Homemade Enchilada Sauce
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Made with whole dried chiles, this will take your enchiladas to the NEXT level! No more store-bought sauce!
I am all for a good shortcut here and there when you are in a pinch. But once you make enchilada sauce from scratch, it’ll be very difficult to go back to store-bought. (Similarly to homemade pasta.)
There are a few steps involved here but I promise, it is well worth it.
Now the recipe does call for New Mexico or California chile peppers as they are on the milder side, but please feel free to use your own combination of peppers if you prefer a bit of a kick.
Either way, this homemade sauce will take your enchiladas to the next level. I use it all the time for these weeknight enchiladas. It’s an absolute game-changer!
![](jpg/homemade-enchilada-sauceimg_1156-200x200.jpg)
Homemade Enchilada Sauce
Ingredients
- 2 ounces dried chile peppers, such as New Mexico or California
- 1 medium yellow onion, quartered
- 2 Roma tomatoes, halved
- 3 cloves garlic
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 2 ½ cups chicken stock
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 1 ½ tablespoons honey
- 2 tablespoons canola oil
Instructions
- Heat a medium cast iron skillet over medium high heat. Add chiles and cook until toasted and fragrant, about 30-45 seconds per side. Set aside and let cool; remove and discard seeds and stems.
- Add onion and tomatoes to the skillet and cook until blackened, about 3-5 minutes per side; set aside.
- Add garlic to the skillet and cook until blackened, about 1 minute per side; set aside.
- Place chiles into a 3 quart saucepan. Stir in onion, tomatoes, garlic, oregano, cumin and chicken stock; season with salt and pepper, to taste.
- Bring to boil; reduce heat and simmer until chiles have softened, about 15-20 minutes. Remove from heat; cover and let stand 15 minutes.
- Combine chili mixture and honey in blender until smooth.
- Heat canola oil in the saucepan over medium heat. Working carefully, add chili mixture to the saucepan. Bring to boil; reduce heat and simmer until thickened, about 10 minutes; season with salt and pepper, to taste.
- Transfer to an airtight container and place in the refrigerator for up to 1 week or in the freezer for up to 2 months.
Did you make this recipe?
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I had never made enchilada sauce from scratch before. I found this recipe and figured I would give it a shot. HOLY COW! This sauce is amazing! Much simpler to make than I had anticipated and incredibly good. I will never use canned sauce again. Thank you!
I like your recipe. I would like to try on this weekend, Thanks for sharing it.
Since I live in New Mexico now, I have lots of access to dried chilies. This recipe amazing. My family gobbled up all the cheese and onion enchiladas. This is now my go to recipe ❤ thank you for sharing.
You definitely know how to make the true Chile sauce for the enchiladas. Preferably, I prefer the New Mexico Chile pods, but you are one of the first that makes a mess sauce like Taco Bell type and call it authentic!
Great job! Good eating.
I would like to try this at home, Looks so delicious!
enchiladas are staple in our house however I have never tried making enchilada sauce at home. This sauce sounds so easy and yumm. Trying this for sure.
I actually have a question – in reading the reviews many are making reference to canned tomatoes and chili powder that I don’t see in the recipe. The reviews were in past years so is this a new recipe? Or revised from a previous one. Thanks!
This looks like the real thing, which I will try. No need to buy bottled enchilada sauce. (Homemade is usually preferable to anything bottled.) But in a pinch, mix a can of Ro-Tel (10 oz.) with a 15.5-ounce can of tomato sauce. It will have a fresher taste. Although the above recipe might be better, the Ro-tel and tomato sauce mix is very good, at least to my taste. Watch out for the Ro-Tel habanero. Three-fourths of a can of that is enough.
I’ve been looking for an Enchilada Sauce forever!! I can’t wait to try this. It looks amazing!
I haven’t made this, but am wondering if I can substitute tomato juice for the canned tomatoes.
The original recipe had fresh tomatoes, 2 roma halved. Tomato juice would not be a substitute.
I imagine you could substitute tomato juice for the chicken stock, adding some chicken bouillon…..but you’d miss out on the charring the aromas received in the original recipe.
My favourite recipe is vegetarian enchilada casserole I made all the ingredients from scratch. The best meal that keep you full for the whole day
Excellent recipe, easy too!
Love this recipe. It is now a staple in my kitchen.
Finally, a quick and easy taste of Home! I leave in the UK now and really miss Mexican food. I can’t exactly go out and buy a can of enchilada sauce to make wonderful meals with as enchilada sauce just isn’t in the food stores. This recipe allows me to make the meals I miss and tastes just like the enchilada sauce I remember from the good old USA. Thank you Damndelicious for taking the time to provide a way to make it from scratch. I can now substitute the recipe ingredients for items that I can get here in the UK. I’m soooooooooo pleased to once again be eating my favorite meals.
SOOO GOOOD!!!’ I’ll never buy enchilada sauce again.
This sauce is delicious. I used it to make enchiladas (obviously). My family love heat in their food however this is crazy hot! Would definitely make again but with less chilli powder.
This sounds like a great recipe, but why dump flour into enchilada sauce instead of thickening with tomato paste? Is there a reason? I’ve never had any problems with a tomato sauce thickening with paste
Enchilada sauce is traditionally made with a roux. A fat and flour roux can also be added to canned enchilada sauce in a pinch (makes it better).
