Does Enchilada Sauce Have Gluten? Easy Tips to Make Gluten-Free Enchilada Sauce

The English translation of enchilada is “to season with chilli.” These are a classic Mexican dish that has roots in the Mayans. They are made of filled, rolled-up tortillas (typically made of corn), and topped with a spicy sauce. One of the meals that can be customised to your taste is enchiladas. A recipe for enchiladas can include a plethora of components, such as sweet potatoes, corn, rice, refried beans, chicken and more. As the main entrée, serve enchiladas with beans and rice on the side.

In this post, we will answer the question “Does Enchilada sauce have gluten?”

Does Enchilada Sauce Have Gluten?

Gluten is not a natural ingredient in enchilada sauce. Certain brands include thickeners like wheat or other ingredients that are unsafe for people following a gluten-free diet. While some companies do not disclose any known pollutants, cross-contamination inside production facilities is still a possibility. It’s best to stick to using gluten-free items if you have celiac disease.

What is Healthy Enchilada Sauce?

With this tasty and nourishing homemade tomato-based sauce, you can create a variety of mouthwatering Mexican-inspired dishes, such as chilli colorado, in addition to scrumptious enchiladas. The finest aspect? It’s quite simple to prepare!

There are just 7 basic, healthy ingredients needed for my red enchilada sauce recipe, which you most likely already have in your pantry. This sauce is naturally gluten-free, which makes it ideal for those with celiac disease or gluten sensitivity despite being deliciously thick and viscous.

Additionally, you have complete control over the ingredients because you’re making it from scratch. Not only can you be certain that it has no preservatives or additives that you can find in store-bought sauces, but you can also customise it to your taste.

How Does It Taste?

This brilliant combination of tomato sauce and tomato paste gives this simple, healthful sauce a double wallop of acidic tomato flavour. With savoury garlic, warming cumin, and mildly spicy chilli powder, it’s expertly balanced. A hint of acidity from the apple cider vinegar ties everything together. You can add a small amount of low-sodium vegetable broth to the sauce to give it a rich texture and substance.

The end product is a low-sodium, perfectly balanced, and deliciously healthy enchilada sauce that can be used as the foundation for hearty, meaty stews or poured over your favourite enchiladas. Everyone will enjoy this since it has the ideal balance of acidic, spicy, savoury, and slightly sweet flavours.

What is Enchilada Sauce Made from? Red and Green Options And Comparisons

Mexican traditional sauces like enchilada sauce are made there. Depending on the chiles and other ingredients used, it can be either red or green. When dipped into the smooth, thick, and velvety enchilada sauce, the back of a spoon should be coated.

Chilli peppers, chilli powder, spices, and tomato puree or sauce are combined to make the red sauce variation. To make a Verde (or green enchilada sauce), you’ll need green peppers, green chiles, stock, and occasionally tomatillos. (They resemble green tomatoes in certain ways.)

Read this post to find unique ways to use enchilada sauce.

What Does Certified Gluten-Free Mean?

A product must meet the FDA threshold of fewer than 20 PPM (parts per million) for any gluten content in foods bearing this label in order to be certified gluten-free.

Here’s what you need to make gluten-free enchilada sauce:

Oil: We’ll need both a fat source and a thickener because we use a roux to thicken enchilada sauce. Although butter is used in certain recipes, I prefer the more neutral flavour of neutral oil, such as avocado oil. I’ve also used grapeseed and olive oils. (I simply advise against using coconut oil.)

Cornmeal or flour without gluten: And now for the thickening. Using cornflour to make a silky smooth, glossy enchilada sauce is my favourite technique to prepare gluten-free enchilada sauce. Use a gluten-free measure-for-measure flour if you’d rather not use flour.

Warm Herbs: Next, we combine chilli powder, cumin, garlic powder, and onion powder to give the sauce some warmth. A minute or two of warming the spices aids in bringing out the flavours as they “bloom.”
Salt. Next, some kosher salt is added. Depending on your preference, you can add more or less.

Adobo’s Chipotle Chilli: I learned about this magical ingredient—particularly for very delicious enchilada sauce—from my childhood buddy Laura. Adobo sauce with smoked chipotle chillies can be quite spicy, so go ahead and start mild and work your way up. Use half a spoonful as a starting point. Make sure the brand is gluten-free!

Sauce de Tomata: Tomato sauce comes next. Use no-sodium or low-sodium as necessary; You can choose Muir Glen because of its wonderful flavour.

Broth or Water: Then, you’ll need to add a little water or broth to get the sauce to the perfect consistency. Though you can just use water, you can also get fantastic flavour with vegetable or chicken broth. Because you don’t want the enchilada sauce to be very salty, it is best to add little to no sodium.

Equipment Needed to Make This GF Enchilada Sauce

Medium-sized Saucepan: This Professional Stainless Steel Sauce Pan with Lid is my favourite stainless steel alternative.
Whisk: An effective wire whisk is a useful kitchen utensil.
Spatula: When handling hot foods, I prefer to use heat-resistant spatulas so I don’t have to worry about them melting!
Storage container: Keep the gluten-free enchilada sauce refrigerated in an airtight container if you won’t be using it right away. Some of our favourite containers for meal prep or storage are these Ello Duraglass Glass Food Storage Containers.

How To Make the Gluten-Free Enchilada Sauce, Step By Step

In a large saucepan, heat the oil over medium heat. Stir in cumin, chilli powder, and cornflour (or a gluten-free flour combination). For one to two minutes, stir often.

Add the tomato sauce, water, chipotle chile, onion and garlic powders.

Over medium heat, whisk together and bring the sauce to a boil. Simmer for 8 to 10 minutes, or until the sauce has thickened, on low heat.

Use in your preferred recipes or keep for up to five days in the refrigerator in a jar or other airtight container. Alternatively, freeze it for later!

Tips And Tricks For The Best Gluten-Free Enchilada Sauce

Is there gluten in enchilada sauce? Since flour is frequently used to thicken store-bought enchilada sauces, they are not always gluten-free. To ensure that the enchilada sauce is gluten-free, you must use brands or recipes that have been thickened with arrowroot, cornflour, or gluten-free flour.
A Word of Advice About Keeping Extra Chiles in Adobo. when you purchase an adobo sauce-infused can of chipotle chillies it’s best if you freeze individual chiles on a plate covered with parchment or wax paper for about 20 minutes, or until solid. You can then put the chiles in a freezer-safe zip-top bag for storage. This state will keep them fresh for almost three months.

This simple recipe needs no explanation, but here are a few tricks along the way:

• As you proceed, taste and adjust the seasoning. You might prefer your sauce to have more salt, smoke, or spice.
• Before adding the remaining ingredients, simmer the tomato paste in a tiny amount of oil for greater flavour depth.
• Cook until it turns a deep brown colour, which will intensify the tomato flavour and give it a rich, umami undertone.
• You are welcome to simmer longer. If you have the time, feel free to let it simmer for an additional 20 to 30 minutes.
• Reduce the amount of vegetable broth or boil it longer to make it thicker.

Conclusion

Hopefully, this post has answered your query “Does Enchilada sauce have gluten?” You can use this adaptable homemade red enchilada sauce in a variety of Mexican and Tex-Mex recipes, such as enchiladas, chilaquiles, and more. The amount of chilli powder used can be adjusted to your desired level of heat, and this version tastes considerably better than store-bought chilli powder. Savour your homemade sauce for enchiladas!

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What cooking oil is gluten-free? Useful Tips to Get the Right Cooking Oil