A healthy, authentic vegan enchilada sauce—made without oil or butter—that you can whip up in about 15 minutes.
Why I love a good enchilada sauce
Mexican food is a staple at our house. I find it’s one of the easiest and most satisfying ways to enjoy a whole food plant-based diet. Especially if you’re working on getting 3 servings of beans and legumes a day, which we do. And, which isn't that hard with recipes like my vegan Mexican breakfast casserole!
Having a tasty, spicy sauce at my fingertips makes serving up these dishes easy as uno-dos-tres.
In fact, according to research, there’s an “Hispanic Paradox” in regard to health and nutrition (among other factors.) Hispanics in the U.S. eating traditional diets tend to live longer, with fewer chronic diseases than the white population.
Turns out corn (non-GMO), tomatoes, and of course beans, are all quite healthy for us.
Check out some of my other Mexican/Latin inspired recipes: Healthy Vegan Chile Relleno, Spanish Rice & Beans, Romesco Cauliflower Tacos, Smoky Black Beans and Rice, Mini Taco Cups, and Sweet Potato Tacos with Roasted Cumin.
Ingredients: flour, chili powder, onion powder, oregano, cumin, garlic powder, optional smoked paprika & cayenne, tomato paste, veggie broth.
How to Make Enchilada Sauce without Oil or Butter
Enchilada sauce is basically a gravy made with a roux (a mixture of fat and flour). But rather than make our roux out of white flour and butter or oil, in this healthier plant-based recipe, we use a whole grain flour (blended with spices), plus tomato paste to stand in for the fat.
After that, the steps are the same as in most other gravies or enchilada sauces. You simply whisk your broth into the hot 'roux' a little at a time until you have a thick and bubbly sauce.
Form a roux by adding flour & spices to hot tomato paste.
Add vegetable broth a little at a time, whisking vigorously until hot and bubbling.
Expert Tips
This vegan enchilada sauce is super simple, but following a few tips will help ensure a perfect result.
Choose your chili powder wisely. I used a relatively mild store-bought chili powder blend (chili pepper, cumin, oregano, coriander, etc.) for this recipe. Don't substitute very hot chili powders (such as 100% chipotle powder) unless you like your enchilada sauce VERY hot. Or, swap about ½ teaspoon of hot chili powder for ½ teaspoon of the regular chili powder if you enjoy a little heat.
Avoiding lumps. It's easier to produce a nice smooth sauce if the broth is hot. Also, don't use a non-stick pan as the coating might scratch--you're going to want to whisk quite vigorously to break up any lumps.
Safety first! To be safe, don't add flour to a dry pan and be careful not to spill it onto an open flame. It's flammable!
I hope you love this authentic tasting, but quite healthy, vegan enchilada sauce. Pour it over enchiladas (obvs!), my Mexican Breakfast Casserole, or anything that would taste better with a zesty, spicy tomato gravy.
-Elizabeth xo
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Oil Free Vegan Enchilada Sauce
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoon flour WFPB compliant flour like whole wheat pastry flour, use gluten free flour if desired.
- 2 tablespoon chili powder see notes
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- ½ teaspoon cumin
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
- pinch cayenne optional
- pinch cinnamon optional
- 3 tablespoon tomato paste (low sodium)
- 2 ½ cups low sodium vegetable broth see notes
- Sea salt to taste
Instructions
- Mix the dry ingredients (flour and spices) in a small bowl, stir to combine, and set aside.
- Heat a medium sauce pan over medium heat, and add the tomato paste. Stir to heat through, about 30 seconds.
- Add the flour and spices mixture, and stir well to combine and heat through, about 1 minute.
- When the mixture in the pan is hot and bubbling, begin adding the veggie broth a little (about ½ cup) at a time, whisking vigorously to break down any lumps. When the sauce is hot and bubbling, add more veggie broth and whisk. Repeat this step until all of the broth has been added to the pan.
- Cover and simmer on low heat for 5-10 minutes to allow the flavors to marry.
Hilary
I make this enchilada sauce all the time... me and family LOVE it!!
Elizabeth Shah
So happy to hear that Hilary!
Abbe
Could you use water instead of broth?
Elizabeth Shah
I'm sure that will be fine. Just up the seasonings if you feel it needs it. Good luck!
Mary
I have already made this once and loved it. I want to make some for another reicpe, however, I only need a small amount. Does this freeze well?
Elizabeth Shah
Hi Mary, I haven't actually frozen this one as I always use it all. But I see no reason why it shouldn't freeze just fine. Let me know!
Georgina Harvey
I'm making this in the uk, and i was just wondering about the 't' and 'T' in the ingredients, is one teaspoon and one tablespoon? I want to make this recipe for dinner tonight but don't want to mess it up =] thank you!
Elizabeth Shah
You are correct, Georgia. Big T = tablespoon, little t = teaspoon. Enjoy!
Ashlea
Hands down my new enchilada sauce. This is a easy, healthy oil free sauce that tastes delicious! Thank you 😊
PS it does leave a few small lumps which I don’t mind so much but, not sure how to eliminate that problem.
Elizabeth Shah
So glad you like this one, Ashlea! They key to eliminating the lumps is to make sure the roux is hot, and whisk like crazy! It helps if the broth is hot too, but not absolutely necessary. If that fails, you could place it in a tightly sealed container (after it cools off a bit) and shake it hard. That usually works as well. Good luck! 😉
Shannon
How much is the serving size? Very good👍
Elizabeth Shah
Thanks Shannon! A serving is approximately 3 ounces. The amount of sauce will vary based on how long you simmer and at what temp, so if you want the most precise measurement, divide your total finished sauce into 6 servings--and the nutritional info in the recipe should be pretty close.