This sauce is absolutely delicious! It’s also incredibly easy to make. Store bought sauce? Never again.
Love this recipe is great!! Tastes amazing and it’s not super hard to make!! Thanks Damndelicious!!!!
Enchiladas are possibly my favourite food, this sauce is pretty much bang on, just cut right back on the oregano, in fact just lose it altogether, definitely overpowers the fantastic flavour.
I make enchilada sauce from scratch on a regular basis, but ran out and needed a quick sauce for a recipe. I felt that this was way too tomato-y. I ended up thinning it down with more water and adding more chili powder, but for those who want a more authentic flavor, cut back on the tomato sauce (not crushed tomatoes) by half and use more water or chicken broth. Chipotle chili powder is a great suggestion by another reader.
I agree way to tomato tasting had to add more spices to even get the enchilada taste
The best enchilada recipe! I have been making this for years now and just saved the link to my phone. I really should write down the recipe in case this website ever gets deleted because my family would cry if I didn’t have this! I make huge batches at a time and freeze for a quick and easy chicken enchilada dinner night.
Yum! So good – made it once and making it again today! Thanks!
Is it freezer-friendly???
If so, for how long?
Freezing sounds like an amazing idea but unfortunately, I cannot answer this with certainty as I have never tried freezing this myself. Please use your best judgment for freezing and reheating.
Oh my god this sauce is so easy to make its simply delisious definitely making it again
Hi everyone Chungah did a wonderful job in her enchilada sauce recipe. I think I did read somewhere on her beef enchilada recipe if there is a can version that they can buy. Before finding this sauce recipe I have used Gebhardt Enchilada Sauce which can be found in almost super market. It’s not watery nor think at all. I believe in my own personal opinion the texture is perfect.
Just made this… it is indeed damned delicious as is. Simple too, although I used Chipoltle Chili Powder for the 2 tsp but also used regular chili powder for the 2 tblsp. It made a richer flavour and added a bit of heat. I should have made a little more for a 9″x 13″ baking dish of Enchilladas. Although dobling the recipe would have been too much maybe try 1.5 X
I just made this sauce without any flour or sugar and it is so darn yummy! I just heated the oil with a few tablespoons of tomato paste and it made the sauce thick. I also heated the spices in the oil first before adding the crushed tomatoes as I think heating spices in oil first really brings out their flavour. I will be using this more often for sure. I don’t even know why you would need flour. It’s thick on its own as long as you use tomato paste. I also crushed two little slices of jalepeños (from a jar – Old El Paso) in my crushed tomatoes for a little extra heat. The sauce turned out rich, thick and has a delicious flavour. I’m going to use it in a “Late Summer Vegetable Enchilada Pie” recipe. Thank you! 🙂
I use this recipe a lot and i LOVE it! Instead of the crushed tomatoes i use 2 cans of Rotel (not drained) and i run them through the blender. I’ve gotten a ton of compliments on it!
Thanks!
I love this recipe! I’m wondering if you could make it in large batches and can it for later use. Anyone try this and if so, what did you do? (Water bath or Pressure Canner?)
well decided for the 1st time to make my enchalada sauce homemade and tried this one however while it was very good it tasted NOTHING like enchalda sauce but more like a spagetti sauce 🙁
Try using Rotel instead of the crushed tomatoes!
My scratch recipe is the hot dog sauce we used to make at a ice cream stand my mother ran for years in the late 50s early 60s. I learned to make it when I was about 10 and I still know the recipe by heart. I am now teaching it to my granddaughter who loves it too ( and she doesn’t like much of anything) It makes a huge amount but freezes beautifully.
Would you share the recipe?
Omg, just made this sauce today and it’s AMAZING! I did a few adjustments w/ using low sodium ck stock instead of water, a mix of paprika/cayenne/Cajun seasoning since I didn’t have chili powder, added a little bit more sugar BC my canned tomatoes were tangy, a splash of fish sauce to enhance the umami factor, and simmered it for 30 mins. DELISH!! Hubby enjoyed my/your enchiladas very much. Thank u!
Made this a few times, it’s absolutely delicious!
I like to make my own chili powder and flour tortillas as well and add a can of diced tomatoes with the hot peppers in it for a little more heat 🙂 Once we added a can of salsa that boyfriend found too sweet and mild for his taste buds and he went nuts… but we never could get ahold of the salsa again so haven’t had any 🙁
Normally I’ll roast or bake a chicken (or crockpot it if I’m super lazy and want to make other dishes like chicken & dumplings) and I’ll have this the next day!
I did add corn to the enchiladas and that was delicious! Want to try olives and some fresh green onions and such and last time we had ranch / guacamole sauce that we added into it and it was delicious!
I love making biscuits and gravy from scratch! I one time made a chorizo gravy and tomato biscuit version, YUM!
I made this the other night to go with some Chile Rellenos and my husband loved it so much that he asked me to have a container of it on hand at all times, lol. He eats it on everything!
I make this everytime it’s enchilada night my house I make for enchilada casserole omg that’s amazing you should try it best thing I ever had its worth tryng
Could I use tomato sauce in place of the tomatoes? I have 2 cans totalling in 30oz of tomato sauce… would this work? Thanks!!
This sauce is great..i make enchilada sauce and barbecue sauce from scratch, mostly because it is hard to find store bought versions. I prefer my own combination of spices anyway, and also prefer to control the sugar.
