Description
This homemade enchilada sauce recipe delivers a rich and flavorful sauce with a perfect balance of spices and tomato depth. Ready in just 10 minutes, it’s made from scratch using simple pantry ingredients and is perfect for enchiladas or as a delicious chili base.
Ingredients
Scale
Dry Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons flour (whole wheat flour, all-purpose flour, or gluten-free flour blend)
- 1 tablespoon ground chili powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon dried oregano
- ¼ teaspoon salt, to taste
- Pinch of cinnamon (optional but recommended)
Wet Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 2 cups vegetable broth
- 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar or distilled white vinegar
- Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Prepare Ingredients: Measure out the dry ingredients including flour, chili powder, cumin, garlic powder, oregano, salt, and optional cinnamon into a small bowl and place near the stove. Have the tomato paste and vegetable broth ready nearby as well for easy access.
- Heat Olive Oil: In a medium-sized pot over medium heat, warm the olive oil until it is hot enough that a light sprinkle of the flour and spice mixture sizzles upon contact. This may take a few minutes, so stay attentive.
- Cook Flour and Spices: Pour in the flour and spice mixture while whisking constantly. Cook this mixture until it becomes fragrant and slightly deepened in color, about 1 minute. Then whisk the tomato paste into the mixture thoroughly.
- Add Broth and Simmer: Slowly pour the vegetable broth into the pot while whisking continuously to prevent lumps. Raise the heat to medium-high to bring the sauce to a simmer. Once it simmers, adjust heat to maintain a gentle simmer and cook, whisking often, for 5 to 7 minutes until the sauce thickens to a consistency where a spoon encounters resistance while stirring.
- Finish and Season: Remove the sauce from heat, whisk in the vinegar, and season with freshly ground black pepper. Taste and add more salt if needed. Your enchilada sauce is now ready to use in your favorite recipes!
Notes
- Adjust chili powder quantity to manage spice level to your preference.
- The sauce thickens further as it cools, so don’t worry if it seems a little thin at first.
- Use whole wheat or gluten-free flour blends to make this sauce gluten-free.
- For a deeper flavor, consider toasting the spices briefly before mixing with the flour.
- Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
