This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.
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!
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.
How to make Homemade Enchilada Sauce:
- Melt butter in a large saucepan.
- Create a roux: Sprinkle in the flour and cook for several minutes.
- Season: Add in the spices.
- Pour in the beef broth and add the tomato paste, stir while heating until sauce is thickened.
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:
- Nothing beats a classic Tex Mex Cheese Enchilada!
- For a fun appetizer or snack these Tex Mex Enchilada Meatballs will hit the spot.
- These Smothered Burritos are always a hit for family dinner and have tons of rave reviews!
- A tasty twist on beef enchiladas, try these Chorizo Enchiladas.
- Authentic Beef enchiladas are easy to make and extra flavorful!
Tex Mex Chili Gravy Enchilada Sauce
Ingredients
- ¼ cup oil or butter can use canola or vegetable oil
- ¼ cup all purpose flour
- ½ tsp ground black pepper
- ¾ tsp salt
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 2 tsp ground cumin
- ½ tsp dried oregano
- 1 tbsp chili powder
- 2 cups beef broth can sub with another type use a LOW or NO SODIUM
- 1 tbsp tomato paste
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
- 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
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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.
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.
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.
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
Yum-Yum, it is sooo good!!
This is seriously good. Goodbye canned stuff. I could eat this by itself it is so good.
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!
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.
Made it with leftover olive oil, pot roast, tomato sauce and gravy rather than butter and tomato paste.
It was DIVINE! The best enchildas I’ve ever eaten. Family loved it.
So delicious! My partner is a transplant from South Texas now living in a city with little to no good Tex-Mex options. I made beef enchiladas for him with this sauce tonight and he was IMPRESSED! This was truly delicious
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!
(oops), also I omitted the onion powder since I used fresh..
absolutely delicious! never buying enchilada sauce from the store again!