This sauce is 50 shades of great!
We tried this recipe when the can of enchilada sauce turned out to be awful and now we’ll never go back. Very easy to make AND better than any restaurant. I’m stuffed
Any pie, using homemade pie crust!! And chocolate chip cookies 🙂
Maybe this enchilada sauce, too. I’m gonna make it tonite.
Hi Chungah!
This looks excellent and I’m considering giving it a try tomorrow for my husband’s bday dinner. I notice most other recipes online use chicken stock. Why did you eliminate that? I just signed up for your emails and liked your FB page. So looking forward to your suggestions and new recipes this year! Thank you!
Michelle
I need a not spicy enchilada sauce. Will this be ok minus the chili powder and/or cumin? My kids and hubby don’t like the heat.
I always find myself back at your site for great recipes. Thanks!
Fantastic sauce! I made this tonight because my family wanted enchiladas and I am out of sauce. I will never buy canned sauce again! My only question is can you freeze it? I am a full time college student, cub scout leader, and all the other busy duties of a wife and mom. I can and freeze a lot when I am on break. Thank you for sharing!
This was amazing. Made it as specified in the recipe. Will make this again and again! Thanks for a great recipe!
So easy peasy and delish Damn delicious is always my go to !!!
Loved the recipe…. Reduced the chilli as it was an Indian one but still really good.
Thank you so much for this recipe! I made it two days ago and it is the best enchilada sauce we’ve ever tasted.
I love to make any condensed soup from scratch!
What kind of chili powder do you use? Some of them have added ingredients like garlic and oregano and some are straight ground chili.
Thank you SO much for this recipe! I just made it and my kids are DEVOURING it. They say they’ve never had better Enchiladas. And it’s all because of your sauce. Delicious! Thank you 🙂
Can the sauce be frozen??
This looks so delicious and enchiladas are my specialty. It’s the one thing I get asked to make for most family pot lucks. Will definitely try it! I have to say that whenever I find a great looking recipe on Pinterest and want to check it out, more often than not I end up at your website. Seems like everything you post snags me and I’m not even a foodie! Thanks for the inspiration and ALL the great recipes of course!
Just discovered this enchilada sauce today. It’s delicious. I have moved from AZ to England, and outside of London Mexican food and Mexican products are quite limited. So this is amazing. Can’t find crushed tomatoes, so used chopped and my immersion blender – perfect. Thanks so much. k
Best.enchilada.sauce.ever! Thanks so
Much for the recipe!
Gonna try this. Store enchilada sauce is too hot for my family – so I like the sound of making my own where I can control the “heat” level. Thank you!!
Do you have to store it for two weeks???
The directions state, “Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to two weeks.” This does not mean you must store it for two weeks before consuming.
Thank you so much 🙂
I made this sauce to use with some Taco Stuffed Shells for dinner tonight. It was fantastic! I do not like spicy food, so I loved that I was able to control the heat level to my liking by altering the amount of chili powder in this recipe (knocked it down to about 1.5 Tbsp). So good. Thank you! I will be using this in many different things going forward!
I made this exactly like the recipe and it is the best enchilada sauce Ive ever tasted. I will never buy the canned stuff again. Wow – thank you for sharing this on your blog 🙂
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Looks amazing can’t wait to try this with quinoa stuffed peppers!❤️
This was delicious, I made TWO small tweaks (bc that’s how I roll).
1. I ditched the 2 teaspoons of chili powder and replaced with 1 teas SMOKED paprika and 1 teas SMOKED chipotle (gave it a nice deeper flavor layer)
2. Replaced water for low sodium chicken stock
2.5 I really did a big helping of brown sugar…little extra sweetness to go with the extra spice
Thanks Phyllis I love to hear about tweaks!
I am always on the lookout for new recipes to try out on my family. This looks like a great one! Thank you for sharing.
Pizza sauce is worth making from scratch
I love to make spagehtti sauce from scratch
This giveaway has already ended.
I rarely SE canned beans any more. I make a big pot, and it’s good for two dinners or to pack in lunches. So easy and superior flavor and texture. Thanks for give away!
Scratch made chip beef gravy over salt risen toast….yum !!
mmmm making Bread from scratch is the best!
Salsa is worth making from scratch. My husband makes the best salsa.
https://twitter.com/usnamom2014/status/455482514883493889
My favorite recipe from scratch paella
The best ever enchilada sauce I’ve ever made!! Very simple and oh, so delicious!!
i love to make macaroni and cheese from scratch. it’s totally worth it.
I love to make hummus from scratch! So many options to add in w/ the basics and so good for you!
My moms Good Rolls are worth making from scratch. They are the best!!!!
I like making lasagna
I love your recipes! Love making homemade pizza all from scratch. And I would love $100! 😉
I usually make my apple pie completely from scratch. Much yummier 🙂
Chinese food from scratch is best. Put everything you like in and nothing you don’t.
https://mobile.twitter.com/SandyHeadtke/status/455440881307627520
Tweeted
New York style cheesecake and lasagna
Lasagna is my favorite that is worth making from scratch.
https://twitter.com/mjns1225/status/455432348247412736
Any time you can make things like this yourself, you typically see much lower sodium content. Gotta love that!
Going to try this enchilada sauce looks delicious!
My homemade recipe for Jambalaya is worth making from scratch. It not only tastes delicious but the house smells so good while it is cooking.
