Homemade Green Enchilada Sauce
This simple, homemade green enchilada sauce tastes far better than storebought. It can be used in so many recipes as a substitute!
Is it normal for one to get insanely excited about homemade enchilada sauce? Is it?
Come on, tell me the truth; you don’t have to spare my feelings.
I must be really ok with my nerdiness to confess that I think I let out a little scream of joy when my friend, Liz, sent me this recipe for homemade green enchilada sauce.
I don’t think I knew until that moment that I’d been waiting my whole life for this. Insert angels singing.
I frequently use the sauce part of this recipe when I want homemade red enchilada sauce but a delicious green variety has eluded me, and I am so very happy to add this to my DIY collection.
It tastes a million bazillion times better than the brands I’ve bought in the past and is pretty darn simple.
Just wait until you see the first recipe I used it in.
Think: 30-minute skillet meal bursting with all sorts of Tex-mex fall flavors. {Update: here’s the divine enchilada skillet I posted using this homemade green enchilada sauce.}
I can’t wait to use this mean green sauce in some of our family favorites that call for green enchilada sauce:
Smothered Sweet Pork Burritos
Skillet Chicken with Mexican Green Rice
White Chicken Enchiladas
Honey Lime Chicken or Pork Enchiladas
Chicken Enchilada Pasta
FAQ For Green Enchilada Sauce
Yes, after the peppers have been roasted, dice and measure them.
Unfortunately, this recipe has not been tested for canning safety and I cannot recommend that it be water bath or pressure canned.
Yes! Many people have commented they’ve made this recipe with Hatch chiles, and it turns out delicious!
One Year Ago: Classic Tomato Soup (and Tuna Melts!)
Two Years Ago: Creamy Garlic Alfredo Sauce {My Go-To Dinner Saver!}
Three Years Ago: Cream Cheese Chicken and Vegetable Soup
Homemade Green Enchilada Sauce
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons oil
- ½ cup finely chopped onion
- 1-2 garlic cloves, finely minced
- 3 tablespoons flour
- ¼ teaspoon cumin
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 ½ cups low-sodium chicken or vegetable broth
- 1 cup Anaheim or poblano chiles, roasted and peeled OR 1 cup canned diced green chiles, rinsed and drained
- ¼ teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 medium jalapeno, finely diced (optional)
Instructions
- In a medium saucepan, heat the oil over medium heat until hot. Add the onion and garlic and cover. Cook for 5-6 minutes, stirring once or twice to make sure the garlic and onions aren’t sticking (adjust the heat if they are). Cook until the onions are soft but not browned.
- Stir in the flour and cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring constantly. It’s ok if the flour clumps around the onions, just keep stirring to let the flour get golden and toasty.
- Gradually add the broth, whisking quickly and constantly to smooth out any lumps.
- Add all the remaining ingredients and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. The sauce should be silky and thickened – able to coat a spoon but still drip off. Add more broth to thin out if needed.
- Add additional salt to taste, if needed. The sauce can be processed in a blender if you prefer a smoother consistency. It will keep well in the fridge for up to 2 weeks. Otherwise, it can be frozen – probably up to a month or two if well sealed.
Notes
Recommended Products
Recipe Source: from my friend, Liz K. (thanks, Liz!)
Delicious! Made it with frozen fire roasted chiles and it tasted so good. Boyfriend loved it too
I was raised just south of Hatch, NM… this creamy green sauce is on point with what’s served at some of my favorite restaurants! I’ll definitely be keeping this and putting it on my regular rotation!
Fantastic! We will make it again.
I doubled the recipe, that was a mistake, I should have quadrupled it! Absolutely delicious! I puréed it, because picky teens, other than that I followed the recipe. It’s a winner!
Thoroughly enjoyed and will do again!!
I love this sauce. I have made it about 4 times so far. I roasted 2 jalapenos and 2 pablano peppers plus added canned green chilis. I made my own broth. It’s easy to make and freezes well so I made a double batch. Ty for sharing your recipe.
