Whole30 Enchilada Sauce
Here’s a little gem for you — a paleo & Whole30 enchilada sauce that’s naturally sweetened and vegetable oil free!
It’s incredibly easy, too. Just dump everything in a pot on the stove, and let it simmer for a few minutes.
Really, that’s it. It stores for a couple of weeks so you can either use the whole thing in a pan of enchiladas or you can pull it out and spoon some over your breakfast all week long.
One morning I took some leftover Southwest Cabbage Slaw, threw a fried egg on top and drizzled some warm enchilada sauce. Huevos Rancheros Saladero? I dunno, but whatever you want to call it, this enchilada sauce brought new life to those sometimes-mundane Whole30 egg breakfasts.
And Whole30 aside — this is the best homemade enchilada sauce I’ve ever made. You know I love to make my own homemade staples, and I’m excited to add this one to my file!
I can’t wait to use it in my Paleo Huevos Rancheros Skillet!
Whole30 Compliant Enchilada Sauce
Yield: Makes about 2 cups
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: About 25 minutes
Ingredients:
- 3 Tablespoons avocado oil
- 1/4 cup chili powder
- 2 cups chicken stock
- 1 6-ounce can of tomato paste
- 1 Tablespoon tapioca flour or arrowroot starch/flour
- 1 Tablespoon Date Paste (see note)
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
Directions:
- In a medium saucepan, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the chili powder and cook, stirring, for 30 seconds.
- Whisk in the remaining ingredients and bring it to a low boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for about 15 minutes. The sauce should be smooth and slightly thickened.
- Taste, and adjust the seasonings if necessary. If it seems to acidic to you, add another teaspoon or so of date paste.
- Use the sauce right away or transfer it to an airtight container and chill until ready to use. Keeps for about 10 days in the refrigerator.
Nat’s Note: Date paste is super easy to make, and a great staple to have on hand during a round of Whole30 to use in sauces and vinaigrettes that need a little sweetening for balance. If you’re not on Whole30, feel free to use an equal amount of honey instead.
From Perry’s Plate
I just used it and my enchiladas were outstanding :D ! It’s a great recipe and easy to make. There may be better recipes for this sauce, somewhere, but I haven’t found any, and it beats anything you can buy in a can :D :D
My mom’s homemade enchilada sauce is naturally free of any oils. As a Mexican, these ingredients are a little odd, especially the arrowroot powder and date paste (we don’t like our sauce sweet). And we wouldn’t use chili powder; we use actual dried chili peppers and blend them into a sauce. But you definitely have to use cumin.
Hi Liz! This recipe was intended to be a quick, Whole30-compliant version and not an authentic enchilada sauce. Nothing quite compares with ground up dried chiles, but this is a good sauce to make in a pinch. Whole30 requires a lot of prep work and not everyone is going to want to do that on top of all of the other food prep.
Can you make your own date paste by just food processing dates?
Yes! I’ve got a post on that, too, if it helps. You’ll need to soak them first. https://www.perrysplate.com/2014/07/date-paste-best-natural-sweetener.html