Green Enchilada Sauce

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This easy green enchilada sauce is made with tomatillos, peppers, onion, and garlic. It’s quick, flavorful, and can be made ahead of time!

You are going to love this green sauce! It perfect with chicken or cheese enchiladas. And it freezes well so you can make a double batch and store it for later use.

A jar of Green Enchilada Sauce

Green Enchilada Sauce

Have we mentioned how much we love Mexican food? We have a Mexican meal at least once a week! We recently made fish taco sauce to serve with our Mexico-inspired tacos.

One thing we love most is enchiladas loaded with cheese or chicken. Usually, we do half a pan of cheese and half a pan of chicken because the lady here is vegetarian.

We’ve found that we most enjoy our cheese and chicken enchiladas with green sauce. It’s fresh flavorful and comes together in a snap! It’s also great with red enchilada sauce!

It takes about 30 minutes to make from start to finish and the ingredients are very simple. Tomatillos, peppers, onion, garlic, and a few seasonings make up the flavor of the sauce.

This recipe is mild but it’s easy to make it spicier if you’d like. Just leave the ribs and seeds in the peppers for added heat.

There are a variety of ways to serve this sauce too! Of course, you can spread it over enchiladas but it’s also great over tacos, nachos, or even fish tacos!

Green Enchilada Sauce closeup

Green Enchilada Sauce Ingredients:

To make this green enchilada sauce recipe, you will need:

  • Tomatillos: They are roasted to bring out the best of their flavor.
  • Pablano peppers: You can also use Anaheim peppers. Choose whichever one is available to you.
  • Jalapeños: They add just a little bit of spice.
  • Garlic: It’s cooked down so it’s mild and soft.
  • Onion: They are cooked in a foil pack with the garlic so they mellow out and become sweet.
  • Chicken stock: Vegetable broth can be used for a vegan/vegetarian version.
  • Spices: We added a little cumin, salt, and pepper but feel free to play around here.
Green Enchilada Sauce recipe ingredients

How to Make Green Enchilada Sauce:

To make this flavorful green enchilada sauce, simply…

  1. Roast the tomatillos and peppers. Slice them and place them on a baking sheet. Put the onion and garlic in a foil pack and place that on the baking sheet also. Roast under the broiler for 10-15 minutes then let everything cool for about 10 minutes.
  2. Puree. Place everything in a blender and puree until smooth.
  3. Use it right away or refrigerate it for later. Serve it with cheese and/or chicken enchiladas.

Green Enchilada Sauce Variations:

There are quite a few ways you can doctor up this green enchilada sauce recipe.

  • Make it spicier: If you want the sauce to be spicier, leave the seeds and ribs on the peppers. You can also add a dash of cayenne to the blender. Or add a couple serrano peppers.
  • Use canned chilis: If you can’t find tomatillos or peppers, you can use 16 ounces of canned green chilis instead.
  • Add cilantro: If you like cilantro, you can add ½ bunch to the blender.
Green Enchilada Sauce over chicken enchiladas

How to Store Green Enchilada Sauce:

Refrigerate – Allow the sauce to cool for about 1 hour then transfer it to an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 5 days.

Freeze – Allow the sauce to cool for about 2 hours then transfer it to a freezer-safe container and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator.

If you enjoyed this sauce and want to try more like it, these are great:

Green Enchilada Sauce

4.53 from 21 votes
Green Enchilada Sauce Recipe Image
This easy green enchilada sauce is made with tomatillos, peppers, onion, and garlic. It’s quick, flavorful, and can be made ahead of time!
Sauce Fanatic
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Serving Size 12

Ingredients

  • 8 ounces tomatillos peeled, rinsed, and sliced in half
  • 8 ounces Anaheim or Poblano peppers sliced in hallf, seeds and ribs removed
  • 2 jalapeños sliced in half, seeds and ribs removed
  • 4 garlic cloves
  • 1 small yellow onion peeled and sliced in half
  • 1 cup chicken stock vegetable stock can also be used
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper

Instructions

  • Adjust the oven rack to the middle position and turn on the broiler.
  • Place the tomatillos and peppers on a lightly greased baking sheet. Drizzle them with a little oil and toss to coat. Arrange them so they are skin side up.
  • Place the garlic and onion in a foil pouch. Drizzle with oil and seal the pouch closed. Place the pouch on the baking sheet with the peppers and tomatillos.
  • Bake under the broiler until tomatillos and peppers are charred, about 10-15 minutes. But this can vary depending on your oven so keep a close eye on it.
  • Carefully unwrap the onions and garlic then set everything aside to cool for about 10 minutes.
  • Place everything in a food processor along with the chicken stock, cumin, salt, and pepper. Puree until completely smooth.
  • Taste and add more salt, pepper and/or cumin if needed.
  • Serve immediately over enchiladas.

Make ahead tip

  • Refrigerate – Cool for 1 hour then transfer to an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 5 days. 
  • Freeze – Cool for 2 hours then transfer to a freezer-safe container and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight.

Nutrition

Serving: 4tablespoons | Calories: 24kcal | Carbohydrates: 4g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 0.1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 1mg | Sodium: 224mg | Potassium: 131mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 120IU | Vitamin C: 21mg | Calcium: 10mg | Iron: 0.4mg
CourseDinner
CuisineMexican

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3 Comments

  1. This was really easy and delicious. Thank you for sharing!

  2. This is the best green enchilada sauce I’ve tried! Thank you!

  3. This is the best green enchilada sauce I’ve tried! Thank you!