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I will NEVER buy canned enchilada sauce again! So yummy. It took me longer than 5 minutes, but it was worth it. ThiS recipe would make a great base for chicken tortilla soup.
Tina
Quick and easy sauce, quick and easy post.
I use this sauce or similar variations of it in so many recipes – it’s definitely time for this little life hack to get its own space as a real recipe on this here blog.
I better start with the disclaimer that this sauce won’t be for everyone – if you want the traditionally silky-smooth canned enchilada sauce vibe, this probably isn’t for you. But if you like adding colorful, fragrant vegetables into your life whenever possible and you’re okay with some texture (and a TON of flavor) in your sauces, you and I belong to the same Enchilada Sauce family. Hello and welcome.
Essentially this is my version of super fast, super easy, ready in five minutes homemade blender enchilada sauce. (affiliate link)
It’s a veggie-based sauce since the base is a full can of whole tomatoes, jalapeños, onions, and garlic (and traditionally enchilada sauce is made with a broth and spices base). It’s chunkier, which, if you’ve read this blog for any length of time, you’ll know that I’m very okay with, and it adds tons of fresh flavor to any Mexican-inspired recipe that requires a simmer or pour-over sauce.
How To Make Our Blender Enchilada Sauce:
You CAN simmer this down before using it to really pack in the flavor and depth and boom-pow factor, but you don’t have to. When I’m in a rush, I just whir this up in the blender and pour it over my enchiladas and get right along my merry way.
You CAN freeze this recipe, too, and you should. If I’m making enough for one recipe, I’ll usually just get double the ingredients and make another batch. That way I can save myself a nice big jar of it in the freezer for an upcoming busy night when I need a homemade meal in three-two-one-NOW.
Fresh, homemade, healthy, and not super authentic but still ultra delicious – this is my version of homemade enchilada sauce (made in the BLENDER in FIVE MINUTES).
Ways to use this sauce:
- Lazy Girl Enchiladas
- Lentil Quesadillas
- Chicken Enchilada Casserole
- Skillet Chicken Tortilla Pie
- Spicy Lentil Nachos with Three Cheese Sauce
5 Minute Blender Enchilada Sauce
- Total Time: 5 minutes
- Yield: makes about 4 cups 1x
Description
This 5 Minute Blender Enchilada Sauce is quick, easy, and full of vegetables! Healthy, easy, homemade enchilada sauce. Enjoy!
Ingredients
- one 28 ounce can whole peeled tomatoes
- 1 cup water
- 3 tablespoons chili powder
- 3 tablespoons taco or Southwestern seasoning
- half an onion, chopped
- 3 cloves garlic
- 1 jalapeno, ribs and seeds removed
- 1/2 teaspoon salt (more to taste)
Instructions
- Blend everything together.
- Enjoy!
Notes
For extra flavor and depth, simmer it all together for a while, maybe 15-30 minutes. But you can use it right out of the blender, too.
Freezes just fine!
Nutrition is for half a cup (1/8th of the recipe).
A previous version of this recipe used 28 ounces of water (refilling the can of tomatoes once), but due to reader feedback and our own re-testing, we’ve changed it to 1 cup of water.
- Prep Time: 3 mins
- Cook Time: 2 mins
- Category: Sauce
- Cuisine: Mexican
Nutrition Facts
- Daily value: 1% Total Fat 0.7g
- Daily value: 0% Cholesterol 0mg
- Daily value: 19% Sodium 427.4mg
- Daily value: 2% Total Carbohydrate 6.6g
- Daily value: 12% Dietary Fiber 3.3g
- Sugars 3.3g
- Daily value: 3% Protein 1.4g
- Daily value: 7% Vitamin A 65.3µg
- Daily value: 18% Vitamin C 15.9mg
- Daily value: 7% Iron 1.2mg
- Daily value: 6% Potassium 267mg
- Daily value: 2% Phosphorus 30mg
Keywords: enchilada sauce, blender enchilada sauce, easy enchilada sauce
One More Thing!
This recipe is part of our Sauces That Make Everything Better roundup. Check it out!
This is hands down the best enchilada sauce recipe. I am not a fan of spicy food but these flavors are so wonderful Together. Even when we go to our favorite Mexican restaurant my family comments how “my” enchilada sauce is better! I didn’t change anything about this recipe but I highly recommend simmering as suggested to help the flavors to meld together.
I’ve been using this recipe for years and just want to thank you for it. I’ve shared it with my mom and we both sing praises to you! THANK YOU !!!
Gringo enchilada sauce.
Did anyone else get a super watery sauce straight out of the blender? I need to simmer it down to have anything resembling enchilada sauce. It was great after simmering!
Life changer. Possibly for generations? I’ve shared this my mom (who taught me how). SOO GOOD- It’s easy + delicious. I use veggie stock, chipotle powder + canned red jalapeños. Thanks for sharing this slappin’ recipe <3
How spicy is this? Would it be fine for most kids? Can’t wait to try it out!
