is soooooooooooo simple to make, and is way better than the canned stuff. Trust me. This recipe calls for really simple ingredients, and you probably have most of them on hand. And believe me when I tell you what a huge difference this sauce will have on the overall flavor of your enchiladas. This sauce takes the enchiladas to a whole other level.
You can use this sauce for more than just enchiladas.
You can use this sauce as taco sauce for your tacos.
In Burritos.
Mix with sour cream for a super flavorful topping for your tacos.
Use this sauce in quesadillas.
Use as a marinade for Mexican inspired chicken!
Add some to your salsa to amp up the flavor.
How do you make this enchilada sauce?
This sauce comes together super fast, so I like to have all of my ingredients prepped before I start.
Mince the garlic. Set aside. In a small bowl, add the flour and chili powder and set aside. Next, in a medium bowl, combine the tomato sauce, chicken broth, cumin, onion powder, salt, and pepper.
Heat the vegetable or canola oil over medium heat in a saucepan. Once heated, add in the garlic and sauté for about 30 seconds. Add in the flour and chili powder and stir. Cook for about one to two minutes while stirring. Then add in the ingredients of the medium bowl and whisk until combined. Cook the sauce over medium heat stirring occasionally for about 8-10 minutes, or until thickened.
This recipe makes a tad more than 2 cups of sauce, which is the perfect amount for enchiladas! I like to dip my tortillas in the sauce, and then put the chicken filling in, and roll the tortillas up. It’s a little messy but sooooo good. Then top with the rest of this yummy sauce, and of course cheese.
You could even dice up a jalapeno and sauté that with the garlic. Yum.
And just a side note, the color of your sauce will depend greatly on the chili powder that you have. Some chili powders will produce a darker, more brown sauce, while others will produce a more red sauce. I like to buy a good quality chili powder, it does make a difference.
Just as a side note, I use this sauce pan to cook my sauce. It really cooks like a dream.
When I photographed the sauce, I had every intention of photographing my enchiladas as well, however, we were having family over for dinner that night, and needless to say, they were super hungry, so there was no time for photographs. My classic enchilada recipe is coming soon though!
If you love enchiladas and want to try a different recipe, you have to try my Enchiladas Verdes! Delicious chicken enchiladas with a roasted tomatillo and garlic sauce. So delish.
Enjoy!
Don’t forget to follow me on Pinterest for more recipe ideas!

Prep Time | 2 Minutes |
Cook Time | 8-10 Minutes |
Servings | Makes about 2 Cups of Sauce |
- 1/4 Cup Canola or Vegetable Oil
- 3-4 Cloves Garlic, Minced
- 2 Tbsp All-Purpose Flour
- 3 Tbsp Chili Powder (not Cayenne Pepper)
- 1 8-oz Can of Tomato Sauce
- 1 and 1/2 Cups Chicken Broth (or water)
- 2 Tsp Ground Cumin
- 1 Tsp Onion Powder
- 1/4 Tsp Salt
- 1/4 Tsp Pepper
Ingredients
| ![]() |
- Mince the garlic. Set aside. In a small bowl, add the flour and chili powder and set aside. In a medium bowl, combine the tomato sauce, chicken broth, cumin, onion powder, salt, and pepper.
- In a medium saucepan, heat the vegetable or canola oil over medium heat. Once heated, add in the garlic and sauté for about 30 seconds. Add in the flour and chili powder and stir. Cook for about one to two minutes while stirring. Then add in the ingredients of the medium bowl and whisk until combined. Cook the sauce over medium heat, stirring occasionally, for about 8-10 minutes, or until thickened.
recipe adapted from dinner then dessert
© THE DELIGHTFUL BITE. ALL IMAGES AND CONTENT ARE COPYRIGHT PROTECTED. PLEASE DO NOT USE MY IMAGES WITHOUT PRIOR PERMISSION.
Note: This page contains affiliate links. These are all products that I regularly use and love. Purchasing via affiliate links helps support The Delightful Bite at no additional cost to you, which allows me to bring you more content. Thanks for your support!
Pin this recipe!
Leave a Reply