Enchilada Seasoning
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Make delicious enchiladas at home every time with this simple Enchilada Seasoning recipe! Combine the seasoning mix with tomato sauce to make a delicious red enchilada sauce. Add the seasoning to soups, pasta dishes and more, for that signature enchilada flavor!
Table of contents
I grew up in Oklahoma where Tex Mex was on the menu at least twice a week. Enchiladas were one of our go-to meals. It’s easy to toss together, cheesy, delicious, and the whole family loves it!
While I enjoy making my homemade red enchilada sauce from scratch, sometimes it’s just easier to grab a packet of seasoning and mix together a quick sauce in 10 minutes. Unfortunately, the first ingredient in most packets of enchilada sauce mix at the grocery store is usually corn flour, followed by a lot of other ingredients I can’t pronounce. The spices are just a small portion of the seasoning packet.
Fortunately, this recipe for enchilada seasoning is easy to make in less than 5 minutes and you can store it in the pantry for up to 6 months! It only contains ingredients that you know and love, and will always create a delicious red sauce for your favorite enchiladas!
In addition to enchiladas, you can use it to make Chicken Enchilada Soup (a family favorite!) or 20 Minute Enchilada Pasta. You can also mix this homemade enchilada seasoning blend with tomato sauce to make Kurt’s famous chilaquiles for brunch. The possibilities really are endless with this delicious seasoning blend!
Ingredients
For the ingredient quantities, scroll to the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
- Paprika – while I use traditional paprika to make this enchilada seasoning, if you’d like to add a little smokiness to the flavor, feel free to use smoked paprika instead.
- Garlic powder (or granulated garlic) – the only difference between granulated garlic and garlic powder is that the powder has been ground finer, than the granulated garlic. I prefer to use granulated garlic because it’s less likely to clump over time, than garlic powder.
- Onion powder (or granulated onion) – the only difference between granulated onion and onion powder is that the powder has been ground finer, than the granulated onion. I prefer to use granulated onion because it’s less likely to clump over time, than onion powder.
- Sea salt (or kosher salt) – both sea salt and kosher salt can be used interchangeably when cooking. I prefer either kosher or sea salt, over table salt, in this seasoning mix because of their coarse texture and superior flavor.
- Chili Powder – be sure to use chili powder, NOT chile powder! Chili powder is a blend of ground dried chili peppers with other spices. Chile powder is straight blended dried chiles and is much spicier than chili powder.
- Ground cumin
- Oregano – if you can find Mexican oregano, that’s perfect. If not, traditional oregano will work just fine!
- Cocoa powder – adding a small amount of unsweetened cocoa powder helps offset the acidity of the tomatoes in enchilada sauce and the spice of the chili powder. It enhances the overall flavor profile of the seasoning blend by giving it rich, earthy tones and authentic flavors. Be sure to always use unsweetened 100% cocoa powder.
Instructions
- Combine all of the ingredients in a small bowl.
- Store in an airtight container in the pantry for up to 6 months.
Easy as that, in 5 minutes or less, you have a flavorful enchilada seasoning, ready to spice up all your favorite enchilada recipes!
How to make enchilada sauce
To make red enchilada sauce, add 16 ounces of tomato sauce to a medium sauce pan with 1/2 cup water, or chicken broth. Add 2 tablespoons of seasoning mix. Stir to combine and bring the mixture to a boil on the stove over high heat. Reduce the heat and simmer the sauce for 5 minutes.
How to make enchiladas
Use the following instructions to prepare chicken, vegetable, cheese, or ground beef enchilada filling.
- For a ground beef or turkey filling, brown 1 pound of ground turkey or beef in a large skillet on the stove over medium-high heat. Once the meat is cooked through, drain any grease, then add 1/2 cup of the sauce to the meat. Toss the meat in the sauce, then remove from the heat.
- For a vegetable filling, cook 1 cup sliced red onion, 2 cups sliced bell peppers and 1 cup sliced mushrooms, in olive oil on the stove over medium high heat. Cook for 8-10 minutes, then stir in 1/2 cup of the sauce. Remove the vegetables from the heat.
- For a chicken filling, I recommend using cooked, shredded chicken. This could be removed from a rotisserie chicken, or you could use this recipe to make Pressure Cooker Chicken Taco Meat. It’s quick and easy to make in an Instant Pot or electric pressure cooker. Toss 1 pound of cooked, shredded chicken with 1/2 cup sauce before making the enchiladas.