Disgusting. If you’ve never had authentic green chile sauce, you might enjoy this. Very not recommended.
You must not have made it correctly if you didn’t like it. I love eaten tons of green Chile and this stuff rocks
I see that on the recipe that you cannot find fresh chile you can order fresh green chile online I believe it’s Young Gun chile company you can try looking them up.
At 65 I have recently fell in love w/ poblamo peppers. I guess I just wanted to branch out my taste buds. I live in Fla and easy to get. I will be making this and some of your other recipes this week.
Bless you Mel! There’s no green sauce to be found for your amazing smothered pork burritos. Now I’m saved.
We live in south central Idaho and have no probs growing Anaheims, poblanos, serranos or jalapenos. And a note on roasting; I roast on my gas grill and once roasted, place the peppers in a zip-lock bag, seal and let cool. Roasting outside on the grill keeps the house from getting too filled up with roasted pepper smell (although there are worse things!), and it lets my Spanish neighbors know that this boy can cook food also…..
This green chili sauce is easy and absolutely delicious!
I’ve made this for the past 3 years. It’s a winner every time. I’ve never not been asked for the recipe. Definitely worth your time …. And taste buds!
Mel, I can it just like I do for Tomatoes, so easy and nice to have on hand,,
Mel, Great recipe, I use fresh Tomatillo roasted on the grill or in the oven , take off the paper skin first, and roast them, just make sure they are on a cookie shee to save the juice.
Chilies I prefer poblano chilies, put them in a plastic zip lock for a few mins after you roast them , if you can find them yet. The skins fall off much better, then everything goes into a food processor just to combine. Leave it a little chunky.
Do you know what the sodium content of this would be without the canned chili’s? I need very low sodium diet for my hubby and me. Also with the canned chili’s? Thanks
I’m afraid I don’t know the sodium content – I’m sorry!
have you ever bottled this recipe? I found this when there was no green sauce in the store and I will never go back to canned stuff. I just would like the convenience of having bottled already Thanks Trisha
I haven’t, I’m sorry!
I have. Well I haven’t done this exact, recipe but I’ve done many green chili and/tomatillo Enchilada sauce recipes solely for canning Because I’m not getting tomatillos for a one off recipe for a family of three so I pretty much have to plan ahead for a couple years. the one thing you want to do is omit the flour. You’re gonna want to add lime juice to a point that it safe to water bath or are use best methods And whether or not I use lime juice I still pressure can. it’s delicious l, stores really well canned, and it last for years. Again even though I haven’t use this exact recipe I’ve used similar ones and it turns out great
I am interested in canning some of this sauce, can you share your recipe? Thank you.
Can this be canned?? I am growing A LOT of poblano and jalapeno peppers and I want to make a bunch of this to hopefully last through the year. I have made it and we love it! Thanks for the nummy recipe!
I don’t think it has been tested for canning safety – sorry!
Okay, Thank you for the reply…I may test one myself and see if I croak. 🙂
I have pressure canned it. 45 min for the recommended pounds of pressure for your altitude. I love having it on hand. It does have to be pressure canned.
Technically any recipe with flour added is not safe to can according to the USDA.
Good base recipe that can be easily tweaked to your liking. I always fire roast fresh Anaheims and a Poblano. I prefer mine blended smooth and throw a sprig of cilantro in. I make enough to freeze in small containers and in ice tray cubes. It freezes well for at least 9 months, if it ever stays around that long. Stir in a spoonful of sour cream for a silky, creamy sauce that drapes beautifully over chicken enchiladas. Delish!
I made this with fresh roasted Hatch Chilis. It was amazing. They are seasonal so I’ll make this next with canned chilis. Love this recipe!!!