Looks tasty!
This looks delicious. I have loved trying new recipes since I’ve found your blog. They have all been so tasty.
Hmm.. I think dumplings are worth making by scratch! Customizing the meats inside ^__^
i love making lasagna from scratch- i freeze half it lasts for ages
I love to make chili from scratch.
Thanks for this recipe.I sometimes buy from the store but I really don’t like it.I am going to try this soon.
https://twitter.com/thomasmurphy40/status/455380023147778049
I like making my mom’s tomato sauce recipe from scratch.
Tweet – https://twitter.com/willitara/status/455376371314069504
My vegetable beef soup is definitely worth making from scratch. So much better than what comes from a can.
https://twitter.com/aes529/status/455372885025370112
I like to make Fetuccini Alfredo from scratch
My favorite thing from scratch would be baclava. MmMmmMm
My favorite thing to make from scratch is chicken pot pie. I use a biscuit recipe instead of a pie crust. Much easier! 🙂
I tweeted https://twitter.com/2BeFitBy50/status/455315817148973056
My favorite from scratch recipe that is worth taking the time to make is Spicy Shrimp Chowder (can use white fish, lobster meat or clams as well) I never have a drop left when I make it, oes really fast.
seaweed salade.
banana pudding
https://twitter.com/slehan/status/455247432901984256
I like making home made soups from scratch.
Thanks for the contest.
Pie crust, its my grammy’s recipe. Its so easy and it tastes better than any other pie crust I have ever tried. Its so worth making it from scratch.
I never thought of putting Siracha in Enchilada sauce but I love Siracha! I add it with ketchup for dipping sauce.
I DO SPAGHETTI AND IT IS SO GOOD ..THE SAUCE IS INCREDIBLE I MUST SAY 🙂
Mac and Cheese is definitely worth making from scratch! So yummy!! 🙂
http://twitter.com/ccboobooy/status/455155691993698305
Chicken & rice
https://twitter.com/SkyShyskyk/status/455153812601188353
We love cookies!
Tweeted the giveaway here -> https://twitter.com/DarkMysticNight/status/455148741453176832
One of my favorite recipes to make from scratch is peanut butter pie.
I tweeted! https://twitter.com/Ladies_Lounge1/status/455143320789221376
elizzzzzabeth at yahoo dot com
I love homemade lasagna! I make my noodles and sauce from scratch. I hardly make it since it takes so long, but I do love it!
elizzzzzabeth at yahoo dot com
I am not a very good cook, but something I enjoy eating that was made from scratch would be lasagna. It’s always way better all from scratch.
tweeted
https://twitter.com/eswright18/status/455131482143457282
My family loves my homemade biscuits and gravy.
Strawberry rhubarb pie…..sweet and tart combination that makes a delicious pie.
I would say a birthday cake.
Chocolate chip cookies
my lasagna
Brownies
My favorite recipe from scratch is spaghetti. This recipe has gone through at least 5 generations and it is worth the work. Tastes great and has alot of history
Can’t wait to make it. No more canned sauce for my family!
Chicken and dumplings with homemade dumplings is worthy of taking the time to make it from scratch 🙂
The one worth making from scratch is Russian Pierogi. Takes FOREVER but they are so good.
https://twitter.com/dddiva/status/455082673657376768
All day spaghetti sauce- it is used for so many things and the jarred stuff doesn’t even compare.
Blueberry pancakes. You can’t beat the difference a few minutes of mixing up a few simple ingredients makes, instead of boring old pancake mix from a box.
https://twitter.com/klp1965/status/455072281459298304
I love to make my moms cream puff recipe
pound cake from scratch. YUM!
[email protected]
I think Lasagna is worth making from scratch, it is so much better than the frozen you can get.
i love making spaghetti and meat balls.
My favorite dish to make from scratch is potato salad. The recipe is never quite the same.
lasagna is something that I prefer to make from scratch
My mom passed down a recipe for Jewish Apple cake that is delicious. It’s so worth making from scratch! Thanks.
Spaghetti – though it is even better if you can do it with your own, home-grown tomatoes. Awesome.
My favorite item to make from scratch is my spaghetti sauce
chicken and dumplings.
Homemade raviolis are my favorite thing to make from scratch. They are very time consuming but very worth it. I usually end up making no less than six dozen at a time and freeze them. They don’t take long to cook and everyone enjoys them.
Link to tweet:
https://twitter.com/catholicfanatic/status/454820839368572928
Pound cake is so worth it making it from scratch!
i like making beef stew from scratch
My favorite recipe to make from scratch are brownies. There’s something so much richer about the chocolate when it’s not from the mix.
Definitely banana bread!
Pudding is one of those things I always make from scratch it is surprising how easy it is and though mine is a bit lumpier than the box kind it tastes better.
I’m partial to carbs I love homemade bread and tortillas. Oh and homemade whipped cream, there is no substitute
I tweeted
https://twitter.com/leedhowell/status/454340557398355968
I make spaghetti sauce from scratch. Preferably with homegrown tomatoes.
My favorite indulgence from scratch is Trifle – homemade blackberry jelly, homemade poundcake, homemade custard. Unbelievable!
Another delicious recipe, Thank you!
Can tomato sauce be used replacing crushed tomato and how much would I use? I don’t like chunks of cooked tomato. Thank you for your time. Keep on posting your stuff as so do enjoy your posts.
