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Homemade Enchilada Sauce

I’ve posted about this before {Authentic Enchiladas}. But this sauce is so good it deserves its own post.

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My mom’s homemade enchilada sauce is the best. To be honest… I’ve never purchased pre-made enchilada sauce before and I don’t think I ever will.
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Five ingredients is all it takes. Here’s what you’ll need:

  • 2 cups flour
  • 5 Tablespoons chili powder
  • 2 Tablespoons salt
  • 2 Tablespoons pepper
  • 6 cups of water

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Did you know this sauce is also vegan? I just realized that… Who’d a thought a family recipe would be vegan?
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Combine all the ingredients in a bowl or large pyrex and whisk together.
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Next you want to add 3 cups of water and whisk until smooth.
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Pour mixture into a large heavy saucepan. Add 2 more cups of water and cook for 1 hour on med-low heat. Be sure not to let the mixture boil. You basically want to stand over the stove and constantly stir. Stir until you feel like your arm might fall off.

Over the course of an hour, you want to add 2 more cups of water. The longer this sauce cooks the better. The chili powder flavor develops more and more.
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I have to warn you… this makes a ton of sauce, so unless you plan on making enchiladas for an army, I suggest you freeze half of it.

Because this makes so much sauce, I came up with some other ways you can use it:

  • In enchiladas (obviously)
  • Pour over eggs
  • Use the sauce as a base for enchilada soup
  • Drizzle a little inside a taco
  • Pour over a burrito
  • Drizzle over mashed potatoes
  • Mix in with beans
  • Mix in with chili

I did the obvious and made some enchiladas. But… for the first time in my entire life, I made them with flour tortillas.
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Deeeeelicious!
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If you had a massive quantity of enchilada sauce, how would you use it?

15 Responses

  1. Jessica @ How Sweet said on September 29, 2010 at 8:30 am

    I have always wanted to make my own enchilada sauce but have never bit the bullet and done it. We eat enchiladas almost every week in our house so I think I need to try!

  2. Heather (Heather's Dish) said on September 29, 2010 at 8:32 am

    THANK YOU for this recipe! i cannot wait to try this…hopefully friday! i’m definitely bookmarking this one!

  3. Tina said on September 29, 2010 at 8:39 am

    Next time I’m making enchiladas I will use this! I always wanted to make my own sauce but never came across any reasonable looking recipes…until now. 😀

  4. Tracey @ I'm Not Superhuman said on September 29, 2010 at 8:41 am

    I’ve never made enchiladas. I keep saying I want to, but then end up with tacos instead. Yours look great. I might have to try the sauce when I do get around to making enchiladas.

  5. Sarena (The Non Dairy Queen) said on September 29, 2010 at 8:45 am

    That much flour? I had no idea. I have been thinking about making enchiladas so I am totally using this recipe! I had no idea it was that easy. I wonder if you could use some of the sauce in a cornbread recipe for part of the liquid? Now I am excited about making enchiladas!

  6. Rachel (Two Healthy Plates) said on September 29, 2010 at 8:54 am

    I had no idea how to make enchilada sauce – seems pretty easy though! It sounds really delicious, I love all of your ideas about using the sauce!

  7. Lindsay @ The Ketchup Diaries said on September 29, 2010 at 9:41 am

    Who knew it was so easy to create your own sauce?!? I’m going to try this next time I make enchiladas!

  8. Sue said on September 29, 2010 at 9:51 am

    Hi Estela…..how’s everything? So excited to try your Mom’s recipe!!!!! Do you also make the tortillas? Jamie is always looking for enchilada sauce and can never find it!! I’m sure he’ll be excited to try this!

  9. Ashley said on September 29, 2010 at 10:33 am

    Awesome recipe! I need to make a gluten free version of this! I want enchiladas soon but pre-bought sauces all contain wheat 🙁

    Check out my new blog!
    http://mindofhealth.wordpress.com/

  10. Samantha Angela @ Bikini Birthday said on September 29, 2010 at 11:00 am

    I don’t think I’ve ever had enchiladas before. At least, I wasn’t aware that they had a specific sauce.

  11. Beth @ DiningAndDishing said on September 29, 2010 at 12:10 pm

    Looks delicious! I love enchiladas but have never tried making them myself.

  12. theHealthyapron said on September 29, 2010 at 2:21 pm

    Just made enchiladas over the weekend and I WISH I had had this recipe to try! Looks fantastic! Plus, it’s homemade and I’m all about making your OWN things!

  13. emily (a nutritionist eats) said on September 29, 2010 at 2:39 pm

    I would never have expected the sauce to be flour-based! I’m not sure why, but interesting! I need to add your enchiladas to my list, I’ve been meaning to make them!

  14. Nour El-Zibdeh, RD said on September 29, 2010 at 2:58 pm

    I buy canned enchilada sauce–which I’m not happy about but have not found a recipe yet–and I’ve always thought it had tomatoes of some sort. I like this one. Hubby loves enchilada, would love to try it. Another tip: make 2 trays of enchiladas then freeze one (not just the sauce) so on nights when you don’t have time to cook, you just pop the whole tray out of the freezer and bake. I’ve don’t that before and the freeze pretty well

  15. Averie (LoveVeggiesAndYoga) said on September 29, 2010 at 11:07 pm

    per the last comment you left me…Ono, and that you’ve been there and enjoyed. WHAT a small world!!!

    And that youre mexican, 2 comments ago, you told me that and that, yes, you like mexican food 🙂 I honestly didnt even know that you were mexican! But judging by this enchi sauce, I can totally tell 🙂

    YUM!!!!!!!!