Similar to making homemade marinara sauce, this homemade enchilada sauce uses crushed tomatoes as a base. This helps make the texture luxuriously thick, and will work well with almost any enchilada recipe that requires red sauce! It’s also spicy, but this can be tempered a bit by adding fewer chipotle peppers. But what I love about this recipe is that it uses a WHOLE can of chipotle peppers and adobo, meaning you don’t have to think of a use for the leftover chipotle chiles! And it’s SO easy to make.
How to make homemade chipotle enchilada sauce
Just sauté some onions and garlic, add some crushed tomatoes, stock, spices, and chipotle chiles, simmer, and blend together! Here are some tips for success.
How to make it less spicy
This recipe packs a punch, because it uses a whole small can (3.5 oz.) of chipotle chiles. I find that the spiciness is balanced out by just a little bit of honey or sugar added to the sauce, and when you add it to enchiladas, it’s also tamed a bit. But if you don’t like things too spicy, it’s an easy fix- just use fewer chipotle peppers! Try just 1 or 2, with a little bit of the adobo sauce. If you have leftover chipotle peppers, you can try using them for 10-minute chipotle steak tacos or baked chipotle chicken burritos.
How to store/freeze enchilada sauce
I divided this batch into three standard mason jars. Then, I used one for enchiladas, and put the other two in my freezer. If you use mason jars to freeze the sauce, make sure you leave some room at the top to allow for expansion and if you want to be extra safe, use freezer-safe jars. You can also freeze in any airtight container, or even in small zip-top bags. It will stay good for about 6 months in the freezer, or about 5 days in the fridge.
Recipes to use chipotle enchilada sauce
You can easily use this chipotle sauce for a variety of uses- as a topping on chicken tacos, stirred into tortilla soup, baked beans, or in Mexican Lasagna! Here are more traditional ways to use the enchilada sauce:
Easy Chicken Enchiladas Turkey Enchiladas with Black Beans and Corn Smoky Sweet Potato and Black Bean Enchiladas Chicken and Corn Enchilada Casserole Beef Enchiladas (from Gimme some Oven)
Other homemade sauces
Five-Minute Avocado Sauce Authentic Tzatziki Sauce Homemade Pizza Sauce
Here are all my homemade sauces and condiments. Did you make this homemade chipotle enchilada sauce recipe? Please click the stars below to comment and Rate this Recipe!
