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Best EVER Enchilada Sauce Recipe. Also known as Tex Mex Chili Gravy. This quick and easy recipe comes together in about 10 minutes. It’s bold and flavorful and will give your enchiladas an authentic taste!

Cup filled with homemade enchilada sauce, with sauce dripping down the side and a spoon on top.


 

This isn’t just any enchilada sauce y’all. This is certified Tex Mex Chili Gravy. This sauce is exactly what you will find smothering enchiladas in the great state of Texas. Designed to be a combination of gravy that could be found on a steak and a traditional Mexican enchilada sauce, this Chili Gravy is a cornerstone to Tex Mex cooking. Serve these enchiladas alongside some Charro Beans and Mexican Rice for a complete Tex Mex experience.

If you don’t have any enchilada sauce on hand or you’re wanting to elevate your cooking this recipe is for you! And you will never go back to using the canned version again!

Ingredients Needed:

  • oil/fat– my preference is to use butter. However, you could use a corn or vegetable oil. Olive oil tends to have a strong flavor and I avoid it in this recipe. 
  • All purpose flour– use to thicken the sauce slightly.
  • Spices– a mixture of salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, oregano, cumin, and Chile powder. My all time favorite chile powder is Gebhardts, which originated in Texas in the 1800. If you can’t find it in your local markets, Amazon does sell it. (affiliate link)
  • Broth– my preference for this sauce is to use beef broth. However, some people say the flavor is too much using the beef. You can easily substitute with a chicken or even a vegetable broth if you prefer. Just ensure you are using a low sodium. If you are using a regular broth you will need to cut out the salt in the recipe and salt according to taste if needed.
  • Tomato paste– just a small amount, it adds to the thickness of the sauce.
Homemade Enchilada Sauce recipe.

How to make Homemade Enchilada Sauce:

  1. Melt butter in a large saucepan.
  2. Create a roux: Sprinkle in the flour and cook for several minutes.
  3. Season: Add in the spices.
  4. Pour in the beef broth and add the tomato paste, stir while heating until sauce is thickened.
Melted butter in a large saucepan with flour sprinkled in.
Thick paste that forms when mixing butter with flour.
Spices being added to make a enchilada sauce.

How to Store Enchilada Sauce:

  • This enchilada sauce can be stored in the fridge 5-7 days. Just give the jar a shake before using.
  • To freeze this enchilada sauce: add to freezer resealable bags, lay flat in the freezer on a baking sheet. Once frozen, you can easily stack the bags. Can be frozen for up to 3 months. To thaw, place the enchilada sauce into the refrigerator overnight. Reheat the sauce in a skillet. 

Best Ways to use Enchilada Sauce:

 

Tex Mex Chili Gravy Enchilada Sauce

4.99 from 230 votes
Prep: 5 minutes
Cook: 10 minutes
Total: 15 minutes
Servings: 2 cups
Author: Serene
Tex Mex Chili Gravy Enchilada Sauce. This quick and easy recipe comes together in about 10 minutes. It's bold and flavorful and will give your enchiladas an authentic taste! If you don't have any enchilada sauce on hand or you're wanting to elevate your cooking this recipe is for you! And you will never go back to using the canned version again!
Cup filled with homemade enchilada sauce, with sauce dripping down the side and a spoon on top.

Ingredients  

Instructions 

  • Heat Oil: Heat the oil or butter in a medium size skillet over medium heat.
  • Make Roux: Add in the flour and stir to mix. Will be a thick mixture. Allow this to cook for just 1-2 minutes.
  • Season: Add in the spices. Stir to form a thick paste.
  • Heat: Stir in the broth and tomato paste. Stir until smooth. Continue to heat while stirring for several minutes until the sauce is slightly thickened. Keep the heat to just below a simmer.
  • Use: Pour into a jar to store or use to make
    .

Video

Equipment

Notes

Broth: Make sure you are using a low or no sodium broth. If not then you will need to cut back on the amount of salt in the recipe. I would recommend tasting first before adding salt, so that the sauce doesn't turn out too salty.
Storage: 
  • This enchilada sauce can be stored in the fridge 5-7 days. Just give the jar a shake before using.
  • To freeze this enchilada sauce: add to freezer resealable bags, lay flat in the freezer on a baking sheet. Once frozen, you can easily stack the bags. Can be frozen for up to 3 months. To thaw, place the enchilada sauce into the refrigerator overnight. Reheat the sauce in a skillet. 

Nutrition

Serving: 1cup | Calories: 114kcal | Protein: 8g | Fat: 3g

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Like this? Leave a comment below!

This recipe was originally posted in 2016. Updated on March 28, 2018. And updated again on January 10, 2020 with new photos and informational video.


Welcome to my kitchen!

Welcome to the House of Yumm!! My name is Serene. I’m the food photographer, recipe developer, and official taste tester around these parts.

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135 Comments

  1. I just made this and it is the absolute BEST sauce I have ever made! My husband is in love with it and I will definitely be making it again! Also – I have never in all of my 54 years left a review of a recipe, but I had to tell you how much I loved this recipe! Thank you for sharing! I will be check out the rest of your recipes!

    1. Thank you so much! I’m so happy that you enjoy the recipe and thank you for taking the time to leave a review!

  2. I have been looking for an Enchilada Sauce recipe that we would like and this is definitely it. It tastes very similar to a Mexican restaurant near us. They add Queso to the sauce for their grilled shrimp recipe. I will no longer buy my Enchilada Sauce. Thanks for a great recipe.

  3. I didn’t have a can of enchilada sauce on hand, so I decided to use this one. I will never go back to the can! This is easy and super delicious.

  4. This IS the sauce you’re looking for. As good as some of the better TexMex joints. I’ve lived near Houston most of my life but moved away and THIS is what I wanted. The gravy is like the original Mama Ninfa’s and El Tiempo. Sauces up north tend to be red and just an afterthought. This is the stuff

    Thank you

  5. This is the BEST enchilada sauce ever! Even better than the Mexican restaurants I’ve been to. Comes together super easy, reheats well, and is just so darn GOOD! I will NEVER buy canned enchilada sauce ever again. I have given this recipe to countless family and friends. Used with her shredded Mexican chicken to make her enchilada recipe, it’s one of my absolute favorites!

    1. Made this recipe twice, first time just as written. It was very good. Second time I thinned it down, added 3tbsp of lime juice and added 1tsp of jalapeno salt. Wow, was it delicious, lots of zing and heat! Served it with beef tamales, this will be my go to from now on…only tip I can give is to be sure and cook the flour and spices for at least 5 minutes to get rid of the flour taste.

  6. Great sauce, like everyone else has said. I was looking to recreate one from a place I used to go to in Corpus Christi.

    Like some other commenters, I used ground beef. First I chopped yellow onions very fine. Then browned the beef on top of them. I added all the recipe spices to the beef as it completed cooking. I also chopped away at the beef with a spatula to make the pieces as small as possible. I then tipped the pan such that the fat from the beef ran to one side, and used this for the roux instead of butter or oil. Then continued with the recipe.

    At the end I felt it needed a bit more heat, so along came Chohula. Then I thought it needed a bit of brightness so I added a lime juice from one half of a lime.

    Glorious!