Where can you buy “real” Hatch chilies? I’ve heard that they’re actually hotter than Anaheim but that doesn’t make sense to me because what I eat hatch chilies out of a canned they’re very very mild can anyone explain
They have differing heats of the chiles from mild to very hot. You can usually buy them in August/September but it’s hit or miss if a grocery store outside of New Mexico sells them. Costco sells a bottle of 505 green chiles that is very good.
I’m New Mexican and we swear by our Hatch Chiles! You can buy a jarred version, from Hatch, on Amazon. The 505 brand I find to be a bit milder than I prefer. We stock up for the year at the end of summer because chiles go on well… everything around here but occasionally we run out and need a fix. My preference is the Hatch brand whether bottled or frozen but I never use canned… yuck!
Amazing! And all these ingredients are available in Canada, so double yay.
MEL thanks for this recipe. I used to get cheese enchiladas that had a similar sauce at restaurant only believe it or no,t it had celery in it too. Onions, chilis and celery were cut chunky. It was the best! Sadly after 20 or so years it closed. So I’m excited to try this recipe.
Absolutely delicious and the BEST green chili sauce recipe out there. I use this recipe for everything from breakfast burritos, chicken enchiladas, to a sauce for pork roast. I even use this recipe to make green chili soup (I add a bit more chicken broth, add pork tenderloin) then put some rice in a bowl then top it with the soup . I finish each bowl of soup with Monterey jack cheese, sour cream on top, and a side warm tortillas for dipping. Soooo good!
Yummy!!!! Thank you!
Never mind. I’m a dummy! I see it. Sorry.
You failed to say what size can of green chilies. or did I miss that?
So I just made this recipe tonight, using 4 fresh Anaheim and 1 fresh poblano, followed the rest of the recipe to a T and it was a little bland after I blended it and added a little salt. I grabbed a can of hatch chili peppers just in case I didn’t have enough fresh peppers after cutting them up, so I added that in with a little cilantro and it was delicious! I think next time I’ll try all canned chilis and try to remember to update my review. Poured it over salsa chicken enchiladas. Very good!
I’ll probably make this using hatch chilis when they’re in season. Great base recipe, easy to tweak and make delicious if your fresh peppers were a little bland like mine.
Came out awesome I used all3 types of Peppers oh my goodness definitely will make more
My 3 kids and I loved this recipe. I have 1 kid that usually complains when i make enchiladas for dinner, and tonight she ate her whole enchilada and thanked me for a delicious dinner. Win!
This sauce is delicious!! I use it to make sweet potato black bean enchiladas… Something about the sweet potato with the tangy sauce is out of this world! I do blend the sauce after it cooks to smooth it out. And I don’t bake it because I don’t add cheese, so baking it just dries the sauce out. I’ve made this almost every week since I discovered it!
WOW!!! Super easy, great tasting sauce with ANYTHING you want a little added spice!!! Keep it chunky for a great steak sauce!!!
I’m fortunate…also having access to the amazing Hatch Green Chili…which eliminates the need for extra heat from the jalapeno in this recipe (I purchase the “hot” Big Jim variety). I generally make a double recipe – having enough for dinner, a container to freeze & a container to share with my neighbor, who supplies me with homemade tamales!!!
Great recipe Mel.
Use “Hatch” canned chilies if you can get those – don’t rinse or drain you’ll lose flavor- then skip the added salt- Walmart might be able to ship Hatch chilies- good recipe- for the rating below there are no words next to the bubbles
I am making this as we speak however i roasted poblano and green chilis on a charcoal bbq. Using them instad of anahiem. May not be as spicy but i also roasted some jalapeno too that i can add if its not hit enough
This is the best enchilada sauce!! We make it frequently from Anaheim’s and jalapenos I grow in the garden. (And I second using an immersion blender!) We even dip chips in the leftover sauce or use it in quesadillas. Yummy!!
Your home made green enchilada sauce is excellent! The sauce is so easy to make – I will not buy canned sauce again. Thank you!
