Homemade Vegan Enchilada Sauce is the perfect red sauce for all your Mexican-inspired dishes — ready in just a few minutes! Top yummy rolled corn tortillas with this simple tomato sauce with chili powder, cumin, garlic powder, and oregano.
VEGAN ENCHILADA SAUCE RECIPE
I celebrate every Taco Tuesday, but it's not always with traditional tacos. Make your own vegan enchilada sauce this week! It's super simple with just 8 pantry staples between you and a zesty seasoned tomato sauce.
Add it to these delicious vegetarian enchiladas filled with tofu, rice, and beans and of course topped with a little cheese. There's nothing better than warm and saucy enchiladas!
INGREDIENTS IN VEGAN ENCHILADA SAUCE
Tomato sauce: I make my enchilada sauce with tomato sauce instead of a red chile sauce. It has a little more sweetness and the perfect topping for stuffed tortillas!
Liquid smoke: This wonderful seasoning liquid brings that smoked flavor to any dish without adding meat or smoke itself! It's not to be skipped.
Vegetable broth: You can use chicken broth if you're not on a vegan diet, but I think the vegetable broth adds a richer flavor to the sauce!
Flour: You can use regular all-purpose flour or gluten free for this enchilada sauce recipe.
Chili powder: This bright red seasoning brings the color and the smokiness to this traditional Mexican sauce.
Cumin: If you ever say, "my Mexican food is missing a little something," I'd bet it's cumin! It has a warm, earthy flavor with a little sweetness and a little bitterness. One of my favorite spices!
Garlic powder: Unlike raw garlic, garlic powder has a sweeter flavor and none of the texture of minced garlic. It's perfect for sauces!
Oregano: I use regular dried oregano for this sauce recipe, but if you have it, try Mexican oregano! It brings the same flavor profile with a slightly different grassy taste.
If you have any questions, please leave a comment below and I will get back to you ASAP!
HOW TO MAKE VEGAN ENCHILADA SAUCE
- First, mix the tomato sauce, liquid smoke, and vegetable broth together in a warm sauce pan.
- Then, add the flour, chili powder, cumin, garlic powder, and oregano to the skillet.
- Now, whisk everything together until there's no flour clumps left.
- Finally, bring the sauce to a boil and simmer on low until it's thickened some. Serve immediately or cool and store in airtight jars! You can store this homemade sauce in the fridge for up to a week or in the freezer for about 3 months!
These numbered steps match the numbered photos above and are for illustration purposes. For the complete list of ingredients and instructions, please see the recipe below.
WHAT TO SERVE WITH ENCHILADA SAUCE
Mix it up this Mexican-inspired night with the fastest air fryer enchiladas. Keep the oven off tonight!
This Mexican tater tot casserole is hearty enough for a main dish. We love it so much, I make it monthly and eat it any time of day!
Mexican corn on the cob, or elote, is a delicious side dish! I keep it simple by ditching the dairy — and a few calories, too.
There's no more classic side dishes than a simple Spanish rice and Instant Pot black beans. You don't even have to soak the dried beans! Never go back to canned beans again.
WHAT ARE THE DIFFERENT ENCHILADA SAUCES?
Enchiladas are amazing because, like tacos, they can be filled with almost anything!
Traditionally, these corn tortillas are stuffed with a range of meat, beans, and cheese plus topped off with a red or green enchilada sauce.
Red enchilada sauce, like this recipe, is most common — made from dried red chile peppers, vinegar, onions, garlic, basil, oregano, and chili powder. Some also use tomato paste or whole tomatoes.
I make this with tomato sauce, vegetable broth, cumin, chili powder, garlic, and oregano.
CAN YOU FREEZE HOMEMADE ENCHILADA SAUCE?
Once you try this homemade enchilada sauce recipe, you'll never buy the canned version again. There's just so much flavor in this little jar!
And the best part is you don't have to make it every time you want some! You can easily freeze the sauce in airtight jars up to 3 months.
It only lasts about 5 days in the fridge, so be sure to freeze it before then. I like to whip up a batch on a lazy Sunday and freeze it for future Taco Tuesdays with no fuss.
To use, simply thaw and add to any dish! You can reheat if necessary, too, in a small sauce pan on a low simmer.
MORE YUMMY MEXICAN RECIPES
If you love classic enchiladas, you'll love this super cheesy enchilada soup in the slow cooker! Let the Crockpot do the work for your next Taco Tuesday.
Looking for something smaller? These crunchy vegan taquitos are filled with beyond meat and crisped up perfectly in the air fryer.
Skip the Chipotle line and make your own vegan burritos at home! I've got a few tips for the best burritos packed with your fav toppings.
Need a new protein in the mix? Try my Instant Pot taco "meat" that's great in enchiladas, tacos, or burrito bowls!
Tofu sofritas is the perfect Mexican meal prep. These taco bowls with rice, lettuce, tomatoes, guacamole, and black beans are lunches I truly look forward to.
We have an Air Fryer website where we share all sorts of recipes. If you are interested in meat, Air Fryer Chicken Fajitas are a super simple Mexican meal to share.
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Enchilada Sauce
Equipment
- Sauce pan
Ingredients
- 1 8-ounce can tomato sauce
- 1 tablespoon liquid smoke
- 1 ½ cup vegetable broth
- 2 tablespoons flour
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon oregano
Instructions
- Combine tomato sauce, liquid smoke, and vegetable broth in a medium sauce pan.
- Add flour, chili powder, cumin, garlic powder, and oregano to the pan. Whisk well to combine.
- Bring the enchilada sauce to a boil, then simmer for 5 minutes to thicken.
Notes
- You can swap vegetable broth for chicken broth.
- You can add other spices if you want.
- This enchilada sauce freezes well for up to 3 months.
This sauce is delicious! I had all of the ingredients already and it came together beautifully for enchiladas.