Unfortunately, I don’t think tomato sauce is an appropriate substitute. I should let you know that there are no “chunks” of tomato in crushed tomatoes.
This sounds good. Another good one is to start with dried red chiles.
chili with beans
Gumbo is my favorite recipe to make from scratch.
To me any recipe is better from scratch, it saves on money and it better for you.
Any pasta dish and chili! Yum!
Homemade spaghetti sauce is worth making from scratch.
tweeted: https://twitter.com/KerryBishop/status/453674770609864704
My tweet – twitter.com/neiddy_ruiz/status/453405151521681408
I love Mexican food, Chiles rellenos (stuffed peppers) is one of my favorite dishes.Making them from scratch is very time consuming since you have to roast the peppers, make the filling, fill them, cover them with egg batter and fry them but they are so delicious that all the hard work is totally worth it.
I like to make homemade veg. soup
Thanks for the giveaway!!! I can’t wait to try this homemade enchilada sauce!. whovorka at yahoo dot com
Came looking for a recipe, and tripped on the contest. Thanks for the chance .
Homemade bread.
i like making lasagna from scratch
Our favorite “from scratch” recipe is chicken and dumplings. It’s my husband’s grandmother’s recipe and we make it every Thanksgiving.
My favorite recipe worth making from scratch are freezer burritos. I make the refried beans first from dried pinto beans. Then the meat mixture 2 days later. I spend most of an afternoon putting them all together with cheese and rice. My guys love it and can quickly grab them and heat them up.
I love to make soup from scratch. And in the summer, marinara sauce is a must.
I like to make potato soup from scratch ,yum.
https://twitter.com/purplelover04/status/452538448834863104
cream cheese pound cake
Homemade chicken and dumplings
tweet
https://twitter.com/1amypugmire/status/452456924554874880
I love to make bran muffins from scratch. They are so good!
Soup!!!! Definitely soup!!!
tweet
https://twitter.com/MeandBells/status/452103962867814400
i can make delicious lemon bars by scratch !:) love lemon!
Tweet: https://twitter.com/coriwestphal/status/451832743509635072
coriwestphal at msn dot com
Pickles! Every other year I grow more pickling cucumbers than any one person should be allowed to grow. Then I pickle away! Midgets, slices, spears, relish, dill and sweet. I make it all! Nothing is better, to me, than a pickle made from scratch versus what’s in store bought!
coriwestphal at msn dot com
https://twitter.com/smilekisses/status/451630099356729344
I make sweet bread from scratch and it’s worth all the work.
https://twitter.com/kj20082006/status/451596100168740865
I make pizza and yogurt from scratch
Spinach and mushroom quiche is worth making form scratch!
smchester at gmail dot com
Homemade macaroni and cheese!
I tweeted giveaway. https://twitter.com/flipper211/status/451418134755287042
I have just started making my own enchiladas and use canned enchilada sauce. Your sauce looks so much better I have to try it. I know I will never go back to using canned again.
Almost anything is better made from scratch, but my favorite recipe that is worth making from scratch is homemade flour tortillas–and now I can make enchilada sauce from scratch too thanks to you!
I like to make a good apple pie from scratch.
https://twitter.com/raggammuffin/status/451003959801806848
any bread or rolls are wonderful made from scratch
I always make chocolate cookies from scratch. The store bought even from the bakery just doesn’t cut it.
https://twitter.com/rusthawk/status/450810750878371840
Polish hunters stew …delicious!
Tweet https://twitter.com/JalapenoMama/status/450799321915867136
Chicken dumpling soup is so worth the time to make from scratch!
thank you
This turned out excellent! I will never have to search for another!
My grandmothers chocolate cake is one that I always make from scratch
Yum! I like making apple cake from scratch.
I love making Banh Cuon from scratch! It tastes so much better homemade! 😀
I can make a really tasty chicken and dumpling from scratch!
I posted a tweet:
https://twitter.com/bellows22/status/450101535771729920
chicken & dumplings are worth making from scratch
https://twitter.com/HappyTina0115/status/450089825169707009
Homemade Tortellini
Apple Pie
A Vanilla Chiffon Cake with Coffee Italian Buttercream from scratch is totally worth the time and effort!
Thanks for sharing this yummy sauce.
chocolate chip cookies are worth making from scratch.
There is nothing in the world like homemade bread… hot & fresh from the oven….yummmy!!
I want to make enchiladas…RIGHT NOW! 😉
rachelmarietravis at gmail dot com
I love making from scratch chocolate chip muffins
This looks delicious and we love enchiladas and looki g for a healthier version.
Baking bread from scratch is totally worth the effort. It does take a little while to get the hang of it because there are so many variables and so many things that can go wrong.
Nothing beats fresh homemade bread. And it’s so cheap to make from scratch!
https://twitter.com/workingmommemos/status/449744646629892096
My homemade mac and cheese is SO worth making from scratch! It is divine!
Grandma;s chicken tetrazinni.
Chicken enchiladas with sour cream sauce
oatmeal chocolate chip cookies – the best from scratch!
tvollowitz at aol dot com
I love vegan taco casserole. It’s worth making from scratch! 🙂
I like lasagna made from scratch.
My favorite recipe is Haggis Lasagna combining the best of Scottish and Italian cuisine.