Wow! This was delicious! I did take a few liberties…used beef broth cuz that’s what I had…ran the onions, garlic and jalapeno under the broiler to get a nice char…used the immersion blender (love that thing!) to smooth it out. Thank you! I’ll be using this recipe again. Beats the hell out of any store-bought green enchilada sauce.
I love this recipe. I haven’t bought green enchilada sauce since the first time I made it. I usually end up using half and throwing half in the freezer for later. It is perfect and simple. The flavor cannot be beat! I have only ever used canned chilies, but would love to try it with fresh when I can get my hands on some!
Very Good Easy Enchilada Sauce Recipe. Love my Green Chile.
Simply amazing!
As a fellow green chile aficionado and New Mexico transplant to a land of poor chile choices, I have a quick recommendation for you. You can order really good green chile from Hatch and have it shipped!! Personally I use chilemonster.com, but there are lots of options, just search for Hatch chile delivery
Thanks, Stephanie!
Love this recipe! Our garden is vomiting Anaheim peppers (as well as several other varieties) right now. I pick a big bucket full of them every 4 days or so. I made this recipe last summer and it was great! I used half of it on our dinner that night and froze the other half for a future meal. I’m getting ready to double or maybe triple the recipe to freeze in batches. Great way to use up our peppers!
Is it possible to substitute the flour for 1 1/2 Tablespoons cornstarch and mix that into 1/2 cup of the chicken broth before combining with the onion and garlic and then thickening? Then adding the remainder of the chicken broth after?
I’m trying to minimize the carbs. But I don’t want to use an extremely low carb thickener. Thanks!
I think others in the comment thread have used cornstarch with good results.
Made this today using canned green chiles, unrinsed and left the salt out. I made this to share with a couple who are gluten free and substituted arrow root powder instead of the flour, using 1.5 tbsp (21 g). It turned out perfectly. I puréed in a blender and it looked just like store bought but much healthier and tasted great.
this is a reasonable version of the basic recipe, for sure [corrales new mexico, lived here for 49 years, san antonio when a boy].
poblano chiles are near-universally available now in most groceries–if not go to to your local MEXICAN grocery–they’re everywhere too.
best, grow them yourself. second best buy them from you neighbors.
if you do get fresh, even from the store, roast them on your grill. best taste–even here in new mexico the grills at the stores are naptha or butane fired and give a back taste i hate.
I’m making this recipe tonight. I looked on Amazon and you can buy the poblano seeds to grow yourself. We grow jalepenos but have never done poblanos but peppers are easy to grow. Bell peppers are more difficult but the hotter varieties on the scoville scale are easier. Try it in your kitchen window or patio!
How do you think this would work using green salsa in place of the canned diced chilies and leaving out the 1/2 tsp. salt? Would the chicken broth need to be lowered?
No, just no. Please do not do that. It will not be the same or taste as it should.
Obviously it won’t taste the same, but will it still taste good? I only ask because I’m making Mel’s honey like chicken enchiladas and it says you can use green salsa or enchilada sauce. I thought it would be a good compromise and I don’t have green chilies right now.
Hey Becca – I personally think anything is worth a try as long as you are ok with a change in flavor. If you don’t have green chiles, might as well try it, but I think when you do try it with chiles, it’ll taste a little better. 🙂
Thank you for this! Wonderful flavor and great texture.
I am so excited to try this recipe! I will have access to chili’s in order to roast them (I am in Arizona) but quick hint when roasting your own peppers coat them in oil first, preferably olive oil.
I’m not trying to make you guys feel bad, I live about 30 miles from Hatch, New Mexico.
I ran across your green chili enchilada sauce recipe and I’m about to try it. I’ll let you know how it turns out. Sounds good.
I have become extremely jealous. My skin is the color of a fresh Hatch chili.
We live in the south california mountains and can only find fresh Hatch chilis for maybe a week each year. When we find them I take home every one they have. They make the mostest bestest chili rellenos, and many sauces and can well.
Yummy I made it yesterday delicious and easy!