Authentic Enchilada Sauce

Homemade Authentic Enchilada Sauce Recipe. Pour this Mexican red chili sauce over enchiladas, tamales, and burritos.

Bring out that authentic Mexican flavor with your own homemade Enchilada Sauce! Enjoy it in your favorite recipes, like burritos, tamales, and especially enchiladas. Making your own sauce is easy – it’s sure to become a go-to recipe for your Mexican-inspired dishes.

If you’re looking for an easy and delicious enchilada sauce, why settle for store-bought when you can make your own homemade version? Making an authentic enchilada sauce doesn’t have to be complicated; with just a few simple ingredients and time, you can create a velvety homemade sauce that’s as delicious as anything you could buy from the store.

So while store-bought enchilada sauce may be convenient, nothing quite beats the taste and aroma of homemade. Not to mention the satisfaction of having created something unique and special with your own hands. So the next time you’re serving enchiladas, why not try homemade enchilada sauce?

Ingredients For Homemade Enchilada Sauce

• Dried New Mexico Chilis – You may Substitute with other dried peppers.
• Water
• Tomato Paste
• Garlic
• Cumin
• Salt
• Oregano
• Beef Bouillon – We really like the Better than Bouillon brand.
• Canola or Corn Oil

When shopping for dried chilis I look for rich color and texture. Pass on the chilis that are browned, brittle, and dusty.

How to Make Enchilada Sauce

Set your oven to 275 F.

The first thing you need to do to make enchilada sauce is prep your dried peppers for your homemade enchilada sauce. You will cut off the stems, slice them open and deseed them. Next, lay the peppers in a single layer on a baking sheet.

Do not put them in the oven and walk away. The peppers will burn and turn bitter very quickly.

Place them in the oven for 1 to 2 minutes. Any longer you risk burning the chili peppers.

Remove the peppers from the oven and put them in a pot of 5 cups of hot water, not boiling. The peppers will soak for 30 minutes. Save the soaking water.

Transfer rehydrated peppers and soaking water to a high-quality blender. Add remaining ingredients: tomato paste, garlic cloves, ground cumin, salt, dried oregano, Better than Bouillon Beef Base, and corn oil. Blend the enchilada sauce ingredients until smooth.

Your blender will need to be strong enough to liquefy your enchilada sauce ingredients. Use a colander to strain the sauce and catch bits that did not get blended. Strain into a medium size sauce pot and heat through on medium-low heat.

If there are a lot of chili skin bits clogging your colander then take a rubber spatula and press the sauce threw the colander holes.

Whip up a delicious enchilada dinner that’s sure to be a hit with the whole family! Whether you go for beef, chicken, vegetables, or a mix of cheeses, simply roll your chosen ingredients up in a flour tortilla and smother it with this red chili sauce for a savory, yet comforting enchilada dinner.

How to Store Leftover Enchilada Sauce

• I save my leftover red enchilada chili sauce for other recipes like my breakfast burritos, tamales, nachos, and tacos. 
• To store leftover Enchilada Sauce place the sauce in an airtight container and refrigerate. It will stay good for up to 4 days. 
• You can also freeze it. Pour sauce into a freezer bag and place it in your freezer. 
• Do not store it in a plastic container. The sauce will stain the container.