We have gone to make this and wondered about the size of the can of tomatoes but we think it should read 1 x 28 oz can not a 128 oz can as it read on my screen and printout !!! 🙂
I made a big batch this in January of 2022. So much fresher and tastier than the canned stuff!! I had about 3 cups that I froze. I just thawed it out and have a couple questions. Can I still use it 1½ yrs later, and if so, it’s a bit watery. What can I do to thicken it up? Thanks!
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Reading these reviews as the sauce has been made and tasted before “the finished product” my question is why is there no reviews after it’s been made? Prior to cooking I think the idea and recipe yes sounds brilliant 5 ⭐ however it’s taken much longer to Dr this up and make it not taste like a tomato and I even used broth vs water…. Anyone else actually make this yet? I checked my recipe ten times over to be sure I didn’t miss an ingredient. I’ll let you know once I’ve ate the enchiladas or gave them to someone else who would possibly enjoy them my final rating.
I love this because it made enough sauce for four separate recipes. I first took half the sauce to make the lentil nachos…which made so much lentil filling that I froze half of it for later use (I’m thinking quesadillas). Now I’m using another fourth of the sauce for chicken enchiladas. And I still have another small container of sauce in the freezer! Mine turned out spicy thanks to the spice mix I used, so I can thin it with broth as needed. This is an affordable way to get a lot of sauce, instead of buying four pre-made enchilada sauce cans.
I just saw this recipe, happen to have all the ingredients. The taste is amazingly good. Thank you for sharing, so far this is the only recipe I have ever tried and only took 5 mins to make.
Made this tonight for the smoky beans & greens tacos. Could not be easier and the flavor is awesome. I used jarred jalapeno slices because I didn’t have a fresh pepper. Love that this is freezer friendly so I can save the leftovers for future meals!
So….I bought 128 ounces peeled tomatoes lol. I can’t be the only one?! I clearly wasn’t really thinking, but might want to add a dash or something to the recipe.
I love this! Used half of the chili powder and omitted the jalapeño so my kids wouldn’t say it was too spicy, and we all loved it! Thank you!
Woah!! Our chili (New Zealand) is a pure chili powder and not a blend – so I buttoned it back to 1 tablespoon! Also lucky I looooooooove hot ‘n spicy.
I reduced it down after blending as I thought the extra step would add significantly to the flavour profile.
Great sauce, thank you!
Has anyone tried home canning this recipe? I’m tempted to add lemon juice and go for it but would love someone with more experience to tell me the acidity would work for water bath canning. I want to have this enchilada sauce ready to go at a moment’s notice!
We haven’t tried canning this sauce, but we’ve found it works well to freeze any leftover sauce. 🙂
Cold you please share what brand taco seasoning you prefer or do you make your own? Thank you!
We’ll just used a generic store brand usually. 😊
I will NEVER buy canned enchilada sauce again! So yummy. It took me longer than 5 minutes, but it was worth it. ThiS recipe would make a great base for chicken tortilla soup.
Yum! Love that idea, Tina!
This recipe looks so good. I’m going to use it when I make turkey enchiladas tomorrow. Here is another great way to use leftover turkey or chicken. Thank you!
Enjoy, Kari!
Well I finally made my enchiladas casserole with leftover turkey. It was
delicious…my hubby liked it too. And
he is one picky guy. So here is another
great way to use up that leftover turkey!
Thanks for sharing.
Thanks for sharing, Kari!
Any thoughts on how long this would last in the fridge? I just made frighteningly large batch (thanks enormous can of tomatoes from Costco). I’m definitely freezing a few jars, but wondering if I can save a jar to use again in about a week from now.
We’d suggest about 1 week in the fridge, but it’ll last a lot longer in the freezer. 😊
This sauce was good and easy, but fell kind of flat. I kept wishing there was a citrus element or something to really make the flavors pop.
Made the enchilada sauce the other day!
Amazing! I’ve been switching to making all of my own condiments and sauces.
This one is a keeper!!
Glad you enjoyed this, Lea!
Also do you know how much sauce this makes in ml? And would it be enough for your easy veggie enchiladas? Thanks
We’d guess about 946 mL. This should be enough for the easy veggie enchiladas. 🙂
This recipe looks amazing! I might try it with your easy veggie enchiladas. One thing… can the jalapeno be substituted?
You could sub another kind of pepper if you’d prefer – maybe like a serrano pepper instead.
OMG, just made this with the veggie enchiladas and this was delicious. Substituted the water for a cup of veggie stock and it gave so much flavor. Increased the heat factor by keeping the seeds and everything for the jalapeño and added a little bit more than 3 tablespoons of the chilli powder. My new go to! Thanks
Glad to hear you enjoyed this sauce, Denise!