Hope to win!
I make the worlds best chicken soup from scratch.
I love my homemade chili.
guacamole
Tweet
https://twitter.com/clc408/status/449616543286960128
Almost everything tastes better from scratch! I especially like making my grandmother’s pizzelles. They take some time, but they are worth it.
Red Velvet cupcakes are worth making from scratch.
My chocolate cake is worth making from scratch.
[email protected]
I love to make French Onion soup from scratch. Friends tell me they buy it frozen but I’m not going that route!
I could use a new refrigerator and a nice stand mixer.
lazybones344 at gmail dot com
Homemade mac and cheese and homemade chicken wild rice soup are the best recipes to make homemade!
I love to make chicken and dumplings from scratch!
My favorite recipe from scratch is Italian Sausage Casserole. It is almost all done in one pot and it comes out AMAZING!
Tweeted 🙂 – https://twitter.com/Enter_Now/status/449513608847060992
I love to make my moms enchilada recipe from scratch. Not only is it delicious, but it’s one of the few things I can actually make well lol 🙂
Tweeted: https://twitter.com/peg42/status/449504707493765120
Homemade Chili. Love it!
I would have to say enchiladas from scratch are the best..
Do you think this sauce could be canned for future use?
Unfortunately, I have not tried canning this so I cannot really answer this question.
Tweet!
https://twitter.com/ScoomerBlog/status/448992310701727744
My Grandmother’s Chicken Noodle Soup 🙂
great recipe! a recipe that I will always make from scratch?? i love making challah bread…really easy and SO much better than store bought 🙂
My favorite recipe that is worth making from scratch is German Apple Pancake.
I make a casserole of apple crisp for breakfast & dessert.
ummm, hate to tell you, but enchilada sauce doesn’t have tomatoes in it…Most recipes have NONE and a few have maybe one roma in it…Enchilada sauce is made from CHILES…lol..
Sherry, I am aware that enchilada sauce is made from chiles. This is simply another variation of enchilada sauce that can be made, and as I mentioned in the previous comment, not once do I mention that this is an “authentic” sauce originating from it’s native country. This is my spin on the recipe, and that’s what this site is – recipes with my personal twist to it.
I make a really good German chocolate cake from scratch.
Trying this recipe next week
the recipe for my homemade blueberry muffins
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I love the recipe for the enchilada sauce! Thanks so much for posting! My favorite made-from-scratch item is Lemon Curd! My recipe uses the microwave, and is super-easy! Nothing like a dollop of homemade lemon curd swirled into a Vanilla Greek yogurt, topped with fresh blueberries! My favorite snack!
https://twitter.com/OneFrugalGirl/status/447363028506652673
Bread. There is nothing like fresh baked bread. It makes the house smell so homey.
https://twitter.com/susan1215/status/447178993616162816
A recipe worth making from scratch? Spaghetti sauce and chili.
I usually make an enchilada sauce that is more involved and “authentic”, but my fiancee won’t touch the stuff so I hope he will try this instead! Being easier to make doesn’t hurt either 😉 And as far as making food from scratch? Definitely Chicken Parmesan with a spicy marinara. Too many places cheat with chicken patties. Gross!
Just a bit of personal encouragement, Chung-Ah: there’s always going to be a few readers who will express discouraging sentiments. Don’t feel bad about their comments. They’re just being a bit of a wet blanket, that’s all. I love your blog, and your meal ideas are so approachable and user-friendly that I personally am quite excited about trying many. I found your blog last week and have been reading up on a few entrees that sound amazing. It’ll be fun to dig through your old posts and find yet more recipes! I’m trying the enchilada sauce recipe tonight while the husband is at poker, so that we can make the enchilada skillet recipe tomorrow with the sauce. Can’t wait! The results should be fantastic.
I’m very new to you website, just today and LOVE it already! Can’t thank you enough for the Homemade Enchilada Sauce; we’ve always enjoyed Mexican and Asian food and I often prepare them at home, but I’ve NEVER found a decent tasting enchilada sauce!!!! Thanks again!!! Your Berry Smoothie looks fabulous, can’t wait to make it!
I like making pizza from scratch. It always tastes better. Especially if I can hand make the cheese, although not easy to do as its hard to find raw milk here.
https://twitter.com/channynn/status/446987489975078912
I’m a believe in pizza from scratch. Down to the mozzarella cheese. SO WORTH IT!
My favorite recipe is called tomatoes and noodles. It is from my grandmother. Homemade noodles, canned tomatoes, bacon, and onion. Makes me comfy and happy immediately!
YUMMY my Mom always made this for us. She called it Goulash !
-https://twitter.com/tcarolinep/status/446838490177994753
Flaxseed almond pancake is my favorite recipe to make from scratch.
tcarolinep at gmail dot com
I think lasagna is worth it.
Brioche bread…simply amazing!
https://twitter.com/LuLu_Brown24/status/446674150363791360
My favorite recipe to make from scratch is a dark chocolate layered cake; there’s nothing better.
My family never uses tomato sauce. We use dried chilies, spices and broth. What region is this sauce from?
Respectfully
Katie, this is just one variation of homemade enchilada sauce of the many variations out there. I tried a dried chili version myself but it was not one that I personally liked.
I’ve always wanted to make enchilada sauce!! :9
yumyum! definitely worth it to make my own blueberry muffins. baked goods are far overpriced!