- For a cheese filling, I like to use a combination of cheddar and pepper jack cheese. You’ll need 4-6 cups of shredded cheese, depending on just how cheesy you’d like your enchiladas!
Use the following instructions to assemble the enchiladas, with your favorite protein filling, vegetables or cheese.
- Spread a thin layer of enchilada sauce in the bottom of a 9″ x 13″ baking dish.
- Spread 1/2 cup of enchilada sauce on a large plate.
- Place a tortilla in the plate of sauce. Press down to make sure the bottom of the tortilla is covered in the sauce. If using corn tortillas, I recommend wrapping them in damp paper towels and heating them in the microwave for 60 seconds before preparing the enchiladas. This will ensure that they don’t tear while you roll them up.
- Spoon a thin layer of sauce on the side of the tortilla facing up.
- Add the filling of your choice to the middle of the tortilla and sprinkle with a little shredded cheddar or pepper jack cheese.
- Roll the tortilla up and place it, seam side down, in the baking dish.
- Repeat the 4 steps above another 7 times to create 8 enchiladas.
- Spoon another light layer of sauce over the enchiladas in the baking dish.
- Sprinkle shredded cheddar or pepper jack cheese in an even layer over the enchiladas.
- Bake in a 350°F oven for 15-20 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and bubbling. Serve with your favorite Mexican dips, like salsa, sour cream or guacamole.
Other ways to use the seasoning
Use the recipe above for basic enchiladas, or try the seasoning in these other delicious recipes.
Recipe tips
- This seasoning mix is mild. If you’d like to spice things up a bit, I recommend adding 1 teaspoon of cayenne pepper with the other spices.
- This seasoning blend is sugar-free. If you’d like to add sweetness to the mix, I recommend adding 2 teaspoons granulated sugar.
- This recipe makes 6 tablespoons of enchilada seasoning mix. If you’d like to make a double batch of the seasoning, simply click on the 2X button in the recipe card below. The ingredient amounts in the recipe card will automatically update to accommodate the new serving size.
- The enchilada spice mix will stay good, stored in an airtight container in the pantry, for up to 6 months. After that the spice blend will not “go bad” but as spices sit longer, they begin to lose their flavor.
- I recommend storing the seasoning mix in an 8 ounce mason jar. I recommend labeling the enchilada seasoning with a date and using the seasoning mix within 6 months.
- This seasoning recipe is naturally gluten-free and whole30 approved.
More homemade seasoning recipes
Stock your pantry with all of my homemade seasoning mixes to add flavor to every meal!
Enchilada Seasoning
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons chili powder
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 2 teaspoons onion powder
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 2 teaspoons paprika
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon cocoa powder
Instructions
- Combine all of the ingredients in a small bowl.
- Store in an airtight container in the pantry for up to 6 months.
Notes
- To make red enchilada sauce, add 16 ounces of tomato sauce to a medium sauce pan with 1/2 cup water, or chicken broth. Add 2 tablespoons of seasoning mix. Stir to combine and bring the mixture to a boil on the stove over high heat. Reduce the heat and simmer the sauce for 5 minutes.
- Refer to the blog post above for instructions on how to make ground beef, chicken, veggie or cheese enchiladas.
- This seasoning mix is mild. If you’d like to spice things up a bit, I recommend adding 1 teaspoon of cayenne pepper with the other spices.
- This seasoning blend is sugar-free. If you’d like to add sweetness to the mix, I recommend adding 2 teaspoons granulated sugar.
- This recipe makes 6 tablespoons of enchilada seasoning mix. If you’d like to make a double batch of the seasoning, simply click on the 2X button above. The ingredient amounts will automatically update to accommodate the new serving size.
- The enchilada spice mix will stay good, stored in an airtight container in the pantry, for up to 6 months. After that the spice blend will not “go bad” but as spices sit longer, they begin to lose their flavor.
- I recommend storing the seasoning mix in an 8 ounce mason jar. I recommend labeling the enchilada seasoning with a date and using the seasoning mix within 6 months.
- This seasoning recipe is naturally gluten-free and whole30 approved.
Nutrition Facts
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