This yummy homemade red enchilada sauce is gluten free and packed with flavor! Use it to make a tasty Mexican meal at home, from scratch. This easy recipe for enchilada sauce will help you make two batches, so you can enjoy it for two meals!
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Why Red Enchilada Sauce is so great to make…
- Mild spice – or add more seasonings to spice it up!
- DOUBLE BATCH – I’ll show you how to make 2 meals worth, one for now and one to enjoy later.
- It’s gluten free – you use simple ingredients and no All Purpose Flour, and no gluten free flour, either. You don’t need any flour for this recipe!
The best smoked chicken enchiladas start with this homemade enchilada sauce.
New to cooking homemade Mexican food from scratch?
Scroll to the bottom of this post for step-by-step video instructions.
Ingredients
Here’s what you need to make enchilada sauce from scratch.
- ½ onion
- 3 cloves garlic
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp chili powder
- ½ tsp ground cumin
- ½ tsp oregano
- 1 tbsp brown sugar
- salt + pepper
- 28 oz tomato sauce
- 1.5 cups chicken stock or vegetable broth
Stock up on the Spice Walla spice kit I use to make seasonings and rubs any time!
See popular smoked food recipes on Sip Bite Go…
How to make enchilada sauce at home…
Now I’ll walk you through it…
Quick look at making red enchilada sauce
- Simmer onion, garlic, and olive oil for about 10 minutes.
- Add seasonings and stir for 30 seconds.
- Add tomato sauce and chicken stock and simmer for 15-20 minutes or until done – I like to thicken the sauce a bit.
- Use in your favorite homemade enchilada recipe.
Soon I’ll have a recipe for green enchilada sauce, too…
Detailed Red Enchilada Sauce Recipe…
- Simmer onion, garlic, and olive oil for about 10 minutes in a pot on the stove on medium heat, stirring regularly, until onion is translucent.
- Add all seasonings (chili powder, cumin, oregano, brown sugar, salt) to sautéed onions and garlic and let the flavors infuse together for about 30 seconds on medium-low heat.
- Add tomato sauce and chicken stock. Simmer, covered, for 15-20 minutes on medium-low heat. Cool to room temperature and blend smooth if desired (I don’t find it necessary, but you can).
To make enchiladas, sautéed onions and peppers while cooking the red enchilada sauce.
You’ll put enchilada sauce at the bottom of a pan, and over the tortilla rolled enchiladas before baking them, smothered in cheese.
Assemble enchiladas with cooked protein and griddled corn on the cob, or smoked corn on the cob kernels…
And then smoke, air fry, or bake chicken enchiladas according to the Sip Bite Go recipe of your choice, until cheese is melted.
See how to make smoked enchiladas with homemade sauce
See tasty Sip Bite Go smoker recipes….
Try this beer can chicken smoker recipe…
FAQs
Yes, add it to a bag or container that is freezer safe. Take it out of the freezer the night or two before you want to use it in a recipe.
Enchilada sauce will stay good for a few days, maybe longer depending on your seal. Try this recipe for using enchilada sauce as a simmer sauce for chicken. Serve it up with some Mexican rice, caramelized onions and griddled corn on the cob for a tasty meal.
Easy Mexican food inspired recipes on Sip Bite Go…
- chicken enchiladas (a must-try recipe)
- Homemade enchilada sauce
- fajita sides
- make ahead Mexican salad
- recipe for Mexican pasta salad
- smoked Mexican food for taco night
- Mexican tortellini salad
- griddled quesadillas
- griddled chicken fajitas
- smoked salsa
- smoked queso
- smoked margaritas
- sauteed peppers and onions for fajitas
- Taco Bell inspired ground beef pizza
- Pizza Hut inspired taco-flavored ground beef pizza
- salsa marinade for steak
- how to freeze refried beans
New recipes and foodie guides….
- Tri tip (it’s so good!)
- Chicken enchiladas with homemade enchilada sauce
- Homemade pizza
- Smoked wings
- Traeger pizza
- Pan grilled chicken
- Bacon wrapped hot dogs
- Potato side dishes
- Pasta side dishes
- Baked brisket
- Sous vide frozen steak
- Cooked chicken temp guide
- Jalapeno ranch sauce
- Sous vide pork chops
- Coulotte steak
- GUIDE: How to make hamburger patties
- GUIDE: Aerogarden
- Best restaurants in Portland
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Grill and smoker recipes…
- Grilled chicken wings
- Smoked pizza
- Smoked chicken
- Smoked tri tip
- Traeger pulled pork
- Grilled shrimp
- Smoked turkey breast
- Smoked chicken wings
- Smoked ham
- Flank steak marinade
- Skirt steak marinade
- Smoked mac and cheese
- Smoked chicken breast
- Grilled broccoli
- Smoked queso
Meat thermometer recommendations
Every home chef needs a reliable meat thermometer to cook food perfectly.
On Sip Bite Go, you’ll often see me using:
- Meater thermometer – a fancy wireless thermometer that connects to a phone app – gifted to me from a Traeger partnership.
- ThermoPro digital thermometer – which has a wire that connects the thermometer to a display box outside the oven/grill.
It’s like being psychic! The great thing about either of the thermometers above is that I don’t have to take the food out of the oven to know the temperature.
How to use ‘em… What I do is stick the digital thermometer in steak, pork, chicken, whatever… Then put the food in the oven, on the smoker, or grill.
While the meat cooks, it reads the temperature so I know exactly what temp meat is as it’s cooking. Without having to take it out and check. It’s really difficult to overcook food when you know exactly what temp it is inside!
Are you a foodie, too?
Hey home chef, hope that answers all your questions about how to make red enchilada sauce that is gluten free and delicious.
Enjoy cooking and chat soon on Instagram / TikTok / YouTube.
– Jenna
Next, browse the Sip Bite Go recipe collection…
Homemade Enchilada Sauce Recipe (Gluten Free) | Sip Bite Go
Equipment
Ingredients
- ½ medium onion diced small
- 3 cloves garlic diced
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp chili powder ground
- ½ tsp cumin ground
- ½ tsp oregano dried
- 1 tbsp brown sugar
- ½ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp pepper brown
- 28 oz tomato sauce plain, from a can
- 1.5 cups chicken stock
Instructions
- Simmer onion, garlic, and olive oil for about 10 minutes in a pot on the stove on medium heat, stirring regularly, until onion is translucent.
- Add all seasonings (chili powder, cumin, oregano, brown sugar, salt) to sautéed onions and garlic and let the flavors meld together for about 30 seconds on medium-low heat.
- Add tomato sauce and chicken stock to the red enchilada sauce spices in the pot. Simmer, covered, for 15-20 minutes on medium-low heat. Cool to room temperature and blend smooth if desired (I don’t find it necessary, but you can).
- To make enchiladas, sauté onions and peppers filling (get recipe on Sip Bite Go) while cooking the red enchilada sauce. HIGH LEVEL – You’ll put enchilada sauce at the bottom of a pan, and over the tortilla rolled enchiladas before baking them, smothered in cheese. Assemble enchiladas with cooked protein like chicken or steak, and corn and onions and peppers filling. Then you'll bake / smoke / air fry enchiladas according to the Sip Bite Go enchilada guides you can find online.
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