Gumbo! 🙂 Especially a good seafood one.
What a fantastic, easy sauce! I would love to smother this all over a batch of homemade enchiladas. Thanks for the inspiration, Chung-Ah!
Shortbread cookies – so easy to make from scratch and so much more buttery and delicious than store bought mix..,,or any homemade soup recipe.
Wow. Making this in triple batches tomorrow. Freezer food, here we come. This is a brillz recipe. Thanks!
Oh my god !!!
Esto tiene que estar exquisito !!!
Gracias por este paso a paso y por la fabulosa receta.
Besos
Looks yummy. Will try making it.
Tomato basil soup is worth making from scratch. Thank you for the oppurtunity to win and for your great recipes!
Yum! That looks delicious.
Cinnamon rolls! There is no point in buying them from a can or a mix, homemade is always worth it.
I love cooking everything from scratch. It’s the only way to truly know what’s in he food I’m feeding my family. My favorite thing to make from scratch is SALSA!
Your sauce looks great! Homemade red pasta sauce is always worth making from scratch!
Wow, never thought it could be that easy! Thanks for sharing, this is happening tomorrow!
Yum! I was just looking for enchilada sauce recipes! Good timing 🙂 On the Mexican theme, I just started making my own tortillas, both corn and flour, last year. It’s a bit more work but SO worth it!
If sauce can be luscious (and it can) this certainly is. GREG
homemade falafel with homemade pita bread – totally worth it!
I’ve done red and green enchilada sauces from scratch, but still haven’t found one that tastes as good as my local store-brand (how silly is it that the store brand red sauce is my favorite?).
As for what’s worth the effort of cooking from scratch? I just had a can of chicken noodle soup for lunch. My first in yeeeeeaaaaaars. And it grossed me out!!! So maybe chicken noodle soup?
No!!! Pie crust!!!! I thought for YEARS that I hated pie crust, but only because I had only had store-bought crusts. Then I made my own, and it changed my views on pies of all kinds. Needless to say, I prefer homemade pot pies and apple pies for that reason.
tweeted:
https://twitter.com/uTry_it/status/446020845832380416
amy [at] utry [dot] it
My favorite recipe that is worth making from scratch is my homemade sandwich bread. They stay nice and soft for days. All natural ingredients and tastes so good.
amy [at] utry [dot] it
Do you have a recipe for the bread
Bolognese sauce.
Chicken & wild rice soup is definitely worth making from scratch. Delicious!
Chicken noodle soup! So much better than any store bought canned chicken noodle! Added potatoes is the secret ingredient in my recipe!
My favorite from-scratch recipe is lasagna sauce…probably until I try this enchilada sauce one. I use enchilada sauce in my tortilla soup recipes for that extra zing that makes it great. Thanks!
My favorite from-scratch without a doubt is Chicken Soup. No canned stuff for me!!
I have two favorite from-scratch recipes – Robb Walsh’s authentic Tex-Mex chili gravy for my enchiladas, and a sweet and sour chicken.
https://twitter.com/ElenaIstomina/status/445968241169424384
I like to make lasagna from scratch
I’ve made some homemade enchilada sauces, but I haven’t found a favorite yet. I’ll definitely be giving this one a try! 🙂
making homemade cookies
This looks SOOOOOO good! What a good idea to make this from scratch. I simple love DIY food!
The Macadame. xx
http://www.creamstop.com
This should work with gluten-free flour, right? Who knew it could be this easy to make from scratch!! 🙂
Perfect! Enchiladas are on the menu this week at my house. Can’t wait to try your sauce it looks so thick and deeeelish!
Sounds delish!! Can’t wait to try it! Thanks for the recipe! 🙂
Homemade soup, always.
https://twitter.com/yoshiye23/status/445939205672542208
A recipe worth making from scratch? Spaghetti sauce!
Tweeted
https://twitter.com/mummytotwoboys1/status/445929755766845440
My favorite recipe worth making from scratch is definitely Belgian Waffles! So much nicer and authentic than a box mix
This sounds really good. Do you also have a version made without tomatoes? I found and lost a recipe that was made with chilies, chicken stock, and a few other ingredients but no tomatoes.
No, unfortunately I do not.
You can use tomatillos instead of tomatoes. They will make the sauce a pretty green colour instead.
Chili- so much better than the kind in a can
This looks delicious Chung-Ah! It looks thicker then the store bought sauce I normally add to my Chicken Tortilla Soup. How do you adjust for the difference when adding to recipes, or do you? Your slow cooker spaghetti sauce has become a family favorite, btw.
I think frosting is always worth making from scratch.
https://twitter.com/BBirdie2/status/445913461491789824
My favorite is for Chicken Enchiladas.
You are seriously a GENIUS!! I have wanted to make homemade enchilada sauce forever since it’s so expensive in the stores. I am trying this today! Thank you 🙂
Hi Chelsea – did you make this enchilada sauce? Want to try to make it tomorrow but no one has posted here that they tried or liked it. If so, what did you think?
Hi Michelle,
I DID try it! Flavor is really good, very easy to make. I thought it was a little too thick, though, I’m going to experiment with that some.
Plain old cheesecake!!! Nothing better in this world!!! And so easy to make!!
