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Green Enchilada Sauce is tangy and rich and, best of all, so easy to make yourself! Just roast green chiles, then simmer them with tomatillos, onions, garlic, jalapeños and spices. Give the mixture a quick blend and you’re ready to make enchiladas from scratch! Watch the video below to see the step by step process – you won’t believe how simple it is.
When it comes to comfort food, Green Chile Chicken Enchiladas are hard to beat. I love the contrast of textures – tender chicken, silky green sauce, melty cheese, and tortillas that stay soft in the middle while the edges get perfectly crisp in those last few minutes in the oven. Once you try this recipe, you’ll find it difficult to go back to the canned version.
“AWESOME! I have been making this all summer and freezing it in vac packed bags so it lays flat and stacks nicely as needed for the winter stash! A very versatile sauce and I thank you for taking the time to share it!”
marshall
Table of Contents
Ingredients for Green Enchilada Sauce
- Hatch Chile Peppers: These have the best flavor for authentic sauce, but Anaheim chile peppers work well too. Pay attention to whether they’re labeled mild, medium, or hot – this will determine your sauce’s heat level.
- Olive Oil: I use extra virgin olive oil, but vegetable oil works just as well. You’re just looking for something to sauté the vegetables.
- Tomatillos: Look for firm, bright green fruit with the papery husk intact. They should feel like firm tomatoes when gently squeezed. Smaller tomatillos tend to be more flavorful than larger ones.
- Onions: White onions are traditional in Mexican cooking and provide the cleanest flavor. Yellow onions will work in a pinch but may add a slightly sweeter note.
- Garlic: Fresh cloves give the best flavor. Don’t worry about mincing them perfectly since everything gets blended later.
- Jalapeño Peppers: Look for firm, deep green peppers. Avoid those with soft spots or discoloration. For milder sauce, remove all seeds and membranes. I always wear gloves when handling these to avoid the burning sensation that can last for hours.
- Ground Cumin: This adds that distinctive earthy flavor. If you have whole cumin seeds, toasting and grinding them yourself provides even better flavor.
- Salt and Freshly Ground Black Pepper: I usually add these to taste at the end of cooking, as the chiles vary in saltiness.
Why Homemade is Sauce Worth the Effort
For years I made enchiladas with Hatch brand Green Chile Enchilada Sauce. But one day I read the ingredient label and began my search for a homemade green enchilada sauce recipe that would compare.
Recipe Testing Notes
The first few recipes that I tried were okay, but were largely flavored by tomatillos. I like tomatillos as the star in things like pork chili verde, but for enchilada sauce, having them as the primary ingredient makes the sauce too tangy for my taste. They still have a presence in this green enchilada sauce, but the roasted chiles are the star (as they are in White Chicken Chili and Pozole Verde).
A flavorful combination of roasted Hatch or Anaheim chiles, olive oil, tomatillos, onion, garlic, jalapeño, cumin and water, this homemade enchilada sauce is a a great copycat version of the Hatch brand sauce, but without the ‘extra’ ingredients.
I like to use 3 cups of green enchilada sauce per batch of Green Chile Chicken Enchiladas or (make Shredded Chicken to fill them, it’s easy!), a bit saucier than some enchilada recipes. That’s one perk of making your own sauce that you can use more or less according to your taste. And this sauce freezes very well. You’ll get 3 batches from making this just once! For convenience, freeze leftover sauce in one-batch portions.
More Must Try Mexican Food Recipes
- Carne Asada (The perfect building block for burritos, tacos, salads, and nachos!)
- Shrimp Tacos (And, in the summer, Grilled Shrimp Tacos.)
- Chicken Tinga (Made on your stovetop in less than an hour.)
- Red Enchilada Sauce (Made in just 15 minutes from pantry staples.)
How to Make Green Enchilada Sauce
Roast Hatch chiles (or Anaheim chiles) in a 400˚F oven until brown and blistered. Let steam and then remove skins, stems and seeds. Coarsely chop.
Meanwhile cook and stir tomatillos, onions, garlic and jalepeños in a saucepan until soft. Add chiles, cumin and water and bring to boil. Simmer, covered 10 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Puree sauce in batches (covering blender with towel instead of lid when liquid is hot). Use immediately or transfer to containers to refrigerate or freeze.
Green Enchilada Sauce
Video
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 pounds Hatch chile peppers or Anaheim chile peppers
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 pound tomatillos papery coverings removed and diced
- 2 medium white onions thinly sliced
- 8 cloves garlic peeled and coarsely chopped
- 2 jalapeño peppers stem, seeds and membrane removed, chopped (see recipe note #1)
- 1 tablespoon ground cumin
- 3 cups water
- salt and freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 °F (204 °C).
- Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper and arrange chiles on it in a single layer. Roast chiles for 30 minutes then transfer to bowl and cover for at least 15 minutes or until cool enough to handle.
- When chiles are cool enough to handle, remove stems, skin and seeds; coarsely chop.
- Meanwhile, heat olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add tomatillos, onion, garlic and jalapeño; cook and stir until soft, about 15 minutes. Add chopped chiles, cumin and water and bring to boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
- Blend in 2 or 3 batches, taking care to have a similar ratio of liquid to solids and covering the blender with a towel not the lid if the sauce is hot.
- Pour sauce into canning jars or other heat-safe containers and let cool. Refrigerate or freeze sauce or use it right away!
