Vegan Enchilada Sauce

Vegan Enchilada Sauce is quick and easy to make at home and tastes even better than the store-bought kind. This Mexican-inspired enchilada sauce comes together in 25 minutes with tomato paste, veggie broth, chili powder, ground cumin, and dried oregano. It’s affordable, flavorful, and filled with healthy ingredients.

This post may contain affiliate links, which means I’ll receive a commission if you purchase through my links, at no extra cost to you. Please read the full disclosure here.

Recipe Ingredients

• Tomato paste – Used to thicken the enchilada sauce and give a rich tomato flavor.
• Oil and flour – Used to make the roux to thicken the enchilada sauce.
• Broth – Use a high-quality vegetable broth for the best flavor.
• Seasonings – Ground cumin, dried oregano, and chili powder are traditional enchilada sauce ingredients.
• Apple cider vinegar – Deepens the flavors of the spices.

How to Make Vegan Enchilada Sauce

1. To start off, you want to heat either butter or ghee/ vegetable oil in a saucepot, then add the flour to make a roux- flour and oil cooked together to thicken a sauce. The roux will help to thicken the enchilada sauce. 
2. Cook the roux while stirring until the mixture smells like pie crust, about 1 -2 minutes. 
3. Then add the minced garlic, chili powder, ground cumin, dried oregano, ground paprika, cayenne pepper, salt, and freshly ground black pepper. This deepens the flavors of the spices and it will take the raw edge off the garlic, 1 – 2 minutes. Stir constantly to prevent burning.
4. Add the tomato paste to the mixture and continue stirring. By cooking the tomato paste first, we are taking the bitter flavor out of the tomato paste and deepening its flavor, equalling a richer tasting enchilada sauce. 
5. Next, slowly whisk in the cold vegetable broth into the roux. Then allow it to cook, stirring occasionally for 5 – 10 minutes until the sauce starts to thicken slightly. The cold broth will prevent lumps in the roux and in the final sauce. 
6. Once the Enchilada sauce has thickened slightly, remove from the heat and add the apple cider vinegar. The vinegar will help bring out the other flavors in the sauce. 
7. Store in the refrigerator for a week in an airtight container. Enjoy!

Variations

• Tomato sauce – Use plain tomato sauce to give a more tomato-y flavor to your enchilada sauce.
• Make it spicier – Add more cayenne pepper or use a spicy chili powder for a spicier sauce.
• Broth – If you don’t want to make a vegan enchilada sauce use a high-quality chicken broth.
• Gluten-free – Use a 1-1 ratio of gluten-free flour.

Looking For More Recipes?

• Ground Turkey and Black Bean Enchiladas
• Cheesy Ground Beef Enchiladas
• Instant Pot Chicken Broth
• The Best Chili

If you love this recipe, 📌 save it to Pinterest for later or leave this recipe a ⭐️ 5-star rating! Subscribe to The Midwest Kitchen Blog’s Newsletter for more recipes like this delivered straight to your inbox!

Vegan Enchilada Sauce

Vegan Enchilada Sauce is quick and easy to make at home and tastes even better than the store-bought kind. This Mexican-inspired enchilada sauce comes together in 25 minutes with tomato paste, veggie broth, chili powder, ground cumin, and dried oregano. It's affordable, flavorful, and filled with healthy ingredients.

No ratings yet

Print Pin SaveSaved! Rate

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Mexican

Prep Time: 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes minutes

Total Time: 25 minutes minutes

Servings: 2 cups (16 ounces)

Calories: 332kcal

Author: Tonya Fowler

Cost: $5

Equipment

• Medium sauce pot
• whisk

Ingredients

• 2 ½ cups Vegetable Broth* cold
• 4 tablespoons olive oil or vegetable oil
• 3 tablespoons All-purpose flour
• 1 large Garlic clove minced
• 2 tablespoons Tomato paste*

Seasonings

• 1 tablespoon ground chili powder
• 1 ½ teaspoon ground cumin
• ½ teaspoon dried oregano
• ¼ teaspoon ground paprika
• 1 pinch cayenne pepper
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon Apple Cider Vinegar

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

Instructions 

• Melt heat oil in a medium saucepot. Once hot, add the flour to make a roux.
• Cook and stir constantly until the roux smells like pie crust, about 1 – 2 minutes.
• Add the minced garlic, tomato paste, chili powder, cumin, oregano, ground paprika, a pinch of cayenne pepper, salt, and pepper to the roux. Cook, while mixing for another 1 – 2 minutes.
• Slowly, whisk in the cold vegetable broth into the roux mixture, then let it cook for 5 – 10 minutes or until it starts to thicken slightly. Stirring occasionally.
• Once the enchilada sauce has thickened, remove from the heat and stir in the apple cider vinegar. Then it’s ready!

Notes

Make sure the veggie broth is cold to prevent lumps in the enchilada sauce. 

If you buy the tomato paste in the can put the rest into a plastic bag. Flatten the tomato paste in the bag, then put it in the freezer. That way it can stay fresh, and you can either thaw it when you need it next or break a piece off as needed.

The Enchilada Sauce freezes well. Just thaw the sauce out before you are ready to use it. Reheat it in a saucepot with 2 – 4 tablespoons of broth and its ready to use!

Nutrition

Calories: 332kcal | Carbohydrates: 19g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 28g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 16g | Monounsaturated Fat: 7g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Sodium: 1952mg | Potassium: 303mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 2229IU | Vitamin C: 4mg | Calcium: 48mg | Iron: 3mg

All nutrition information is automatically generated and should be only used as a rough estimate. This recipe card may contain affiliate links.