I can’t wait to try this homemade enchilada sauce! Now my favorite thing to make from scratch is definitely marinara sauce. Always worth that low and slow effort!
tweet–https://twitter.com/mami2jcn/status/445892111930773504
My mother-in-law’s apple cake is worth making from scratch.
Chicken and dumplings with homemade dumplings and chicken stock. So worth it.
Is this a sauce that can be canned? I wasn’t sure because of the flour and oil used.
No, unfortunately, this is not a sauce for canning.
HOW ABOUT FROZEN?
Unfortunately, I have not tried freezing this so I cannot answer this question. Please use your own judgment for freezing.
In the post, you said that you could throw it in the freezer for next time. Just a guess I assume? I would have to say that it will be fine in the freezer. It’s tomatoes and vegetables – it should come out tasting pretty good…even after being frozen.
Yes, this can be frozen. Just be sure to bring the sauce to room temperature before freezing.
hi Chung-Ah thank you for all your recipes i love them i have to adapt a few as i am diabetic but so love asian food keep up the great site thanks kind regards sue
Looks delicious!
What a gorgeous sauce! I love the simplicity of the images and that sauce just pops! So pretty!
I second that!
Okay. No enchilada stuff here so could this be used for a spaghetti sauce or something else? The sauce seems nice.
Judy, this sauce is really catered for enchiladas, not so much for spaghetti.
Oh well. No point in making it then.
:'(
Replace the seasonings for Italian seasonings; basil, oregano, garlic, onion… follow same instructions. There you have it. Spaghetti sauce!
Sure you can. I have made Mexican style spaghetti often. It’s tasty. You just call it something different and no one would know the difference! I like to use a different type of pasta than the regular spaghetti, like bows.
Looks fantastic, but I need a gluten-free version. Do you think I could substitute flour with corn starch? :-)??
Lara, unfortunately cornstarch will not be an appropriate substitute. If you need a gluten-free version, this may not be the best recipe to use.
I’m curious as to why you think corn starch would not work – ? Wheat flour is used as a thickener in this recipe. I don’t think rice or coconut flour provides the same thickening action, and cornmeal just soaks up extra liquid to thicken it. Have you tried corn starch? It was my first thought as a GF sub for wheat flour. Making this soon, so curious to hear your reasoning/experience!
Cornstarch is just too heavy as a thickener for enchilada sauce. Enchilada sauce is not as thick as, say chowder, and has a bit of runny-ness to it. But by using cornstarch, you may lose a bit of the control factor and create a very thick enchilada sauce instead.
You should use Masa (the corn flour used for tortillas)
Actually this recipe is easily adapted to using cornstarch and eliminating that much oil would make it healthier as well. Skip the oil and flour roux. Simmer all ingredients together reserving 1/2 cup of water. Mix 1 tsp. cornflour into the remaining water and stir continuously while pouring into the sauce. This will give the sauce more body and you can let it simmer awhile to desired thickness.
Actually, this works beautifully for gluten free with an all purpose gf flour mix like King Arthur or Pillsbury gluten free flour. My son has celiac and I have made this successfully, so was surprised to see this comment.
Coconut flour
Lara, I have used cornmeal/ maize several times and it worked out wonderfully! I love the extra texture and added flavor it gives, especially when I’m using corn tortillas anyway!
Lara – we have been gluten – free for 8+yrs. I made this and just left out the flour completely. No substitution used. It was delicious!!! Try that!
Lara, you can use an equal amount of rice flour. Works in many recipes.
For all of you celiacs out there, a number of gluten free all purpose flours are available at many major supermarkets out there (Safeway, for instance). I’m doing this recipe tonite, gluten-free for my fiance, who has celiac disease. I’m sure there will be no difference in the taste. Thanks for sharing this recipe. Looks great!
I used gluten free flour, worked just great!
Make it without flour then don’t add the cup of water. Worked great for me! If you want it thicker use cornstarch or arrowroot.
Use tapioca
You could use pasta but make it with ground beef or chicken and add cheddar cheese and enchilada type toppings to it. Like a mexican pasta. Probably would be delicious!
Dear Judy,
Actually, oregano, basil, coriander, rosemary, cinnamon, cloves, chocolate, nuts and a host of other spices that you might associate with Italian or other ethnic foods are frequently used in traditional Mexican cuisine. Unfortunately, most Americans have never tried or been exposed to authentic Mexican food as most restaurants are reluctant to serve it, but more are starting to. Anyway, you may have missed the two important ingredients listed that make this a Mexican sauce and not Italian, chili powder and cumin. Many deep country enchilada sauces don’t use tomatoes at all, just chili’s and spices. Some use masa, I don’t, but I have had it that way. I figure with the corn tortilla you don’t need a thickening agent because the chili powder has it already. Some put chocolate or cocoa powder in their sauce, as I do. Perhaps you should try the recipe first before being critical. I don’t use sugar in mine, but try it with the cocoa powder, about a teaspoon per regular size can of sauce.
Ok…
Gorgeous enchilada sauce, Chung-Ah! Thanks for sharing, girl. Pinning!
I wanted to make enchiladas but I forgot to get sauce at
the
grocery store and thought
about making a trip only for the sauce then with a stroke of good luck saw your recipe!!!!! It’s simply DELICIOUS I
used
chicken broth instead of the cup of water and used a jar of ragu instead of crushed tomatoes. Very good
simple recipe.
Before I had added the brown sugar. It had tasted better. Brown should not be added.