Notes
- Please note that handling raw chiles that have been cut up can severely irritate your skin. I always recommend wearing gloves when working with raw chiles.
- Hatch chiles and Anaheim chiles may be used interchangeably, but Hatch are often hotter. Take care when buying your chiles, to notice whether they are ‘mild,’ ‘medium,’ or ‘hot.’ The spiciness of your sauce will reflect your choice of chiles! And note that seeds add heat. So if you want a mild sauce, be sure to discard them.
- Feel free to use chicken stock or chicken broth in place of water if you prefer.
- This sauce freezes beautifully and this recipe makes 9 cups, enough for 3 batches of 8 enchiladas. I recommend freezing leftover sauce in 3-cup portions.
- Refrigerate the enchilada sauce up to 5 days or freeze for up to 3 months.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Thank you so much Marissa for teaching how easy and wonderful making our own enchilada sauce can be. I was born and raised in AZ, so mexican food is my comfort food and my favorite food. I have also traveled to many areas of Mexico many times and therefore had authentic Mexican food. I try to eat as healthy and organic as possible and I’m never a fan of eating anything from a can if I can avoid it. Anyway, I have used your recipe to make my own green enchilada sauce I would say 3 times now, and right now on my fourth, which brought me to leave this comment. The sauce has come out amazing the past three times and rivals the best canned brands, but better because it’s all fresh and organic. The quantity is great as well because I can freeze three batches to have on hand whenever the family is craving enchiladas. Each third is actually more than I need to fill an 11 x 15 casserole dish 3 – 4 layers deep. Thank you so much for this wonderful recipe!!!!
Kellie, thank you so much for this comment. I love to hear that you and your family are enjoying this sauce. Made my day! 🙂
AWESOME! I have been making this all summer and freezing it in vac packed bags so it lays flat and stacks nicely as needed for the winter stash! A very versatile sauce and I thank you for taking the time to share it!
My pleasure, Marshall! So glad you’re enjoying the sauce.
Thanks Marissa. Great, quick and easy sauce. No cans of this or that! I did, however add some ground bay leaf, an extra jalapeno, and went half and half on cumin and coriander.
So glad you enjoyed this and made it your own, Mark!
Can you use Hatch Chili powder instead of the fresh chili?
Hi Lysa! I haven’t made this recipe with Hatch chile powder, but I’m sure it’s possible. I recommend looking for a recipe that specifically calls for chile powder so you have the proper amounts.
Is this recipe good to water bath or pressure can?
Hi Lani. I haven’t canned this sauce, but here is a good resource for advice on safe canning practices. I hope that helps!
Looks delicious. Can you tell me the serving size based on your nutrition totals? I am low sodium and just curious how much salt was used? Can’t wait to try this!!
Hi there, Jen. This recipe makes ~9 cups of sauce which for me makes 3 batches of enchiladas (24 total enchiladas). So about 1/3 cup per enchilada. I hope that helps!
What a great idea! We always make sure to keep a can or two of green enchilada sauce in the pantry. I’ve never through about making my own…until now! I’m thinking this would be great for a cold winter day. Enchiladas are some serious comfort food!
Yay! I’m so excited for you to try this, David!! 🙂
I have loved green chili sauce for- the first time i tried it was sometime in the late 70’s. I have all ways wanted to make my own but never could get a lead or direction. I will definatly make this one here looks very good. My question is i grew a bunch of Anahiem chilis this summer and some chilies were green and I cooked with these and some turned red. i know the red ones are more mature would your recipie still work or be green sauce with the red ones.is there a taste difference?
Hi Doug! Lucky you with your own homegrown peppers! You can definitely use the ripe, red peppers, but note that your sauce will be sweeter than sauce from peppers that are still green. 🙂
Love the video Marissa! And I love making homemade enchilada sauce! I have yet to make a green one. I’ll need to give your recipe a try!
Thank you so much, Mary Ann!
I love this recipe. Thank you so much for sharing! Sounds so delicious.
Thanks so much, Billy!
I made the enhilada sauce yesterday and it is pretty good! I stumbled upon your site while searching for a green sauce. I am from the pacific nw and had never heard of hatch chilis nor used many chilis in my life. I followed the recipe exactly….I didn’t wear gloves and my hands burned for 11 HOURS! Nothing worked to fix the immense pain, I tried everything. I feel like you need to put a disclaimer that this is a HOT and SPICY sauce which it says nowhere on your recipe. Please also let people know to wear gloves! I feel like it is irresponsible to not tell people these chilis can burn you.
Hi Annie! I’m so sorry about your burning hands! I’ve never had skin irritation from chiles that have been roasted whole before handling. It must have been from cutting up the raw jalepenos? In terms of the sauce being spicy, I’m guessing that you bought ‘hot’ Hatch chiles. They vary from mild to medium to very spicy. I typically make this sauce with medium chiles so it isn’t particularly spicy.
Thank you for your suggestions: I’ve made a notes on the recipe about varying levels of chile heat and added a warning about handling raw chiles without gloves.
Instead of freezing sauce can you put it in hot water bath and can them
Hi there, Betty! I haven’t canned the sauce myself, but don’t see why not. Here is a link to the best canning safety guide I know – I recommend having a look before you begin. Thanks!
This sounds so delicious! I’m excited to try it. I have a question. I’m a baby and don’t like hot stuff, how hot would you say it is?
Hi Laurie. Use mild peppers and you should be just fine! 🙂