Quick and easy green enchilada sauce made with tomatillos, peppers, onion, and cilantro that is packed with flavor and freezes well too.
I adore all things Tex-Mex/Mexican/Southwest in flavor and that includes all things enchilada. I often want to turn taco night into enchilada night but what holds me back is the lack of enchilada sauce. I don’t keep it on hand and I don’t normally think of it when I’m at the store. This has caused me to find the best and easiest homemade green enchilada sauce recipe, and I’m so glad that I have! You won’t believe how easy this homemade green enchilada sauce is.
You might need to put a few extra ingredients on your shopping list this week (hello, tomatillos), but they are worth finding. This sauce is delicious on so many things and you are going to find yourself making it again and again. You just chuck everything in the blender, blend until smooth, and then cook that mixture on the stove-top until it has thickened and the flavor has developed. There’s nothing to it! The flavor and texture are excellent, it’s easy to make at home, and it also freezes really well. I always make a double batch of this recipe while I’m at it and freeze half for later use. You won’t believe how easy and delicious this one is! Happy Enchilada Making to you!
Tips and Tricks for Making Homemade Green Enchilada Sauce
- Keep leftovers in a sealed container in the fridge for up to a week or in the freezer for up to 3 months. When tomatillos and peppers are in season, late in the summer, I always make large batches to freeze for later in the winter.
- This is one of those magic sauces that is so much more than a green enchilada sauce. Use it as a marinade for chicken and pork chops (I just add a little chicken stock or water to thin it out), cook your protein in it for tacos (pressure cooker or slow cooker both work great), or add a little olive oil to it to make a delicious salad dressing. It’s so full of flavor – put it on everything!
- When buying tomatillos pick ones that have green soft husks and no blemishes.
- I have a great Easy Homemade Red Enchilada Sauce too if you are looking for one!
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PrintAmazing Easy Homemade Green Enchilada Sauce
Quick and easy green enchilada sauce made with tomatillos, peppers, onion, and cilantro that is packed with flavor and freezes well too.
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 30 mins
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 4 cups
Ingredients
- 2-3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 large onion, roughly chopped
- 5-6 cloves garlic
- 2-4 Anaheim peppers, chopped
- 1-2 jalepenos, seeded
- 1 1/2 pounds tomatillos, husked and cut in half
- 1/2 bunch cilantro, coarsely chopped
- 1 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 1 1/2 teaspoon cumin
- 4 cups chicken or vegetable stock
Instructions
- Place all of the ingredients in the blender and process until smooth. (If the jar of your blender doesn’t fit it all, add all of the ingredients except for the chicken stock. Add only enough stock to allow the blender to process everything until smooth. Add the rest of the stock to the pan before cooking)
- Add the blended mixture to a large pot. Bring the mixture to a simmer over medium heat. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for about 30 minutes. If the sauce is thicker than you like, add a little more chicken stock.
- Serve inside burritos or pour it over enchiladas for a smothered styled meal. I also use this as part of my liquid in tortilla soup and chili!
- Freeze any extras for later use or make a double batch to keep some on hand in the freezer.
Ways to use homemade green enchilada sauce:
- Easy Shredded Meat and Corn Enchilada Bake
- Easy Chicken Enchiladas
- You can also make your own enchilada filling with recipes like Instant Pot Chipotle Chicken Taco Meat or Easy Crispy Instant Pot Pork Taco Recipe and just roll them up and cover them with enchilada sauce and cheese.
I really like to make this 
I hope this makes your dinner just a little easier and as tasty as ever! Enjoy!
Oh my goodness- this is my weakness. I could drink it! This looks AMAZING!
Looks yummy!!!
Thanks Melissa for the nice recipes.
Thank you so much for this recipe! You have turned me into an enchilada sauce snob, lol! I will NOT make enchiladas without this sauce.
LOVE! Have you tried the red enchilada sauce recipe on my site yet 🙂 It’s also delicious if you want to change things up!
Are you able to can this recipe the same as you could tomatoe sauce
I really don’t know. But I’m on team, when it doubt, pressure can it. I’m sure you could pressure can it, but I’d have it tested (for free!) at your local extension office to see if it can be hot water bathed. It would be really nice if you could though wouldn’t it!
Great flavor, but a word of caution — start with just 2C chicken stock or less and try it before deciding whether you really want to add the rest. My sauce was wayyyy too runny and 30 minutes was not nearly enough to boil it down. Anyway I think the tomatillos and peppers should be the emphasis of this sauce
★★★★
Amazing! Never eating canned sauce again!
★★★★★
Yay! I’m so glad you like it as much as we do.
With only 2 reviews I took a chance since it sounded easy. This was really good! Not too spicy with 1 jalapeño. Not too salty like the canned sauces. And it was very quick and easy. Definitely a keeper! Thank you!
★★★★★
Thank you Holly!
Outstanding
★★★★★
Hard to find in my small town so taste just as good as store bought always have on hand now
★★★★★