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You probably know by now how much I love Mexican food. Along with Italian and French, it’s one of my faves! From coconut flour tortillas to slow cooker barbacoa to low carb tortilla chips, there is no shortage of low carb Mexican recipes around here. And since I prefer to make my own low carb sauces too, it was the perfect excuse to make an easy gluten-free enchilada sauce recipe from scratch.
How To Thicken Enchilada Sauce Naturally
Like many sauces, most homemade enchilada sauce recipes typically use wheat flour as a thickener. That’s obviously a big problem when you are low carb and gluten-free!
So, how to make enchilada sauce if you don’t want the carbs and gluten? Don’t worry, it’s totally doable. And, unlike some low carb or gluten-free recipes that taste different from the real thing, with this one you won’t be able to tell the difference.
Preparing gluten-free enchilada sauce is incredibly simple. It’s one of the easiest recipes to convert. You really don’t need flour at all!
To thicken an easy enchilada sauce without flour, all you really have to do is cook your sauce for long enough. The extra water will evaporate as it cooks. This is essentially the process of reducing the sauce. Since tomato sauce is pretty thick to begin with, it doesn’t take very long.
This alfredo sauce is thickened naturally with heavy cream and cheese!
So, even though thickening can be a challenge for some types of low carb sauces, that’s not the case here. It’s basically effortless to make enchilada sauce gluten-free.
Why This is the Best Enchilada Sauce Recipe
So, why is this the best enchilada sauce recipe from scratch? One word: simplicity.
The sauce is made using common ingredients. All you need is some garlic (and a little fat to saute it in), tomato sauce, chicken broth, a handful of spices, and sea salt. I pretty much always have this stuff on hand!
Despite how simple it is, the flavor in this gluten-free enchilada sauce is amazing. And that’s another reason why I think it’s really the best. Spicy and tangy and a little sweet, all at the same time!
I’ll be honest, there’s a fair chance that I couldn’t tell the difference between an authentic enchilada sauce and one that is not. What, exactly, would make it authentic? I’m not sure.
All I know is that this one tastes absolutely delicious. And that’s what counts, right?
As far as I’m concerned, that’s what makes it the best enchilada sauce. It has to taste amazing (most important!), be easy to make, the ingredients have to be ones I’m happy with, and it has to be versatile enough to be used in all kinds of recipes. Check, check, check, and check!
Easy Enchilada Sauce in 10 Minutes
As if it wasn’t enough that the ingredients are always conveniently in my pantry, this easy enchilada sauce recipe is also crazy easy. It takes just ten minutes from start to finish!
Simply saute the garlic for a minute, dump in all the other ingredients, and give it a nice stir. Then, just simmer until it’s thick enough.
The thickening process can take more or less time, depending on the size of your saucepan. The larger your pan, the faster you can make your homemade enchilada sauce! I like to use a medium-large saucepan to make the process as fast as possible.
You can store the sauce in the fridge for approximately a week. It may even last longer – I just haven’t had the chance to find out.
I can always find a good use for a homemade red enchilada sauce. Of course, you can always make enchiladas, but I have plenty of other ideas. In fact, I’ll be sharing my favorite recipe with it this weekend. Stay tuned!
Easy Gluten-free Enchilada Sauce Recipe from Scratch:
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The Best Easy Gluten-free Enchilada Sauce Recipe from Scratch
Recipe Video
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PrintIngredients
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- 1 tsp Ghee (or butter, or oil of choice)
- 4 cloves Garlic (minced)
- 1/2 cup Chicken broth (or vegetable broth for vegetarian)
- 15 oz Tomato sauce
- 2 tbsp Chili powder
- 2 tsp Dried oregano
- 2 tsp Cumin
- 1 tsp Onion powder
- 1/2 tsp Sea salt (to taste)
- 1/4 tsp Black pepper (optional)
Instructions
RECIPE TIPS + VIDEO in the post above, nutrition info + recipe notes below!
Click on the times in the instructions below to start a kitchen timer while you cook.
Melt ghee in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add garlic and saute for about a minute, until fragrant.
Add all remaining ingredients and stir together. Bring to a simmer. Cover and reduce heat to maintain bubbles. Simmer for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until thick enough to your liking. Adjust sea salt and black pepper to taste if needed (do this only after cooking, which develops the flavors and heat).
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Recipe Notes
Serving size: 1/4 cup
Video Showing How To Make Enchilada Sauce:
Don't miss the VIDEO above - it's the easiest way to learn how to make Enchilada Sauce!
Nutrition Information Per Serving
Where does nutrition info come from? Nutrition facts are provided as a courtesy, sourced from the USDA Food Database. You can find individual ingredient carb counts we use in the Low Carb & Keto Food List. Carb count excludes sugar alcohols. Net carb count excludes both fiber and sugar alcohols, because these do not affect blood sugar in most people. We try to be accurate, but feel free to make your own calculations.
More Low Carb & Keto Support
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Keto Low Carb Macro Calculator 
Low Carb Keto Food List + Printable PDF
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17 Comments
Diana
Authentic red chili enchilada sauce is made with red chilis not tomato’s. I live in NM capital of growing chilis. It is made way different now you know the difference
Sharon
Is there a reason you don’t use paprika? When I make my home made I do.
Wholesome Yum
Hi Sharon, you can absolutely use paprika if you like!
Patricia R.
Made this tonight. It was delicious! I was making a chicken enchilada something or other and I mixed up my flours by accident making some tortillas and ended up with a mess. But I improvised and it all turned out great. This recipe is a keeper. Fast to make and pretty much fool proof. Every store bought sauce I found had unwanted ingredients. And tomatoes. Not sure about the comment about not having tomatoes, but I have yet to find one that didn’t.
Donna
Delicious and EASY
Rebecca Wells
Yeah except that REAL authentic enchilada sauce has NO tomato sauce in it. It is made with redi chilis, or chili powder and camino powder, oil, salt and pepper.
So I made my home made sauce with just a sprinkle of Arrowroot and your coconut tortillas, not bad not bad atol. Also try the tortillas with Herdez Salsa Verde and Fontana cheese….YUM
Nathan
This sauce is absolutely perfect. The only difference from the recipe is that I used Kerrygold butter to saute the garlic. Everything else was the same. Then made an enchilada bake/casserole. It was amazing, mainly because of this awesome sauce 🙂 Will be making this over and over again. Seems like it would make a really good marinade too. Just a thought. Thank you!
Miranda
YUM!! I’m definitely going to have to try this. Do you think using butter will change the recipe much compared to using Ghee?
Maya | Wholesome Yum
Ghee would definitely work in this recipe, Miranda! I hope you like it!
Monica
Love this sauce!
Maya | Wholesome Yum
Thank you, Monica! Thanks for stopping by!
Tracy
Just made this to accompany my pork roast tonight as I’m finally breaking my egg fast… it was delicious!! I did add about a tablespoon on chipotle tobacco for some heat and it worked well with the flavor profile.
Maya | Wholesome Yum
Great idea to add Chipotle, Tracy! I am so glad you liked it!
Carissa
How long would this last in the fridge?
Maya | Wholesome Yum
Hi Carissa, it should last about a week in the fridge.
Beverly Jackson
Some great gluten-free recipes. Thanks.
Maya | Wholesome Yum
Thank you, Beverly!