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    Home » sauces

    Quick and Easy Enchilada Sauce

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    pinterest graphic for enchilada sauce recipe showing side view of two sauce jars
    easy enchilada sauce recipe pinterest graphic showing side and top view of sauce jar

    Cooking is not required to create this delicious quick and easy enchilada sauce! Just stir the ingredients together and like magic you have a beautiful, delicious sauce in just 5 minutes. Oil-free and gluten-free, full of flavor and whole food plant-based ingredients.

    two jars of homemade enchilada sauce with a stack of corn tortillas

    I have had a lot of trouble finding a decent enchilada sauce at the store. I'd just like a simple sauce, preferably using organic-quality ingredients so that I'm not enabling the problem of harmful chemicals, and a great flavor. Surprisingly, there aren't a lot out there. So I finally decided it was time to make my own. The results? The best tasting enchilada sauce I've ever tried! And did I mention how quick and easy this enchilada sauce is to make?

    Jump to:
    • Ingredients & Variations
    • Equipment
    • Instructions
    • Serving
    • Storage
    • Tip
    • Recipe
    • More Mexican night recipes:
    • or check out more on the recipes page
    ingredients to make easy enchilada sauce

    Ingredients & Variations

    The flavorings:

    Cacao powder, coriander, and molasses bring depth. I image carob could replace cacao powder, though I haven't tried it. Coriander could be omitted.

    Garlic and onion powders/granules bring aromatics. If you're missing one, double the other.

    Chili powder, chipotle powder, and smoked paprika bring spice. Again, if you're missing one you could replace it with another - just watch out for adding too much heat if adding more of a hot ingredient like chipotle.

    Strained tomatoes or other smooth tomatoes/sauces are the easiest to use. If using whole peeled tomatoes instead, use a blender or food processor to break them down.

    Tomato paste thickens the sauce and adds a delicious sweetness, while the water softens the flavor a bit and smooths out the sauce.

    The salt and lime juice elevate the flavors. If you'd prefer to not add salt, add extra lime juice.

    a jar of enchilada sauce surrounded by corn tortillas

    Equipment

    You can simply use a large bowl. It helps if there is a pour spout on the bowl; otherwise, you can ladle the sauce into the jars. Alternatively, you can use a blender or food processor.

    Instructions

    The steps to making this enchilada sauce recipe really are quick and easy, shown here:

    Stir together the ingredients
    getting ready to pour enchilada sauce into jars
    Pour sauce into jars (a wide mouth funnel helps)
    two jars of homemade jars of enchilada sauce
    Store jars in the fridge or freezer

    Serving

    This recipe makes quite a bit of enchilada sauce, enough for at least two meals. It's wonderful with classic enchiladas or in burritos or tacos, or stirred into beans.

    While this sauce doesn't require cooking to make it, it is best served heated as part of a meal.

    Storage

    Keep the jars of sauce in the refrigerator for up to several days. I have not tried freezing the sauce yet, but theoretically that should work!

    Tip

    If stirring the ingredients in a bowl, make sure you stir well so that the powders get well incorporated. They should no longer be visible when finished.

    A wide mouthed funnel like a jam funnel can make the process of pouring into the jars less messy.

    Make this recipe with Veggie Enchilada Casserole

    Recipe

    a jar of homemade enchilada sauce with corn tortillas and a lime

    Quick and Easy Enchilada Sauce

    Cooking is not required to create this delicious quick and easy enchilada sauce! Just stir the ingredients together and like magic you have a beautiful, delicious sauce in just 5 minutes. Oil-free and gluten-free, full of flavor and whole food plant-based ingredients.
    5 from 1 vote
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: Sauce
    Cuisine: Mexican
    Key Attributes: easy, enchilada, quick, sauce, taco
    Prep Time: 3 minutes
    Cook Time: 0 minutes
    Blend Time: 2 minutes
    Total Time: 5 minutes
    Servings: 12
    Fiber: 2.6g
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    Equipment

    • 1 large bowl preferably one with a pour spout
    • 1 blender alternatively
    • 1 food processor alternatively

    Ingredients

    • 2 tablespoons cacao powder
    • 1 tablespoon garlic powder
    • 1 tablespoon onion powder
    • 1 tablespoon smoked paprika sweet unless you like it really hot
    • 2 teaspoons coriander
    • 2 teaspoons chili powder
    • 1 teaspoon chipotle powder
    • 1 teaspoon salt
    • 2 tablespoons molasses
    • ½ cup water
    • 24 ounces strained tomatoes jar
    • 7 ounce tomato paste jar
    • 2 ½ tablespoons lime juice or juice of one lime

    Instructions

    • Combine all the ingredients in a large bowl, blender, or food processor.
    • Stir or blend until well mixed.
    • Place in two 16-ounce/2-cup jars or containers and store in the refrigerator to use within the week.

    Video

    Notes

    Beautiful Ingredient offers nutritional information for recipes on this site as a courtesy. The calculations are automatically provided by an outside service, which at times may not have a reference for every exact ingredient precisely as intended.  Therefore, while accuracy is attempted, calculations should be considered rough estimates.
    Tried this recipe?I'd love to see! On Instagram, mention @beautifulingredient and tag #beautifulingredient!

    More Mexican night recipes:

    • Everyday Oil-free Vegan Cheese Sauce
    • Veggie Enchilada Casserole
    • Vegan Mexican Flatbread Pizza
    • Favorite Guacamole

    or check out more on the recipes page

    More sauces

    • Vegan Sour Cream (oil-free)
    • Easy Pasta Bolognese with Red Lentils (vegan)
    • Five Minute Drizzly Vegan Caramel Sauce
    • Vegan Lemon Garlic Aioli (oil-free)

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    Welcome to a world of beautiful food!

    I'm Kari, and this is where I celebrate beautiful ingredients and focus on ways to make eating more plants easier. Recipes are centered around whole foods and are vegan, oil-free, refined sugar-free, and mostly gluten-free. And so delicious!



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