This flavorful and savory green enchilada sauce is so easy to make, and tastes so much better than store-bought sauce! This homemade sauce is the perfect topping for many Mexican inspired recipes.
We eat some form of enchiladas in my home ridiculously often and they are always delicious! Enchilada Puffs, Enchilada Lasagna, and Chicken Enchilada Dip are some of our favorite variations. This homemade green enchilada sauce recipe is a great way to swap out the store-bought version!
Homemade Green Enchilada Sauce
One of my absolute favorite go-to meals that I know my family will always eat happily is enchiladas! I keep my freezer stocked with cooked shredded chicken and my pantry stocked with black beans, corn, and green chilies, so it’s pretty easy to whip up enchiladas at a moment’s notice.
Until recently I had always used store-bought enchilada sauce for my enchiladas, but I decided to branch out a little and try making my own sauce. The result was this fabulous green chili enchilada sauce, and it totally blew me away with its deliciousness! It’s so much better than the store-bought sauce that I’m not sure I can ever go back!
This green enchilada sauce recipe really is the best! It gets its flavor from a combination of onions, garlic, a few spices, and green chilies. If you were to ask me on any given day whether red enchilada sauce or green enchilada sauce is my favorite, my answer would change, but lately I have been on a big green sauce kick. I love that it’s savory and salty, and has just a little kick of sourness from the green chilies. I could seriously just eat this stuff with a spoon!
How to Make Green Enchilada Sauce
This green chili enchilada sauce is surprisingly easy to make! You can make it on the stove top in a few easy steps.
- Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat
- Add the onion and garlic to the olive oil and the cook until soft
- Whisk in the cumin, chili powder, flour, garlic powder, pepper and salt
- Cook until the mixture is bubbly and a golden color
- Slowly whisk in the chicken broth
- Be sure to continuously stir to prevent lumps from forming in the sauce
- Allow the sauce to simmer for about 10 minutes or until it has thickened a little
- Using an immersion blender, puree the sauce until smooth
Tips For Making Homemade Enchilada Sauce
- If you like your green enchilada sauce a little spicier, you can throw in a jalapeno or two, or add some sriracha to the sauce. My kids like things pretty mild, so just the green chilies were perfect for us.
- If you use a regular blender or food processor to puree the sauce, leave the top open to allow steam to escape
How To Store Fresh Enchilada Sauce
If you’re not going to use this homemade green enchilada sauce right away, you can store the sauce in the fridge, and it will keep for at least a week. It thickens a little as it cools, so be sure to heat it up when you’re ready to use it so it will be easy to pour and spread.
If you’re not going to use it within a week or you want to make a batch for later, you can also freeze this recipe. Just be sure to place the enchilada sauce into an airtight container before freezing. This recipe can be kept frozen for about 2 months. Just be sure you write the date on the container so you don’t forget how long it’s been in there.
More Easy Enchilada Recipes
- Chicken Enchilada Casserole
- Enchilada-Style Bean Burritos
- Homemade Red Enchiladas
- Breakfast Enchiladas
- Honey Lime Chicken Enchiladas
Green Chili Enchilada Sauce Recipe
This recipe makes about 2 cups of enchilada sauce, so it’s the perfect amount for a 9 x 9 or 9 x 13 pan of enchiladas. Let us know how much you love this fresh homemade green sauce by leaving us a comment below, or by tagging us on social media so we can see all of the tasty recipes you’re making!
Green Chili Enchilada Sauce
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 2 teaspoons minced garlic
- 2 tablespoons flour
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/2 cups chicken broth
- 1 can (8 ounces), diced green chilies
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic, and cook until softened and fragrant. Whisk in the flour, cumin, chili powder, garlic powder, black pepper, and salt, and cook until golden and bubbly.
- Slowly whisk in the chicken broth, stirring constantly to prevent lumps. Whisk in the green chilies. Bring the sauce to a simmer, and simmer 10 minutes, or until thickened slightly.
- Puree the sauce using an immersion blender, or a blender or food processor (with the top open to let steam escape), until smooth.
Nutrition
Other Notes
Excellent recipe for green enchilada sauce. I made it last night for a recipe that called for green ench. sauce. Had all the ingredients. For other sauce recipes I would of had to go to store to get the peppers. The can of green chilis worked fabulous.
Thanks Marjorie! That’s why I love this recipe so much is because the ingredients are all really basic.
This sauce looks so fresh and flavorful! Yum!
Thank you for sharing this! We love Mexican food at our house & I love green enchiladas! I also love trying new enchilada sauce recipes & this looks delicious!
Thanks Kristyn!
I never think to make green enchilada sauce, I always go with red, but I think I will try this recipe next time!
You should, the green sauce is amazing!
This sauce is delicious! I made salsa verde chicken with it! Yum!
That’s a great recipe to use this sauce with. So glad you loved it!
This is my absolute favorite! I need to make enchiladas again!
So glad you loved it! It’s my favorite too!